Perry, Steve
Entry updated 18 November 2024. Tagged: Author.
(1947- ) US author, father of S D Perry, who began publishing sf with "With Clean Hands" as by Jesse Peel in Galaxy for December 1977/January 1978, and whose first novel, The Tularemia Gambit (1981), combines sf with elements of the hardboiled detective genre. After two Ties for the Time Machine sequence produced by the Byron Preiss packaging enterprise – Sword of the Samurai (1984) with Michael Reaves and Civil War Secret Agent (1984) – and an effective sf adventure, Hellstar (1984) with Reaves, Perry finally came into his own with the Matador sequence, beginning with The Man Who Never Missed (1985) and ending with The Musashi Flesh (2006) all set in the Matador universe. Khadaji, the sequence's hero, rebels against a violent military dictatorship using his skill at martial arts to mock the enemy into impotence; in his raffish insouciance, he rather resembles Leslie Charteris's Saint. The first volume takes its title from the fact that Khadaji has stolen a fixed number of non-lethal Poison darts and proceeds to knock out precisely that number of government figures with them, never once missing, and generating a revolt through mirth; the book might be called an exercise in muscular pacifism. Subsequent volumes do not build on the success of the first, but neither do they significantly decline. The Stellar Ranger sequence comprising Stellar Ranger (1994) and Lone Star (1995) are Space Operas specifically couched as Westerns. Of Perry's singletons, Dome (1987) with Reaves makes efficient use of its Post-Holocaust submarine setting, as AIs come gradually to dominate the new world; several, like Thong the Barbarian Meets the Cycle Sluts of Saturn (1998) with Michael Reaves, are spoofs. Perry has never written incompetently, though it may be he has never stretched himself. [JC]
Steven Carl Perry
born Baton Rouge, Louisiana: 31 August 1947
works
series
Time Machine
- Sword of the Samurai (New York: Bantam Books, 1984) with Michael Reaves [tie to the Shared World series: Time Machine: pb/William Stout]
- Civil War Secret Agent (New York: Bantam Books, 1984) with Michael Reaves [tie to the Shared World series: Time Machine: pb/Steve Fastner]
Matador/Khadaji
- The Man Who Never Missed (New York: Ace Books, 1985) [Matador/Khadaji: pb/James Gurney]
- Matadora (New York: Ace Books, 1986) [Matador/Khadaji: pb/Richard Berry]
- The Machiavelli Interface (New York: Ace Books, 1986) [Matador/Khadaji: pb/Richard Berry]
- The Omega Cage (New York: Ace Books, 1988) with Michael Reaves [Matador/Khadaji: pb/Luis Royo]
- The 97th Step (New York: Ace Books, 1989) [Matador/Khadaji: pb/Luis Royo]
- The Albino Knife (New York: Ace Books, 1991) [Matador/Khadaji: pb/Luis Royo]
- Brother Death (New York: Ace Books, 1992) [Matador/Khadaji: pb/Luis Royo]
- Black Steel Brother Death (New York: Ace Books, 1992) [Matador/Khadaji: pb/Luis Royo]
- The Musashi Flex (New York: Ace Books, 2006) [Matador/Khadaji: pb/Christian McGrath]
Conan
- Conan the Fearless (New York: Tor, 1986) [tie to the Conan series: Robert E Howard: pb/Kirk Reinert]
- Conan the Defiant (New York: Tor, 1986) [tie to the Conan series: Robert E Howard: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Conan the Indomitable (New York: Tor, 1989) [tie to the Conan series: Robert E Howard: pb/Kirk Reinert]
- Conan the Free Lance (New York: Tor, 1990) [tie to the Conan series: Robert E Howard: pb/Kirk Reinert]
- Conan the Formidable (New York: Tor, 1990) [tie to the Conan series: Robert E Howard: pb/Kirk Reinert]
Aliens
- Aliens Book 1: Earth Hive (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1992) [tie to the film series: Alien: pb/Denis Beauvais]
- Aliens Book 2: Nightmare Asylum (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1993) [tie to the film series: Alien: pb/Dave Dorman]
- Aliens Omnibus Volume 1 (London: Millennium, 1995) [omni of the above two: tie to the film series: Alien: pb/Denis Beauvais and Dave Dorman]
- Aliens Book 3: The Female War (New York: Bantam Books, 1993) with S D Perry [tie to the film series: Alien: pb/Dave Dorman]
- The Complete Aliens Omnibus Volume 1 (New York: Titan Books, 2016) [omni of the above three: tie to the film series: Alien: pb/]
