Richard Kadrey (born August 27, 1957) is an American novelist, freelance writer, and photographer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1]

Richard Kadrey
Born (1957-08-27) August 27, 1957 (age 66)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationNovelist, writer, photographer
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican

Fiction edit

Kadrey has written nineteen novels, including fifteen New York Times Best Sellers.[2][3] Kadrey's other works include collaborative graphic novels and over 50 published short stories.

Sandman Slim series edit

The first Sandman Slim novel was published in 2009. The story's main character, James "Sandman Slim" Stark, escapes from Hell to take his revenge on the people that killed his lover. He wanders a dark Los Angeles[4] haunted by vampires and demons. After 11 years of combat as a gladiator against demons in Hell, he is more than prepared to fight back. Further Sandman Slim novels were published between 2010 and 2021.

In 2016, it was reported that Studio 8 acquired the rights to the series and were hoping to launch a franchise.[5] In February 2018, it was announced that Chad Stahelski would be directing an adaptation of the first novel, with Kerry Williamson set to write the latest draft of the script.[6]

Metrophage edit

Metrophage, first published in 1988, is a cyberpunk novel set in a dystopic future Los Angeles. It has been referred to in reviews as "one of the quintessential 1980s cyberpunk novels".[citation needed]

Dead Set edit

On October 29, 2013, Kadrey released Dead Set, a novel dealing with an uninvited presence that has entered dreams of Zoe and her lost brother Valentine.[7]

"Carbon Copy: Meet the First Human Clone" edit

Kadrey's short story "Carbon Copy: Meet the First Human Clone" was filmed as After Amy, a 2001 made-for-television movie starring Bridget Fonda.

Non-fiction edit

Kadrey's non-fiction books as a writer and/or editor include The Catalog of Tomorrow (2002), From Myst to Riven (1997), The Covert Culture Sourcebook and its sequel (1993 and 1994).

Kadrey hosted a live interview show on HotWired in the 1990s called Covert Culture. He was an editor at print magazines Shift and Future Sex, and at online magazines Signum and Stim. He has published articles about art, culture and technology in publications including Wired, Omni, Mondo 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle, SF Weekly, Ear, Artforum, ArtByte, Bookforum, World Art, Whole Earth Review, Reflex, Science Fiction Eye, Street Tech, and Interzone.

Kadrey was the co-founder of the now-defunct Dead Media Project along with cyberpunk author and futurist Bruce Sterling.

Publications edit

Sandman Slim series edit

  • Sandman Slim (2009)
  • Kill The Dead (2010)
  • Aloha from Hell (2011)
  • "Devil in the Dollhouse" (short story, 2012)
  • Devil Said Bang (2012)
  • Kill City Blues (2013)[8]
  • The Getaway God (2014)[9]
  • Killing Pretty (2015)
  • The Perdition Score (2016)
  • The Kill Society (2017)
  • Hollywood Dead (2018)
  • Ballistic Kiss (2020)
  • King Bullet (2021)

Coop novels edit

  • The Everything Box (2016)
  • The Wrong Dead Guy (2017)

Other novels edit

  • Metrophage (1988)
  • Kamikaze L'Amour: A Novel of the Future (1995)
  • Butcher Bird: A Novel of the Dominion (2007)
  • Dead Set (2013)
  • The Grand Dark (2019)[10][11][12]
  • The Dead Take the A Train (with Cassandra Khaw) (2023)

Other works edit

  • Carbon Copy: Meet 'The First Human Clone' (short story, 1998)[13]
  • The Pale House Devil (novella, 2023)
  • The Secrets of Insects (short stories, 2023)

References edit

  1. ^ "Hey, universe. I didn't move to Pittsburgh for tornadoes, okay? Feel free to fuck right off". Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  2. ^ "About". Richard Kadrey. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  3. ^ "Best Sellers: Hardcover Fiction: Sunday, September 16th 2012". The New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  4. ^ Walter, Damien (25 September 2015). "Urban fantasy fiction: there's more to it than sex with were-leopards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  5. ^ Wickline, Dan (23 September 2016). "Studio 8 Snags Rights To Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  6. ^ Foutch, Haleigh (12 February 2018). "'John Wick' Director Chad Stahelski to Helm Dark Fantasy 'Sandman Slim' for Studio 8". Collider. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  7. ^ "Richard Kadrey - Dead Set cover art and synopsis reveal". Archived from the original on 2013-05-04.
  8. ^ "Richard Kadrey - Kill City Blues cover art and synopsis". Archived from the original on 2014-03-30.
  9. ^ "Story Behind Kill City Blues by Richard Kadrey". Archived from the original on 2013-08-30.
  10. ^ Doctorow, Cory (11 June 2019). "Richard Kadrey's 'The Grand Dark' feels like a Tom Waits ballad in a diesel punk novel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  11. ^ "Paul Di Filippo Reviews The Grand Dark by Richard Kadrey". Locus. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  12. ^ "The Grand Dark". Kirkus Reviews.
  13. ^ Kadrey, Richard. "Carbon Copy". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-01-03.

External links edit