Sam Sykes

{{notability|date=February 2024}}

{{short description|American writer}}

{{Cleanup biography|date=August 2020}}

{{Infobox writer

| name = Sam Sykes

| image = Sam Sykes by Gage Skidmore.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Sykes at WonderCon 2017

| birth_name = Sam Watkins

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = Novelist

| period =

| genre = Epic fantasy

| subject =

| movement =

| parents = Diana Gabaldon {{small|(mother)}}
Doug Watkins {{small|(father)}}

|relatives=Tony Gabaldon {{small|(grandfather)}}

| notableworks = {{plainlist|

  • Aeons' Gate series
  • Bring Down Heaven series
  • The Grave of Empires series

}}

| website = {{URL|https://www.samsykes.com}}

}}

Sam Watkins{{cite web|title=FROM SCIENCE TO FICTION|url=http://nau.edu/News/Articles/2012/05/From-science-to-fiction/|publisher=Northern Arizona University|date=May 2012|accessdate=11 July 2013|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111165845/http://nau.edu/News/Articles/2012/05/From-science-to-fiction/|archivedate=11 November 2013}} is an American epic fantasy writer who publishes fiction as Sam Sykes.

He is the son of Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series.

Reception

His debut trilogy of novels, the Aeons' Gate series, was appreciated by critics for its characterization and dialogue, and for its deconstruction of standard fantasy tropes, but criticized for its meandering, derivative plot.{{cite news|last=Cilli|first=Dominic|year=2010|title=Tome of the Undergates|newspaper=SF Site|url=http://www.sfsite.com/04b/tu318.htm|url-status=live|accessdate=21 May 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512041324/http://www.sfsite.com/04b/tu318.htm|archivedate=12 May 2013}}{{cite news|last=Shurin|first=Jared|date=21 May 2013|title=New Releases: The Skybound Sea by Sam Sykes|newspaper=Pornokitsch|url=http://www.pornokitsch.com/2013/05/new-releases-the-skybound-sea-by-sam-sykes.html|url-status=live|accessdate=21 May 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719221503/http://www.pornokitsch.com/2013/05/new-releases-the-skybound-sea-by-sam-sykes.html|archivedate=19 July 2013}}

Controversy

In 2020, multiple authors, including Megan O'Keefe,{{Cite tweet |last=O'Keefe |first=Megan |author-link= |user=meganeokeefe |number=1275940451300765696 |date=24 June 2020 |title=Sam, you made gross, sexual comments to me for years across multiple cons when I was just starting out. You physically picked me up against my will. Maybe you should think about apologizing to the people YOU hurt. |access-date=December 4, 2021 |link=https://twitter.com/meganeokeefe/status/1275940451300765696}} accused Sykes of making "gross, sexual comments" at various conventions over the years. Sykes issued an apology, acknowledging "the harm [he] caused through [his] vulgar and sexual words, [his] poor judgment and [his] lack of respect for [his] colleagues."{{cite web|url=http://www.samsykes.com/2020/07/my-apology/|title=My Apology

|date=17 July 2020}} In response, his publisher Orbit Books announced that they would not be acquiring further books from Sykes and would not be arranging or supporting any public appearances for Sykes, including at conventions.{{cite web|url=https://www.orbitbooks.net/a-statement-from-orbit-regarding-sam-sykes/|title=A statement from Orbit regarding Sam Sykes|date=17 July 2020}} Both Sykes and Orbit Books pledged to donate a portion of the profits from Sykes' books.

Bibliography

=''Aeons' Gate'' series=

  • Tome of the Undergates (2010), {{ISBN|978-1616142421}}
  • Black Halo (2011), {{ISBN|978-1616143558}}
  • The Skybound Sea (2012), {{ISBN|978-1616146764}}
  • "Name the Beast", short story in the 2013 cross-genre anthology Dangerous Women{{cite web |url=http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/07/dangerous-women-tor-excerpts |title=Dangerous Women Arrives on Tor.com |date=July 24, 2013 |accessdate=November 19, 2013 |website=Tor.com |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202235239/http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/07/dangerous-women-tor-excerpts |archivedate=December 2, 2013 }}

=''Bring Down Heaven'' series=

  • The City Stained Red (2015){{cite web|url=http://www.samsykes.com/2014/07/post-the-city-stained-red/|title=The City Stained Red - Sam Sykes|date=10 July 2014|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017065632/http://www.samsykes.com/2014/07/post-the-city-stained-red/|archivedate=17 October 2014}}
  • The Mortal Tally (2016)
  • God's Last Breath (2017)

=''The Grave of Empires'' series=

  • Seven Blades in Black (April 2019)
  • The Gallows Black (May 2019), a short novella set before Seven Blades of Black
  • Ten Arrows of Iron (August 2020){{cite web |last1=Englert |first1=Bradley |title=TEN ARROWS OF IRON Cover Launch |url=https://www.orbitbooks.net/2019/12/17/ten-arrows-of-iron-cover-launch/ |website=Orbit |date=17 December 2019 |accessdate=24 December 2019}}
  • Three Axes to Fall (December 2022)

References

{{Reflist}}