History Creator / WalterJonWilliams

* ''The Green Leopard and Other Stories'' (collection, 2010)

Walter Jon Williams is an American ScienceFiction writer, generally known for ''not'' having a signature-style. He has written everything from {{Cyberpunk}} (and PostCyberpunk) to Comedy of Manners; from SpaceOpera to PoliceProcedural. All available evidence suggests that Williams does not like being pigeonholed. (His fondness for games has caused some to try to pigeonhole him as a gamer, but a survey of his work will reveal that this is an incomplete description at best.)

* ''Literature/DreadEmpiresFall'' (trilogy)

* AlternateRealityGame: The protagonist of ''This Is Not A Game'' is a professional ARG writer; the book begins with her being trapped in Indonesia during rioting and enlisting the help of the people who play her [=ARG=]s to get her out.
* ArcWords: In ''This Is Not A Game'', the frequent [[TitleDrop Title Drops]] are this.

Among his better known works are the early {{Cyberpunk}} novel, ''Literature/{{Hardwired}}'', the PostCyberpunk novel ''{{Literature/Aristoi}}'', the humorous Drake Maijstral series (''The Crown Jewels'', ''House of Shards'' and ''Rock of Ages''), the epic ''Literature/DreadEmpiresFall'' series (''The Praxis'', ''The Sundering'', and ''The Conventions of War''), and the Dagmar Shaw thrillers (''This is Not a Game'', ''Deep State'', and ''The Fourth Wall''). He has also written a novel in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse, ''The New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way'', and the straight-up historical ''Privateers and Gentlemen'' series. He was also a frequent contributor to Creator/GeorgeRRMartin's ''Literature/WildCards'' series.

* BenevolentAlienInvasion: Played with in the ''Drake Maijstral'' books, where the aliens did not really disturb Earth very much bar imposing their own formal culture and ideas of monarchy upon it. Humanity still didn't take this very well and kicked them off-planet before the beginning of the first novel, becoming the first and only race to accomplish this. The protagonist Drake Maijstral is the descendant of those who opposed the revolt, and honestly doesn't much care either way.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: In the ''Drake Maijstral'' series, the Khosali, one-time conquerors of Earth, are modeled on the British Empire. Very proper, very strict, very formal, very prudish (in their alien way)--very Victorian.
* FeudalFuture: In the ''Drake Maijstral'' series, the Earth was conquered many centuries ago by the relatively benevolent Khosali Empire (loosely based on the Victorians). The Khosali, who wanted to integrate conquered races as quickly as possible, soon began ennobling humans who were willing to work with them peacefully. By the time Earth managed to win its independence back, they were so used to feudalism (which, after all, was a human tradition even before the Khosali came) that they kept it, although many want to get rid of it.
* FutureImperfect: In ''The Crown Jewels'', Drake Majistral watches a movie in which the two main characters are UsefulNotes/JesseJames and Music/ElvisPresley.
-->Majistral liked Westerns better than other forms of genre entertainment. He wondered why Creator/{{Shakespeare}} hadn't written any.

* GentlemanThief: The ''Drake Maijstral'' series is entirely based on this trope. Drake is an "allowed burglar", which is actually a legal profession in the far future galactic empire. You may legally ply burglary as your trade if ''and only if'' you are a ''gentleman'' thief. You must always behave as a gentleman (or woman). Violence is forbidden. When you steal something, it doesn't become yours for 24 hours, and if you do get caught during that time, you must surrender politely or risk losing your license. And the thing you stole must stay under your control or that of a subordinate for the full 24 hours--no hiding it in a drainpipe and hoping nobody finds it. You are also expected to steal ''classy'' things. Which is not to say that you ''can't'' steal cash from a bank vault. But if that's ''all'' you steal, you may be in trouble. Allowed burglars are literally judged on style.

* MotherMakesYouKing: In ''Literature/TheCrownJewels'', we learn that this is how the current Khosali Emperor, Nnis CVI, got his crown. The eldest does not automatically inherit--the current Emperor chooses his heir from the children of his harem. Nnis, though a son of the emperor, had absolutely no interest in his father's throne. His goal in life was to publish scholarly papers on insect genitalia. Unfortunately for him, while he was off on a remote planet studying crawling things, the designated heir died, and Nnis' mother managed to get Nnis chosen as the new heir. Nnis went rushing back to try to start a counterconspiracy aimed at getting himself removed, but before he arrived at the capital, the Emperor died, and he was stuck.

