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Henry Beam Piper (March 23, 1904 – c. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on November 6, 1964) was an American science fiction author. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. He wrote many short stories and several novels. He is best known for his extensive Terro-Human Future History series of stories and a shorter series of "Paratime" alternate history tales. Alternate history or alternative history is a subgenre of Speculative fiction (or Science fiction) and Historical fiction

He wrote under the name H. Beam Piper. Another source gives his name as "Horace Beam Piper" and a different date of death. His gravestone says "Henry Beam Piper". Piper himself may have been the source of part of the confusion; he told people the H stood for Horace, encouraging the assumption that he used the initial because he disliked his name.

Contents

Biography

Piper was largely self-educated; he obtained his knowledge of science and history "without subjecting myself to the ridiculous misery of four years in the uncomfortable confines of a raccoon coat. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology Raccoon coats were a fad in the United States during the 1920s, particularly with (male college students in the mid- and later years of the decade " He went to work at age 18 as a laborer at the Pennsylvania Railroad's Altoona yards in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Railroad, founded in 1846 Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. He also worked as a night watchman for the railroad.

Piper published his first short story, "Time and Time Again", in 1947 in Astounding Science Fiction, and was primarily a short story author until 1961, when he made a productive, if short-lived, foray into novels. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Analog Science Fiction and Fact is an American Science fiction Magazine. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He collected guns and wrote one mystery, Murder in the Gunroom. Detective fiction is a branch of Crime fiction in which a Detective (or detectives either professional or amateur investigate a crime usually Murder

He committed suicide in November 1964 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, bringing his career to a premature conclusion. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Williamsport is a city in and the County seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States The exact date of his death is unknown; the last entry in his diary was dated November 5 ("Rain 0930") [1], and the date his body was found is reported as November 9 or November 11 by various sources. According to Jerry Pournelle's introduction to Little Fuzzy, Piper shut off all the utilities to his apartment, put painter's drop-cloths over the walls and floor, and took his own life with a handgun from his collection. Jerry Eugene Pournelle (born August 7, 1933) is an American Science fiction Writer, Essayist and Journalist Little Fuzzy is the name of a 1962 Science fiction novel by H In his suicide note, he gave an explanation that "I don't like to leave messes when I go away, but if I could have cleaned up any of this mess, I wouldn't be going away. H. Beam Piper'"

Some biographers attribute his act to financial problems, others to family problems; Pournelle wrote that Piper felt burdened by financial hardships in the wake of a divorce, and the mistaken perception that his career was foundering (his agent had died without notifying him of multiple sales). Editor George H. Scithers, who knew Piper socially, has stated that Piper wanted to spite the ex-wife he despised: by committing suicide, Piper voided his life insurance policy, and prevented her from collecting. George H Scithers (born 1929 is a Science fiction author and editor. Life insurance or life assurance is a contract between the policy owner and the insurer, where the insurer agrees to pay a sum of money upon the occurrence of the

An unpublished story, "Only the Arquebus", has gone missing since his suicide; it is probable that he destroyed it along with many of his personal papers.

His output was eventually purchased by Ace Science Fiction and reprinted in a set of paperbacks in the early 1980s. Ace Books is the oldest active specialty Publisher of Science fiction and Fantasy books The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Many of these have since gone out of print, though his two best-known arcs were again reprinted by Ace in 1998 and 2001. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Late in his career, Piper corresponded with Pournelle, who was the Ace editor who helped reprint some of his novels.

Many of his works have been reprinted recently. His copyrights appear to have been allowed to lapse, permitting Project Gutenberg to distribute his work online. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works

Themes and Hallmarks

Piper's stories fall into two camps: stark space opera, such as Space Viking, or stories of cultural conflict or misunderstanding, such as Little Fuzzy or the Paratime stories. Space opera is a subgenre of Speculative fiction or Science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often Melodramatic adventure set mainly or entirely Space Viking is a Science fiction novel written by H Beam Piper and is set in his Terro-Human Future history.

