Iain M Banks
Iain M Banks was born in Fife in 1954, and was educated at Stirling University, where he studied English literature, philosophy and psychology. He came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, The Wasp Factory, in 1984. His first science fiction novel, Consider Phlebas, was published in 1987. He has continued to write both mainstream fiction (as Iain Banks) and science fiction (as Iain M Banks). He is now acclaimed as one of the most powerful, innovative and exciting writers of his generation.
John Clute
John Clute was born in Canada in 1940, and came to England with Judith Clute, living in the same Camden Town flat ever since; since 1997, he has visited America yearly, spending much of his time with Elizabeth Hand in Maine.
Chris Foss
Chris Foss’s ground-breaking science fiction art revolutionised paperback covers from the early 1970s. Raising the bar for realism and invention, his trademark battle-weary spacecraft, dramatic alien landscapes and crumbling brutalist architecture irrevocably changed the aesthetic of science fiction art and cinema. He now works from a studio in Guernsey, continuing to experiment with new techniques and mediums. Hardware: The Definitive SF Works of Chris Foss was published in 2011.
Malcolm Edwards
Malcolm Edwards is a science fiction editor and critic who first encountered fandom in 1970, when he was initially confused with a pseudonym invented by Peter Weston. He began his publishing career as a staff copy-editor for Victor Gollancz, and subsequently worked for Grafton and HarperCollins; he is currently deputy CEO and publisher at the Orion Publishing Group. He launched the SF Masterworks series in 1999 and was the instigator of the SF Gateway for eBooks.
Jeanne Gomoll
Jeanne Gomoll discovered local fandom in the want ads of a Madison University newspaper in 1974 and soon began contributing art, articles and fiction as well as co-editing the fanzine, Janus. She was subsequently honoured by several Hugo nominations as a fan editor and fan artist. She joined the women's APA, and began planning the first Wiscon (‘the world's leading feminist science fiction convention’); she has been active on Wiscon's committee for 37 years.
Robin Hobb
Robin Hobb was born in California but grew up in Alaska, where she learned to love the forest and the wilderness. She has lived most of her life in the Pacific Northwest and currently resides in Tacoma, Washington. She is the author of the Rain Wilds Chronicles, The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, The Tawny Man Trilogy, and The Soldier Son Trilogy. Her books under the pseudonym Megan Lindholm include Wizard of the Pigeons, The Windsingers, and Cloven Hooves.
Bryan Talbot
Bryan Talbot is now published in over twenty countries and winner of many comic awards – including an Eisner award, the Prix SNCF and several Eagles – having been working in the medium for over thirty years. He’s produced underground and alternative comics, notably Brainstorm!, science fiction and superhero stories such as Judge Dredd, Nemesis the Warlock, Teknophage, The Nazz and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight.