Tobias Samuel Buckell (born January 2, 1979,[1][2] in Grenada) is a Grenadian/British science fiction and fantasy writer.[3]
From his first sold short story, "The Fish Merchant", in March 2000,[4] he has written over a hundred stories, including novels, novellas, short stories, and collections, which have been written and translated into nineteen languages.[5][6][7] Across his writing career, he and his work have been nominated for several awards, including the WSFA Small Press Award, Nebula Award, and Prometheus Award. He has also made The New York Times Best Seller list in 2008 for his novel, Halo: The Cole Protocol, and additionally won several awards, including the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Award and World Fantasy Award.
In addition to his authorship, he has also been a judge for the World Fantasy Award,[8] a vice president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association,[9] an English instructor at Bluffton University,[10] and a Creative Writing instructor for the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA program.[11]
Early life and education
Tobias S. Buckell was born in Grenada in the Caribbean,[12][13] an island country in the West Indies and Caribbean Sea, where he lived on his family’s boat. Throughout his childhood, he and his family moved to live throughout the Virgin Islands (British and American between 1989 and 1995) until Hurricane Marilyn decimated his family’s boat house.
He and his family moved to Bluffton, Ohio when he was 16, where he eventually went on to attend and graduate from Bluffton University in 2000,[10] as well as Clarion Workshop in 1999. About that same time, he sold his first short story, "Fish Merchant", to writer and editor Scott Edelman of Science Fiction Age, who assisted in its 2000 publication.[1] In addition to this first publication, another of Buckell's stories, “In Orbite Medievali” won the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Volume 16 quarterly contest that same year, hosted by Ron Collins.[7]
Since then, in addition to where he posts his works on his own website,[5] his stories have appeared in various publications, including Writers and Illustrators of the Future, Nature, and Clarkesworld.
Identity, personal life, and activism
Tobias S. Buckell, though “white passing” in his own terms with Locus Magazine, proclaims his biracial identity. Through his involvement with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, as well as his office in it, he's discussed his own identity, as well as further authorial diversity, at length; and in a similar regard, several of his works involve and incorporate the history and culture of the Caribbean.[1][7]
He has performed further advocacy in his own site-space through openness of his struggles with ADHD and dyslexia;[13] beyond these discussions, he has sought to provide his own experiences as a guide for others in his circumstances.[14]
Though not American,[3] he holds a permanent residence in Bluffton, Ohio, with his wife Emily, as well as their two daughters.[1]
Careers
Literary works
Source:[5][15]
Collections |
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| 2009 | Tides from the New Worlds |
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| 2011 | Nascence |
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| 2012 | Mitigated Futures |
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| 2016 | Xenowealth: A Collection |
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| 2019 | It’s All Just a Draft |
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| 2021 | Shoggoths in Traffic and Other Stories |
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| 2022 | Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance and Other Stories |
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Xenowealth Series |
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| 2006 | Crystal Rain |
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| 2007 | Ragamuffin |
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| 2008 | Sly Mongoose |
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| 2012 | Apocalypse Ocean |
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| 2016 | Xenowealth: A Collection |
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Halo Novels |
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| 2008 | Halo: The Cole Protocol |
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| 2017 | Halo: Envoy |
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Stand-alone Novels |
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| 2012 | Arctic Rising |
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| 2014 | Hurricane Fever |
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| 2018 | The Trove |
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| 2018 | The Tangled Lands (Co-authored with Paolo Bacigalupi) |
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| 2021 | A Stranger in the Citadel |
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| 2024 | The Runes of Engagement (Co-authored with Dave Klecha) |
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Stand-alone Novels |
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| 2012 | Diverse Energies (Co-edited with Joe Monti) |
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| 2017 | The Stories We Tell: Bermuda Anthology of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror |
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| 2020 | Reclaim, Restore, Return: Futurist Tales from the Caribbean (Co-edited with Karen Lord) |
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Novellas |
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| 2008 | Stochasticity |
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| 2010 | Byways – METAtropolis: Cascadia |
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| 2011 | The Executioness |
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| 2013 | Tensegrity – METAtropolis: Greenspace |
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Short Stories |
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| 1999 | | June | "Waiting For The Zephyr" in Jackhammer |
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| 2000 | | Sept | "In Orbite Medievali" in Writers of The Future |
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| Oct | "Spurn Babylon" in Whispers From The Cotton Tree Root |
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| 2001 | | Jan | "Steam" in Would That It Were |
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| Mar | "All Her Children Fought" in Speculon |
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| Oct | "Trinkets" in The Book of All Flesh |
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| 2002 | | July/Aug | "A Green Thumb" in Analog |
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| July | "Kisses" in Vestal Review |
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| July | "Nord’s Gambit" in switch.blade |
