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John Shirley

Goodreads Author

Born

in Houston, Texas, The United States

Website

https://john-shirley.com/

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Horror

Member Since

November 2013

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John Shirley won the Bram Stoker Award for his story collection Black Butterflies, and is the author of numerous novels, including the best-seller DEMONS, the cyberpunk classics CITY COME A-WALKIN', ECLIPSE, and BLACK GLASS, and his newest novels STORMLAND and A SORCERER OF ATLANTIS.

He is also a screenwriter, having written for television and movies; he was co-screenwriter of THE CROW. He has been several Year's Best anthologies including Prime Books' THE YEAR'S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR anthology, and his nwest story collection is IN EXTREMIS: THE MOST EXTREME SHORT STORIES OF JOHN SHIRLEY. His novel BIOSHOCK: RAPTURE telling the story of the creation and undoing of Rapture, from the hit videogame BIOSHOCK is out from TOR books; his Hal ...more

756 posts
John Shirley's Blog

We Think We Know Ourselves but–We Don’t

What is meant by the ancient Delphic maxim Know Thyself? Do we know ourselves?

“Oh yeah, I know myself”, he said. “I know I like red meat and I don’t like fish. I know I like Christmas more than my birthday. I know I like chocolate more than vanilla. I know I like baseball but not football.”

“Sure I know myself,” she said. “I know I like to wear blue and I don’t want a spouse who snores and I don’t

Combine Editions
John Shirley’s books

Average rating: 3.88 · 51,523 ratings · 4,735 reviews · 329 distinct works • Similar authors

	BioShock: Rapture 3.99 avg rating — 11,865 ratings — published 2011 — 48 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
	Halo: Broken Circle 3.89 avg rating — 2,070 ratings — published 2014 — 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
	Constantine 3.99 avg rating — 1,077 ratings — published 2005 — 8 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
	Eclipse (A Song Called Youth, #1) 3.91 avg rating — 701 ratings — published 1985 — 20 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
	Batman: Dead White 3.54 avg rating — 743 ratings — published 2006 — 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
	Grimm: The Icy Touch (Grimm, #1) 3.69 avg rating — 662 ratings — published 2013 — 12 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
	City Come a-Walkin' by John Shirley (Goodreads Author), William Gibson (Introduction) 3.78 avg rating — 615 ratings — published 1980	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
	Wetbones 3.76 avg rating — 515 ratings — published 1991 — 19 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
	Demons 3.26 avg rating — 527 ratings — published 2000 — 12 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
	Black Butterflies 3.80 avg rating — 428 ratings — published 1998 — 8 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

More books by John Shirley…

Series by John Shirley

A Song Called Youth (3 books)
by

John Shirley (Goodreads Author)

4.00 avg rating — 1,462 ratings

Borderlands (3 books)
by

John Shirley (Goodreads Author)

3.56 avg rating — 677 ratings

John Constantine Hellblazer Novels (2 books)
by

John Shirley (Goodreads Author)

3.76 avg rating — 378 ratings

Cleve Trewe (3 books)
by

John Shirley (Goodreads Author)

4.27 avg rating — 273 ratings

The Crow: Death & Rebirth (1 book)
by

John Shirley (Goodreads Author)

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating

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John is Currently Reading

John Shirley is currently reading

Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years

by Carl Sandburg

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Aug 08, 2025 11:33PM

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رباعيات خيام

by Omar Khayyám

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Bloody Newton

by Johnny D. Boggs

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Jul 13, 2025 12:04AM

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John’s Recent Updates

John Shirley is now friends with Brittany Bishop
Jun 10, 2026 04:56PM · like
John Shirley is currently reading Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years by Carl Sandburg	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
Aug 08, 2025 11:33PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Abraham Lincoln by Carl Sandburg. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Abraham Lincoln by Carl Sandburg <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Shirley is currently reading رباعيات خيام by Omar Khayyám	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
Jul 19, 2025 12:08AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of رباعيات خيام by Omar Khayyám. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — رباعيات خيام by Omar Khayyám <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Shirley is currently reading Bloody Newton by Johnny D. Boggs	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
Jul 13, 2025 12:04AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Bloody Newton by Johnny D. Boggs. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Bloody Newton by Johnny D. Boggs <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Shirley is currently reading Soldier's Farewell by Johnny D. Boggs	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
Jul 13, 2025 12:02AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Soldier's Farewell by Johnny D. Boggs. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Soldier's Farewell by Johnny D. Boggs <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Shirley is currently reading The Killing Shot by Johnny D. Boggs	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
Jul 12, 2025 11:55PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Killing Shot by Johnny D. Boggs. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Killing Shot by Johnny D. Boggs <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Shirley is currently reading Grant by Ron Chernow	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
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John Shirley is currently reading The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss by David Bentley Hart	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
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John Shirley is currently reading Donald Trump v. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President by Michael S. Schmidt	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
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John Shirley is currently reading Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump by Peter Strzok	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 15, 2025 10:59PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Compromised by Peter Strzok. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Compromised by Peter Strzok <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by John Shirley (?)

“No Gods Or Kings. Only Man. -Andrew Ryan”
― John Shirley, BioShock: Rapture

tags: objectivism, philosophy, religion, science

48 likes

“If the modern world were a patient in my care... I would diagnose it suicidal." - Dr. Sofia Lamb”
― John Shirley, BioShock: Rapture

tags: bioshock, game, rapture, shirley

37 likes

“A man must make of his life a ladder that he never ceases to climb -- if you're not rising, you are slipping down the rungs, my friend.”
― John Shirley, BioShock: Rapture

tags: andrew-ryan, bioshock, prosperity

19 likes

See all John Shirley's quotes »

Polls

What horror read shall we have for our 4th quarter of 2012 group read?

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

3 votes, 60.0%

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

2 votes, 40.0%

Song of Kali by Dan Simmons

0 votes, 0.0%

Demons by John Shirley

0 votes, 0.0%

Weaveworld by Clive Barker

0 votes, 0.0%

5 total votes

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