Goldin, Stephen

Entry updated 13 January 2025. Tagged: Author.

(1947-    ) US author, married to Kathleen Sky 1972-1982, and to Mary Mason from 1987. He began publishing sf with "The Girls on USSF 193" for If in December 1965 and was runner-up for a Nebula for Best Short Story with "The Last Ghost" (in Protostars, anth 1971, ed David Gerrold & Stephen Goldin). After co-editing (anonymously) several anthologies with David Gerrold, he published some stereotyped adventures for Laser Books, beginning with Herds (1975), but soon became better known for the Family D'Alembert sequence, a ten-book series of E E "Doc" Smith Ties. The first volume, The Imperial Stars (May 1964 If by E E Smith; exp 1976), was directly based on Smith's story featuring the members of a large family who spend their lives saving the Galaxy from a variety of threats; subsequent volumes – beginning with Stranglers' Moon (1976) and ending with Revolt of the Galaxy (1985) – were derived from this initial, highly traditional Space Opera premise. In 2010 Goldin re-imagined or rebooted this sequence as the ten-volume Agents of ISIS series opening with Tsar Wars (2010), an original novel not tied to E E Smith, with the sequels heavily revised to match the new setting: a universe now, in the author's phrase, "100% Goldin".

Goldin's other later work is more varied. The Eternity Brigade (1980) is an interestingly nightmarish vision of warfare among various mercenary soldiers whose personalities have been reincarnated (see Reincarnation). A World Called Solitude (1981) is a somewhat overburdened drama of identity. The light Rehumanization of Jade Darcy sequence, with Mary Mason, begins with The Rehumanization of Jade Darcy: Jade Darcy and the Affair of Honor (1988) at a café called Rix's on an entrepôt planet much like, one supposes, Morocco in 1942; and continues with The Rehumanization of Jade Darcy: Jade Darcy and the Zen Pirates (1990). Goldin collaborated anonymously with David Gerrold on several 1970s anthologies, beginning with Protostars (anth 1971), and has served as editor of SFWA Bulletin. He cannot be called an original force in sf, but he seldom violated his brief of providing well-crafted entertainments. [JC]

see also: Aliens; Telepathy.

Stephen Charles Goldin

born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 28 February 1947

works

series

Family D'Alembert

• The Imperial Stars (New York: Pyramid Books, 1976) with E E Smith [tie: early version by Smith first published May 1964 If: Family D'Alembert: pb/George Barr]
• Stranglers' Moon (New York: Pyramid Books, 1976) "with" E E Smith [tie: Family D'Alembert: pb/George Barr]
• The Clockwork Traitor (New York: Pyramid Books, 1977) "with" E E Smith [tie: Family D'Alembert: pb/George Barr]
• Getaway World (New York: Pyramid Books, 1977) "with" E E Smith [tie: Family D'Alembert: pb/George Barr]
• Appointment at Bloodstar (New York: Jove Books, 1978) "with" E E Smith [tie: Family D'Alembert: pb/George Barr]
  • The Bloodstar Conspiracy (London: Panther Books, 1978) "with" E E Smith [tie: vt of the above: Family D'Alembert: pb/Chris Foss]
• The Purity Plot (London: Panther Books, 1978) "with" E E Smith [tie: Family D'Alembert: pb/Chris Foss]
• Planet of Treachery (London: Panther Books, 1982) "with" E E Smith [tie: Family D'Alembert: pb/Chris Foss]
• Eclipsing Binaries (New York: Berkley Books, 1982) "with" E E Smith [tie: Family D'Alembert: pb/Stanislaw Fernandes]
• The Omicron Invasion (New York: Berkley Books, 1984) "with" E E Smith [tie: Family D'Alembert: pb/Stanislaw Fernandes]
• Revolt of the Galaxy (New York: Berkley Books, 1985) "with" E E Smith [tie: Family D'Alembert: pb/Stanislaw Fernandes]

Rehumanization of Jade Darcy

• The Rehumanization of Jade Darcy: Jade Darcy and the Affair of Honor (New York: New American Library/Signet Books, 1988) with Mary Mason [Rehumanization of Jade Darcy: pb/Jerome Podwil]
• The Rehumanization of Jade Darcy: Jade Darcy and the Zen Pirates (New York: Roc Books, 1990) with Mary Mason [Rehumanization of Jade Darcy: pb/Jerome Podwil]

Parsina Saga

• Shrine of the Desert Mage (New York: Bantam Books, 1988) [Parsina Saga: pb/Richard Bober]
• The Storyteller and the Jann (New York: Bantam Books, 1988) [Parsina Saga: pb/Richard Bober]
• Crystals of Air and Water (New York: Bantam Books, 1989) [Parsina Saga: pb/Richard Bober]
• Treachery of the Demon King (New York: e-Reads.com, 2002) [Parsina Saga: pb/]

Agents of ISIS

Books #2 to #10 are based on the corresponding volumes of Family D'Alembert.