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| Aug | "The Shackles of Freedom" (with Mike Resnick) in With A Little Help From My Friends |
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| Dec | "Tides" in Ideomancer Unbound |
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| 2003 | | April | "Death’s Dreadlocks" in Mojo: Conjure Stories |
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| Oct | "Smooth Talking" in Marsdust |
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| Nov | "In The Heart of Kalikuata" in Men Writing SF As Women |
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| Dec | "Four Eyes" in New Voices in Science Fiction |
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| 2004 | | Jan | "Her" in Fortean Bureau |
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| May | "Necahual" in So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction and Fantasy |
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| Sept | "Aerophilia" in All Star Zeppelin Stories |
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| 2005 | | April | "Anakoinosis" in I Alien |
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| Oct | "Toy Planes" in Nature Magazine |
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| 2006 | | Spring | "Shoah Sry" (with Ilsa J. Bick) in Subterranean Magazine |
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| Aug | "The Silver Streak" in Space Cadets |
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| Aug | "The Last Twilight" in Golden Age SF: Tales of a Bygone Future |
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| Nov | "The Duel" in Electric Velocipede #11 |
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| 2007 | | Summer | "Io, Robot" in Visual Journeys: a tribute to space art |
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| 2008 | | April | "Manumission" in Baen’s Universe |
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| Summer | "The People’s Machine" in Sideways in Crime |
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| Summer | "Resistance" in Seeds of Change |
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| Fall | "Mitigation" (with Karl Schroeder) in Fast Forward 2 |
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| 2009 | | March | "Something in The Rock" in Tides From The New Worlds |
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| July | "Placa Del Fuego" in Clarkesworld Magazine |
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| Nov | "Dirt" in Halo: Evolutions |
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| 2010 | | May | "A Jar of Goodwill" in Clarkesworld Magazine |
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| Dec | "On The Eve of the Fall of Habesh" in Speculative Horizons |
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| 2011 | | Spring | "The Fall of Alacan" in Subterranean Magazine |
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| May | "The Universe Reef" in Nature Magazine |
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| June | "Love Comes To Abyssal City" in Hot And Steamy: Tales of Steampunk Romance |
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| Summer | "Mirror, Mirror" in Subterranean Magazine |
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| Nov | "Lonely Islands" in MIT Technology Review |
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| Nov | "A Militant Peace" (with David Klecha) in Clarkesworld Magazine |
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| 2012 | | Spring | "A Tinker of Warhoon" in Under the Moons of Mars: New Adventures on Barsoom |
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| Spring | "Press Enter to Execute" in Fireside Magazine #1 |
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| March | "Jungle Walkers" (with David Klecha) in Armored |
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| June | "A Game of Rats and Dragon" in Mitigated Futures |
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| Aug | "The Rainy Season" in Mitigated Futures |
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| Sept | "The Found Girl" (with David Klecha) in Clarkesworld Magazine |
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| 2013 | | Spring | "The Seafarer" in Subterranean Magazine |
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| May | "The Rydr Express" in The New Hero II |
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| Nov | "A Pressure of Shadows" in Schemers |
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| 2014 | | March | "System Reset" in The End is Nigh |
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| April | "Ambassador to the Dinosaurs" in The Book of Silverberg |
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| May | "Sundown" in Dead Man’s Hand |
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| July | "Help Fund Taphognosis Industries" in Help Fund My Robot Army |
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| July | "A Cold Heart" in Upgraded |
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| 2015 | | April | "Rules of Enchantment" (with David Klecha) in Operation Arcana |
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| Anthology | "Pale Blue Memories" in Old Venus |
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| Dec | "Ratcatcher" in Xenowealth: A Collection |
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| 2016 | | Anthology | "Oasis" in Halo: Fractures |
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| Unlisted | "The Fish Merchant in Science Fiction Age" in Clarkesworld Magazine |
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| Sept | "Oasis" in Fractures: Extraordinary Tales from the Halo Canon |
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| Nov | "The Mighty Slinger" (with Karen Lord) in Bridging Infinity |
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| 2017 | | April | "Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance" in Cosmic Powers |
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| Sept | "Shoggoths in Traffic" in Lightspeed Magazine |
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| Sept | "High Awareness (with David Brin) in Overview: Stories in the Stratosphere |
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| 2018 | | Jan | "A World to Die For" in Clarkesworld Magazine |
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| May | "Sunset" in Lightspeed Magazine |
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| June | "A Different Kind of Place" in Apex Magazine |
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| 2019 | | Feb | "The Blindfold" in A People’s Future of the United States |
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| March | "The Galactic Tourist Industrial Complex" in New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color |
