Saberhagen, Fred 1930–

(Fred Thomas Saberhagen)

PERSONAL: Born May 18, 1930, in Chicago, IL; son of Frederick Augustus and Julia Saberhagen; married Joan Dorothy Spicci, June 29, 1968; children: Jill, Eric, Thomas. Education: Attended Wright Junior College, 1956–57.

ADDRESSES: Home—Albuquerque, NM. Agent—Eleanor Wood, Spectrum Literary Agency, 320 Central Park W., New York, NY 10025. E-mail—jsabe@berserker.com.

CAREER: Writer. Motorola, Inc., Chicago, IL, electronics technician, 1956–62; freelance writer, 1962–67; Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chicago, IL, assistant editor, 1967–73; freelance writer, 1973–. Military service: U.S. Air Force, electrical technician, 1951–55.

MEMBER: Science Fiction Writers of America.

WRITINGS:

SCIENCE FICTION

The Golden People, Ace (New York, NY), 1964.

The Water of Thought, Ace (New York, NY), 1965, reprinted, Pinnacle (New York, NY), 1981.

The Book of Saberhagen (short stories), DAW (New York, NY), 1975.

Specimens, Popular Library (New York, NY), 1975.

Love Conquers All (first published in Galaxy magazine), Ace (New York, NY), 1978.

Mask of the Sun, Ace (New York, NY), 1978.

The Veils of Azlaroc, Ace (New York, NY), 1978.

(Editor) A Spadeful of Spacetime (anthology), Ace (New York, NY), 1980.

(With Roger Zelazny) Coils, Tor (New York, NY), 1980.

Octagon, Ace (New York, NY), 1981.

Earth Descended (short stories), Tor (New York, NY), 1981.

A Century of Progress, Tor (New York, NY), 1982.

(Editor, with wife, Joan Saberhagen) Pawn to Infinity (science fiction anthology), Ace (New York, NY), 1982.

The Frankenstein Papers, Baen (Riverdale, NY), 1986.

Pyramids, Baen (Riverdale, NY), 1987.

Saberhagen: My Best, Baen (Riverdale, NY), 1987.

After the Fact, Baen (Riverdale, NY), 1988.

The White Bull, Baen (Riverdale, NY), 1988.

(Editor) An Armory of Swords (anthology), Tor (New York, NY), 1995.

Merlin's Bones, Tor (New York, NY), 1995.

A Sharpness on the Neck, Tor (New York, NY), 1996.

Dancing Bears, Tor (New York, NY), 1996.

A Coldness in the Blood, Tor (New York, NY), 2002.

"BERSERKER" SERIES

Berserker (short stories), Ballantine (New York, NY), 1967.

Brother Assassin, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1969, published as Brother Berserker, Macdonald & Co. (London, England), 1969.

Berserker's Planet, DAW (New York, NY), 1975.

Berserker Man, Ace (New York, NY), 1979.

The Ultimate Enemy (short stories), Ace (New York, NY), 1979.

The Berserker Wars (short stories), Tor (New York, NY), 1981.

The Berserker Throne, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1985.

(With Poul Anderson, Ed Bryant, Stephen R. Donaldson, Larry Niven, Connie Willis, and Roger Zelazny) Berserker Base, Tor (New York, NY), 1985.

Berserker: Blue Death, Tor (New York, NY), 1985.

Berserker Kill, Tor (New York, NY), 1993.

Berserker Fury, Tor (New York, NY), 1997.

Shiva in Steel, Tom Doherty Associates (New York, NY), 1998.

Berserker's Star, Tor (New York, NY), 2003.

Berserker Man, Tor (New York, NY), 2004.

Berserker Prime, Tor (New York, NY), 2004.

Berserker Death, Tor (New York, NY), 2005.

Rogue Berserker, Baen (Riverdale, NY), 2005.

"EMPIRE OF THE EAST" SERIES

The Broken Lands, Ace (New York, NY), 1967.

The Black Mountains, Ace (New York, NY), 1970.

Changeling Earth, DAW (New York, NY), 1973.

The Empire of the East (contains The Broken Lands, The Black Mountains, and Changeling Earth), Ace (New York, NY), 1979, reprinted, Tor (New York, NY), 2003.

"DRACULA" SERIES

The Dracula Tape, Warner Paperback (New York, NY), 1975.

Holmes-Dracula File, Ace (New York, NY), 1978.

An Old Friend of the Family, Ace (New York, NY), 1979, reprinted, Tor (New York, NY), 2006.

Thorn, Ace (New York, NY), 1980.