Among his better known works are the early {{Cyberpunk}} novel, ''Literature/{{Hardwired}}'', the PostCyberpunk novel ''{{Literature/Aristoi}}'', the humorous Drake Maijstral series (''The Crown Jewels'', ''House of Shards'' and ''Rock of Ages''), the epic ''Literature/DreadEmpiresFall'' series (''The Praxis'', ''The Sundering'', and ''The Conventions of War''), and, most recently, the Dagmar Shaw thrillers (''This is Not a Game'', ''Deep State'', and ''The Fourth Wall''). He has also written a novel in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse, ''The New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way'', and the straight-up historical ''Privateers and Gentlemen'' series. He was also a frequent contributor to Creator/GeorgeRRMartin's ''Literature/WildCards'' series.

* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Ubu Roy in ''Literature/AngelStation'' has four muscular arms by virtue of having been [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically engineered]].

* BlindJump: In ''Literature/AngelStation'', FTL travel is achived by using captured black holes (contained within each ship) to open a tear in space-time. Proper calculations are necessary to "ride out the wave" to the proper destination. The protagonists, Ubu Roy and Beautiful Maria, make a random jump, hoping to find a system that will have "catchable" black holes to sell. A similar jump puts a LivingShip (also looking to capture and sell singularities) in the same system, resulting in the events of the book.

* BrotherSisterIncest: In ''Literature/AngelStation'', Beautiful Maria (yes, that is her full name) and Ubu Roy are not genetic siblings, as they were both genetically engineered by their "father" from scratch. This is most evident by Ubu's [[MultiArmedAndDangerous four arms]] and Maria's {{technopath}}y. However, they have been raised as brother and sister, so their feelings for each other are no different than if they had biological ties. That said, they have no problem screwing each other whenever they feel like it (it gets pretty graphic at times), although this can be justified by the fact that (after [[spoiler:their "father's" suicide]]) it's just the two of them on long voyages and that their "father" used hormones to boost their growth, which made them all the more horny. They don't see a problem with this, probably because they have limited exposure to other people and they don't really advertise this.

* FixingTheGame: In ''Literature/AngelStation'', the protagonists are down-on-their-luck [[SiblingTeam brother and sister]] named Ubu Roy and Beautiful Maria (that is her full name). Maria is an "electronic witch", genetically-engineered with an ability to manipulate electrons with telekinesis. As a way of making money while they look for a contract, she plays a game (with a decent payout) that simulates navigating a ship through a field of black holes. Using her ability, she's able to win consistently by intercepting and altering computer signals before they appear on the screen. Ubu then suggests going for a big score and cheating at the roulette at a big casino on the titular space station. By that point, all casino games are electronic in nature, so Maria feels she has a good chance. She ends up winning a lot, but both are then taken to a back room, where it's revealed that the casino monitors all machines and detects any attempts at hacking them. Their only curiosity is the fact that Maria doesn't appear to have any equipment with her. They start beating on both of them. Even when Maria admits her ability, the [[CassandraTruth casino owners don't believe her]]. They are thrown out the back of the casino badly beaten and without their winnings.

* LivingShip: Beloved in ''Literature/AngelStation'' is a member of a race of living ships, who use genetically-engineered servants to maintain them and do various tasks like load cargo, the most prominent of which is General Volitional Twelve, who is sent to study humans and act as her envoy. At the end of the novel, Beloved's trade (high quality drugs for computers) with the newly-discovered human siblings Ubu Roy and Beautiful Maria results in prosperity for both sides, although it is hinted that Beloved's "people's" exposure to humans will eventually lead to their demise.

* NoWarpingZone: In ''Literature/AngelStation'', ships entering or exiting a jump must do so far away from planets, as the process releases deadly radiation. The protagonists are forced to jump fairly close to an inhabited moon, realizing they're committing a heinous crime.

* OurWormholesAreDifferent: While the word "wormhole" is never used in ''Literature/AngelStation'', all ships use captured black holes in order to perform FTL jumps. This requires precise calculations, which are done perfectly by one of the protagonists, because she's a "witch", a genetically-engineered girl with the ability to see and alter electron motion. Opening a "tunnel" creates in a massive radiation wave that can damage anything for thousands of miles, meaning jumps have to be made far away from planets or other ships. It is also revealed that [[spoiler:aliens use the same method]]. Apparently, any ship can be equipped with devices for capturing black holes. Why they don't get torn to shreds by gravity is never brought up.

* SexByProxy: ''Aristoi'', which is set in a future where everybody has wireless internet connections in their heads, has a science-fictional example.