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| May/June | "Apocalypse Considered Through a Helix of Semiprecious Foods and Recipes" in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction |
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| May | "N-Coin" in Apex Magazine |
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| Anthology | "Through Sparks in Morning’s Dawn" in Wastelands: The New Apocalypse |
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| Unlisted | "By the Warmth of Her Calculus" in Mission Critical |
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| 2020 | | March | "Zombie Capitalism" in Motherboard Magazine |
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| May | "Scar Tissue in Slate Magazine |
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| Anthology | "Idle Hands" in The Dystopia Triptych #1: Ignorance is Strength |
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| Anthology | "The Fruits of Their Labor" in The Dystopia Triptych #2: Burn the Ashes |
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| Anthology | "The Machine Votes" in The Dystopia Triptych #3: Or Else the Light |
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| Anthology | "The Machine That Would Rewild Humanity" in Escape Pod: The Science Fiction Anthology |
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| Anthology | "Category Six:" in Reclaim, Restore, Return: Futurist Tales from the Caribbean |
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| 2021 | | Nov | "Brickomancer" in Shoggoths in Traffic and Other Stories |
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| 2022 | | March | "The Contract Breaker" in Magic: The Gathering Website |
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| March | "Down in the Dim Kingdoms" in Lost Worlds and Mythological Kingdoms |
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| May | "Plastic People" in Lightspeed SF |
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| Sept | "The Last Cathedral of Earth, in Flight" in Life Beyond Us |
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| Fall | "The Sugar Mill" in Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction |
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| 2023 | | Nov | "By Throat and Void" in Sunday Morning Transport |
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| Nov | "The Grove’s Lament" in Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology |
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| 2024 | | Aug | "The Pipefitter" in The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters |
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| 2025 | | July | "In the Halls of the Makeshift King" in Asimov’s Magazine |
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Awards and honors
Sources:[16][17]
Nominations and Placements |
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| Carl Brandon Award | | 2006 | “Toy Planes” - 2 Nominations |
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| Eugie Award | | 2018 | “Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance” - Nomination (Finalist) |
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| John W. Campbell Award | | 2002 | Best New Writer - Nomination (Finalist) |
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| Locus Award | | 2007 | "Crystal Rain" - 3rd Place |
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| 2010 | "Tides from the New Worlds" - 14th Place |
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| 2011 | “A Jar of Goodwill” - 13th Place |
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| 2013 | "Arctic Rising" - 12th Place |
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| 2018 | “Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance” - 3rd Place |
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| 2019 | "The Tangled Lands" - 8th Place |
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| 2020 | “The Galactic Tourist Industrial Complex” - 10th Place |
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| 2022 | "Shoggoths in Traffic and Other Stories" - 8th Place |
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| 2024 | "Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance" and Other Stories - 8th Place |
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| Nebula Award | | 2008 | "Ragamuffin" - Nomination |
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| Prometheus Award | | 2008 | "Ragamuffin" - Nomination |
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| 2013 | "Arctic Rising" - Nomination |
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|
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| Sidewise Award | | 2009 | “The People's Machine” - Nomination |
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|
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| Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award | | 2018 | “The Galactic Tourist Industrial Complex” - Nomination (Finalist) |
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| 2020 | “Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance” - Nomination (Finalist) |
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|
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| WSFA Small Press Award | | 2012 | “A Militant Peace” - Nomination |
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Awards |
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| New York Times Best Seller List | | 2008 | “Halo: The Cole Protocol" - #4 Best Seller |
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| World Fantasy Award | | 2019 | “The Tangled Lands" - Winner (with Paolo Bacigalupi) |
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|
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| Writers and Illustrators of the Future | | 2000 | “In Orbite Medievali” - Winner (4th Quarter) |
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References
- ^ a b c d locusmag (2020-06-08). "Tobias S. Buckell: Many Hands Lift". Locus Online. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
- ^ "Summary Bibliography: Tobias S. Buckell". www.isfdb.org. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
- ^ a b "Tobias S. Buckell (@tobiasbuckell.bsky.social)". Bluesky Social. 2024-10-29. Archived from the original on 2025-10-05. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
- ^ "Clarkesworld Magazine - Science Fiction & Fantasy". Clarkesworld Magazine. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
- ^ a b c "Tobias S. BuckellAuthor, Futurist, Wordsmith for Hire". Tobias S. Buckell. 2025-10-15. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
- ^ "Tobias S. Buckell — Work in Fireside". firesidefiction.com. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
- ^ a b c Labaqui, Joni (2017-05-03). "Focus on Tobias Buckell, Writers of the Future Volume 16 Winner". Writers & Illustrators of the Future. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
- ^ "World Fantasy Awards℠ 2021 | World Fantasy Convention". Retrieved 2025-12-10.