Dominion, Tor (New York, NY), 1981.

A Matter of Taste, Tor (New York, NY), 1990.

A Question of Time, Tor (New York, NY), 1992.

Seance for a Vampire, Tor (New York, NY), 1994.

"SWORDS" TRILOGY

The First Book of Swords, Tor (New York, NY), 1984.

The Second Book of Swords, Tor (New York, NY), 1985.

The Third Book of Swords, Tor (New York, NY), 1985.

The Complete Book of Swords: Comprising the First, Second, and Third Books, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1985.

"LOST SWORDS" SERIES

The First Book of Lost Swords: Woundhealer's Story, Tom Doherty Associates (New York, NY), 1986.

The Second Book of Lost Swords: Sightblinder's Story, Tor (New York, NY), 1987.

The Third Book of Lost Swords: Stonecutter's Story, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1988.

The Lost Swords: The First Triad (book club edition; contains Woundhealer's Story, Sightblinder's Story, and Stonecutter's Story), Doubleday (New York, NY), 1988.

The Fourth Book of Lost Swords: Farslayer's Story, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1989.

The Fifth Book of Lost Swords: Coinspinner's Story, Tor (New York, NY), 1989.

The Sixth Book of Lost Swords: Mindsword's Story, Tom Doherty Associates (New York, NY), 1990.

The Seventh Book of Lost Swords: Wayfinder's Story, Tor (New York, NY), 1992.

The Last Book of Swords: Shieldbreaker's Story, Tor (New York, NY), 1994.

Ardneh's Sword, Tor (New York, NY), 2006.

"GENE RODDENBERRY'S 'EARTH: FINAL CONFLICT'" SERIES

The Arrival, Tor (New York, NY), 1999.

"BOOK OF THE GODS" SERIES

The Face of Apollo, Tor (New York, NY), 1997.

Ariadne's Web, Tor (New York, NY), 2000.

The Arms of Hercules, Tor (New York, NY), 2000.

God of the Golden Fleece, Forge (New York, NY), 2001.

Gods of Fire and Thunder, Tor (New York, NY), 2002.

OTHER

(With James V. Hart) Bram Stoker's Dracula, Signet (New York, NY), 1992.

ADAPTATIONS: Books have been adapted as recordings, including Berserker Man, Blackstone, 2001.

SIDELIGHTS: Fred Saberhagen is the successful author of numerous science fiction and fantasy novels that together reveal his profound interest in the mysteries of human consciousness, time travel, and history. Perhaps best known for his "Berserker" science fiction series initiated in the 1960s, Saberhagen has also produced the popular "Swords" and "Lost Swords" fantasy series, as well as a number of adventure and mystery novels, including those of his revisionist "Dracula" series which explore the paranormal and appeal to both the gothic and historical imaginations.

Once employed as an electrical technician and editor for Encyclopaedia Britannica, Saberhagen took up work as a writer and established a readership with the publication of Berserker in 1967. This collection of eleven stories introduces an eponymous fleet of computer-automated spacecraft that seeks to dominate the universe by exterminating all life forms. Originally created for the protection of a mysterious extinct race, the self-replicating Berserker vessels operate both collectively and alone, linked by a central information processing network that ensures seamless communication among the entire fleet as it prowls the depths of space in search of organic life.

Saberhagen followed Berserker with Brother Assassin, in which the Berserker resort to time warp assaults to destroy the population of a planet. By targeting Saint Jovann, a monk and scientific genius of the past who is credited with discovering a system to repel Berserker attacks, the Berserker attempt to negate the defenses of the planet before they can be invented and implemented against them. In an effort to kill the monk, the Berserker assume the form of a wolf that Saint Jovann is reputed to have tamed. However, the monk is able to subdue the Berserker wolf with his remarkable charm and subvert the fleet's assassination plot.

Subsequent "Berserker" novels are characterized by far-flung galactic settings and deeply philosophical themes. Berserker Man, published in 1979, is among the most mystical volumes of the series. The story features Michel Geulincx, a young protagonist who discovers that the Berserker have tampered with his essential human composition during the process of his conception. Rather than weakening his humanity, the Berserker sabotage unintentionally endows Michel with superhuman abilities that he uses to gain entry into the Taj, the inner sanctum of all human life at the center of the universe.

