Michael Diamond Resnick (; March 5, 1942 – January 9, 2020) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He won five Hugo awards and a Nebula award, and was the guest of honor at Chicon 7. He was the executive editor of the defunct magazine Jim Baen's Universe, and the creator and editor of Galaxy's Edge magazine.

Biography

Resnick was born in Chicago on March 5, 1942. He was a 1959 graduate of Highland Park High School in Highland Park, Illinois. He sold his first piece of writing in 1957, while still in high school. The couple began dating in mid-December 1960 and were engaged by the end of the month.

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Resnick wrote over 200 erotic adult novels under various pseudonyms and edited three men's magazines and seven tabloid newspapers.

Resnick lived in Cincinnati from 1976 until his death from cancer on January 9, 2020.

Work and themes

Two notable motifs are evident in much of Resnick's science fiction work—his love of fable and legend. Some of his science fiction stories are allegories of Kenyan history and politics; He had also sold screenplays based on his novels to Miramax, Capella, and Jupiter 9, and often had multiple properties under option to Hollywood studios. Resnick's papers are in the Special Collections Library of the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Editing

Resnick worked as an editor for National Insider from 1966 to 1969,

Selected awards and honors

In 2012 he was the guest of honor at Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention in Chicago. and won five times. Between 1991 and 2001, he won a further nine HOMer Awards (bringing his total to 10, from 24 nominations). This placed him at the head of HOMer Award winners, ahead of Robert J. Sawyer with nine wins from 12 nominations. He won a total of six S.F. Chronicle Poll Awards, one Locus Award (from 30 nominations, winning in 1996 with "When the Old Gods Die"), a Golden Pagoda Award, two American Dog Writers Awards and an Alexander Award.

In 1995, he was awarded the Skylark (or the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction) for Lifetime Achievement in Science Fiction. In 2017 he was awarded Writers and Illustrators of the Future's Lifetime Achievement Award.

International awards

"Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" won awards in Spain (Ignotus Award), France (Prix Ozone Award) a collaboration with Lezli Robyn.

Mike Resnick Memorial Award

The Mike Resnick Memorial Award was established in 2021 in Resnick's honor, sponsored by Dragon Con and publisher Arc Manor. Contenders must be new, previously unpublished authors. Winners receive a trophy and a cash prize of $250.

The first winner, in 2021, was Z.T. Bright for his story "The Measure of a Mother's Love". In 2022, the winner was “What Would You Pay for a Second Chance?” by Chris Kulp. In 2023, the winner was “For the Great and Immortal” by Daniel Burnbridge. In 2024, the winner was "When I was Your Age" by Sam Brown.

Series bibliography

Resnick wrote more than 70 novels and published over 25 collections.

Ganymede

  1. The Goddess of Ganymede (1968)
  2. Pursuit on Ganymede (1968)

Far Future History

  1. The Soul Eater (1981)
  2. Birthright (1982)
  3. Santiago (1986)
  4. The Dark Lady (1987)
  5. Ivory (1988)

Galactic Midway

  1. Sideshow (1982)
  2. The Three-legged Hootch Dancer (1983)
  3. The Wild Alien Tamer (1983)
  4. The Best Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Gunslinger in the Whole Damned Galaxy (1983)

Velvet Comet

  1. Eros Ascending (1984)
  2. Eros At Zenith (1984)
  3. Eros Descending (1985)
  4. Eros At Nadir (1986)

Lucifer Jones

  1. Adventures (1985)
  2. Exploits (1993)
  3. Encounters (1994)
  4. Hazards (2009)
  5. Voyages (2017)

John Justin Mallory

  1. Stalking the Unicorn (1987)
  2. Stalking the Vampire (2008)
  3. Stalking the Dragon (2009)
  4. Stalking the Zombie (2012)

Galactic Comedy

  1. Paradise (1989)
  2. Purgatory (1993)
  3. Inferno (1993)

Tales of Kirinyaga

  1. Kirinyaga (1991)
  2. For I Have Touched the Sky (1989)
  3. Bwana (1999)

Oracle

  1. Soothsayer (1991)
  2. Oracle (1992)
  3. Prophet (1993)

Widowmaker

  1. The Widowmaker (1996)
  2. The Widowmaker Reborn (1997)
  3. The Widowmaker Unleashed (1998)
  4. A Gathering of Widowmakers (2005)

Eli Paxton Mystery

  1. Dog in the Manger (1997)
  2. The Trojan Colt (2013)
  3. Cat on a Cold Tin Roof (2014)

Starship

  1. Mutiny (2005)
  2. Pirate (2006)
  3. Mercenary (2007)
  4. Rebel (2008)
  5. Flagship (2009)

Weird West Tale

  1. The Buntline Special (2010)
  2. The Doctor and the Kid (2011)
  3. The Doctor and the Rough Rider (2012)
  4. The Doctor and the Dinosaurs (2013)

Dead Enders

  1. The Fortress in Orion (2014)
  2. The Prison in Antares (2015)
  3. The Castle in Cassiopeia (2017)

Gods of Sagittarius (with Eric Flint)

  1. Gods of Sagittarius (2017)

Dreamscape Trilogy

  1. The Master of Dreams (2019)
  2. The Mistress of Illusions (2020)

References

  • Bibliography at Fantastic Fiction – cleaner and easier to read than the one at the official site, but the short stories list is updated only through 2001