Bob Shaw
Bob Shaw was a Northern Irish science fiction writer, born on December 31, 1931, in Belfast. He entered the science fiction scene in his teens and began publishing stories professionally in the mid-1950s, though he initially felt unsatisfied with their quality. After a brief stint as a cab driver in Canada, he returned to Northern Ireland and worked in public relations for an aircraft manufacturer before fully committing to writing in the 1960s. Shaw gained recognition for his inventive concepts, most notably in stories like "Light of Other Days," which features a technology called "slow glass" that allows people to see the future.
Throughout his career, Shaw explored themes such as alternative worlds, the consequences of technological advancements, and the complexities of human existence in his novels. His notable works include "Night Walk," "The Shadow of Heaven," and the expansive "Orbitsville" series. Despite facing challenges in maintaining productivity later in life, Shaw's unique blend of humor and scientific speculation left a lasting impact on the genre. He passed away on February 11, 1996, following health complications related to his lifestyle, leaving behind a legacy of imaginative storytelling.
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Bob Shaw
Author
- Born: December 31, 1931
- Birthplace: Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Died: February 11, 1996
- Place of death: Manchester, England
Biography
Bob Shaw was born on December 31, 1931, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He became involved in science-fiction fandom in his teens and made little effort at the local technical high school, leaving at the age of fourteen to work in the local steel and aircraft industries. He married Sadie Gourley in 1954 and the couple had three children. Shaw published a handful of science- fiction stories professionally from 1954 until 1956, along with a great deal of humorous fan writing, but he was dissatisfied with their standard. He went to Canada for a while, where he worked as a cab driver. After returning to Northern Ireland, he obtained a job in public relations for the aircraft manufacturers Short Brothers in 1960. By 1965, he was beginning to publish professionally again, and in 1966 published “Light of Other Days,” a well-received short story about “slow grass,” an invention that allows people to view the future.
From 1966 until 1969, Shaw worked for the Belfast Telegraph, and then returned to Short Brothers as the company’s press officer from 1969 to 1973. He moved to a similar position at the Vickers Shipbuilding Group, but he was eager to remove his family from the political conflict in Northern Ireland. When he was convinced that he could make a living from science-fiction writing, he moved to England in 1975, eventually setting in Warrington, Cheshire. His first novel, Night Walk (1967), is a painstaking account of a blind man fleeing pursuit with the aid of a device that allows him to borrow the sight of others. The Two-Timers (1968) extrapolates the consequences of a man’s attempt to escape his troubles by moving into an alternative world. The Shadow of Heaven (1970) considers the industrial applications of antigravity technology, a theme to which he returns more effectively in Vertigo (1979). The Palace of Eternity (1969) features an afterlife secured by courtesy of alien life forms.
One Million Tomorrows (1970), which features a technology of longevity whose price is sexual impotence, and the world blackmail story Ground Zero Man (1971) further demonstrate the carefulness and imaginative enterprise of Shaw’s extrapolative thinking, shown to even greater effect in the mosaic Other Days, Other Eyes (1972), which reveals the ultimate social consequences of the invention of slow glass. Orbitsville (1975) offers an account of a vast alien artifact enclosing a sun, which generated further possibilities sufficient to supply two sequels. A Wreath of Stars (1976) features an odd parallel world based in exotic subatomic physics. Medusa’s Children (1977) describes the ecosphere of an artificial worldlet composed of seawater.
Shaw struggled to maintain his productivity once he was entirely dependent on income from his writing. He managed to import the comedy he had long employed in his fan writing, especially the deadpan Serious Scientific Talks that had become a popular feature at British science-fiction conventions, into his novel Who Goes Here? and its sequel. His work became gradually sparser, although he put maximum effort into the exotic space opera trilogy consisting of The Ragged Astronauts, The Wooden Spaceships, and The Fugitive Worlds.
Not long after his wife, Sadie, died, he met an American science-fiction fan, Nancy Tucker, who persuaded him to move to Ypsilanti. Michigan. They married there on December 16, 1964. Shaw’s liver had been fatally compromised by a lifetime of heavy drinking. He died on February 11, 1996, ten days after suffering a cardiac arrest.