By Michael Grossberg
Fans of acclaimed fantasy writer Howard Andrew Jones and SF writer Ken MacLeod have been saddened by bad news from both Prometheus-recognized authors.
Jones, a 2024 Prometheus Best Novel finalist, has announced that he has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
Meanwhile, MacLeod, a three-time Prometheus winner for Best Novel, lost his beloved wife Carol last month.
Writer-editor Sean Korsgaard, who worked with Jones at Baen Books, shared the news about Jones on X in a note picked up by File 770:
“To fantasy fans, sword-and-sorcery lovers and Hanuvar fans everywhere… I share some devastating news,” Korsgaard wrote.
“Howard Andrew Jones has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Keep him and his family in your thoughts, and if ever he or his work meant anything to you, let him know.”
The X post includes a personal statement from Jones, who was recognized this year as a 2024 Prometheus Best Novel finalist for his fantasy novel Lord of a Shattered Land.
‘Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I have been diagnosed with brain cancer–multifocal glioblastoma. People I trust– my doctors and my family– inform me it will be fatal, and we are deciding now on a course of action to make the most of the time I have left.
Many of you have been reaching out with well wishes, and I am greatly appreciative. It’s heartening to know that so many people are cheering me on. I am surrounded by family and friends, and they’re taking good care of me.
For now, if you are looking for updates and details about my condition, you should contact John O’Neill, whom most of you know, or Mark Rigney, whose contact information is below. Between them, they will serve as a conduit to me and my wife, Shannon. Thank you all for your support, not just now, but down the years, and I hope this message finds you well,’ Jones wrote.
Jones has completed a trilogy of novels in his Chronicles of Hanuvar series. Lord of a Shattered Land was followed by the direct sequel The City of Marble and Blood, published last fall.
Coming out in October, 2024, from Baen Books and capping the trilogy is Shadow of the Smoking Mountain – eligible to be considered for Best Novel nomination in the current awards cycle.
KEN MACLEOD’S LOSS
MacLeod, meanwhile, announced on his blog the death of his wife Carol Ann MacLeod (1952-2024).
“Carol, my beloved wife whom I met in 1979 and married in 1981, died on Friday 16 August.
She was the centre of my world, and she’s gone….
Along with the funeral service, MacLeod announced “a retiral collection in aid of Carol’s favorite charities.”
MacLeod, nominated many times for a Prometheus Award, has won the Best Novel category three times – for The Star Fraction (in 1996), The Stone Canal (in 1998) and Learning the World (in 2006).
MacLeod most recently was recognized as a Prometheus Best Novel finalist for his Corporation Wars trilogy.
The Corporation Wars: Dissidence and The Corporation Wars: Insurgence ranked among the 2017 finalists.
The Corporation Wars: Emergence was voted a 2018 Best Novel finalist.
The Libertarian Futurist Society appreciates the many outstanding works of fiction that MacLeod and Jones have conceived, expanding the imagination and enjoyment of countless readers while also enhancing their appreciation of the dangers of tyranny and slavery and the value of liberty.
We extend our deepest sympathies to both authors, while hoping against hope for the best for Jones.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROMETHEUS AWARDS:
* Prometheus winners: For the full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees – including the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards – visit the enhanced Prometheus Awards page on the LFS website, which now includes convenient links to all published essay-reviews in our Appreciation series explaining why each of more than 100 past winners since 1979 fits the awards’ distinctive dual focus on both quality and liberty.
* Read “The Libertarian History of Science Fiction,” an essay in the international magazine Quillette that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.
* Watch videos of past Prometheus Awards ceremonies (including the recent 2023 ceremony with inspiring and amusing speeches by Prometheus-winning authors Dave Freer and Sarah Hoyt), Libertarian Futurist Society panel discussions with noted sf authors and leading libertarian writers, and other LFS programs on the Prometheus Blog’s Video page.
