Wright, John C. 1961-

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WRIGHT, John C. 1961-

PERSONAL: Born October 22, 1961, in Chula Vista, CA; son of Orville (an aviator) and Donna (a homemaker; maiden name, Sulouff) Wright; married L. Jagi Lamplighter, June 21, 1989; children: Orville, Roland. Education: St. John's College, B.A., 1984; William & Mary Marshall Wythe School of Law, J.D., 1987. Politics: Libertarian. Religion: "Athiest and Stoic."

ADDRESSES: Home—Centreville, VA. Agent—Jack Byrne, Sternig & Byrne Literary Agency, 3209 South 55th St., Milwaukee, WI 53219-4433. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Attorney and journalist. Connection, Rosslyn, VA, editor; St. Mary's Today, Leonardtown, MD, weekly columnist; attorney in New York, NY.

WRITINGS:

The Golden Age: A Romance of the Far Future, Tor (New York, NY), 2002.

The Phoenix Exultant, Tor (New York, NY), 2003.

WORK IN PROGRESS: The Golden Transcendence, Tor (New York, NY); The Last Guardian of Everness, Tor (New York, NY); Orphans of Chaos, a fantasy novel; Gates of Everness, a sequel to Last Guardian of Everness; Unconquered Earth; and Exiles of Chaos, a sequel to Orphans of Chaos.

SIDELIGHTS: John C. Wright began writing science fiction at the age of nine, he stated in a SF Site interview. He wrote several short science-fiction stories before writing his first novel, The Golden Age: A Romance of the Far Future. The Golden Age takes place 10,000 years into the future in a very different solar system in which humans, immortals, and machines coexist. While at a party Phaethon meets a Neptunian who swears that they are old friends, but Phaethon doesn't recognize him. Phaethon becomes concerned about his memory loss and investigates further. He learns that he gave up his memory to the government for three months, and in exchange he will inherit his father's estate. If he wants his memories back he will have to leave and give up his immortality. He is torn between receiving his father's estate and keeping his immortality and the fact that his loss of memory could be dangerous for all inhabitants in the solar system. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that "Wright may be this fledgling century's most important new SF talent." Book Browser contributor Harriet Klausner praised The Golden Age as "a great futuristic science fiction that genre fans will absolutely love."

Wright told CA: "I cannot say why I write: as well ask why I breathe, or why Spring is bright. Partly, I am inspired by a muse who will not let me rest; partly I am inspired by Mammon, and unwholesome love of fame; partly it is fitting that each man do what he does best; partly, I mean to do more than entertain.

"Jack Vance, Gene Wolfe, A. E. van Vogt, Cordwainer Smith, Milton, Lucretius are the men my writings imitate, and would imitate more aptly, if they could.

"My writing process is (1) to imagine some striking image, (2) deduce what scene would logically be needed to support that image, (3) to connect several scenes into a rough skeleton of a plot, so that one event must lead logically to the next, (4) to find words fitting to express this same, and write them down in order. Each villain is given coherent philosophy by which he excuses his villainy. Each character and situation is presumed to have a past and a purpose in life. After that, the rest is pertinacious artistic pride not to be overcome by time or wisdom: pure doggedness that will not yield or quail before the silent intimidation of blank paper.

"What inspired the writing? Cleo, Urania, Polyhumnia, Calliope, Melpomene, Erato, and Thalia. The other two have not yet seen fit to visit me, though I revere them nonetheless.

"I write science fiction and fantasy because these fields allow for the widest play of the imaginative force of the human mind. No other genres aside from science fiction can question fundamental assumptions, ask deep questions of nature, or talk about the magnitude of the universe as it is; no other genres aside from the fantastic can investigate the dreams of men."