Creating 'a unique bond of trust'

 

“There'sa unique bond of trust between readers and authors that I don't believe existsin any other art form.  As a reader, I trust a novelist to give mehis or her best effort, however flawed.” – Dan Simmons

 

Bornin Peoria, IL on this date in 1948, Simmons is an award-winning author ofscience fiction, horror and fantasy, sometimes all within the same novel. Atypical example of Simmons' intermingling of genres is his World Fantasy Awardwinner Song of Kali, a tale surrounding a mysterious cult thatworships the Indian god Kali. 

 

Aftera number of modest successes, Simmons became internationally renowned for Hyperion,which won both the Hugo and Locus Awards for the best science fictionnovel.    He followed that book’s success with 3 more booksand several short stories in a series that concluded with another awardwinner, The Rise of Endymion, also winner of the Locus and afinalist for the Hugo.  

 

Simmonsalso writes mysteries and thrillers and said he enjoys moving among genres. Hislatest novel is the just-released (2025) historical thriller Omega Canyon.   

 

“Ithink it's one of the strangest attributes of this profession,” he said, “thatwhen we writers get exhausted writing one thing we relax by writing another.”