Robert Jackson Bennett

{{Short description|American writer}}

{{infobox writer

| name =Robert Jackson Bennett

| image =Robert Jackson Bennett 2017.jpg

| caption =Bennett at the 2017 Texas Book Festival

| birth_date ={{birth year and age|1984}}

| birth_place =Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.

| occupation =author

| education =University of Texas at Austin

| genre ={{cslist |speculative fiction | fantasy | horror}}

| notable_works = {{cslist |The Divine Cities | The Founders | Mr. Shivers}}

| website ={{url|http://robertjacksonbennett.com}}

}}

Robert Jackson Bennett (born 1984) is an American writer of speculative fiction.{{cite web|url=http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2012/02/exclusive-interview-robert-jackson-bennett/ |title=Exclusive Interview: Robert Jackson Bennett Says 'The Troupe' is About How You Perceive Yourself and the World |publisher=SF Signal |date=2012-02-13 |accessdate=2013-09-19}}{{Cite web |title=Robert Jackson Bennett |url=https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/robert-jackson-bennett/ |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=www.fantasticfiction.com}}

Early life and education

Robert Jackson Bennett was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[http://www.phantastik-couch.de/robert-jackson-bennett.html Phantastik-couch (German)] He graduated from the University of Texas with special honors in English in 2005,[https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/degree/degrees/nlogon/?s_last_name_read=BENNETT%2C+ROSEMARY&s_last_isn_read=729932&s_first_name_read=BENNETT%2C+ROBERT&s_first_isn_read=101910&s_first_time_sw=X&s_start_name=Bennett%2C+Robert+Jackson&s_start_page=Submit University of Texas at Austin: Degrees and Dates of Attendance] and settled down in Austin, Texas.{{cite web|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2013-02-15/america-with-tentacles/ |title=America, With Tentacles: Speculative fiction writer Robert Jackson Bennett travels back to the future |publisher=Austin Chronicle |date=2013-02-15 |accessdate=2018-09-12}}

Career

Bennett's debut as an author was the novel Mr. Shivers (2010). He went on to write The Company Man (2011), The Troupe (2012), and American Elsewhere (2013).{{cite web|url=http://www.fantasyliterature.com/author-interviews/robert-jackson-bennett/ |title=Marion chats with Robert Jackson Bennett | Fantasy Literature: Fantasy and Science Fiction Book and Audiobook Reviews |publisher=Fantasy Literature |accessdate=2013-09-19}}{{Cite web |title=Robert Jackson Bennett: Blending Genres and Building Conflict |url=https://www.campfirewriting.com/learn/interview-robert-jackson-bennett |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=www.campfirewriting.com |language=en}}

Bennett's fifth novel, City of Stairs (2014), was the first of a fantasy trilogy, The Divine Cities, followed by City of Blades (2016) and City of Miracles (2017). The Divine Cities trilogy was nominated for Best Series by the Hugo Awards in 2018, but lost to World of the Five Gods by Lois McMaster Bujold.{{cite web |url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/2018/08/2018-hugo-award-winners/ |title=2018 Hugo Award Winners |date=2018-08-19 |access-date=2018-09-12}}

In August 2018, Bennett published Foundryside, the first installment of his new series, The Founders Trilogy.{{cite web |url=http://robertjacksonbennett.com/books/foundryside |title=Robert Jackson Bennett - Foundryside |access-date=2018-09-12}} That book was followed by Shorefall in 2020 and Locklands in 2022.

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Awards for Robert Jackson Bennett

WorkYear & AwardCategoryResult{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
-

|2011 British Fantasy Award

|Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer

|{{Won}}

|

rowspan="1" |Mr. Shivers

|2010 Shirley Jackson Award

|Novel

|{{Won}}

rowspan="3" |The Company Man

|2012 Anthony Awards

|Paperback Original

|{{Nominated}}

|

2012 Philip K. Dick Award

|Special Citation

|{{Won}}

|

2012 Edgar Awards

|Paperback Original

|{{Won}}

|

rowspan="1" |The Troupe

|2013 Locus Award

|Fantasy Novel

|{{Nominated}}

|{{cite web | url=https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards | title=Sfadb : Locus Awards }}

rowspan="3" |American Elsewhere

|2013 Goodreads Choice Awards

|Horror

|{{Nominated}}

|{{cite web | url=https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-horror-books-2013 | title=Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Horror! |publisher=Goodreads }}

