Friesner, Esther M

Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Author.

Working name of US author Esther Mona Friesner-Stutzman (1951- ), who began publishing stories of genre interest with "The Stuff of Heroes" in Asimov's for September 1982, and who has remained prolific in shorter forms, with around 200 stories by the end of 2012; "Death and the Librarian" (December 1994 Asimov's) and "A Birthday" (August 1995 F&SF) both won Nebulas for best short story. Almost all of her work is fantasy or Supernatural Fiction, much of it incorporated into series, like The Chronicles of the Twelve Kingdoms beginning with Mustapha and His Wise Dog (1985), the Demons series beginning with Here Be Demons (1988) and (among others) the Princesses of Myth series beginning with Nobody's Princess (2007).

Closer to sf modes are the geographically linked New York novels comprising New York by Knight (1986), Elf Defense (1988) and Sphynxes Wild (1989), which utilizes New York as an effective backdrop for otherwise unconnected stories in which creatures of Faerie intersect clashingly with our world, though rarely with sufficient intensity to generate a sense of full-scale Urban Fantasy [for this term, for Faerie and Supernatural Fiction above, and for Gaslight Romance and Thinning below, see The Encyclopedia of Fantasy under links below]. She is of more direct (but not significant) sf interest for two Ties to the Star Trek universe: Warchild (1994), which is connected to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; and To Storm Heaven (1997) connected to Star Trek: The Next Generation. The more ambitious Psalms of Herod sequence comprising The Psalms of Herod (1995) and The Sword of Mary (1996) is set in a profoundly polluted Ruined Earth version of America, where women have become chattels, their Pandemic-afflicted fertility seen as a marker of sin by the ruling fundamentalist Christians (see Feminism; Religion; Women in SF). The plucky young protagonist escapes this rural hell, only to find that in the City of her dreams it is hard to find a decent man, though a possible cure for the Sex plague may dissolve unjust patriarchy.

Of her singletons, Druid's Blood (1988) is a Gaslight Romance set in an Alternate-World Victorian England, with Recursive references galore, and a plot centring on investigations by analogues of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Yesterday We Saw Mermaids (1991) is a tale of Thinning set in 1492; a ship – separate from those under Columbus, and full of figures from the backstory of Western civilization – travels west, finds Prester John, and witnesses the departure of the magic folk from our ken. The Sherwood Game (1995), on the other hand, is genuine sf, an early exercise in Virtual Reality: the eponymous programmer creates a Computer Role Playing Game which becomes sentient and invades the real world, to the eventual profit of all concerned. [JC]

Esther Mona Friesner-Stutzman

born New York: 16 July 1951

works

series

Chronicles of the Twelve Kingdoms

Mustapha and His Wise Dog (New York: Avon Books, 1985) [Chronicles of the Twelve Kingdoms: pb/]
Spells of Mortal Weaving (New York: Avon Books, 1986) [Chronicles of the Twelve Kingdoms: pb/]
The Witchwood Cradle (New York: Avon Books, 1987) [Chronicles of the Twelve Kingdoms: pb/]
The Water King's Laughter (New York: Avon Books, 1985) [Chronicles of the Twelve Kingdoms: pb/Keith Parkinson]

New York

These geographically connected novels listed together for convenience.

New York by Knight (New York: New American Library/Signet Books, 1986) [New York: pb/]
Elf Defense (New York: New American Library/Signet Books, 1988) [New York: pb/]
Sphynxes Wild (New York: New American Library/Signet Books, 1989) [New York: pb/]

Demons

Here Be Demons (New York: Ace Books, 1988) [Demons: pb/Walter Velez]
Demon Blues (New York: Ace Books, 1989) [Demons: pb/Walter Velez]
Hooray for Hellywood (New York: Ace Books, 1990) [Demons: pb/Walter Velez]

Gnome

Gnome Man's Land (New York: Ace Books, 1991) [Gnome: pb/James Warhola]
Harpy High (New York: Ace Books, 1991) [Gnome: pb/David Mattingly]
Unicorn U (New York: Ace Books, 1992) [Gnome: pb/David Mattingly]

Majyk

Majyk by Accident (New York: Ace Books, 1993) [Majyk: pb/David Mattingly]
Majyk by Hook or Crook (New York: Ace Books, 1994) [Majyk: pb/David Mattingly]
Majyk by Design (New York: Ace Books, 1994) [Majyk: pb/David Mattingly]

Star Trek

Warchild (New York: Pocket Books, 1994) [tie to the Star Trek universe: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: pb/Keith Birdsong]
To Storm Heaven (New York: Pocket Books, 1997) [tie to the Star Trek universe: Star Trek: The Next Generation: pb/Sonia R Hillios]

Psalms of Herod

The Psalms of Herod (Clarkson, Georgia: White Wolf Publishing/Borealis, 1995) [Psalms of Herod: pb/Michelle Prahler]
The Sword of Mary (Clarkson, Georgia: White Wolf Publishing/Borealis, 1996) [Psalms of Herod: pb/Michelle Prahler]

