Charles Stross
Born in Leeds and now based in Edinburgh, Charles Stross knew he wanted to be a science fiction writer from the age of six. He made his first commercial sale of his science fiction writing to Interzone magazine in 1986. Along the way to his current occupation, he went to university in London and qualified as a pharmacist.
Charles has published around 16 novels including 'Singularity sky' (2003) and 'The atrocity archives' (2004). He has won a Hugo award for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy and his novels have been translated into about a dozen languages. You can read more about Charles's work on his blog 'Charlie's diary'.
Award-winning science fiction author Charles Stross talks about what inspired him to become a writer and the ideas behind his novels.
You can also read a transcript of this video.
Author highlights in National Library of Scotland collections
The atrocity archives
A cross-genre novel combining aspects of science fiction, Lovecraftian horror, and the classic British spy thriller. It was originally serialised by the now defunct British sci-fi magazine Spectrum SF then republished as 'The Atrocity Archives' (an omnibus containing 'The Atrocity Archive' and a sequel novella, 'The Concrete Jungle', plus a foreward by Ken MacLeod and an afterword by Stross). 'The Concrete Jungle' won the Hugo award for the best science fiction / fantasy novella in 2005.
Singularity sky
Written before 'The atrocity archive', 'Singularity sky' is a post-singularity space opera. In a universe where the unseen but never unfelt force known as the Eschaton maintains the laws of relativity and cause-and-effect with an iron fist, the Festival comes to Rochard's World and changes it forever. The Festival seeks only to entertain and be entertained: promises whatever you want and has the power to deliver it, even to the poorest beggar on the planet. Rochard's World belongs to the New Republic, a state governed rigidly by hierarchy and tradition and ideology. The New Republic despatches a war fleet to deal with the threat, never imagining what will happen when ideologies and technologies collide.