2013 Shirley Jackson Award

|Novel

|{{Won}}

|

2014 Locus Award

|Fantasy Novel

|{{Nominated}}

|

rowspan="4" |City of Stairs

| 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards

|Fantasy

|{{Nominated}}

|{{cite web | url=https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-fantasy-books-2014 | title=Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Fantasy! |publisher=Goodreads }}

2015 Locus Award

| Fantasy Novel

|{{Nominated}}

|{{cite web | url=https://locusmag.com/2015/06/2015-locus-awards-winners/ | title=2015 Locus Awards Winners | date=27 June 2015 |publisher=Locus }}

2015 World Fantasy Award

|Novel

|{{Nominated}}

|

2015 British Fantasy Award

|Robert Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel

|{{Nominated}}

|{{cite web | url=https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ay.cgi?7+2015 | title=2015 British Fantasy Award |publisher=Internet Speculative Fiction Database }}

rowspan="2" |City of Blades

|2016 Goodreads Choice Awards

|Fantasy

|{{Nominated}}

|{{cite web | url=https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-fantasy-books-2016 | title=Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Fantasy! |publisher=Goodreads }}

2017 Locus Award

| Fantasy Novel

|{{Nominated}}

|

rowspan="2" |City of Miracles

|2017 Goodreads Choice Awards

|Fantasy

|{{Nominated}}

|{{cite web | url=https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-fantasy-books-2017 | title=Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Fantasy! |publisher=Goodreads }}

2018 Locus Award

| Fantasy Novel

|{{Nominated}}

|

rowspan="1" |The Divine Cities

|2018 Hugo Award

| Series

|{{Nominated}}

|

rowspan="5" |Foundryside

|2018 Goodreads Choice Awards

|Fantasy

|{{Nominated}}

|{{cite web | url=https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-fantasy-books-2018 | title=Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Fantasy! |publisher=Goodreads }}

2019 Dragon Awards

|Fantasy

|{{Nominated}}

|

2019 Locus Award

| Fantasy Novel

|{{Nominated}}

|

2019 British Fantasy Award

| Robert Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel

|{{Nominated}}

|

2022 {{lang|fr|Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire}}

|Foreign Novel

|{{Nominated}}

|{{cite web | url=https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ay.cgi?25+2022 | title=2022 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire |publisher=Internet Speculative Fiction Database }}

rowspan="1" |Vigilance

|2020 Locus Award

|Novella

|{{Nominated}}

|{{cite web | url=https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ay.cgi?28+2020 | title=2020 Locus Poll Award |publisher=Internet Speculative Fiction Database }}

rowspan="1" |Shorefall

|2022 {{lang|fr|Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire}}

|Foreign Novel

|{{Nominated}}

|{{cite web | url=https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ay.cgi?25+2022 | title=2022 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire |publisher=Internet Speculative Fiction Database }}

rowspan="1" |The Founders Trilogy

|2023 Hugo Award

|Series

|{{Nominated}}

|

rowspan="2" |The Tainted Cup

|2024 Goodreads Choice Awards

|Fantasy

|{{Nominated}}

|{{cite web | url=https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/readers-favorite-fantasy-books-2024 | title=Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Readers' Favorite Fantasy! |publisher=Goodreads }}

2025 Hugo Award

|Best Novel

|{{Pending}}

|{{cite web | url=https://seattlein2025.org/wsfs/hugo-awards/2025-hugo-award-finalists/ | title=2025 Hugo Award Finalists }}

Bibliography

= Standalone novels =

== [[The Divine Cities|The ''Divine Cities'']] trilogy ==

  1. City of Stairs (2014; Broadway Books)Briefly reviewed in the May 2015 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction, pp.107–111
  2. City of Blades (2016)
  3. City of Miracles (2017)

== The ''Founders'' trilogy ==

  1. Foundryside (2018)
  2. Shorefall (2020)
  3. Locklands (2022){{Cite web|url=https://www.robertjacksonbennett.com/books/locklands-hc|title = Robert Jackson Bennett - Locklands - Hardcover}}

== The ''Shadow of the Leviathan'' series ==

  1. The Tainted Cup (2024)
  2. A Drop of Corruption (2025)

References

{{reflist}}