Bujold, Lois McMaster

Born: 1949

Ohio connection: Birth

Columbus

Lois McMaster Bujold, winner of numerous Nebula and Hugo awards for her outstanding science fiction and fantasy writing, was born in Columbus, Ohio. She credits her father, Robert Charles McMaster, a former engineering professor at The Ohio State University, for introducing her to science fiction novels and magazines when she was a young girl. She continued to read “enormous amounts” of science fiction as a teenager, and also wrote creatively in her spare time before studying English at Ohio State. Bujold soon married, however, and was a full-time homemaker when one of her childhood friends embarked on a writing career, inspiring Bujold to begin writing again. She chose to focus, with great success, on writing science fiction. The first three novels she wrote, Shards of Honor, Ethan of Athos, and The Warrior’s Apprentice were all published in 1986. Shards of Honor and The Warrior’s Apprentice introduce readers to the character of Miles Vorkosigan and his adventures in space. Over a dozen books have been published in the series, although critics and fans agree they can be read out of chronological order and still be enjoyed immensely. A Publishers Weekly review says the series “successfully mixes quirky humor with just enough action, a dab of feminist social commentary and her usual superb character development.” Bujold’s first Nebula award winner was Falling Free (1988), a novel dedicated to her father about a human engineer’s efforts to free an exploited race from corporate control. The Curse of Chalion (2001), which was nominated for a World Fantasy Award and won the 2002 Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature, is a political fantasy about a betrayed soldier, Cazaril. A reviewer for Science Fiction Chronicle concluded that this novel “is one of the great ones.” Bujold, now living in Minneapolis, is still writing and being read around the world–her novels have been translated into over 15 languages.

Awards:
Nebula Award for Best Novel, Science Fiction Writers of America, 1988, for Falling Free, and 1995, for Mirror Dance; Nebula Award for Best Novella, Science Fiction Writers of America, 1989, for The Mountains of Mourning; Hugo Award for Best Novella, World Science Fiction Society, 1989, for The Mountains of Mourning; Hugo Award for Best Novel, World Science Fiction Society, 1990, for The Vor Game, 1991, for Barrayar, and 1995, for Mirror Dance; first place Locus Award, Locus (magazine), 1991, forBarrayar, and 1995, for Mirror Dance; Mythopoeic Award, 2002, for Curse of Chalion; 2007 Ohioana Career Award.

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