Willett, Edward
Entry updated 22 July 2024. Tagged: Author.
(1959- ) US-born actor, journalist and author, in Canada from the age of eight; he has also written as by Lee Arthur Chane and E C Blake, and under the House Name Adam Blade. He began to publish work of genre interest with "The Rescue" in JAM for 1983, and began to release primarily Young Adult novels, several of them fantasy, with Soulworm (1997), an sf tale set partly in a Parallel World, where the eponymous Monsters corrupt the minds of victims, and in Saskatchewan, where Maribeth, a young woman in a coma, awakens when an opponent of these mindworms, having been thrust through a portal into Canada, is now sharing her mind by Identity Transfer. The worms are defeated in the end. The protagonist of Andy Nebula: Interstellar Rock Star (1999; vt From the Street to the Stars 2020), which is set in the Near Future, must defend his integrity against Drug lords from space. Lost in Translation (2005) describes a moderately savage conflict between Homo sapiens and an Alien civilization on a planet both are attempting to colonize (see Colonization of Other Worlds); two empath translators eventually effect a healing. Magebane (2011) as by Lee Arthur Chane Equipoisally threatens a Ruined Earth with a return of Magic. Right to Know (2013) is a Space Opera involving an encounter between colonists on a slower-than-light World Ship and other humans who have outdistanced them via Faster Than Light travel developed since their long journey began. The City at the heart of The Cityborn (2017) is a Generation Starship.
Willett's one series to date – the Helix War sequence comprising Marseguro (2008) and Terra Insegura (2009), both assembled as The Helix War (omni 2009) – again places two species on a colony planet, Homo sapiens and the Selkie, the latter Genetically Engineered from human stock, and therefore abominated by the theocracy back on Earth (see Religion); the war between the conjoined colonists and a punitive Invasion from Earth is actively conveyed.
As an author of nonfiction, Willett has specialized in computer manuals and popular science texts for younger readers. His two introductions to writers of interest – J R R Tolkien: Master of Imaginary Worlds (2004) and Orson Scott Card: Architect of Alternate Worlds (2006) – were also directed to the young adult market. [JC]
Edward Willett
born Silver City, New Mexico: 20 July 1959
works
series
The Helix War
- Marseguro (New York: DAW Books, 2008) [Helix War: pb/Steve Stone]
- Terra Insegura (New York: DAW Books, 2009) [Helix War: pb/Stephan Martinière]
- The Helix War (New York: DAW Books, 2009) [omni of the above two: Helix War: pb/Stephan Martinière]
Shards of Excalibur
- Song of the Sword (Montreal, Quebec: Lobster Press, 2010) [Shards of Excalibur: pb/Allen Douglas]
- Twist of the Blade (Regina, Saskatchewan: Cocteau Books, 2014) [Shards of Excalibur: pb/]
- The Lake in the Clouds (Regina, Saskatchewan: Cocteau Books, 2015) [Shards of Excalibur: pb/]
- The Cave Beneath the Sea (Regina, Saskatchewan: Cocteau Books, 2015) [Shards of Excalibur: pb/]
- Door into Faerie (Regina, Saskatchewan: Cocteau Books, 2016) [Shards of Excalibur: pb/]
The Masks of Aygrima
- Masks (New York: DAW Books, 2013) as by E C Blake [The Masks of Aygrima: hb/Paul Young]
- Shadows (New York: DAW Books, 2014) as by E C Blake [The Masks of Aygrima: hb/Paul Young]
- Faces (New York: DAW Books, 2015) as by E C Blake [The Masks of Aygrima: hb/Paul Young]
Peregrine Rising
- Right to Know (Ottawa, Ontario: Bundoran Press, 2013) [Peregrine Rising: pb/]
- Falcon's Egg (Ottawa, Ontario: Bundoran Press, 2015) [ebook: Peregrine Rising: na/]
Worldshaper
- Worldshaper (New York: DAW Books, 2018) [Worldshaper: pb/Julia Kolesova]
- Master of the World (New York: DAW Books, 2019) [Worldshaper: pb/Julia Kolesova]
- The Moonlit World (New York: DAW Books, 2020) [Worldshaper: pb/Julia Kolesova]
individual titles
- Soulworm (Montreal, Quebec: Royal Fireworks Press, 1997) [pb/Ruth Thompson]
- The Dark Unicorn (Montreal, Quebec: Royal Fireworks Press, 1998) [pb/Ruth Thompson]
- Andy Nebula: Interstellar Rock Star (Montreal, Quebec: Roussan Publishers, 1999) [pb/Mico]
- From the Street to the Stars (Regina, Saskatchewan: Shadowpaw Press, 2020) [vt of the above: pb/]
- Spirit Singer (Shrewsbury, Massachusetts: Earthling Press, 2002) [pb/]
- Lost in Translation (Waterville, Maine: Five Star, 2005) [hb/Jill Bauman]
- Magebane (New York: DAW Books, 2011) as by Lee Arthur Chane [pb/]
- The Haunted Horn (Scotts Valley, California: CreateSpace, 2012) [pb/]
- Ferno Vs Epos (London: Orchard Books, 2012) as by Adam Blade [tie to the Shared World: Beast Quest: Battle of the Beasts: pb/]
- Flames of Nevyana (Winnipeg, Manitoba: Rebelight Publishing, 2016) [pb/]
- The Cityborn (New York: DAW Books, 2017) [pb/Stephan Martinière]
collections and stories
- I Tumble Though the Diamond Dust (Regina, Saskatchewan: Your Nickle's Worth Publishing, 2018) [poetry: coll: pb/Wendi Nordell]
- Paths to the Stars (Regina, Saskatchewan: Shadowpaw Press, 2018) [coll: pb/Tithi Luadthong]
nonfiction (highly selected)
- J R R Tolkien: Master of Imaginary Worlds (Berkeley Heights, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, 2004) [nonfiction: J R R Tolkien: in the publisher's Authors Teens Love series: hb/]
- Orson Scott Card: Architect of Alternate Worlds (Berkeley Heights, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, 2006) [nonfiction: Orson Scott Card: in the publisher's Authors Teens Love series: hb/]
works as editor
series
Shapers of Worlds
- Shapers of Worlds (Regina, Saskatchewan: Shadowpaw Press, 2020) [anth: Shapers of Worlds: pb/Tithi Luadthong]
- Shapers of Worlds: Volume II (Regina, Saskatchewan: Shadowpaw Press, 2021) [anth: Shapers of Worlds: pb/Tithi Luadthong]
links
previous versions of this entry