Saberhagen produced additional "Berserker" novels in the 1980s, including Berserker: Blue Death and The Berserker Throne. The Berserker Throne is the story of a misguided prince who naively attempts to employ the Berserker to rectify a political injustice. A Publishers Weekly reviewer described the "Berserker" books as "violent cautionary tales" in which Saberhagen "melds action with questions of ethics." Gerald Jonas praised The Berserker Throne and the series in the New York Times Book Review. "The author is above all a reliable craftsman," wrote Jonas, adding that Saberhagen's beguiling and intriguing portrayal of the Berserker "makes them worthy stand-ins for the darker side of human nature."

Saberhagen received favorable reviews for Berserker Kill, which appeared in 1993. Nearly twice the length of previous novels in the series, the story involves the mysterious Berserker theft of a bioresearch space station which houses a billion human zygotes intended for use in colonization. The Berserker action is atypical, because the human cargo is not destroyed and they leave a neighboring human settlement virtually unscathed. Eventually it is discovered that the builders of the original Berserker still exist and have also produced Berserker-killing devices. Praising the novel in Booklist, Roland Green noted that the extended length of the novel enables Saberhagen to "put us inside both Berserker and human minds as never before." Tom Easton wrote on the success of Saberhagen's "Berserker" series in Analog Science Fiction and Fact: "The appeal has something to do with the ambivalence our culture feels toward the machines that support it yet displace people from jobs, make face-to-face personal interactions less frequent … and destroy old traditions." Easton added: "Saberhagen proves once more how astoundingly fertile is his imagination with his latest, Berserker Kill."

In Berserker Fury, the seventh installment in the series, the mechanical aliens have developed human-like machines with which they plan to infiltrate human society to disable their defenses. The humans respond to this threat with their superior intuitive abilities. "Saberhagen isn't out to impress readers with 'deep thoughts,'" commented World and I reviewer Frank Perley. "Action is what revs his writing, and he keeps it coming fast and furiously. This is classic science-fiction at its best—a space-based fantasy that stretches the imagination without breaking the attention span." The next "Berserker" book, Shiva in Steel, features a new Berserker weapon: Shiva, a genius-level artificial brain that has already proved deadly against human attack. A Publishers Weekly contributor especially enjoyed the "taut tough-guy dialogue" among Saberhagen's human crew, and the "satisfying punch of man-vs.-machine combat" in the book. Booklist contributor Roland Green observed: "The fast action, the plethora of well-conceived hardware, and the deft bits of characterization all go to show that, in the hands of an old pro, even the most shopworn ideas make for fine reading."

Saberhagen also produced the popular "Lost Swords" series, an extension of his earlier "Swords" trilogy involving twelve magical swords, each with unique attributes, that are used to vanquish the gods that forged them. The First Book of Lost Swords: Woundhealer's Story involves Prince Mark's quest to acquire the Woundhealer sword, which he believes will cure his ailing son, Adrian. According to a Kirkus Reviews contributor: "The Swords notion is an arresting, supple, and durable one, with plenty of mileage left in the various permutations." Though Adrian is unaffected by Woundhealer, the boy emerges from a trance with self-taught magical powers. The Fourth Book of Lost Swords: Farslayer's Story, considered by a Kirkus Reviews contributor to be "the best Lost Swords outing so far," centers around a blood feud involving Farslayer, the sword of vengeance. In the concluding volume of the series, The Last Book of Lost Swords: Shieldbreaker's Story, each of the magical swords is destroyed save Woundhealer, the sword of love, which survives in the hands of Prince Mark, who defeats Vilkata the Dark King and Shieldbreaker, the sword of force. Commenting on the final installment, a Kirkus Reviews contributor remarked that the "Lost Swords" series offers "tireless entertainment in the seemingly inexhaustible combination of Swords and magics."

Among Saberhagen's adventure novels based on historical and literary figures, the "Dracula" series is perhaps his most popular. Here Saberhagen recreates the vampire myth with new plots in wide-ranging chronological and geographical settings. For example, A Question of Time takes place at the Grand Canyon during the twentieth century, while Seance for a Vampire involves Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in Europe at the turn of the century. Library Journal contributor Jackie Cassada praised Saberhagen's "fidelity to period detail."

Saberhagen offers similar creative reinterpretations in The Frankenstein Papers, his version of the classic monster tale; Merlin's Bones, a new twist on Arthurian legend; and After the Fact, a skillful recreation of historical events surrounding the American Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Of these, Merlin's Bones was particularly well received and is considered by critics to be among Saberhagen's best fiction. A Publishers Weekly contributor praised the novel in which, according to the reviewer, "Saberhagen's narrative juggling is dazzling and imbues the novel's many paradoxes with an elusive grace." Library Journal contributor Cassada noted that the novel contains "an intoxicating blend of romance, adventure, danger, and time-travel." Testifying to Saberhagen's superior imaginative powers and narrative skill, a Kirkus Reviews contributor concluded that the novel is "wildly, astonishingly different" and "a truly exhilarating jaunt."

