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Clayton, Jo

(1939-1998) US author, most of whose work consists of a long series of science-fantasy Space Operas of extended quests in highly coloured venues; as the years of her career passed, her work became more and more fantasy-oriented. The sequence divides into the Diadem books – Diadem from the Stars (1977), which romantically sets out the epic adventures of Aleytey, a young girl electronically attached to the power-bestowing diadem of the title, as she searches for the planet which is the home of her mother's super-race, Lamarchos (1978), Irsud (1978), Maeve (1979), Star Hunters (1980), The Nowhere Hunt (1981), Ghosthunt (1983), The Snares of Ibex (1984) and Quester's Endgame (1986); subseries followed: Shadith's Quest comprising Shadowplay (1990), Shadowspeer (1990) and Shadowkill (1991) and Shadowsong comprising Fire in the Sky (1995), The Burning Ground (1995) and Crystal Heat (1995). The speculative element in these titles does not significantly figure; but the differing venues, reminiscent of the worlds of Leigh Brackett, are depicted with some richness. Of Clayton's singletons, A Bait of Dreams: A Five-Summer Quest (coll of linked stories 1985) is fantasy, and Shadow of the Warmaster (1988) is a Space Opera with thriller elements involving a kidnapped xenologist and her immensely powerful industrialist father, who hires the protagonist to find his daughter. Clayton also wrote several fantasy sequences, all of which touch teasingly upon (but do not seriously make use of) sf elements [see Checklist below]. [JC]

Patricia Jo Clayton

born Modesto, California: 15 February 1939

died Portland, Oregon: 13 February 1998

works

series

Diadem

Duel of Sorcery

Skeen

Soul Drinker

The Drums of Chaos

individual titles

links

Entry from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (2011-current) edited by John Clute and David Langford.
Accessed 13:15 pm on 9 October 2026.
<https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/clayton_jo>