Gould, Steven 1955–

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Gould, Steven 1955–

(Steven Charles Gould)

PERSONAL: Born February 7, 1955, in Fort Huachuca, AZ; son of James Alan (an army officer) and Carita Louise (a watercolor artist) Gould; married Laura Jean Mixon (a writer and environmental engineer), January 1, 1989; children: Emma Marie, one other child. Education: Attended Texas A & M University, 1973–78. Politics: Liberal Democrat. Religion: Agnostic. Hobbies and other interests: Diving, sailing, wilderness survival, camping.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—New York, NY. Agent—Ralph M. Vicinanza Ltd., 111 8th Ave., Ste. 1501, New York, NY 10011. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Brazos Valley Community Action Agency, Bryan, TX, data processing manager, 1987–90; freelance writer and computer professional, 1990–. Texas A & M University, guest instructor. Cofounder of Space City Writer's Ranch and Houston's Science Fiction and Fantasy Workshop.

MEMBER: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (director of south/central region, 1986–89).

AWARDS, HONORS: Hugo Award nomination, 1985, for story "Rory"; Hugo Award and Nebula Award nominations, 1989, for story "Peaches for Mad Molly"; Golden Duck Award, Hal Clement Young Adult Award, 1997, for Wildside.

WRITINGS:

Jumper (novel), Tor Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Wildside, Tom Doherty Associates (New York, NY), 1996.

(With wife, Laura J. Mixon) Greenwar, Forge (New York, NY), 1997.

Helm, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Blind Waves, Tor Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Reflex (sequel to Jumper), Tor Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Work represented in anthologies, including 1989 World's Best Science Fiction, edited by Donald A. Wolheim; Cities in Space, edited by Jerry Pournelle and John F. Carr, Ace Books, 1991; and Isaac Asimov's Robots, edited by Gardner Dozois and Sheila Williams, Ace Books, 1991. Contributor of stories and short novels to periodicals, including Analog, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction, Amazing, and New Destinies.

SIDELIGHTS: Award-winning science fiction writer Steven Gould once told CA: "I was 'discovered' by the late Theodore Sturgeon in a writing workshop." Since then, he has published several novels, and his short stories have been nominated for the prestigious Hugo and Nebula Awards. His science fiction novel debut, Jumper, tells the story of seventeen-year-old David Rice, who uses his secret ability of teleportation to run away from his cruel stepfather. At first, David uses his power to survive in the streets, but he eventually begins to employ it for robbery as he searches for his mother. A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that the author's "warm, delightful and compulsively readable novel displays assured storytelling skill." Orson Scott Card, writing in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, commented that Gould "fashioned Davy into a true modern hero, and the moral issues he grapples with are important and real."

Wildside is set in a parallel universe that Charles Newell gains access to after discovering a gateway on his uncle's farm. Charles soon finds himself in a pristine world with a rich biological presence that includes heretofore extinct species. He begins to take animals back to earth to sell and then hatches a plot to drill for gold, until government agents arrive on the scene. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that "the evil characters are intelligent and clever," while Carl Hays commented in Booklist that "more than a few surprising plot developments make for compelling reading."

Gould collaborated with his wife, Laura J. Mixon, to write Greenwar, a story about Emma Tooke, whose sea-energy company is attacked by an ecoterrorist organization. Before long, Emma learns that its membership includes an old boyfriend. Writing in Booklist, Roland Green noted that the "plot soundly balances villainy, excitement, scientific virtue, [and] misguided but sincere terrorism." Library Journal contributor Grant A. Fredericksen III recommended: "Shell out the green for this environmental action thriller."

Helm finds Earth virtually destroyed and unfit for human habitation. Humanity's hope rests with survivors who live on the moon and must search for a new home planet. To ensure that they will one day have the technology to achieve their goal, they use imprinting to advance technological thought through successive generations. The "Helm" is an imprinting machine that gives teenager Leland de Laal the wisdom of the ages dating back to ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, and Egypt. The story follows Leland as he learns to use his wisdom. A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that "fantasy fans should enjoy all the pageantry and sword fights."

The melting of the polar ice caps is the setting for Gould's Blind Waves. Masses of the U.S. population must be relocated while the lucky live on high-tech floating cities after low-lying lands are flooded. When Patricia Beenan uncovers drowned illegal immigrants during a salvage operation, she videotapes her find. This leads to a meeting with Thomas Becket of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The two, who fall in love, must find the perpetrators of the crime while protecting their own lives. A Publishers Weekly contributor commented that the "SF element of this novel is much crisper than its romantic aspect."

David Rice returns in the sequel to Jumper titled Reflex. This time, David goes to a meeting in Washington and soon finds himself chained and implanted with a device that can give him convulsions. His captors want David to use his teleportation powers to move things around the world for them, a proposal David is forced to accept until his wife, who can also teleport, and an FBI agent find him. The novel is "compelling, chilling, and completely satisfying, with lots of knowing jokes for the fans and plenty of scope for more sequels," reported a Kirkus Reviews contributor. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly referred to the novel as "delightful," adding: "The author's savvy decision to have the couple share this unique ability gives the sequel a rush of new energy, creating dazzling future possibilities for the duo."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 15, 1996, Carl Hays, review of Wildside, p. 1245; June 1, 1997, Roland Green, review of Greenwar, p. 1658; February 15, 2000, Roland Green, review of Blind Waves, p. 1090; December 15, 2004, Frieda Murray, review of Reflex, p. 715.

Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2004, review of Reflex, p. 990.

Library Journal, June 1, 1997, Grant A. Fredericksen III, review of Greenwar, p. 146; March 15, 1998, Jackie Cassada, review of Helm, p. 98; February 15, 2000, Jackie Cassada, review of Blind Waves, p. 202; December 1, 2004, Jackie Cassada, review of Reflex, p. 105.

Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, December, 1993, Orson Scott Card, review of Jumper, p. 48; May, 1996, Charles de Lint, review of Wildside, p. 46; March, 2005, Charles de Lint, review of Reflex, p. 26.

Publishers Weekly, July 6, 1992, review of Jumper, p. 42; February 12, 1996, review of Wildside, p. 64; June 9, 1997, review of Greenwar, p. 39; February 23, 1998, review of Helm, p. 56; January 31, 2000, review of Blind Waves, p. 86; November 1, 2004, review of Reflex, p. 47.