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Sue Burke

Goodreads Author

Born

in Milwaukee, The United States

Website

https://sueburke.site/

Twitter

SueBurkeSpain

Genre

Science Fiction & Fantasy, Short Stories

Member Since

February 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/sueburke

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I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, lived briefly in Austin, Texas, y'all, and moved with my husband to Madrid, Spain, in December 1999. Then back to the US, specifically Chicago, in July 2016.

I've worked for fifty years as a journalist, both as a reporter and editor, and I translate from Spanish to English.

I also write poetry, essays, and fiction, especially science fiction. ...more

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Combine Editions
Sue Burke’s books

Average rating: 3.89 · 22,768 ratings · 3,186 reviews · 56 distinct works • Similar authors

	Semiosis (Semiosis, #1) 3.90 avg rating — 15,528 ratings — published 2018 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Interference (Semiosis, #2) 3.97 avg rating — 4,346 ratings — published 2019 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Usurpation (Semiosis, #3) 3.69 avg rating — 905 ratings — published 2024 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Immunity Index 3.32 avg rating — 616 ratings — published 2021 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dual Memory 3.67 avg rating — 510 ratings — published 2023 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 177, June 2021 by Neil Clarke (Goodreads Author), Nancy Kress (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Robert Reed (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.14 avg rating — 335 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Normalized Death really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2008	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Semiosis Duology it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	West African adire: Dyed and printed textiles 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dutch wax prints: Dyed and printed textiles 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Sue Burke…

867 posts
Sue Burke's Blog

What’s a masterpiece worth?

Originally published in 2010 when I lived in Madrid, Spain. The photo is of an eight maravedí coin from 1607, during the reign of King Felipe III, minted in Segovia.

***

What did Miguel de Cervantes earn from Don Quixote de la Mancha? We don’t know, but we have enough clues to try to guess. Cervantes was poor before it was published and poor after it was published, so it wasn’t a huge amount of

Series by Sue Burke

Semiosis (3 books)
by

Sue Burke (Goodreads Author)

3.91 avg rating — 20,773 ratings

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Sue’s Recent Updates

Sue Burke rated a book it was amazing The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface by Donald Maass	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I came to writing fiction after years of just-the-facts journalism, so infusing my writing with emotion remains a challenge. That’s why I found this book helpful. In the first chapter, Donald Maass challenges writers to ask themselves: “How can I get ...more
May 01, 2026 12:05PM · 4 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sue Burke and 1 other person liked Nicholas Whyte's review of Fantasy: A Short History: "https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/my-bsfa-votes-part-2-the-longer-stuff/ This was a really fun and informative read, taking the history of fantasy writing from the very beginning to almost the present day. I am very familiar with the historical structur" Read more of this review »
Apr 29, 2026 08:37AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fantasy by Adam Roberts. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fantasy by Adam Roberts <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sue Burke and 4 other people liked DivaDiane SM's review of 101 Great American Poems (Dover Thrift Editions): "It is exactly as the title claims. I read this slowly. While I had heard of a majority of the poets, I hadn’t already read many of the poems contained in this volume. I also discovered many wonderful poets. I am glad that the editor included a very b" Read more of this review »
Apr 29, 2026 08:36AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of 101 Great American Poems by The American Poetry and Literacy Project. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — 101 Great American Poems by The American Poetry and Literacy Project <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sue Burke is now following Matt's reviews
Apr 29, 2026 08:35AM · like
Sue Burke and 20 other people liked Rose Rosetree's review of On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service: "Big thanks to a friend of mine who told me about the existence of this magnificent book. I'll be commenting in chunks. Already, after just the first chapter, I am so in LIKE with Dr. Fauci. Over at my Energy Spirituality® Blog, I've already researched" Read more of this review »
Apr 29, 2026 08:34AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of On Call by Anthony Fauci. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — On Call by Anthony Fauci <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sue Burke entered a giveaway Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 21, 2026 10:59AM · like · see giveaway
Sue Burke has read Lines of Force: The End of the World as We Know It by Steve Bellinger (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 11, 2026 03:20PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Lines of Force by Steve Bellinger. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Lines of Force by Steve Bellinger <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sue Burke rated a book it was amazing The Language of Liars by S.L. Huang (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I received a preview copy this book in exchange for writing a blurb if I liked it. The description intrigued me: a science fiction story from an outstanding author about translation. A psychic connection allows a linguist to impersonate a species upo ...more
Apr 03, 2026 08:08AM · 8 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Language of Liars by S.L. Huang. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Language of Liars by S.L. Huang <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sue Burke rated a book it was amazing Electromagnetic Assault by Bruce Landay	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
If you like futuristic military techno-thrillers, you’ll probably like this book. Do I need to say more? Let’s consider the many varieties of book reviews including consumer, preview, sponsored, literary, professional, and academic. In this case I’m a ...more
Mar 18, 2026 08:18AM · 5 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Electromagnetic Assault by Bruce Landay. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Electromagnetic Assault by Bruce Landay <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sue Burke wants to read Slow Gods by Claire North	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 21, 2026 10:14AM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Slow Gods by Claire North. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Slow Gods by Claire North <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Sue's books…

Quotes by Sue Burke (?)

“I am glad I grew the humor root. I can endure unpleasant situations better.”
― Sue Burke, Semiosis

8 likes

“Equality is not a fact, like the length of days... Equality is an idea, a belief, like beauty.”
― Sue Burke, Semiosis

tags: equality

5 likes

“Each of us needs to be what we are, perhaps even be more of what we are.”
― Sue Burke, Semiosis

4 likes

See all Sue Burke's quotes »

Polls

June 2018 Science Fiction -- Final Poll. The following poll decides which book will be our June 2018 Book of the Month in Science Fiction.

Semiosis by Sue Burke

30 votes, 55.6%

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

24 votes, 44.4%

54 total votes

2 comments

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
SciFi and Fantasy...: Bill the other does all the challenges. Comments ok.	3	222	Jan 05, 2018 07:55PM
Beyond Reality: Welcome to April 2018!	2	20	Apr 09, 2018 06:18PM
Beyond Reality: Welcome to May 2018!	1	17	May 01, 2018 10:08AM
Beyond Reality: Nominations for June 2018	21	64	May 28, 2018 04:46PM
The Seasonal Read...: Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD	2194	417	May 31, 2018 09:01PM
Beyond Reality: Welcome to June 2018!	1	18	Jun 01, 2018 05:21AM
Beyond Reality: Semiosis -- -- Roll Call and First Impressions NO SPOILERS!	12	29	Jun 16, 2018 07:55AM