Aliens vs Predator
- Prey (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1994) with S D Perry as Stephani Perry [tie to the film: AVP Alien vs Predator: pb/Nelson DeCastro]
Predator
- Predator: Turnabout (Milwaukie, Oregon: Dark Horse, 2008) [tie to the Predator film universe: Predator: pb/Stephen Youll]
Venture Silk
- Spindoc (New York: Ace Books, 1994) [Venture Silk: pb/Barclay Shaw]
- The Forever Drug (New York: Ace Books, 1995) [Venture Silk: pb/Barclay Shaw]
Stellar Ranger
- Stellar Ranger (New York: AvoNova, 1994) [Stellar Ranger: pb/Dorian Vallejo]
- Stellar Ranger: Lone Star (New York: AvoNova, 1995) [Stellar Ranger: pb/Dorian Vallejo]
Star Wars
- Shadows of the Empire (New York: Bantam Books, 1996) with Gary A Braunbeck [tie to Star Wars: Star Wars: pb/Drew Struzan]
- Shadows of the Empire: Evolution (Milwaukie, Oregon: Dark Horse, 2000) with Gary A Braunbeck and Tom Simmon [tie to Star Wars: Star Wars: pb/]
- Death Star (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 2007) with Michael Reaves [tie to Star Wars: Star Wars: pb/John Harris]
Star Wars: Clone Wars
- Medstar I: Battle Surgeons (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 2004) with Michael Reaves [tie to Star Wars: Star Wars: Clone Wars: pb/Dave Seeley]
- Medstar II: Jedi Healer (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 2004) with Michael Reaves [tie to Star Wars: Star Wars: Clone Wars: pb/Dave Seeley]
Tom Clancy's Net Force
These works are all Ties to the Tom Clancy concept.
- Net Force (New York: Berkley Books, 1999) with Steve Pieczenik [tie: Tom Clancy's Net Force: pb/]
- Breaking Point (New York: Berkley Books, 2000) with Steve Pieczenik [tie: Tom Clancy's Net Force: pb/]
- Point of Impact (New York: Berkley Books, 2001) with Steve Pieczenik [tie: Tom Clancy's Net Force: pb/]
- Cybernation (New York: Berkley Books, 2001) with Steve Pieczenik [tie: Tom Clancy's Net Force: pb/]
- State of War (New York: Berkley Books, 2003) [tie: Tom Clancy's Net Force: pb/]
- Changing of the Guard (New York: Berkley Books, 2003) with Larry Segriff [tie: pb/]
- Springboard (New York: Berkley Books, 2005) with Larry Segriff [tie: Tom Clancy's Net Force: pb/Gallucci Imaging]
- Archimedes Effect (New York: Berkley Books, 2006) with Larry Segriff [tie: Tom Clancy's Net Force: pb/Gallucci Imaging]
Cutter's War
- The Ramal Extraction (New York: Ace Books, 2013) [Cutter's War: pb/Kris Keller]
- The Vastalimi Gambit (New York: Ace Books, 2014) [Cutter's War: pb/Kris Keller]
- The Tejano Conflict (New York: Ace Books, 2015) [Cutter's War: pb/Kris Keller]
individual titles
- The Tularemia Gambit (New York: Fawcett Gold Medal, 1981) [pb/S Kelly]
- Hellstar (New York: Berkley Books, 1984) with Michael Reaves [pb/Ron Miller]
- Dome (New York: Berkley Books, 1987) with Michael Reaves [pb/Ron Miller]
- The Hero Curse (Portland, Oregon: DimeNovels, 1991) [chap: pb/Zac Reisner]
- The Mask (New York: Bantam Books, 1994) [tie to the film: The Mask (1994): pb/]
- The Trinity Vector (New York: Ace Books, 1996) [pb/Edwin Herder]
- Leonard Nimoy's Primortals: Target Earth (New York: Warner Books/Aspect, 1997) [hb/]
- The Digital Effect (New York: Ace Books, 1997) [pb/Edwin Herder]
- Men in Black (London: Penguin Books, 1997) [tie to the film: Men in Black: pb/]
- Isaac Asimov's I-Bots: Time Was (New York: HarperPrism, 1998) with Gary A Braunbeck [pb/Peter Peebles]
- Thong the Barbarian Meets the Cycle Sluts of Saturn (no place given: Donald Ahlquist Publications, 1998) with Michael Reaves [hb/Daniel Conan Young]
- Titan A E (New York: Ace Books, 2000) with Dal Perry [pb/]
- Windowpane (Waterville, Maine: Five Star, 2003) [hb/Ursula Vernon]
- Immune Response (Waterville, Maine: Five Star, 2006) [hb/]
- Chris Bunch's the Gangster Conspiracy: A Star Risk, Ltd, Novel (New York: Penguin/Roc, 2007) with Dal Perry [pb/]
- Indiana Jones and the Army of the Dead (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 2009) [tie to the film series: Steven Spielberg: pb/]
nonfiction
- Workshops: The Minefields of Science Fiction (Eugene, Oregon: Pulphouse Writer's Chapbook #26, 1991) [nonfiction: chap: pb/]
links
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