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Cook, Hugh

(1956-2008) UK-born New Zealand author, who spent much of his childhood in the South Pacific Republic of Kiribati, and who lived in Japan from 1997; he is known primarily for his interestingly varied and sometimes inventive fantasy series, Chronicles of an Age of Darkness, whose ornate textures are Equipoisal between Planetary Romance and fantasy, though the latter mode is dominant. His only genuinely sf novel, The Shift (1986), a finalist in the 1985 Young Writers' Competition run by the newspaper The Times (London) with publishers Jonathan Cape, is a confused tale of deeply undergraduate Humour about an Alien Invasion and a machine that selectively alters human history. After the truncation of Chronicles of an Age of Darkness – only 10 of a projected 60 volumes reached print – Cook fell silent for some time, but from 1998 to 2005 published many shorter sf and fantasy stories. Further self-published and posthumously published POD novels and collections, including the Oceans of Light fantasy trilogy, are omitted from the Checklist. [PN/JC/DRL]

Hugh Walter Gilbert Cook

born Billericay, Essex: 9 August 1956

died Auckland, New Zealand: 8 November 2008

works (selected)

series

Chronicles of an Age of Darkness:

• The Wizards and the Warriors (Gerrard's Cross, Buckinghamshire: Colin Smythe, 1986) [Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: hb/Steve Crisp]
  • Wizard War (New York: Popular Library, 1987) [vt of the above: Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/Don Maitz]
• The Wordsmiths and the Warguild, or The Questing Hero (London: Corgi Books, 1987) [Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/]
  • The Questing Hero (New York: Popular Library, 1987) [vt of the first half of the above: Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/Don Maitz]
  • The Hero's Return (New York: Popular Library, 1988) [vt of the second half of the above: Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/Don Maitz]
• The Women and the Warlords (London: Corgi Books, 1987) [Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/]
  • The Oracle (New York: Popular Library, 1989) [vt of the above: Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/Don Maitz]
• The Walrus and the Warwolf (London: Corgi Books, 1988) [Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/Steve Crisp]
  • Wizard War Chronicles: Lords of the Sword (New York: Penguin/Roc, 1991) [cut vt of the above: Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/Richard Hescox]
• The Wicked and the Witless (London: Corgi Books, 1989) [Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/Steve Crisp]
• The Wishstone and the Wonderworkers (London: Corgi Books, 1990) [Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/Steve Crisp]
• The Wazir and the Witch (London: Corgi Books, 1990) [Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/Steve Crisp]
• The Werewolf and the Wormlord (London: Corgi Books, 1991) [Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/Steve Crisp]
• The Worshippers and the Way (London: Corgi Books, 1992) [Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/Steve Crisp]
• The Witchlord and the Weaponmaster (London: Corgi Books, 1992) [Chronicles of an Age of Darkness: pb/Steve Crisp]

individual titles

• Plague Summer (London: Robert Hale, 1980) [hb/]
• The Shift (London: Jonathan Cape, 1986) [hb/Brian Robins]

links

• Zen Virus (official/memorial website)
• Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Picture Gallery

Entry from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (2011-current) edited by John Clute and David Langford.
Accessed 19:56 pm on 13 December 2024.
<https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/cook_hugh>