Princesses of Myth

Nobody's Princess (New York: Random House, 2007) [Princesses of Myth: Helen of Troy: hb/Larry Rostant]
Nobody's Prize (New York: Random House, 2008) [Princesses of Myth: Helen of Troy: hb/Larry Rostant]
Sphinx's Princess (New York: Random House, 2009) [Princesses of Myth: Nefertiti: hb/Larry Rostant]
Sphinx's Queen (New York: Random House, 2010) [Princesses of Myth: Nefertiti: hb/Larry Rostant]
Spirit's Princess (New York: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012) [Princesses of Myth: Himiko: hb/Larry Rostant]
Spirit's Chosen (New York: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2013) [Princesses of Myth: Himiko: hb/Larry Rostant]
Deception's Princess (New York: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2014) [Princesses of Myth: Himiko: hb/Larry Rostant]
Deception's Pawn (New York: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2015) [Princesses of Myth: Himiko: hb/Larry Rostant]

individual titles

Harlot's Ruse (New York: Popular Library/Questar, 1986) [pb/Victoria Poyser]
The Silver Mountain (New York: Popular Library/Questar, 1986) [pb/Victoria Poyser]
Druid's Blood (New York: New American Library/Signet Books, 1988) [pb/Dean Morrissey]
Yesterday We Saw Mermaids (New York: Tor, 1991) [hb/Pat Morrissey]
Split Heirs (New York: Tor, 1993) with Lawrence Watt-Evans [hb/Walter Velez]
Wishing Season (New York: Macmillan/Atheneum, 1993) [hb/Kelly Freas]
The Sherwood Game (New York: Baen Books, 1995) [pb/Clyde Caldwell]
Child of the Eagle: A Myth of Rome (New York: Baen Books, 1996) [pb/Gary Ruddell]
Witchopoly (New York: Simon Pulse, 1999) [pb/]
Knock on Wood (New York: Simon Pulse, 2000) [pb/]
Men in Black II (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 2002) [tie to the film: Men in Black: pb/Michael O'Neill]
E Godz (New York: Baen Books, 2003) [hb/Gary Ruddell]
Tempting Fate (New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2006) [hb/Marcos Chin]

collections and stories

Ecce Hominid (Eugene, Oregon: Pulphouse Publishing, 1991) [novelette: chap: pb/Armand Cabrera]
It's Been Fun (Eugene, Oregon: Pulphouse Publishing, 1991) [coll: hb/George Barr]
Up the Wall and Other Stories (Holicong, Pennsylvania: Wildside Press, 1999) [coll: chap: hb/]
Death and the Librarian and Other Stories (Waterville, Maine: Five Star, 2002) [coll: hb/Maria William]
Helen Remembers The Stork Club (no place given: Fictionwise, 2007) [story: ebook: first appeared October-November 2005 F&SF: na/]

works as editor

series

Chicks in Chainmail

Chicks in Chainmail (New York: Baen Books, 1995) [anth: Chicks in Chainmail: pb/Larry Elmore]
Did You Say Chicks (New York: Baen Books, 1998) [anth: Chicks in Chainmail: pb/Larry Elmore]
Chicks 'n Chained Males (New York: Baen Books, 1999) [anth: Chicks in Chainmail: pb/Larry Elmore]
- Chicks Ahoy (New York: Baen Books, 2010) [anth: omni of the above three: Chicks in Chainmail: pb/Clyde Caldwell]
The Chick is in the Mail (New York: Baen Books, 2000) with Martin H Greenberg [anth: Chicks in Chainmail: pb/Larry Elmore]
Turn the Other Chick (New York: Baen Books, 2004) [anth: Chicks in Chainmail: pb/Mitch Foust]
Chicks and Balances (New York: Baen Books, 2015) with John Helfers [anth: Chicks in Chainmail: pb/Tom Wood]

Supernatural Suburbs

Witch Way to the Mall (New York: Baen Books, 2009) [anth: Supernatural Suburbs: pb/Tom Kidd]
Strip Mauled (New York: Baen Books, 2009) [anth: Supernatural Suburbs: pb/Clyde Caldwell]
Fangs for the Mammaries (New York: Baen Books, 2010) [anth: Supernatural Suburbs: pb/Clyde Caldwell]

individual titles

Alien Pregnant by Elvis (New York: DAW Books, 1994) with Martin H Greenberg [anth: pb/Jim Warren]
Blood Muse: Times Tales of Vampires in the Arts (New York: Donald I Fine, 1995) with Martin H Greenberg [anth: hb/Loretta Trezzo]

about the author

Gary Westfahl. "Esther M Friesner" in Supernatural Fiction Writers: Contemporary Fantasy and Horror (New York: Thomson Gale/Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003) edited by Richard Bleiler [nonfiction: anth: pp361-368: hb/various photographs]

links

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