Garth Richard Nix (born 19 July 1963) is an Australian writer who specialises in children's and young adult fantasy novels, notably the Old Kingdom, Seventh Tower and Keys to the Kingdom series. He has frequently been asked if his name is a pseudonym, to which he has responded, "I guess people ask me because it sounds like the perfect name for a writer of fantasy. However, it is my real name."[1]
Biography
Born in Melbourne, Nix was raised in Canberra.[2] He attended Turner Primary School, Lyneham High School and Dickson College for schooling. While at Dickson College, Nix joined the Australian Army Reserve.[3] After a period working for the Australian government, he traveled in Europe before returning to Australia in 1983 and undertaking a BA in professional writing at University of Canberra.
He worked in a Canberra bookshop after graduation, before moving to Sydney in 1987, where he worked his way up in the publishing field. He was a sales rep and publicist before becoming a senior editor at HarperCollins. In 1993 he commenced further travel in Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe before becoming a marketing consultant, founding his own company, Gotley Nix Evans Pty Ltd. From 1999 to 2002 he worked as a literary agent with Curtis Brown (Australia) Pty Ltd before becoming a full-time author.[4]
In addition to his work as a fantasy novelist, Nix has written a number of scenarios and articles for the role playing field, including those for Dungeons & Dragons and Traveller. These have appeared in related publications such as White Dwarf, Multiverse and Breakout!. He has also written case studies, articles and news items in the information technology field, his work appearing in publications such as Computerworld and PCWorld.[4]
Nix currently lives in Sydney with his wife Anna McFarlane, a publisher,[5] and their sons Thomas and Edward.
Bibliography
Picture books
Very Clever Baby
This series was self-published, and republished by Text Publishing. Described as books for "Very Clever Babies Aged 3–6 Months", they contain such words as ichthyologist, as used by the character Freddy the Fish.
Very Clever Baby's First Reader (1988)
Very Clever Baby's Ben Hur (1988)
Very Clever Baby's Guide to the Greenhouse Effect (1992)
"The Nine Gates of Death: An Extract of the Journal of Idrach the Lesser Necromancer" (2009). A short story released on oldkingdom.com.au[6]
"An Essay on Free Magic". Short text released on the Old Kingdom website.
"To Hold the Bridge". A novella original published in the Legends of Australian Fantasy anthology edited by Jack Dann and Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted in the collection To Hold the Bridge.
"Doctor Crake Crosses the Wall". Short story included in the Australian edition of Goldenhand, also published on the official Australian Old Kingdom website.[7]
Omnibus
The Old Kingdom Chronicles (The Abhorsen Chronicles in the United States) (2009). This contained the first three Abhorsen books and "The Creature in the Case".
2014 "Home is the Haunter", in Fearsome Magics, edited by Jonathan Strahan
2017 "A Long, Cold Trail", in The Book of Swords, edited by Gardner Dozois
2020 "Cut Me Another Quill, Mister Fitz", in The Book of Dragons , edited by Jonathan Strahan
2023 "The Field of Fallen Foe", in the collection Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Stories of the Witch Knight and the Puppet Sorcerer (2023)
The first three stories are collected in Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Three Adventures (2011).
All eight stories plus a new ninth story The Field of Fallen Foe are collected in Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Stories of the Witch Knight and the Puppet Sorcerer (2023).
Short fiction
Collections
2007 One Beastly Beast: Two Aliens, Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales - a book of short stories for younger readers
2008 "Infestation" (from The Starry Rift anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan)
2011 "The Heart of the City" (from Subterranean Online magazine)
"Ambrose and the Ancient Spirits of East and West" (from The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities anthology edited by Ann VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer)
2011 "The Curious Case of the Moondawn Daffodils Murder: As Experienced by Sir Magnus Holmes and Almost-Doctor Susan Shrike" (from Ghosts by Gaslight anthology edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers)
^ abCollins, Paul; Steven Paulsen; Sean McMullen (1998). The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. p. 134. ISBN0-522-84771-4.