Barbara Hambly: some information about her and her work

Last updated: 15th August 2000 (official site details)

Note: official site

The best and most up-to-date Barbara Hambly site is the official one at

www.barbarahambly.com

I'll leave this page up for "historical interest", but I may not get around to updating it ...


Barbara Hambly is one of my favourite authors. As the other lists of her work I saw on the net (when I started this) seemed to me to be obviously incomplete, I thought I'd put this together. [This is getting too long, I'll have to split it up at some stage!]

Information on German/French editions. and some short-fiction info,
courtesy of Night <p.hoppe@bottrop.netsurf.de> -- danke!

Any corrections/additions welcome, but I don't promise to act upon them, especially now that the official site exists -- e-mail R.Flood@noc.ulcc.ac.uk


Novels by Barbara Hambly

Books in series are listed together under the "series title", with the major characters. Series are listed by date of first publication. This does not attempt to be a full bibliography, listing all editions etc -- see the Locus link further on for something like that! These are mainly the paperback editions.

Note: vt means "variant title" -- same book, different name. This usually happens when the US and other editions have different titles. Non-English (Tr) editions are only marked vt if the title is not a direct translation.

Darwath Trilogy series (Ingold Inglorion/Gil Patterson/Rudy Solis)

The Time of the Dark [1982 US, Del Rey] [1982 UK, HarperCollins]

The Walls of Air [1983 US, Del Rey] [1985 UK, HarperCollins]

The Armies of Daylight [1983 US, Del Rey] [1985 UK, HarperCollins]

Gefaehrtin des Lichts (Light's Companion) [Tr 1994 Germany, Bastei Luebbe]
__ Omnibus edition: all three books in a single volume

Mother of Winter [1997 US, Del Rey] [1997 UK, HarperCollins]
__ sample chapter from Del Rey's server: chapter two

Icefalcon's Quest [forthcoming in h/b from Del Rey in February 1998, according to DRIN Oct97]
__ originally called Icefalcon's Geas, according to DRIN Oct96
__ sample chapter from Sci-Fi Channel's server: chapter one


Unschooled Wizard series (Starhawk/Sun Wolf)

The Ladies of Mandrigyn [1984 US, Del Rey] [1986 UK, Unwin]
__ [Tr 1986 Germany, Bastei Luebbe: Die Frauen von Mandrigin]

The Witches of Wenshar [1987 US, Del Rey] [1987 UK, Unwin]
__ [Tr 1988 Germany, Bastei Luebbe: Die Hexen von Wenshar]

The Dark Hand of Magic [1990 US, Del Rey] [1990 UK, Unwin]
__ [1991 UK, Grafton, vt: Dark Hand of Magic]
__ [Tr 1992 Germany, Bastei Luebbe: Die dunkle Hand der Magie]

The Unschooled Wizard [1987 US, Science Fiction Book Club h/b]
__ [Tr 1992 Germany, Bastei Luebbe, vt: Sonnenwolf (Sunwolf)]
__ Omnibus edition: The Ladies of Mandrigyn & The Witches of Wenshar


Windrose Chronicles/Darkmage series (Joanna Sheraton/Antryg Windrose)

The Silent Tower [1986 US, Del Rey] [1987 UK, Unwin]
__ [Tr 1994 Germany, Bastei Luebbe, vt: Der Zauberturm (The Tower of Sorcery)]

The Silicon Mage [1988 US, Del Rey] [1988 UK, Unwin]
__ [Tr 1994 Germany, Bastei Luebbe, vt: Der Megabyte Magier (The Megabyte Mage)]

Dog Wizard [1993 US, Del Rey] [1993 UK, HarperCollins]
__ [Tr 1995 Germany, Bastei Luebbe, vt: Das Daemonentor (The Demon's Gate)]

Stranger at the Wedding [1994 US, Del Rey]
__ [1994 UK, HarperCollins, vt: Sorcerer's Ward]
__ not in series mainline, focusing on minor character Kyra the Red

Darkmage [1988 US, Science Fiction Book Club h/b]
__ Omnibus edition: The Silent Tower & The Silicon Mage

Ms Hambly plans to write more novels in the Windrose series.


