Michael Shea (July 3, 1946 – February 16, 2014) was an American fantasy, horror, and science fiction author. His novel Nifft the Lean won the World Fantasy Award, as did his novella Growlimb.

Shea died unexpectedly on February 16, 2014.

Reception

In an overview of Shea's work, Chris Gilmore praised Shea's fiction, stating "Shea has a racy line in grue and writes with energy, imagination and precision", and expressed particular admiration for the stories in Polyphemus. However, Gilmore also took issue with Shea's use of gigantic monsters in books such as A Quest for Simbilis and Nifft the Lean, arguing that the use of such creatures vitiated Shea's ability to describe scenes in detail.

On his list of "The 13 Most Terrifying Horror Stories", T. E. D. Klein placed Shea's story "The Autopsy" at number eleven.

Adaptations

On 26th October 2022, a dramatization of “The Autopsy” streamed on Netflix as the third episode of Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities.

Bibliography

WorldCat contributing libraries report French editions of A Quest for Simbilis and Nifft the Lean and German editions of several books.

Dying Earth

Shea's first publication was an authorized contribution to the Dying Earth series by Jack Vance

  • A Quest for Simbilis (1974, OCLC 2128177)

Nifft

  • Nifft the Lean (DAW, 1982, )
  • The Mines of Behemoth (Baen, 1997, )
  • The A'rak (Baen, 2000, )

Several months before publishing the third book, Baen Books re-issued the first two in one volume, The Incompleat Nifft (Baen, 2000, ). The three Baen titles used matching cover art by Gary Ruddell with differences in jacket design.

Other novels

  • The Color Out of Time (1984)
  • In Yana, the Touch of Undying (1985)
  • I, Said the Fly (Silver Salamander Press, 1993) —limited edition of 300 copies
  • The Extra (2010) — based on Shea's short story of the same title, intended as the first of a trilogy
  • Assault on Sunrise (2013)
  • Mr. Cannyharme (2021)

Collections

  • Polyphemus (1987)
  • The Autopsy and Other Tales (Centipede Press, 2008) —including the complete Lovecraftian novel The Color Out of Time
  • Copping Squid and Other Mythos Tales (Perilous Press, 2010), series editor S. T. Joshi
  • Demiurge: The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales of Michael Shea (Dark Regions Press, 2017), editor S. T. Joshi
  • The Autopsy: Best Weird Stories of Michael Shea (Hippocampus Press, 2022), editors Linda Shea and S. T. Joshi

Chapterbooks

  • Fat Face (1987)

Short fiction

  • "The Angel of Death" (1979)
  • "The Autopsy" (1980), adapted for Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022)
  • "Polyphemus" (1981)
  • "Nemo Me Impune Lacessit" (1982)
  • "That Frog" (1982)
  • "The Horror on the #33" (1982)
  • "The Fishing of the Demon-Sea" (1982)
  • "Come Then, Mortal, We Will Seek Her Soul" (1982)
  • "The Goddess in Glass" (1982)
  • "The Pearls of the Vampire Queen" (1982)
  • "Shag Margold's Eulogy of Nifft the Lean, His Dear Friend" (1982)
  • "Grunt-12 Test Drive" (1983)
  • "Creative Coverage, Inc." (1983)
  • "Uncle Tuggs" (1986)
  • "Fill It With Regular" (1986)
  • "The Extra" (1987)
  • "Fat Face" (1987)
  • "Delivery" (1987)
  • "I, Said the Fly" (1989)
  • "Salome" (1994)
  • "Tollbooth" (1995)
  • "Johnny Crack" (1995)
  • "Fast Food" (1995)
  • "Piece A' Chain" (1996)
  • "Water of Life" (1999)
  • "For Every Tatter in Its Mortal Dress" (2000)
  • "The Rebuke" (2002)
  • "The Growlimb" (2004) —World Fantasy Award, Best Novella

His works have also been highly ranked, or one of a few finalists or nominees, for several other major awards.

Further reading

  • Cox, Arthur Jean. "The Grim Imperative of Michael Shea" in Darrell Schweitzer (ed), Discovering Modern Horror Fiction II. Mercer Island, WA: Starmont House, 1988, pp. 115–20.
  • Official website