Saberhagen returns to space-age fantasy in his "Gene Roddenberry's 'Earth: Final Conflict' series, based on the popular television programs created by Roddenberry. The series features the conflict between humans and the alien Taelons who, in the first volume, The Arrival, come to earth pretending to be humans' benefactors. The Taelons make friends with billionaire Jonathan Door, claiming that they can cure his dying wife of cystic fibrosis. But Jonathan's father, Jubal, knows the truth—he had been abducted by the Taelons and knows they are bent on enslaving the human race. "Space operatics enough to satisfy any fan," commented a Publishers Weekly contributor.

Classical mythology serves as the inspiration for the "Books of the Gods" series, though Roland Green in Booklist suggested its setting closely resembles that of Saberhagen's "Swords" series. In the first installment, The Face of Apollo, the sun god and Hades fight to the death. Hades is victorious, but the dead Apollo's face enters the body of a teenaged boy who then becomes his avatar. Green saw the book as an "admirable coming-of-age story" that combines "classical scholarship, wit, and brisk pacing." The power to assume the face and attributes of Dionysus is at the center of the series' second installment, Ariadne's Web. The third book, The Arms of Hercules, is a retelling of the Hercules legends.

The fifth book in the "Books of the Gods" series is God of the Golden Fleece, which features a tale involving Jason's search for the Golden Fleece. It was followed by Gods of Fire and Thunder, in which the author turns to Norse mythology and tells the story of Haraldur the Northman, a former comrade of Jason's, who teams with Baldur in Baldur's search for the Valkyrie Brunhilde, a woman imprisoned by the god Loki. Jackie Cassada, writing in the Library Journal, called the book "a rousing tale of love and adventure." Roland Green commented in Booklist that the author "plays all the possible variations of the venerable plot with a wit that never gets out of hand." A Publishers Weekly contributor commented on the author's "technique of blurring the relation of the setting of both myth and history to produce a hybrid that allows him much free rein."

Saberhagen also continued with contributions to his "Berserker" series, including 2003's Berserker's Star, which tells the story of pilot Harry Silver's decision to help a woman who claims her husband is being held by a cult on Maracanda. However, When Silver arrives, he finds that the woman has not told him everything as he faces terrors never imagined in a world that actually resides in another dimension not bound by normal universal laws of physics. Booklist contributor Jackie Cassada noted the series entry's "witty dialog, clever plot twists, and a likeably roguish protagonist." In Berserker Prime, humanity is still fighting off the annihilating machines, which have assumed control of the Twin Worlds. Library Journal contributor Cassada noted that the novel features Saberhagen's "characteristic no-frills storytelling and believable characters." A Publishers Weekly contributor called the novel "a dependable read for fans of Saberhagen or space opera."

Rogue Berserker once again features Harry Silver, who is hired to find and bring back the kidnapped wife and daughter of a wealthy businessman. The plot includes Silver's archrival, the pilot Satranji, as well as assassination and sex surrogate machines. The stakes become much more pressing for Silver, however, when members of his own family are kidnapped. Writing in Booklist, Roland Green noted: "Substantial rewards for sophisticated and longtime Berserker fans."

Another installment to his "Empire of the East" series is Ardneh's Sword. The story revolves around the archeological search for the treasure of Ardneh, who perished while protecting humankind from the demon Orcus. Chance Rolfson, a descendent of someone who fought beside Ardneh, is a member of the expedition and soon begins to have strange dreams and visions. Frieda Murray, writing in Booklist, commented that "the action is well handled and the plot well wrought." A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted wrote the novel "will fill in some gaps for long-time Saberhagen fans."

A Dictionary of Literary Biography contributor wrote of Saberhagen: "At his best, Saberhagen has excellent story ideas, carefully worked out and clothed in competent prose. His best work does what good fiction always does—it pushes the reader into asking important questions about himself and the world."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 8: Twentieth-Century American Science Fiction Writers, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 1981.

PERIODICALS

Analog Science Fiction and Fact, November, 1992, Tom Easton, review of A Question of Time, p. 167; February, 1994, Tome Easton, review of Berserker Kill, p. 163; February, 1999, Tom Easton, review of Shiva in Steel, p. 132.