Vampire series (James Asher/Lydia Asher/Don Simon Ysidro)

Those who Hunt the Night [1988 US, Del Rey]
__ [1988 UK, Unwin, vt: Immortal Blood]
__ [Tr 1992 Germany, Bastei Luebbe, vt: Jagd der Vampire (Vampire's Hunt)]

Traveling with the Dead [1996 US, Del Rey]
__ [1995 UK, Voyager, vt: Travelling with the Dead]
__ [Tr 1996 Germany, Bastei Luebbe, vt: Gefaehrten des Todes (Death's Companions)]
__ sample chapter from Del Rey's server: chapter one


Sun-Cross series (Jaldis/Rhion)

The Rainbow Abyss [1991 UK, Grafton] [1991 US, Del Rey]

The Magicians of Night [1992 US, Del Rey]
__ [1992 UK, Grafton, vt: Magicians of the Night]

Sun Cross [1992 US, Science Fiction Book Club h/b]
__ Omnibus edition: The Rainbow Abyss & The Magicians of Night

Ms Hambly plans to write a third Sun-Cross novel "eventually".


Non-series

The Quirinal Hill Affair [1983 US, St Martin's Press]
__ [1987 US, Ballantine, vt: Search the Seven Hills]
__ [Tr 1995 Germany, Bastei Luebbe, vt: Die Entfuehrung uf dem Quirinal (The Kidnapping at the Quirinal)]
__ Whodunnit featuring Christians in Imperial Rome

Dragonsbane [1986 US, Del Rey] [1986 UK, Unwin]
__ [Tr 1987 Germany, Bastei Luebbe, vt: Der schwarze Drache (The black Dragon)]
__ Poignant dragon-fighting fantasy

Dragonshadow [work in progress for Del Rey]
__ sequel to Dragonsbane, according to DRIN May97
__ (I'll have to move the pair to the Series section when this firms-up ...)

Bride of the Rat God [1994 US, Del Rey] [1995 UK, Raven]
__ Chinese demon on the prowl in 1920s Hollywood
__ sample chapter from Del Rey's server: chapter one

A Free Man of Color [1997 US, Bantam h/b]
__ 19th Century New Orleans murder mystery

Fever Season [forthcoming Summer 1998 from Bantam]
__ sequel to A Free Man of Color, according to the interview at Barnes & Noble Live

Graveyard Dust [work in progress for Bantam]
__ sequel to Fever Season, according to the interview at Barnes & Noble Live


Beauty and the Beast (TV series adaptations)

Beauty and the Beast [1989 US, Avon] [1990 UK, Unwin]
__ [Tr 1990 Germany, Bastei Luebbe, vt: Die Schoene und das Biest 1]
__ (first in series)

Song of Orpheus [1990 US, Avon]
__ [Tr 1991 Germany, Bastei Luebbe, vt: Die Schoene und das Biest 3]
__ (third in series)

Masques [1990 US, Avon]
__ (second in series) is by another author: Ru Emerson


Star Trek (series tie-ins)

Ishmael (#23) [1985 US, Pocket] [1989 UK, Titan]
__ [Tr 1990 Germany, Heyne] [Tr 1994 France, Le Fleuve Noir, vt: Ishmaël]

Ghost Walker (#53) [1991 US, Pocket] [1991 UK, Titan]
__ [Tr 1995 Germany, Heyne, vt: Der Kampf ums nackte Ueberleben (The Struggle for pure Survival)]

Crossroad (#71) [1994 US, Pocket]


Star Wars (series tie-ins)

Children of the Jedi [1996 UK, Bantam] [1996 US, Bantam Spectra]
__ [Tr 1997 Germany, Heyne, vt: Palpatine's Auge (Palpatine's Eye)]

Planet of Twilight [1997 US, Bantam Spectra h/b]
__ Sample extract, from Bantam's server

There is some more Star Wars stuff in the short fiction list.


