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Melissa Scott

メリッサ・スコット

Merissa Sukotto

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. (birthplace) → Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S. (long-term residence)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Short story writer, Writing teacher
Active Years
1984-

Education

Harvard College
History
Country: United States
Studied history at Harvard College
Brandeis University
Comparative History
Degree: PhD
Country: United States
Earned a PhD in comparative history

Awards

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
1986
Result: winner
Lambda Literary Award
Organization: Lambda Literary Foundation
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Game Beyond

1984 Science fiction

Debut novel; early science fiction work by Melissa Scott.

LGBT charactersworldbuilding

Trouble and Her Friends

1994 Science fiction / Cyberpunk

A cyberpunk-tinged novel notable for portrayal of queer protagonists and online culture.

online culturesexuality

Shadow Man

1996 Fantasy / Science fiction

Work that explicitly addresses issues of sexuality and gender within an elaborate setting.

gendersexuality

Night Sky Mine

1996 Science fiction

Science fiction novel set in an intricate technological world.

technology and economicsidentity

Dreaming Metal

1997 Science fiction

Continuation of themes from Dreamships, exploring future societies and personal identity.

future societiespersonal quest

Trouble and Her Friends (selected)

1994 Science fiction

Noted novel addressing queer protagonists in speculative settings.

LGBT themestechnology

Bibliography

  • The Game Beyond (1984)
  • Five-Twelfths of Heaven (1985)
  • Silence in Solitude (1986)
  • The Empress of Earth (1987)
  • A Choice of Destinies (1986)
  • The Kindly Ones (1987)
  • The Armor of Light (with Lisa A. Barnett) (1988)
  • Mighty Good Road (1990)
  • Dreamships (1992)
  • Burning Bright (1993)
  • Trouble and Her Friends (1994)
  • Shadow Man (1996)
  • Night Sky Mine (1996)
  • Dreaming Metal (1997)
  • The Shapes of Their Hearts (1998)
  • The Jazz (2000)
  • Point of Hopes (with Lisa A. Barnett) (1995)
  • Point of Dreams (with Lisa A. Barnett) (2001)
  • Point of Knives (2012)
  • Fairs' Point (2014)
  • Point of Sighs (2018)
  • Point of Hearts (2025)
  • Lost Things (with Jo Graham) (2012)
  • Steel Blues (with Jo Graham) (2013)
  • Silver Bullet (with Jo Graham) (2014)
  • Wind Raker (with Jo Graham) (2015)
  • Oath Bound (with Jo Graham) (2015)
  • Death by Silver (with Amy Griswold) (2013)
  • A Death at the Dionysus Club (with Amy Griswold) (2014)
  • Finders (2018)
  • Proud Helios (Star Trek novel)
  • The Garden (Star Trek: Voyager novel)
  • Homecoming (with Jo Graham) (2010)
  • Allegiance (with Amy Griswold) (2011)
  • Secrets (with Jo Graham) (2012)
  • The Inheritors (with Jo Graham) (2013)
  • Third Path (2015)
  • Moebius Squared (with Jo Graham) (2012)
  • Ouroboros (2013)
  • Storm Warning (gen:Lock) (2020)
  • Conceiving the Heavens: Creating the Science Fiction Novel (Nonfiction, 1997)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
elaborate worldbuildinggenre-blending prose
Recurring Motifs
identitysocial structuresgender and sexuality

Legacy

American science fiction and fantasy author noted for elaborate settings and recurring LGBT characters. Winner of the John W. Campbell Award (1986) and recipient of Lambda Literary Awards. Also active as a teacher of writing and author of a writing guide.

Archives

  • Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) entry for Melissa Scott
  • Library of Congress authority file

Trivia

  • Born in 1960 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
  • Co-authored several works with partner Lisa A. Barnett (Barnett died in 2006).
  • Authored a writing guide, Conceiving the Heavens: Creating the Science Fiction Novel (1997).
  • Offers writing classes via her website.