Dennis Taylor,[1] writing as Dennis E. Taylor, is a Canadian novelist and former computer programmer known for his largescale hard science fiction stories exploring the interaction between artificial intelligence and the human condition.
Dennis E. Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dennis Taylor[1] Canada |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Website | |
| dennisetaylor | |
Career
editWhile working as a computer programmer, Taylor self-published his first novel and began working with an agent to try to publish his second novel, We Are Legion (We Are Bob). Taylor had difficulty getting any publishing house to take on his work, and eventually published it through his agent's in-house publishing arm. An audiobook rights deal with Audible was also reached. After its release, We Are Legion gained significant popularity on the service and was awarded Best Science Fiction Audiobook of the year.[2]
After the success of We Are Legion (We Are Bob), Taylor expanded the Bobiverse series with sequels like For We Are Many and All These Worlds. The books delved into themes such as artificial intelligence, space exploration, and the future of humanity, all while maintaining a lighthearted and often humorous tone. In September 2020, Taylor released his sixth novel Heaven's River, the fourth book in the Bobiverse series.[3]
Taylor's 2018 novel The Singularity Trap as well as his 2020 novel Heaven's River debuted on The New York Times Bestseller List for Fiction Audiobooks.[4][5][6]
Major themes
editTaylor's Bobiverse series examines themes such as cryonics, mind uploading, and artificial intelligence and their potential impacts on society and the human condition.[7][8] Another major topic is global catastrophic risk, which is also featured in Outland and The Singularity Trap.[9][10]
Recognition
editTaylor's works have been translated to several languages, including Japanese,[11] German,[12] French[13] and Polish.[14]
The We Are Legion (We Are Bob) novel was a finalist of the 2019 Seiun Awards.[11]
In October 2018, Taylor was added to the XPRIZE Foundation Science Fiction Advisory Council as a "Visionary Storyteller".[15] This group of accomplished science fiction authors help advise the XPRIZE team on envisioning the future.[16][17]
In May 2019, Taylor participated in a "Talks at Google" event where he shared insights into the inspirations behind his writings and discussed his plans for the upcoming years.[18]
Personal life
editTaylor resides near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with his wife and daughter.
Bibliography
editBobiverse (2016–2024)
edit| No. | Title | Date | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | We Are Legion | 20 October 2016 |
|
Self-published as We are Bob in 2015. Revised edition published in 2016 with new title. |
| 2 | For We Are Many | 18 March 2017 | 978-1-68068-059-1 | |
| 3 | All These Worlds | 8 August 2017 | 978-1-68068-060-7 | |
| 4 | Heaven's River | 26 January 2021 | 978-1-68068-226-7 | The New York Times Bestseller,[6] Audie Award Finalist,[19] Prometheus Award Finalist |
| 5 | Not Till We Are Lost | Release Date:
5 September 2024 |
TBD |
Quantum Earth (2015–2023)
edit| No. | Title | Date | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outland | 9 January 2015 |
|
Self-published in 2015. Revised edition published in 2017. |
| 2 | Earthside | 26 May 2023 | 978-1-68068-337-0 | Audiobook was available as an Audible Original in January 2023. |
Standalone works
edit| Title | Date | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Singularity Trap | 11 July 2018 | 978-1-68068-088-1 | The New York Times Bestseller[4][5] |
| Roadkill | 9 December 2022 | 978-1-68068-312-7 | Audiobook was available as an Audible Original in August 2022. |
| "A Change of Plans" | 9 October 2017 | 978-1-9781-3894-0 | Collected in Explorations: Colony, vol. 4 of the Explorations anthology series. |
Audible Original stories
editStories released as Audible Originals as read by Ray Porter (who has also read other books by Taylor). Roadkill and Earthside were later published in paperback. As of September 2023[update], Feedback is available to read exclusively on Amazon's Kindle platform.
| Title | Audible release | Kindle edition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feedback | 19 November 2020 | 15 February 2023 | [20] |
| Roadkill | 4 August 2022 | 1 December 2022 | [20] |
| Earthside | 26 January 2023 | 25 May 2023 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "About Me". Dennis E. Taylor. 2015-04-25. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
- ^ "Best of 2016 | Sci-Fi". Audible.com.
- ^ Taylor, Dennis E. [@Dennis_E_Taylor] (2020-04-21). "The release date for Heaven's River on Audible has been set for September 24th" (Tweet). Retrieved 2020-05-30 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "Audio Fiction Books - Best Sellers - July 15, 2018". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
- ^ a b "Audio Fiction Books - Best Sellers - August 12, 2018". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
- ^ a b "Audio Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Oct. 18, 2020". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
- ^ "Weltraum-Dramen und Zukunftsvisionen: die sieben spannendsten Science-Fiction-Klassiker". stern.de. 21 May 2023.
- ^ Taylor, Dennis E. (July 30, 2018). "Wem gehört eine künstliche Intelligenz?". Die Zukunft.
- ^ Cain, Fraser (May 21, 2019). "Interview with Dennis E. Taylor, Author of the Bobiverse Trilogy".
- ^ "The Singularity Trap – Classic Science Fiction from Dennis E. Taylor". Bleeding Cool. 5 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-10-17. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- ^ a b "2019 Seiun Awards Nominees". locusmag.com. April 8, 2019.
- ^ Berg, Guido (December 12, 2019). "'ChaosKatrin' aus Kolkwitz für Youlius-Award 2020 nominiert". otz.de (in German).
- ^ "Un logiciel lancé à la conquête de l'espace, parce que les humains..." actualitte.com (in French).
- ^ "Lubimy czytać". lubimyczytac.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ "Many, many things". dennisetaylor.org. Dennis E. Taylor. 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
- ^ "Science Fiction Advisory Council". xprize.org. XPRIZE Foundation. 2017-05-31. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
- ^ "Dennis E. Taylor". xprize.org. XPRIZE Foundation. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
- ^ We are Legion (We are Bob) | Dennis E. Taylor | Talks at Google, retrieved 2022-05-27
- ^ "2021 Audie Awards Finalists". Locus. 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
- ^ a b ASIN B0BNWHFVVS, Roadkill (2022-12-01)