Booklist, September 15, 1993, Roland Green, review of Berserker Kill, p. 132; January 1, 1994, Roland Green, review of The Book of Swords, p. 811; January 1-15, 1996, Roland Green, review of Dancing Bears, pp. 799, 802; April, 1998, Roland Green, review of The Face of Apollo, p. 1307; September 1, 1998, Roland Green, review of Shiva in Steel, p. 73; December 15, 1999, Roland Green, review of The Arrival, p. 761; January 1, 2000, Roland Green, review of Ariadne's Web, p. 888; February 15, 2000, Whitney Scott, review of Berserkers: The Beginning, p. 1128; November 15, 2000, Roland Green, review of The Arms of Hercules, p. 625; May 15, 2001, Roland Green, review of God of the Golden Fleece, p. 1739; August, 2002, Roland Green, review of Gods of Fire and Thunder, p. 1937; January, 1, 2005, Roland Green, review of Rogue Berserker, p. 835; May 15, 2006, Frieda Murray, review of Ardneh's Sword, p. 39.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 1986, review of The First Book of Lost Swords: Woundhealer's Story, p. 1330; June 1, 1989, review of The Fourth Book of Lost Swords: Farslayer's Story, p. 803; May 1, 1992, review of The Seventh Book of Lost Swords: Wayfinder's Story, p. 577; August 15, 1993, review of Berserker Kill, p. 1035; December 1, 1993, review of The Last Book of Swords: Shieldbreaker's Story, p. 1493; May 1, 1994, review of Seance for a Vampire, p. 596; February 1, 1995, review of Merlin's Bones, p. 114; April 15, 1995, review of An Armory of Swords, p. 516; July 15, 1998, review of Shiva in Steel, p. 1006; November 1, 1999, review of The Arrival, p. 1692; December 1, 1999, review of Ariadne's Web, p. 1854; May 1, 2003, review of Berserker's Star, p. 649; February, 15, 2006, review of Ardneh's Sword, p. 166.

Library Journal, October 15, 1986, Jackie Cassada, review of The First Book of Lost Swords, p. 114; June 15, 1992, Jackie Cassada, review of The Seventh Book of Lost Swords, p. 105; May 15, 1994, Jackie Cassada, review of Seance for a Vampire, p. 103; February 15, 1995, Jackie Cassada, review of Merlin's Bones, p. 185; December, 1995, Jackie Cassada, review of Dancing Bears, p. 163; January, 1998, Jackie Cassada, review of The Face of Apollo, p. 149; August, 1998, Jackie Cassada, review of Shiva in Steel, p. 140; December, 1999, Jackie Cassada, review of The Arrival, p. 193; January, 2000, Jackie Cassada, review of Ariadne's Web, p. 168; December, 2000, Jackie Cassada, review of The Arms of Hercules, p. 196; August, 2002, Jackie Cassada, review of Gods of Fire and Thunder, p. 152; April 15, 2003, Jackie Cassada, review of Berserker's Star, p. 130; January 2004, Jackie Cassada, review of Berserker Prime, p. 168; April 15, 2006, Jackie Cassada, review of Ardneh's Sword, p. 71.

New York Times Book Review, August 4, 1985, Gerald Jonas, review of Berserker Throne, p. 20.

Publishers Weekly, May 3, 1985, review of The Berserker Throne, p. 71; June 1, 1990, review of A Matter of Taste, p. 47; November 2, 1990, review of Mindsword's Story, p. 66; March 9, 1992, review of A Question of Time, p. 50; May 25, 1992, review of Wayfinder's Story, p. 43; August 30, 1993, review of Berserker Kill, p. 80; January 17, 1994, review of The Last Book of Swords, p. 422; May 9, 1994, review of Seance for a Vampire, p. 67; February 20, 1995, review of Merlin's Bones, p. 199; December 18, 1995, review of Dancing Bears, p. 45; March 30, 1998, review of The Face of Apollo, p. 74; August 24, 1998, review of Shiva in Steel, p. 54; December 6, 1999, review of Ariadne's Web and of The Arrival, p. 58; December 18, 2000, review of The Arms of Hercules, p. 61; June 11, 2001, review of God of the Golden Fleece, p. 66; July 29, 2002, review of Gods of Fire and Thunder, p. 59; May 19, 2003, review of Berserker's Star, p. 58; December 8, 2003, review of Berserker's Prime, p. 51.

World and I, April, 1998, Frank Perley, review of Berserker Fury, p. 283.

ONLINE

Saberhagen's Worlds of SF and Fantasy, http://www.berserker.com or http://www.fredsaberhagen.com (October 12, 2006).

[Sketch reviewed by wife, Joan Spicci Saberhagan.]