A running theme in his work is that history repeats itself; past events will have direct and clear analogues in the future. The novel Uller Uprising is the clearest example of this, being based on the Sepoy Mutiny. A similarly clear example is the very name of Space Viking; although that novel is not a direct reinterpretation of a specific historical precedent, a later theme in the book involves the takeover of a planet in a manner reminiscent of the rise of Adolf Hitler.

Piper's characterization was rooted in the notion of the self-reliant man: an individual able to take care of himself and willing and able to tackle any situation which might arise. As a result, his yarns tend towards the heroic, and the conflict is usually driven externally.

Piper was interested in General Semantics. The term General Semantics refers to a non- Aristotelian Educational Discipline created by Alfred Korzybski (1879–1950 during the years It is explicitly mentioned in Murder in the Gunroom, and its principles, such as awareness of the limitations of knowledge, are apparent in his later work.

Impact

Piper did not live to see how influential he was to other science fiction writers.

Michael McCollum's first novel, A Greater Infinity, was inspired by Piper's notion of the Paratime Police (and to a lesser extent by Isaac Asimov's The End of Eternity). Michael Allen McCollum (born 1946 in Phoenix Arizona) is an American Science fiction author and engineer Isaac Asimov (c January 2 1920 &ndash April 6 1992 ˈaɪzək ˈæzɪmʌv originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as, was a Russian The Paradox Patrol, in a series of stories by F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, are a parody of Piper's Paratime Police, although they also pay homage to Alfred Bester in their enforcement of "Bester's Law". Fergus (also Feargus) Gwynplaine MacIntyre is a Scottish-born journalist novelist, poet and illustrator who now resides in Wales and New York Analog Science Fiction and Fact is an American Science fiction Magazine. Alfred Bester ( December 18, 1913 - September 30, 1987) known to his friends as Alfie, was an American science fiction

Robert Adams' Castaways in Time is similar in many ways to Piper's Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen. Franklin Robert Adams ( August 31, 1933 – January 4, 1990) was an American Science fiction and Fantasy writer Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen is a 1965 Science fiction novel by H Adams' book has a group of late-1970s Americans transported to an alternate medieval England where the Roman Catholic Church controls the supply of gunpowder. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes Jerry Pournelle's Janissaries series is an obvious tribute to Lord Kalvan, with several early scenes being very close echoes of scenes in Piper's work. Jerry Eugene Pournelle (born August 7, 1933) is an American Science fiction Writer, Essayist and Journalist Charles Stross's Merchant Princes series explicitly acknowledges H. Charles David George "Charlie" Stross (born Leeds, 18 October 1964 is a writer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Beam Piper's Paratime as an influence.

Piper's story Omnilingual has been much reprinted and has been referred to in many subsequent stories dealing with the translation of alien languages. " Omnilingual " is a science fiction short story written by H

Ursula K. Le Guin's Hugo-winning novella The Word for World is Forest shows similarities to Piper's Little Fuzzy. Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (ˈɝsələ ˈkroʊbɚ ləˈgwɪn (born October 21, 1929) is an American author The Word for World Is Forest is a Science fiction Novel by Ursula K Little Fuzzy is the name of a 1962 Science fiction novel by H Elizabeth Bear has stated that her novel Undertow was inspired by Little Fuzzy. Elizabeth Bear (Sarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky (born 22 September, 1971 in Hartford Connecticut) is an American author primarily of Speculative Little Fuzzy is the name of a 1962 Science fiction novel by H

Major storylines

Terro-Human Future History

The Terro-Human Future History is Piper's detailed account of the next 6000 years of human history. 1942, the year the first fission reactor was constructed, is defined as the year 1 A. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. E. (Atomic Era). In 1973, a nuclear war devastates the planet, eventually laying the groundwork for the emergence of a Terran Federation, once humanity goes into space and develops antigravity technology. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar.

The story "The Edge of the Knife" (collected in Empire) occurs slightly before the war, and involves a man who sees flashes of the future. It links many key elements of Piper's series.

