Martha Wells

Martha Wells (born September 1, 1964)^[1] is an American writer of speculative fiction. She has published a number of science fiction and fantasy novels, young adult novels, media tie-ins, short stories, and nonfiction essays on SF/F subjects; her novels have been translated into twelve languages.^[2] Wells is praised for the complex, realistically detailed societies she creates; this is often credited to her academic background in anthropology.^[3][4]

Martha Wells
Wells at the 2018 Texas Book Festival
Born	(1964-09-01) September 1, 1964 (age 60) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Writer
Education	Texas A&M University (BA)
Period	1993–present
Genre	Fantasy, science fiction
Website
marthawells.com

She has won four Hugo Awards, two Nebula Awards and three Locus Awards for her science fiction series The Murderbot Diaries. Wells is also known for her fantasy series Ile-Rien and The Books of the Raksura.

Life

Martha Wells was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and has a B.A. in Anthropology from Texas A&M University.^[1] She lives in College Station, Texas, with her husband. She was involved in SF/F fandom in college and was chairman of AggieCon 17.^[5] In May 2023, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.^[6][7]

Career

As an aspiring writer Wells attended many local writing workshops and conventions, including the Turkey City Writer's Workshop taught by Bruce Sterling.^[8] She has also taught writing workshops at ArmadilloCon, WorldCon, ApolloCon, and Writespace Houston,^[9] and was the Special Workshop Guest at FenCon in 2018.^[10]

Her first published novel, The Element of Fire (1993), was a finalist for that year's Compton Crook Award, and a runner-up for the 1994 Crawford Award. Her second novel, City of Bones (1995), received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and a black diamond review from Kirkus Reviews, and was on the 1995 Locus Recommended Reading List for fantasy. Her third novel, The Death of the Necromancer (1998), was nominated for a Nebula Award.^[11] The Element of Fire and The Death of the Necromancer are stand-alone novels which take place in the country of Ile-Rien, which is also the setting for the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy: The Wizard Hunters (2003), The Ships of Air (2004), and The Gate of Gods (2005). Her fourth novel was a stand-alone fantasy, Wheel of the Infinite. In 2006, she released a revised edition of The Element of Fire.^[12]

She has written media tie-ins, including:

• Reliquary and Entanglement set in the Stargate Atlantis universe
• "Archaeology 101", a short story based on Stargate SG-1 for issue No. 8 (Jan/Feb 2006) of the official Stargate Magazine
• Star Wars novel, Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge.^[13]

Her fantasy short stories include "The Potter's Daughter" in the anthology Elemental (2006), which was selected to appear in The Year's Best Fantasy #7 (2007).^[14] This story features one of the main characters from The Element of Fire. Three prequel short stories to the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy were published in Black Gate Magazine in 2007^[15][16] and 2008.^[17]

Wells' longest-running fantasy series is The Books of the Raksura, which included five novels and two short fiction collections published by Night Shade Books: The Cloud Roads (2011), The Serpent Sea (2012), The Siren Depths (2012), Stories of the Raksura Vol 1: The Falling World & The Tale of Indigo and Cloud (2014), Stories of the Raksura Vol 2: The Dead City & The Dark Earth Below (2015), The Edge of Worlds (2016), and The Harbors of the Sun (2017). The series was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Series in 2018,^[18] and The Edge of Worlds was reviewed in The New York Times.^[19]

Wells has written two young adult fantasy novels, Emilie and the Hollow World and Emilie and the Sky World, published by Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry in 2013 and 2014.^[20]

Wells was toastmaster of the World Fantasy Convention in 2017,^[21] where she delivered a speech called "Unbury the Future"^[22] about marginalized creators in the history of science fiction and fantasy, movies, and other media, and the deliberate suppression of the existence of those creators. The speech was well-received and generated a great deal of discussion.^[23]

During 2018, Wells was the leader of the story team and lead writer for the new Dominaria expansion of the card game Magic: The Gathering.^[24]

In May 2018, her Murderbot Diaries novella All Systems Red was number 8 on The New York Times Bestseller List for Audio.^[25] The book won the 2017 Nebula Award for Best Novella,^[26] the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella,^[27] the 2018 Locus Award for Best Novella,^[28] and the American Library Association's Alex Award,^[29] and was nominated for the 2017 Philip K. Dick Award.^[30] It was followed by the sequel novellas Artificial Condition (2018), Rogue Protocol (2018), and Exit Strategy (2018);^[31] a short story, "Compulsory" (2018);^[32] and a full novel sequel, Network Effect (2020), which made The New York Times Bestseller List for Novel.^[33] On April 26, 2021, Tor.com publishing announced that they had signed a deal with Wells for six books, including three more in The Murderbot Diaries.^[34][35]

In September 2022, Tor Books shared the cover of Witch King, the latest novel by Wells that was released on May 30, 2023.^[36] Tor describes the book as a story "of power and friendship, of trust and betrayal, and of the families we choose."^[37]

