Coney was born in Birmingham, England, on 28 September 1932. As an adult, he worked as an accountant, hotel manager, author and forest ranger. He was manager of the Jabberwock Hotel in Antigua in the West Indies from 1969-1972, and was resident there when his first professional story ("Sixth Sense") was published in the first issue of the short-lived science fiction magazine Vision of Tomorrow in 1969. He relocated to Sidney, British Columbia in 1972, spending the latter half of his life in Canada. He worked as a forest ranger for the British Columbia Forest Service from 1973 to 1989, when he retired. He died at the age 73 of pleuralmesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs, on 4 November 2005, at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital palliative care unit.
Works
A common element in Coney's work is that of ordinary people buffeted by forces beyond their strength, and mostly not much concerned with them. Most SF gives superior power to the main characters or has them acquire it during the course of the tale. Coney satirised it in The Hero of Downways.
The stories also relate to the cultural concerns of the time. His first novel, Mirror Image (1972), intensified the American genre's Cold War emphasis on impostors and secret invaders; in this case, the "amorphs", who are indistinguishable from terrestrials, are themselves convinced that they are human.[1]
After a first group of dystopian tales, Coney began to change his themes. His later works The Celestial Steam Locomotive and Gods of the Greataway could almost be set on a transfigured Vancouver Island.[2]
Another of Coney's themes concerns small isolated communities, as in The Hero of Downways, Winter's Children and Fang, the Gnome. In Syzygy the inhabitants of a small town, a fairly recent settlement on an alien planet, struggle to survive the hidden dangers of the planet's ecosystem; in Brontomek! the same characters a few years later face a wholly human threat.
A different perspective is seen in his Hello Summer, Goodbye, an adventure/mystery among people who are not quite human, on a planet rather like Earth, but with significant differences. It is generally agreed to be his best novel.[1]I Remember Pallahaxi, a previously unpublished sequel to Hello Summer, Goodbye, was published posthumously in 2007.
I Remember Pallahaxi (2007; sequel to Hello Summer, Goodbye — published posthumously)
Flower of Goronwy (2014; published posthumously)
The Celestial Steam Locomotive and Gods of the Greataway are two parts of a single tale, Cat Karina, Fang, the Gnome and King of the Scepter'd Isle are independent stories set in the same universe. Brontomek! is set on the same world as Syzygy (and has many of the same characters) and is also associated somewhat with Mirror Image and Charisma.
The True Worth of Ruth Villiers, a short story by Michael G. Coney, reproduced with permission on Cordula's Web
March 03, 2023
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Michael G Coney news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Michael Greatrex Coney 28 September 1932 4 November 2005 was a British science fiction writer best known for his novel Hello Summer Goodbye Michael G ConeyBornMichael Greatrex Coney28 September 1932Birmingham EnglandDied4 November 2005 2005 11 04 aged 73 Saanichton British ColumbiaOccupationAccountant Management consultant Hotel manager BC Forest Services NovelistGenreScience fictionWebsitesf encyclopedia wbr com wbr Entry wbr coney wbr michael wbr g Contents 1 Life 2 Works 3 Fiction 3 1 Novels 4 Non Fiction 5 Awards and nominations 6 References 7 Sources 8 External linksLife EditConey was born in Birmingham England on 28 September 1932 As an adult he worked as an accountant hotel manager author and forest ranger He was manager of the Jabberwock Hotel in Antigua in the West Indies from 1969 1972 and was resident there when his first professional story Sixth Sense was published in the first issue of the short lived science fiction magazine Vision of Tomorrow in 1969 He relocated to Sidney British Columbia in 1972 spending the latter half of his life in Canada He worked as a forest ranger for the British Columbia Forest Service from 1973 to 1989 when he retired He died at the age 73 of pleural mesothelioma a cancer of the lining of the lungs on 4 November 2005 at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital palliative care unit Works EditA common element in Coney s work is that of ordinary people buffeted by forces beyond their strength and mostly not much concerned with them Most SF gives superior power to the main characters or has them acquire it during the course of the tale Coney satirised it in The Hero of Downways The stories also relate to the cultural concerns of the time His first novel Mirror Image 1972 intensified the American genre s Cold War emphasis on impostors and secret invaders in this case the amorphs who are indistinguishable from terrestrials are themselves convinced that they are human 1 After a first group of dystopian tales Coney began to change his themes His later works The Celestial Steam Locomotive and Gods of the Greataway could almost be set on a transfigured Vancouver Island 2 Another of Coney s themes concerns small isolated communities as in The Hero of Downways Winter s Children and Fang the Gnome In Syzygy the inhabitants of a small town a fairly recent settlement on an alien planet struggle to survive the hidden dangers of the planet s ecosystem in Brontomek the same characters a few years later face a wholly human threat A different perspective is seen in his Hello Summer Goodbye an adventure mystery among people who are not quite human on a planet rather like Earth but with significant differences It is generally agreed to be his best novel 1 I Remember Pallahaxi a previously unpublished sequel to Hello Summer Goodbye was published posthumously in 2007 Brontomek received the British Science Fiction Association award for best novel of 1976 He was nominated for a Nebula Award in 1995 for his novelette Tea and Hamsters Fiction EditNovels Edit Mirror Image 1972 Syzygy 1973 Friends Come in Boxes 1973 The Hero of Downways 1973 Winter s Children 1974 Monitor Found in Orbit 1974 Short story collection The Jaws that Bite the Claws that Catch 1974 UK title The Girl with a Symphony in her Fingers Hello Summer Goodbye UK title also known asRax in USA and Pallahaxi Tide in Canada 1975 Charisma 1975 Brontomek 1976 The Ultimate Jungle 1979 Neptune s Cauldron 1981 Cat Karina 1982 The Celestial Steam Locomotive 1983 Gods of the Greataway 1984 Fang the Gnome 1988 King of the Scepter d Isle 1989 A Tomcat Called Sabrina 1992 No Place for a Sealion 1992 I Remember Pallahaxi 2007 sequel toHello Summer Goodbye published posthumously Flower of Goronwy 2014 published posthumously The Celestial Steam Locomotive and Gods of the Greataway are two parts of a single tale Cat Karina Fang the Gnome and King of the Scepter d Isle are independent stories set in the same universe Brontomek is set on the same world as Syzygy and has many of the same characters and is also associated somewhat with Mirror Image and Charisma Non Fiction EditForest Ranger Ahoy Porthole Press Sidney BC 1983 Forest Adventure a guide to the British Columbia Forest Museum By Gray Campbell and Michael Coney Porthole Press Sidney BC 1985 Awards and nominations EditBritish Science Fiction Association Award 1977 for Brontomek Best Novelette Nebula Award 1995 nomination Tea and Hamsters 5 Prix Aurora Award nominationsReferences Edit a b Clute and Nicholls 1995 p 257 Obituary at www multiverse org Archived 2007 09 27 at the Wayback Machine by John CluteSources EditClute John and Peter Nicholls The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction New York St Martin s Griffin 1993 2nd edition 1995 ISBN 0 312 13486 X External links EditA bibliography in PDF Michael G Coney at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database Obituary in the Victoria Times Colonist Obituary in The Guardian Obituary by John Clute An interview given near the end of his life A tribute at Lonely Cry The True Worth of Ruth Villiers a short story by Michael G Coney reproduced with permission on Cordula s Web Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Michael G Coney amp oldid 1117938924, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