Most of the stories take place during the next millennium, during the age of the two Federations. Most notable among these novels are the three Fuzzy novels (starting with Little Fuzzy), which concern the recognition of a peculiar alien species as sapient, and the efforts of the two species to learn to live together on the Fuzzies' home adopted world of Zarathustra.

The Federation collapses in the System States War and following Interstellar Wars (a bit of which can be seen in The Cosmic Computer), leading to a lengthy interregnum, during which there is no central human power. An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity of a government organization or social order Space Viking is set in this chaotic period.

The interregnum ends with the founding of the first Empire. At least five empires rule humanity during the next four thousand years, but only a handful of short stories (collected in Empire) depict this period. Piper generally portrays these empires as benign, ruled by enlightened despots.

Piper's future history resemble in some ways Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, and was probably influenced by it, especially since both authors wrote for John W. Campbell. Isaac Asimov (c January 2 1920 &ndash April 6 1992 ˈaɪzək ˈæzɪmʌv originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as, was a Russian The Foundation Series is an epic Science fiction series written over a span of forty-four years by Isaac Asimov. John Wood Campbell Jr (June 8 1910 – July 11 1971 was an important Science fiction editor and writer

Paratime

A much shorter series of alternate history stories is Piper's Paratime sequence, collected in Paratime, followed by the novel Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen. Alternate history or alternative history is a subgenre of Speculative fiction (or Science fiction) and Historical fiction The Paratime series written by H Beam Piper consists of several short stories one novella and one novel they deal with an advanced civilization that is able to travel between These stories concern the Paratime Police, a law enforcement outfit from a parallel world which has learned how to move between timelines. They jealously guard the secret, even as they mine other worlds for their resources. Notably, it appears that humans are in fact Martian refugees who escaped a calamity on their home planet and migrated to Earth. As an adjective the term "martian" is used to describe anything pertaining to the Planet Mars.

Unlike many alternate histories, these stories tend to focus on points of divergence far back in the past. For instance, Lord Kalvan involves a police officer who is accidentally transported to a world where the ancestors of modern Europeans failed to move into Europe. Instead, the nomadic tribes migrated across Asia and into North America. The people living on the eastern coast of North American in this novel settled the area from the west, and still live in a medieval society.

Many readers point towards the short story "Genesis" (in The Worlds of H. Beam Piper) to suggest that the Terro-Human Future History universe is in fact an alternate world in the Paratime universe, where the Martians' escape from Mars resulted in their forgetting their heritage and having to start over. However, in several letters to friends and in an article published in a fan magazine, Piper himself listed the true Paratime stories, and he never identified "Genesis" as one.

Published works

Terro-Human Future History

Federation series

Collections

Fuzzy series

  1. Little Fuzzy (1962) ISBN 0-441-48498-0,
  2. Fuzzy Sapiens (1964, originally The Other Human Race) ISBN 0-441-26196-5
  3. Fuzzies and Other People (1984) ISBN 0-441-26176-0

Two sequels to the first two Fuzzy novels have been written: Fuzzy Bones (1981) by William Tuning ISBN 0-441-26181-7, and Golden Dream: A Fuzzy Odyssey (1982) by Ardath Mayhar ISBN 0-441-29726-9. Little Fuzzy is the name of a 1962 Science fiction novel by H Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 William Tuning was an American author of Science Fiction and a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Ardath Frances Hurst Mayhar (born 1930) began her writing career as a poet when she was nineteen Both books were contradicted by the eventual discovery and publishing of the manuscript of Piper's Fuzzies and Other People ISBN 0-441-26176-0.

Collection

Paratime

Other novels

Cover of Hunter Patrol, written with John J. McGwire
Cover of Hunter Patrol, written with John J. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Michael Joseph Kurland (born 1938 is an American author best known for his works of (in chronological order Science fiction and Detective fiction. McGwire

Short stories

Collections

Piper's "Fuzzy universe" books by other authors

External links

Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works SciFan is an Online Database for fans of Science fiction and Fantasy Books.
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