Awards and nominations

Year	Work	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
1994	The Element of Fire	Compton Crook Award	—	Shortlisted
		Crawford Award	—	Shortlisted
1998	The Death of the Necromancer	Nebula Award	Novel	Shortlisted	[38]
2018	The Books of the Raksura	Hugo Award	Series	Shortlisted	[39]
	All Systems Red	Alex Award	—	Won	[40]
		Hugo Award	Novella	Won	[27]
		Locus Award	Novella	Won	[28]
		Nebula Award	Novella	Won	[26]
		Philip K. Dick Award	—	Shortlisted	[41]
		Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award	SF Novel	Shortlisted
2019	Exit Strategy	BSFA Award	Shorter Fiction	Shortlisted	[42]
	Artificial Condition	Hugo Award	Novella[a]	Won	[44]
		Locus Award	Novella[b]	Won	[45]
		Nebula Award	Novella	Shortlisted	[46]
2021	Network Effect	Hugo Award	Novel	Won	[47]
		Locus Award	Science Fiction Novel	Won	[48]
		Nebula Award	Novel	Won	[49]
	The Murderbot Diaries	Hugo Award	Series	Won	[47]
2023	Witch King	Dragon Awards	Fantasy Novel	Won	[50]
2024		Nebula Award	Novel	Shortlisted	[51]
		Hugo Award	Novel	Shortlisted	[52]
		World Fantasy Award	Novel	Shortlisted	[53]
		Locus Award	Fantasy Novel	Won	[54]
	System Collapse	Locus Award	Science Fiction Novel	Won	[54]

• Locus Recommended List in 1994 for The Element of Fire
• Locus Recommended List in 1995 for City of Bones
• Martha Wells declined a Nebula finalist slot in the Novella category for Fugitive Telemetry in the 2021 Nebula Awards,^[55] giving the reason that The Murderbot Diaries had already won two Nebulas (for Novella and Novel) and that the spot would be of more benefit to another writer. Due to a three-way tie for sixth place, declining allowed two additional novellas a spot on the 2021 ballot.^[56] Wells also declined a Hugo Nomination for Fugitive Telemetry that year.^[57]
• Martha Wells declined a Nebula finalist slot and a Hugo finalist slot in the Novel category for System Collapse in 2024^[58][59]
• On October 19, 2022, she was made a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame^[60]

Foreign translation

Year	Work	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2002	The Death of the Necromancer (French edition)	Prix Imaginales Award	Foreign Novel	Shortlisted
2004	The Element of Fire (French edition)		Foreign Novel	Shortlisted
2020	Sistemas críticos (translated by Carla Bataller Estruch)	Premio Ignotus	Foreign Short Story	Won	[61]

• Nomination for Journal d’un AssaSynth, tomes 1 à 4 (translated by Mathilde Montier) in the 2020 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire awards in the Nouvelle étrangère category^[62]
• Nominations for Tagebuch eines Killerbots (The Murderbot Diaries Omnibus) for Foreign Novel published in German and for translator Frank Böhmert for Translation in the 2020 Kurd Laßwitz Award^[63]
• Winner for Journal d’un AssaSynth, tomes 1 à 4 (translated by Mathilde Montier) in the 2020 Prix Bob Morane in the Romans étrangers category^[64]
• Finalist for The Murderbot Diaries, Books 1–4 (translated by Naoya Nakahara) in the Seiun Award in the Translated Novel category^[65]
• Network Effect (translated by Frank Böhmert) was a finalist for the Kurd Laßwitz Award 2022 for SF in German translation.^[66]
• Finalist for Network Effect (translated by Naoya Nakahara) for the Seiun Award in the international longform category^[67]

Published works

Stand-alone fantasy novels

• City of Bones (1995, ISBN 0-312-85686-5)
• Wheel of the Infinite (2000, ISBN 0-380-97335-9)

The Rising World

• Witch King (2023, ISBN 978-1250826794)
• Queen Demon (2025, ISBN 978-1250826916) forthcoming from Tor Books

Ile-Rien

• The Element of Fire (1993, ISBN 0-312-85374-2; revised edition 2006, ISBN 0-615-13571-4)
• The Death of the Necromancer (1998, ISBN 0-380-97334-0)
• The Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy:
  • The Wizard Hunters (2003, ISBN 0-380-97788-5)
  • The Ships of Air (2004, ISBN 0-380-97789-3)
  • The Gate of Gods (2005, ISBN 0-380-97790-7)
• Between Worlds: the Collected Cineth and Ile-Rien Stories (2015, ISBN 0-520-20600-2):
  • "The Potter’s Daughter" - a prequel to the novel The Element of Fire (2006 short story, Elemental: the Tsunami Relief Anthology ISBN 0-7653-1562-9, The Year's Best Fantasy #7 ISBN 978-1-892391-50-6)
  • "Holy Places (2007" Black Gate Magazine)
  • "Rites of Passage"
  • "Houses of the Dead" (2008, Black Gate Magazine)
  • "Reflections" - the Giliead and Ilias stories, prequels to the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy (2007, Black Gate Magazine)
  • "Night at the Opera" - a Nicholas and Reynard story original to this collection, set before The Death of the Necromancer (also in PodCastle Episode 400)