- ^ a b "Present and Past SFWA Board & Officers". SFWA - The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
- ^ a b c "New English Faculty Member". www.bluffton.edu. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
- ^ a b Stutts, Robert E. (2019-12-01). "Community News & Updates December 2019". Stonecoast Community Blog. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
- ^ Vivian, D A. (2022). "The Complexity of Community: Ecology, Science Fiction, and the Future of Literature-A Conversation with Tobias Buckell". Journal of West Indian Literature. 31 (1): 168–187.
- ^ a b Holding Out For A Sequel: In Praise of Vernor Vinge, by Tobias Buckell, at Tor.com; published October 10, 2011; retrieved April 12, 2012
- ^ "Four Hacks I've Used to Focus Harder While Writing with a Computer, Plus One that Rules Them All (For Me) from Tobias S. Buckell". Tobias S. Buckell. 2015-08-06. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
- ^ "Tobias S. BuckellAuthor, Futurist, Wordsmith for Hire". Tobias S. Buckell. 2025-10-15. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
- ^ "sfadb : Tobias S. Buckell Awards". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
- ^ "Paperback Trade Fiction (Published 2008)". 2008-12-05. Archived from the original on 2025-10-05. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
External links
- "Tobias S. Buckell: Many Hands Lift – Locus Online" Locus Magazine.
- "Summary Bibliography: Tobias S. Buckell" Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
- "Tobias S. Buckell (@tobiasbuckell.bsky.social)". Bluesky Social.
- "https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/buckell_08_16_reprint". Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine.
- "Tobias S. Buckell Author, Futurist, Wordsmith for Hire" Tobias S. Buckell's Website.
- "https://firesidefiction.com/tobias-s-buckell" Fireside Fiction.
- "Focus on Tobias Buckell, Writers of the Future Volume 16 Winner | Writers & Illustrators of the Future" Writers and Illustrators of the Future, 2000.
- "https://worldfantasy.org/world-fantasy-awards%e2%84%a0-2021/". World Fantasy Awards, 2021.
- "https://www.sfwa.org/prior-sfwa-board-officers". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association.
- "https://www.bluffton.edu/news/-2021-22/070921TobiasBuckell.aspx". Bluffton University, Ohio.
- "https://stonecoastcommunity.com/2019/12/01/community-news-updates-december-2019" Stonecoast MFA.
- "The Complexity of Community: Ecology, Science Fiction, and the Future of Literature-A Conversation with Tobias Buckell". Journal of West Indian Literature. 31 (1): 168–187.
- "Holding Out For A Sequel: In Praise of Vernor Vinge" Reactor Magazine.
- "Four Hacks I’ve Used to Focus Harder While Writing with a Computer, Plus One that Rules Them All (For Me) from Tobias S. Buckell" Tobias S. Buckell Social Post.
- "Post Title from Site Title" Tobias S. Buckell's Membership Media.
- "sfadb: Tobias S. Buckell Awards" Science Fiction Awards Database.
- "Paperback Trade Fiction - The New York Times" New York Times Best Sellers 2008.
Further external links
|
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| 1975–2000 | |
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| 2001–present |
- Beluthahatchie and Other Stories by Andy Duncan (2001)
- Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson (2002)
- The Fantasy Writer's Assistant and Other Stories by Jeffrey Ford (2003)
- Bibliomancy by Elizabeth Hand (2004)
- Black Juice by Margo Lanagan (2005)
- The Keyhole Opera by Bruce Holland Rogers (2006)
- Map of Dreams by M. Rickert (2007)
- Tiny Deaths by Robert Shearman (2008)
- The Drowned Life by Jeffrey Ford (2009)
- There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried To Kill Her Neighbor's Baby: Scary Fairy Tales by Lyudmila Petrushevskaya / The Best of Gene Wolfe by Gene Wolfe (2010, tie)
- What I Didn't See and Other Stories by Karen Joy Fowler (2011)
- The Bible Repairman and Other Stories by Tim Powers (2012)
- Where Furnaces Burn by Joel Lane (2013)
- The Ape's Wife and Other Stories by Caitlín R. Kiernan (2014)
- The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings by Angela Slatter / Gifts for the One Who Comes After by Helen Marshall (2015, tie)
- Bone Swans by C. S. E. Cooney (2016)
- A Natural History of Hell by Jeffrey Ford (2017)
- The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen (2018)
- The Tangled Lands by Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias S. Buckell (2019)
- Song for the Unraveling of the World by Brian Evenson (2020)
- Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda (2021)
- Midnight Doorways: Fables from Pakistan by Usman T. Malik (2022)
- All Nightmare Long by Tim Lebbon (2023)
- No One Will Come Back for Us and Other Stories by Premee Mohamed (2024)
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