Sketchley, Martin 1968-

PERSONAL:

Born 1968; married; wife's name Rosaleen; children: two.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Birmingham, England. Agent—Joshua Bilmes, JABberwocky Literary Agency, P.O. Box 4558, Sunnyside, NY 11104-0558. E-mail—martin-sketchley@blueyonder.co.uk.

CAREER:

Author and editor. Currently works as a freelance editor of consumer goods reports.

WRITINGS:

"STRUCTURE SERIES"; SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS

The Affinity Trap, Pyr (Amherst, NY), 2005.

The Destiny Mask, Pyr (Amherst, NY), 2006.

The Liberty Gun, Pyr (Amherst, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Martin Sketchley began writing science fiction as a young boy in Tamworth, England, although his initial aspiration was to become a musician. He spent time in his late teens working with his parents in a Tamworth market, and as a guitar player in a local band, then decided in the early 1990s to begin writing in earnest. After several years of writing short stories, he began work on a novel, which would eventually become his first published book, The Affinity Trap. Sketchley went on to produce a trilogy of novels, which he called the "Structure Series," which are set in the early twenty-fourth century. The story begins with a former military secret agent as he is dispatched to retrieve the alien wife of Earth's governor. It is a mission that is complicated when he becomes involved with his charge. Subsequent books follow the agent's twin sons, and later the agent again, as he attempts to prevent an attack on Earth.

A reviewer for Publishers Weekly observed of The Affinity Trap that "Sketchley's solid writing drives this plot-based story." In a review of book two, The Destiny Mask, for Science Fiction and Fantasy World, Rob H. Bedford commented that "few middle books in trilogies are as full of action…. Sketchley has set a solid foundation for what looks to be a rousing conclusion." The third book in the series, The Liberty Gun, was also reviewed in Publishers Weekly, with the critic commenting that "Sketchley excels at depicting the futility of endless cultural conflicts."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Publishers Weekly, August 1, 2005, review of The Affinity Trap, p. 49; September 18, 2006, review of The Liberty Gun, p. 40.

ONLINE

Martin Sketchley Home Page,http://www.martinsketchley.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk (December 2, 2006).

Science Fiction and Fantasy World,http://www.sffworld.com/ (July 6, 2006), Rob H. Bedford, review of The Destiny Mask.