Taylor Anderson (author)

Taylor Anderson is an author, historical artillery and firearm expert, re-enactor, and former history professor.[1] He is the author of the Destroyermen series, about USS Walker, USS Mahan, and USS S-19, and their fight against the Grik. Anderson has also written several short stories in the same fictional universe.

Taylor Anderson
OccupationNovelist
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materTarleton State University (BA, MA)
Period2008–present
GenreScience fiction
Notable worksDestroyermen series
Website
www.taylorandersonauthor.com

Anderson served as a weapons consultant to various media organizations.[2][3] In 1999, he owned three cannons which he had used for Civil War re-enactments and manufacture 19th century firearms.[4] He served as a weapons expert for the 2004 movie The Alamo.[5]

In May 2020, Anderson announced that Winds of Wrath would be the final book in the Destroyermen series and that he has started on a new writing project.[6] The first book of his Artillerymen series, a prequel to Destroyermen, was released in September 2021.[7]

Education

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Anderson received a bachelor of arts and master of arts in history from Tarleton State University. He taught American history for one academic year at Tarleton from 1991 to 1992.[4]

Bibliography

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Destroyermen

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Destroyermen is a series of 15 novels and 2 short stories, written from 2008 to 2020, telling the saga of the men of two United States Wickes-class destroyers that gets transported in March 1942 to an alternate Earth in which dinosaurs evolved into a dominant sentient life form.

Novels
No. Title Publication date Hardcover ISBN Mass market paperback ISBN
1 Into the Storm June 2008 978-0451462077 978-0451462374
2 Crusade October 2008 978-0451462305 978-0451462572
3 Maelstrom February 2009 978-0451462534 978-0451462824
4 Distant Thunders June 2010 978-0451463333 978-0451463708
5 Rising Tides February 2011 978-0451463883 978-0451464064
6 Firestorm October 2011 978-0451464170 978-0451464385
7 Iron Gray Sea July 2012 978-0451464545 978-0451414236
8 Storm Surge July 2013 978-0451465139 978-0451419095
9 Deadly Shores May 2014 978-0451465665 978-0451468352
10 Straits of Hell May 2015 978-0451470614 978-0451470621
11 Blood in the Water June 2016 978-0451470638 978-0451470645
12 Devil’s Due June 2017 978-0451470652 978-0451470669
13 River of Bones July 2018 978-0399587504 978-0399587528
14 Pass of Fire June 2019 978-0399587535 978-0399587559
15 Winds of Wrath June 2020 978-0399587566 978-0399587580
Short stories
  • "Through the Squall" in the anthology To Slip the Surly Bonds (The Phases of Mars series) (September 2019) by Chris Kennedy and James Young, ISBN 978-1950420513
  • "An Orderly Withdrawal" in the anthology Trouble in the Wind (The Phases of Mars series) (December 2019) by Chris Kennedy and James Young, ISBN 978-1950420759

Artillerymen

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Artillerymen is a series that Anderson began writing in 2021 which tells the story of a group of unassigned American replacement soldiers who were traveling on several chartered transport ships in 1847 bound for Veracruz to reinforce U.S. General Winfield Scott's army in his march inland to capture Mexico City during the Mexican-American War when their ships was mysteriously transported to the same alternate Earth as the Destroyermen, but a century before the Destroyermen's arrival.[7] These people became the founders of the New United States (NUS) mentioned in the Destroyermen series.

Novels
No. Title Publication date Hard cover ISBN Mass market paperback ISBN
1 Purgatory's Shore September 2021 978-0593200711 978-0593200728
2 Hell's March September 2022 978-0593200742 978-0593200759
3 Devil's Battle September 2023 978-0593200773 978-0593200780
4 Inferno's Shadow July 2025 978-0593641576 TBA

Reception and literary significance

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Several of his books sold well enough to be included on various best selling book lists. Firestorm was listed on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction for one week in October 2011[8] and Iron Gray Sea was listed on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction for one week in July 2012.[9] Iron Gray Sea was listed on the USA Today Best-Selling Books list during a single week in July 2012.[10]

Several of his books were finalist for a number of major literary awards. Into the Storm was a finalist for the 2009 Compton Crook Award.[11] Blood in the Water was a finalist for the 2016 Dragon Award for Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel[12] and Devil’s Battle was a finalist for the 2024 Dragon Award for Best Alternate History Novel.[13]

Critical studies and reviews of Anderson's work

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Straits of Hell
  • Sakers, Don (November 2015). "The Reference Library". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 135 (11): 105–108.

Interviews

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Audio

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Written

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Anderson, Taylor. "Biography". Taylor Anderson (blog). Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-15.
  2. ^ "150 year old weaponry showcased on Fort Sill". KSWO-TV. May 25, 2014.
  3. ^ Britt, Ryan (August 13, 2021). "'Rogue One' Blasters Are Real Life Firearms in Sci-Fi Drag". Inverse.
  4. ^ a b Smith, Kathy (September 25, 1999). "Taylor Made". Hood County News. p. 21.
  5. ^ "Sound off". Hood County News. April 6, 2004. p. 7.
  6. ^ Smith, S. Daniel (May 7, 2020). "S1 E6 Interview with Taylor Anderson". Coffee in Space (podcast). Season 1. Episode 6.
  7. ^ a b "Purgatory's Shore By Taylor Anderson (Part of Artillerymen) Publisher's Page". Penguin Random House.
  8. ^ "Best Sellers: Hardcover Fiction: Sunday, October 23rd 2011". New York Times. October 23, 2011.
  9. ^ "Best Sellers: Hardcover Fiction: Sunday, July 22nd 2012". New York Times. July 22, 2012.
  10. ^ "Iron Gray Sea". USA Today.[dead link]
  11. ^ "Compton Crook Award Finalists". Locus (magazine). March 16, 2009.
  12. ^ "2016 Dragon Awards Winners". Locus (magazine). September 6, 2016.
  13. ^ "2024 Dragon Awards Ballot". Locus (magazine). August 6, 2024.
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