Details drawn from:


Short fiction by Barbara Hambly

Changeling
in Once Upon A Time: A Treasury Of Modern Fairy Tales
__ [1991 US, Ballantine]
__ edited by Lester del Rey and Risa Kessler
__ [Tr 1992 Germany, Goldmann: Wechselbalg, in Das grosse Maerchenbuch der Fantasy]

The Little Tailor and the Elves
in Xanadu 2 [1994 US, Tor]
__ edited by Jane Yolen

The Horsemen and the Morning Star
in South from Midnight [1994 US, Southern Fried Press]
__ edited by Richard Gilliam, Martin H. Greenberg, and Thomas R. Hanlon

Madeleine
in Sisters of the Night [1995 US, Warner Aspect]
__ edited by Barbara Hambly and Martin H. Greenberg

Nightlily: The Lovers' Tale
in Star Wars: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina [1995 US, Bantam]
__ edited by Kevin J. Anderson

Taster's Choice: The Tale of Jabba's Chef
in Star Wars: Tales from Jabba's Palace [1996 US, Bantam]
__ edited by Kevin J. Anderson

Each Damp Thing
in The Sandman: Book of Dreams [1997 UK, HarperCollins]
__ edited by Neil Gaiman and Ed Kramer

Soldier of the Queen
in War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches [1996 US, Bantam Spectra]
__ edited by Kevin J. Anderson


Other works by Barbara Hambly

Starhawk of Wrynde speaks to J Rafferty Jones
in the Sou'wester programme book [1994 UK, published privately]
__ edited by David V. Barrett

An interview with Starhawk, heroine of the Unschooled Wizard books, in which she talks about her author! And yes Ms Hambly wrote it. I wonder if I could get permission to put this up on the web... Actually I don't need to now, as the official site has it here.


Snippets about Barbara Hambly and her work

Barbara Hambly was one of the Guests of Honour at Sou'Wester, the 1994 British National SF convention (Eastercon). Talking with fans at the convention, she admitted that she is "not good at titles": her original title for The Quirinal Hill Affair was "The Baby Eaters"! The first vampire novel was originally entitled "Daystalker", but the US publisher forced a change to Those who Hunt the Night; the UK publishers at least asked her beforehand if they could use Immortal Blood.

Stranger at the Wedding and Sorcerer's Ward were her own choices of alternate titles for that book, although she was not particularly happy with either of them. The book is based on an idea for a fantasy with the two lead characters played by Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, and also on Ms Hambly's experiences of returning home to spend Christmases with her parents.

She often works on novels by casting actors in one or two of the central roles, so that she can "hear" the characters' speaking. For example, Antryg Windrose in the Darkmage novels is based on Tom Baker (best known as one of the actors who has played Dr. Who in the BBC TV series). That was not how she worked on Those who Hunt the Night, although when pressed she thought that perhaps Harrison Ford could be cast as James Asher, while Don Simon Ysidro could be played only by Nicolas Cage. The book has been optioned for filming, several times.
[Actor links to The Internet Movie Database -- essential for your hotlist!]

Ms Hambly has a "conceptual locker room" in her mind, where her repertoire of characters rest between stories, sometimes for a long time. The character James Asher first appeared as the sheriff of a Wild-West town where she set some of her very early (unpublished?) stories.

Living in Los Angeles, it annoys Ms Hambly to read books set there written by authors who appear not to have spent time in the city. Therefore she likes to do a lot of research to make the settings of her own novels accurate, for example visiting London, Vienna, and Istanbul for Travelling with the Dead. This is obviously not possible for the fantasy novels, but to aid realism these have settings which have a level of technology comparable to certain real-world periods. The Sun-Cross novels are roughly Roman, the Unschooled Wizard books are Renaissance Europe, while the Windrose Chronicles are set in a late 18th/early 19th century industrial society.

She also draws on her own varied experiences. For example the scenes in The Ladies of Mandrigyn where Sun Wolf trains the women of the title, are based on watching her karate sensei attempt to deal with a roomful of "California beach-bunnies" -- direct quote.

At the time of the convention, her own choice for her favourite/best book was Those who Hunt the Night. Interestingly, this is not the usual choice of an author, which is "the one I'm writing at the moment", in Ms Hambly's case at the time Travelling with the Dead. Personally, I would put Dog Wizard and Dragonsbane at the top of my list, (but then what do I know?)


Links to other Barbara Hambly information


Link to my home page, for what it's worth.