Alan Dean Foster | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, U.S. | November 18, 1946
Pen name | James Lawson [lower-alpha 1] |
Occupation | Fiction writer |
Nationality | American |
Period | 1971–present |
Genre | Science fiction, fantasy |
Notable works | Humanx Commonwealth and Spellsinger series |
Website | |
alandeanfoster |
Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts.
Foster was the ghostwriter of the original novelization of Star Wars, which was credited solely to George Lucas. [1] When asked if it was difficult for him to see Lucas get all the credit for Star Wars, Foster said, "Not at all. It was George's story idea. I was merely expanding upon it. Not having my name on the cover didn't bother me in the least. It would be akin to a contractor demanding to have his name on a Frank Lloyd Wright house." [2]
Foster also wrote the follow-up novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978), written with the intention of being adapted as a low-budget sequel to Star Wars if the film was unsuccessful. However, Star Wars was a blockbusting success, and The Empire Strikes Back (1980) would be developed instead. Foster's story relied heavily on abandoned concepts that appeared in Lucas's early treatments for the first film. [3]
Foster returned to the franchise for the prequel-era novel The Approaching Storm (2002), and also wrote the novelization of the first sequel trilogy film, The Force Awakens (2015). [4]
Foster wrote 10 books based on episodes of the animated Star Trek, the first six books each consisting of three linked novella-length episode adaptations, and the last four being expanded adaptations of single episodes that segued into original story. In the mid-seventies, he wrote original Star Trek stories for the Peter Pan-label Star Trek audio story records. He has the story credit for Star Trek: The Motion Picture , [5] as he wrote a treatment based on a two-page outline by Gene Roddenberry.
He later wrote the novelization of the 2009 film Star Trek , his first Star Trek novel in over 30 years, [6] and for Star Trek's sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness . [7]
In 2020, Foster, together with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), alleged that The Walt Disney Company, which acquired rights to his Star Wars and Alien novels via their acquisitions of Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox, had not paid him royalties for e-book sales of his books. [8] [9] [10] The issue was resolved in May 2021, when Disney arranged to pay Foster and his fellow Star Wars novelization authors James Kahn and Donald F. Glut their royalties. [11] [12]
Foster won the 2008 Grand Master award from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. [13]
Novels are listed in chronological order of the story (not chronological order of publication). Foster comments, in a foreword to a re-issued edition of Bloodhype, that it is the eleventh novel in the series, and should fall between Running from the Deity and Trouble Magnet. [14]
In chronological order:
"Serenade" (2004), a novelette set immediately after The Time of the Transference, [17] was first published in the anthology Masters of Fantasy and was later reprinted in Foster's short story collection Exceptions to Reality. [18]
Star Wars is an American epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various films and other media, including television series, video games, novels, comic books, theme park attractions, and themed areas, comprising an all-encompassing fictional universe. Star Wars is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
David Gerrold is an American science fiction screenwriter and novelist. He wrote the script for the original Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles", created the Sleestak race on the TV series Land of the Lost, and wrote the novelette "The Martian Child", which won both Hugo and Nebula Awards, and was adapted into a 2007 film starring John Cusack.
"More Tribbles, More Troubles" is the fifth episode of the first season of the animated American science fiction television series Star Trek. It first aired in the NBC Saturday morning lineup on October 6, 1973, and was written by David Gerrold as a sequel to his Original Series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles". It features actor Stanley Adams reprising his role of trader Cyrano Jones, and the return of the fuzzy, rapidly reproducing creatures called tribbles.
A novelization is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book, or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of home video, but continue to find commercial success as part of marketing campaigns for major films. They are often written by accomplished writers based on an early draft of the film's script and on a tight deadline.
Keith Robert Andreassi DeCandido is an American science fiction and fantasy writer and musician, who works on comic books, novels, role-playing games and video games, including numerous media tie-in books for properties such as Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, Supernatural, Andromeda, Farscape, Leverage, Spider-Man, X-Men, Sleepy Hollow, and Stargate SG-1.
Greg Cox is an American writer of science fiction, including works that are media tie-ins. He lives in Oxford, Pennsylvania.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture. A Novel is a 1979 novelization of the film Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which was released in the same year. It is especially notable for being the only Star Trek novel to be written by Gene Roddenberry, who created the franchise. The book was also the first Star Trek novel published by Pocket Books.
"The Eye of the Beholder" is the fifteenth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American animated science fiction television series Star Trek. It first aired in the NBC Saturday morning lineup on January 5, 1974, and was written by David P. Harmon. Harmon also worked on the original Star Trek series, writing the episode "The Deadly Years" and co-writing "A Piece of the Action" with Gene L. Coon.
"Bem" is the second episode of the second season of the American animated science fiction television series Star Trek, the 18th episode overall. It first aired in the NBC Saturday morning lineup on 14 September 1974, and was written by David Gerrold, who wrote the earlier episode "More Tribbles, More Troubles" and worked on several Original Series episodes.
"The Survivor" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American animated science fiction television series Star Trek: The Animated Series, and aired on NBC on October 13, 1973. Set in the 23rd century, the series follows the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Starfleet starship Enterprise.
"The Terratin Incident" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the American animated science fiction television series Star Trek. It first aired in the NBC Saturday morning lineup on November 17, 1973, and was written by American screenwriter Paul Schneider who had previously written the Original Series episodes "Balance of Terror" and "The Squire of Gothos". It came from a one-paragraph story idea by Gene Roddenberry based on Gulliver's Travels.
"The Counter-Clock Incident" is the series finale of the American animated science fiction television series Star Trek, the 22nd episode overall. This episode was the sixth and final episode of the second season. It first aired in the NBC Saturday morning lineup on October 12, 1974, and was written by Fred Bronson under the pen name "John Culver". Bronson used a pen name because he was NBC's publicist at the time and was concerned that it would look improper to get a screen credit. Bronson would eventually work on two Next Generation episodes.
"How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" is the fifth and penultimate episode of the second season of the American animated science fiction television series Star Trek: The Animated Series, the 21st episode overall. It first aired in the NBC Saturday morning lineup on October 5, 1974, and was written by Russell Bates and David Wise.
"The Slaver Weapon" is the fourteenth episode of the first season of the American animated science fiction television series Star Trek: The Animated Series. It first aired on NBC on December 8, 1973, and was written by Larry Niven. It was based on his original short story "The Soft Weapon". This episode was expanded to become the first half of a full-length novel by science-fiction author Alan Dean Foster as Star Trek Log Ten.
The Tar-Aiym Krang (1972) is a science fiction novel by American writer Alan Dean Foster. It is Foster's first published novel and started both his Humanx Commonwealth universe and his two most popular recurring characters, Pip and Philip Lynx ("Flinx"). The book is second chronologically in the Pip and Flinx series.
Running from the Deity (2005) is a science fiction novel by American writer Alan Dean Foster. The book is the tenth chronologically in the Pip and Flinx series.
"Beyond the Farthest Star" is the pilot episode and series premiere of the animated American science fiction television series Star Trek. This series premiere episode first aired in the NBC Saturday morning lineup at 10:30 a.m. on September 8, 1973, seven years to the day after the series premiere of the live-action series that started the franchise. It was written by American author and scriptwriter Samuel A. Peeples who had also written the Original Series second pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before".
This is a bibliography of works by writer Peter David.
Star Trek Log is a series of ten novelizations based on, and inspired by, episodes of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Animated Series. Published by Ballantine Books from 1974 to 1978, the series was written by Alan Dean Foster and edited by Judy-Lynn del Rey. A 1996 omnibus edition of the series was marketed as a Star Trek: The Animated Series tie-in.