• Tsar Wars (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2010) [Agents of ISIS: pb/]
• Treacherous Moon (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2010) [Agents of ISIS: pb/]
• Robot Mountain (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2010) [Agents of ISIS: pb/]
• Sanctuary Planet (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2010) [Agents of ISIS: pb/]
• Stellar Revolution (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2010) [Agents of ISIS: pb/]
• Purgatory Plot (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2010) [Agents of ISIS: pb/]
• Traitors' World (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2010) [Agents of ISIS: pb/]
• Counterfeit Stars (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2010) [Agents of ISIS: pb/]
• Outworld Invaders (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2010) [Agents of ISIS: pb/]
• Galactic Collapse (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2010) [Agents of ISIS: pb/]

individual titles

• Herds (Toronto, Ontario: Laser Books, 1975) [pb/Kelly Freas]
• Caravan (Toronto, Ontario: Laser Books, 1975) [pb/Kelly Freas]
• Scavenger Hunt (Toronto, Ontario: Laser Books, 1976) [pb/Kelly Freas]
• Finish Line (Toronto, Ontario: Laser Books, 1976) [pb/Kelly Freas]
  • Scavenger Hunt (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2009) [rev omni of the two above: pb/]
• Assault on the Gods (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1977) [hb/Tim Lewis]
• Mindflight (New York: Fawcett Gold Medal, 1978) [pb/Paul Lehr]
• Star Trek: Trek to Madworld (New York: Bantam Books, 1978) [tie to Star Trek: pb/Eddie Jones]
• The Eternity Brigade (New York: Fawcett Gold Medal, 1980) [pb/Bob Larkin]
  • The Eternity Brigade (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2010) [rev of the above: pb/]
• A World Called Solitude (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1981) [hb/Jan Esteves]
• Nexus 1: Crossroads of the Galaxy (place not given: Pathfinder Series, 1981) as by Steven Charles [pb/]
  • Crossroads of the Galaxy (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2011) as by Steven Goldin [vt of the above: note change of byline: pb/]
• And Not Make Dreams Your Master (New York: Fawcett Gold Medal, 1981) [pb/John Berkey]
• The Last Ghost and Other Stories (New York: e-Reads.com, 1999) [coll: pb/Don Simpson]
• And Not Make Dreams Your Master (New York: Fawcett Gold Medal, 1981) [pb/John Berkey]
• Polly! (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2008) [pb/Mae Powers]
• Mindsearch (White Bear Lake, Montana: Midnight Showcase Fiction, 2009) [pb/Mae Powers]
• Quiet Post (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2014) [pb/]
• Into the Out (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2016) [pb/]

collections

• The Last Ghost and Other Stories (New York: e-Reads.com, 1999) [coll: pb/Don Simpson]
• Ghosts, Girls and Other Phantasms (San Ramon, California: Parsina Press, 2011) [coll: pb/]

works as editor

• Protostars (New York: Ballantine Books, 1971) anonymous, with David Gerrold [anth: pb/Gene Szafran]
• Generation: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction (New York: Dell Books, 1972) anonymous, with David Gerrold [anth: pb/Robert Foster]
• The Alien Condition (New York: Ballantine Books, 1973) [anth: pb/Mati Klarwein]
• Science Fiction Emphasis 1; An Anthology of Original Science Fiction (New York: Ballantine Books, 1974) anonymous, with David Gerrold [anth: pb/Dean Ellis]
• Alternities (New York: Dell Books, 1974) anonymous, with David Gerrold [anth: pb/]
• Ascents of Wonder (New York: Popular Library, 1977) anonymous, with David Gerrold [anth: pb/]

nonfiction

• The Business of Being a Writer (New York: Harper and Row, 1982) with Kathleen Sky [nonfiction: hb/]

links

• Stephen Goldin
• Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Picture Gallery

previous versions of this entry

• Internet Archive