Books of the Raksura

• The Cloud Roads (2011, ISBN 978-1-59780-216-1)
• The Serpent Sea (2012, ISBN 978-1-59780-332-8)
• The Siren Depths (2012, ISBN 978-1-59780-440-0)
• Stories of the Raksura Vol 1: The Falling World & The Tale of Indigo and Cloud (2014, ISBN 978-159780-535-3)
• Stories of the Raksura Vol 2: The Dead City & The Dark Earth Below (2015, ISBN 978-159780-537-7)
• The Edge of Worlds (2016, ISBN 978-1-59780-843-9)
• The Harbors of the Sun (2017, ISBN 978-1-59780-891-0)

Short stories

• "The Forest Boy" (2009) – prequel to The Cloud Roads. In the collection Stories of the Raksura Vol 1.
• "The Almost Last Voyage of the Wind-ship Escarpment" (2011) – set in the same world. In the collection Stories of the Raksura Vol 2.
• "Adaptation" (2012) – prequel to The Cloud Roads. In the collection Stories of the Raksura Vol 1.
• "Mimesis" (2013) – in the anthology The Other Half of the Sky (2013, ISBN 9781936460441) and in the collection Stories of the Raksura Vol 2.
• "Trading Lesson" (2013) – in the collection Stories of the Raksura Vol 1
• "Birthright" (2017) – in the anthology Mech: Age of Steel (2013, ISBN 9781941987858)

Emilie

Young-adult fantasy

• Emilie and the Hollow World (2013, ISBN 978-190884-449-1)
• Emilie and the Sky World (2014, ISBN 978-190884-452-1)

Star Wars

• Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge (2013, ISBN 978-0-345-54524-4)
• "Bespin Escape" The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point of View (2020, ISBN 978-0345-51147-8)

Stargate universe

Main article: Stargate literature

• Reliquary (2006 Stargate Atlantis novel, ISBN 0-9547343-7-8)
• Entanglement (2007 Stargate Atlantis novel, ISBN 1-905586-03-5)
• "Archaeology 101" (2006 Stargate SG-1 short story, Stargate Magazine)

The Murderbot Diaries

Science fiction series:

Main article: The Murderbot Diaries

• All Systems Red (2017 Tor.com novella, ISBN 978-076539-753-9)^[68][69][70]
• Artificial Condition (2018 Tor.com novella, ISBN 978-12501-869-28)
• Rogue Protocol (2018 Tor.com novella, ISBN 978-12501-917-86)
• Exit Strategy (2018 Tor.com novella, ISBN 978-12501-918-54)
• "Compulsory" (2018 Wired short story)^[71]
• "Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory" (2020 Tor.com short story)^[72]
• Network Effect (2020 Tor.com novel, ISBN 978-1-250-22986-1)
• Fugitive Telemetry (2021 Tor.com novella, ISBN 978-1250765376)
• System Collapse (2023, Tor.com novel, ISBN 978-1250826978)^[73]

Other short stories

• "Thorns" (1995, Realms of Fantasy)
• "Bad Medicine" (1997, Realms of Fantasy)
• "Wolf Night" (2006, Lone Star Stories^[74])
• "Revenants" (2012, in the anthology Tales of the Emerald Serpent)
• "Soul of Fire" (2014, in the anthology Tales of the Emerald Serpent II: A Knight in the Silk Purse)
• "The Dark Gates" (2015, in the anthology The Gods of Lovecraft)
• "Obsolescence" Take Us to a Better Place (2020, ISBN 978-159591-028-8)
• "The Salt Witch" (2020, Uncanny Magazine)

Non-fiction

• "Don't Make Me Tongue You: John Crichton and D'Argo and the Dysfunctional Buddy Relationship" (2005, Farscape Forever, ISBN 1-932100-61-X)
• "Neville Longbottom: the Hero with a Thousand Faces" (2006, Mapping the World of Harry Potter, ISBN 1-932100-59-8)
• "Donna Noble Saves the Universe" (2012, Chicks Unravel Time: Women Journey Through Every Season of Doctor Who, ISBN 9781935234128)
• "A Life Less Ordinary: The Environment, Magic Systems, and Non-Humans" (2014, A Kobold Guide to Magic, ISBN 978-1936781287)
• "The Ups and Downs of a Long Career" (2019, The Writer's Book of Doubt, ISBN 978-0648334224)

Notes

1. Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy also made the preliminary shortlist but Wells declined the nominations.^[43]
2. Rogue Protocol was also shortlisted for the award.^[45]