John C. Wright (1) (1961–)
Author of The Golden Age (The Golden Age, Book 1)
For other authors named John C. Wright, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
John C. Wright, an attorney turned SF and fantasy writer, lives in Centreville, Virginia
Series
Works by John C. Wright
The Architect of Aeons: Book Four of the Eschaton Sequence (The Eschaton Sequence, 4) (2015) 68 copies, 2 reviews
Count to Infinity: Book Six of the Eschaton Sequence (The Eschaton Sequence, 6) (2017) 40 copies, 1 review
"The Lord of the Black Land" 4 copies
Twilight of the Gods 4 copies
The Far End Of History 4 copies
"The Darkest Tower" 3 copies
Sci Phi Journal: Issue #1, October 2014: The Journal of Science Fiction and Philosophy (2014) 3 copies
Swan Knight's Sword 3 copies
Daughter of Danger 3 copies
The Lament of Prometheus: An Examination of David Lindsay's A Voyage to Arcturus (2020) 1 copy, 1 review
The Last Of All Suns 1 copy
Sci Phi Journal: Issue #2, November 2014: The Journal of Science Fiction and Philosophy (2014) 1 copy, 1 review
Associated Works
Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon's Firefly (2005) — Contributor — 1,027 copies, 24 reviews
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-First Annual Collection (2004) — Contributor — 571 copies, 6 reviews
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection (2010) — Contributor — 319 copies, 6 reviews
Star Wars on Trial: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Debate the Most Popular Science Fiction Films of All Time (2006) — Contributor — 194 copies, 5 reviews
Batman Unauthorized: Vigilantes, Jokers, and Heroes in Gotham City (2008) — Contributor — 64 copies, 1 review
Clockwork Phoenix 3: New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness (2010) — Contributor — 52 copies, 3 reviews
King Kong Is Back!: An Unauthorized Look at One Humongous Ape! (Smart Pop series) (2005) — Contributor — 19 copies
No Longer Dreams: An Anthology of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction (2005) — Contributor — 13 copies, 1 review
William Hope Hodgson's Night Lands Volume 2: Nightmares of the Fall (2006) — Contributor — 9 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Wright, John Charles
- Birthdate
- 1961-10-22
- Gender
- male
- Education
- St. John's College (Great Books | 1984)
College of William and Mary (Marshall Wythe School of Law, 1987) - Occupations
- lawyer
technical writer - Organizations
- Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
- Relationships
- Lamplighter, L. Jagi (wife)
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Chula Vista, California, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- California, USA
Members
Reviews
John C. Wright's Orphans of Chaos has a terrific premise. The novel opens in an English boarding school, home to five incredibly bright students who have been raised there since birth. Mysteriously, they have been unable to reckon how much time has passed within the school's walls, their own ages, or where the boundaries of their home lie.The early chapters are told through a series of slightly surreal-feeling vignettes. In a non-linear fashion, we are introduced to Amelia and her show more "siblings", and some of the school's mysteries slowly unfold--cryptic references to the fourth dimension abound. There is a real sense of melancholy in the first fifty pages or so.But something happens when the plot kicks in. The tone abruptly shifts and the novel stops taking itself seriously. In place of mystery, we're given flat lectures on Greek mythology which stretch on for pages and pages. None of the revelations are particularly surprising or even interesting.And then there's the weird sex stuff.While Wright clearly has some sexual issues, it's not necessarily the presence of kink that turned me off to this novel about a hundred and fifty pages in. Rather, it's the fact that his kinks are so clearly inappropriate for the main character. Wright defines Amelia as a strong (literally and figuratively--she has the ability to alter an object's mass), determined female lead. At several points early in the novel she shows mild revulsion to her sister Vanity's flirtatious ways. Yet Wright interjects a scene where Amelia prances around in a French maid's outfit and has her complete the latter half of the novel in chains that are meant not just to confine her but to sexually titillate the older male characters. Even this, I could have mildly forgave Wright, but the internal narration does not stay true to character. Instead, Amelia starts swooning over just about any man that manhandles her. Like the crippled groundskeeper. The head master. And her brothers. For example:
"I'm stronger than you," I said, feeling foolish. "I can move huge iron doors you can't lift.""Show me," he said.Because he was standing behind me, he simply twisted both my arms up behind my back. My possible options at that point consisted of arching my shoulders back as far as possible and standing on tiptoe.Somehow, somewhere, Colin had turned from a little annoying boy into a dangerous young animal. I could not even really struggle in his grip; he had grasped me too cunningly.I noticed that he smelled nice. And tall. When did he get to be taller than me? I hadn't noticed. Had that happened this year?And strong. And ruthless and confident.I suddenly began to feel silly and out of breath. I told myself it was because Colin was holding me in an awkward position that I could not catch my breath. I tell myself a lot of things. I lie to myself a lot.It was because Colin was holding me.Having been a fourteen (or sixteen, or twenty, depending on how kinky Wright's feeling at that moment in the narrative) girl, all I have to say to that is: oh come on.(By the time she gets spanked--no, I'm not kidding--and moons about how she deserves it--again, not kidding--I was about ready to throw the book at the wall, but I was less than fifty pages from the ending and had already squandered so much time on this tripe that it didn't feel worth the expenditure of energy.)Oh, and Amelia also has a penchant for describing her own anatomy, particularly her breasts and cleavage, over and over again.I don't think I've ever felt like a book was so wasted by the author's proclivities. I was really ready to love Orphans of Chaos, despite the fact that the narrative became increasingly less pressing and engaging. But in place of even bland prose, Wright gives us fantasies grossly inappropriate for both the plot and characters. I felt increasingly skeeved out, even violated, the further I read. I won't be completing the series. show less
Astonishingly great conclusion of a new instant-classic sf series -- except it's even better than that, it's science-fiction, myth, fantasy and sorcery series all mixed consistently and plausibly into one. A strongly moral tale, beautifully written, this book and its two prequels are jaw-droppingly sensational. I know over-praise can kill a book, but this new series from Wright just might be immune to that meme. I thought he was pretty hot stuff when The Golden Age came out, and even though show more that series got a little muddled by the end, it marked him as a standout writer. Now, with the Chaos series, Wright has leapt not just into but perhaps beyond the big leagues. I don't know of another writer who could make a story this intricate and multivalent seem so breezy and uncontrived. A bow to a new Master of SF. And the only complaint I can make is that the series isn't ten times as long (in fact, the story is so seamless it seems to me one beautiful novel split almost gratuitously for tripartite publication. show less
Astonishingly great start of a new instant-classic sf series -- except it's even better than that, it's science-fiction, myth, fantasy and sorcery series all mixed consistently and plausibly into one. A strongly moral tale, beautifully written, this book and its two sequels are jaw-droppingly sensational. I know over-praise can kill a book, but this new series from Wright just might be immune to that meme. I thought he was pretty hot stuff when The Golden Age came out, and even though that show more series got a little muddled by the end, it marked him as a standout writer. Now, with the Chaos series, Wright has leapt not just into but perhaps beyond the big leagues. I don't know of another writer who could make a story this intricate and multivalent seem so breezy and uncontrived. A bow to a new Master of SF. show less
An excellent story set in a far future where we have taken to the stars and seen the creation of a cruel and refined piratical culture that travels between the stars amidst resource scarcity. The milieu is feudal with aristocratic status defined by highly creative modifications to the body.
The story is an incident in which the code of honour of the space aristocrats is shown to be meaningless when there is plunder to be had but it is really about a version of divine justice and vengeance show more that privileges the humane over the vicious and callous. We feel good about it.
The real reason for reading the story though is in the imaginative skill of Wright in evoking an entirely new cultural community whose absurdities appear perfectly plausible in the overall world that he has created. The outrageous aspects of the setting come to seem perfectly reasonable. show less
The story is an incident in which the code of honour of the space aristocrats is shown to be meaningless when there is plunder to be had but it is really about a version of divine justice and vengeance show more that privileges the humane over the vicious and callous. We feel good about it.
The real reason for reading the story though is in the imaginative skill of Wright in evoking an entirely new cultural community whose absurdities appear perfectly plausible in the overall world that he has created. The outrageous aspects of the setting come to seem perfectly reasonable. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 63
- Also by
- 20
- Members
- 4,683
- Popularity
- #5,389
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 140
- ISBNs
- 113
- Languages
- 6
- Favorited
- 13