!! Tropes in his works:

Among his better known works are the early {{Cyberpunk}} novel, ''Literature/{{Hardwired}}'', the PostCyberpunk novel ''{{Literature/Aristoi}}'', the humorous Drake Maijstral series (''The Crown Jewels'', ''House of Shards'' and ''Rock of Ages''), the epic ''Literature/DreadEmpiresFall'' series (''The Praxis'', ''The Sundering'', and ''The Conventions of War''), and, most recently, the Dagmar Shaw thrillers (''This is Not a Game'', ''Deep State'', and ''The Fourth Wall''). He has also written a novel in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse, ''The New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way'', and the straight-up historical ''Privateers and Gentlemen'' series.

Among his better known works are the early {{Cyberpunk}} novel, ''Literature/{{Hardwired}}'', the PostCyberpunk novel ''{{Literature/Aristoi}}'', the humorous Drake Maijstral series (''The Crown Jewels'', ''House of Shards'' and ''Rock of Ages''), the epic ''DreadEmpiresFall'' series (''The Praxis'', ''The Sundering'', and ''The Conventions of War''), and, most recently, the Dagmar Shaw thrillers (''This is Not a Game'', ''Deep State'', and ''The Fourth Wall''). He has also written a novel in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse, ''The New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way'', and the straight-up historical ''Privateers and Gentlemen'' series.

* BrotherSisterIncest: In ''Angel Station'', Beautiful Maria (yes, that is her full name) and Ubu Roy are not genetic siblings, as they were both genetically engineered by their "father" from scratch. This is most evident by Ubu's [[MultiArmedAndDangerous four arms]] and Maria's {{technopath}}y. However, they have been raised as brother and sister, so their feelings for each other are no different than if they had biological ties. That said, they have no problem screwing each other whenever they feel like it (it gets pretty graphic at times), although this can be justified by the fact that (after [[spoiler:their "father's" suicide]]) it's just the two of them on long voyages and that their "father" used hormones to boost their growth, which made them all the more horny. They don't see a problem with this, probably because they have limited exposure to other people and they don't really advertise this.

* FixingTheGame: In ''Angel Station'', the protagonists are down-on-their-luck [[SiblingTeam brother and sister]] named Ubu Roy and Beautiful Maria (that is her full name). Maria is an "electronic witch", genetically-engineered with an ability to manipulate electrons with telekinesis. As a way of making money while they look for a contract, she plays a game (with a decent payout) that simulates navigating a ship through a field of black holes. Using her ability, she's able to win consistently by intercepting and altering computer signals before they appear on the screen. Ubu then suggests going for a big score and cheating at the roulette at a big casino on the titular space station. By that point, all casino games are electronic in nature, so Maria feels she has a good chance. She ends up winning a lot, but both are then taken to a back room, where it's revealed that the casino monitors all machines and detects any attempts at hacking them. Their only curiosity is the fact that Maria doesn't appear to have any equipment with her. They start beating on both of them. Even when Maria admits her ability, the [[CassandraTruth casino owners don't believe her]]. They are thrown out the back of the casino badly beaten and without their winnings.

* LivingShip: Beloved in ''Angel Station'' is a member of a race of living ships, who use genetically-engineered servants to maintain them and do various tasks like load cargo, the most prominent of which is General Volitional Twelve, who is sent to study humans and act as her envoy. At the end of the novel, Beloved's trade (high quality drugs for computers) with the newly-discovered human siblings Ubu Roy and Beautiful Maria results in prosperity for both sides, although it is hinted that Beloved's "people's" exposure to humans will eventually lead to their demise.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Ubu Roy in ''Angel Station'' has four muscular arms by virtue of having been [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically engineered]].

* NoWarpingZone: In ''Angel Station'', ships entering or exiting a jump must do so far away from planets, as the process releases deadly radiation. The protagonists are forced to jump fairly close to an inhabited moon, realizing they're committing a heinous crime.

* OurWormholesAreDifferent: While the word "wormhole" is never used in ''Angel Station'', all ships use captured black holes in order to perform FTL jumps. This requires precise calculations, which are done perfectly by one of the protagonists, because she's a "witch", a genetically-engineered girl with the ability to see and alter electron motion. Opening a "tunnel" creates in a massive radiation wave that can damage anything for thousands of miles, meaning jumps have to be made far away from planets or other ships. It is also revealed that [[spoiler:aliens use the same method]]. Apparently, any ship can be equipped with devices for capturing black holes. Why they don't get torn to shreds by gravity is never brought up.

* TheCaligula: The Crackling Prince in ''Aristoi'' seems to qualify, although he never appears and is referred to only in discussing the past. He planned on "artistically" reconfiguring planetary landscapes with gravity generators --- with the people still living on them and expected to be grateful. Understandably "a commission had been formed in Perseopolis to examine his behavior", but he was somehow persuaded to retire before the other Aristoi actually did anything.

* EasySexChange: Fairly easy sex changes (taking several months) are available to anyone who wants them in ''Aristoi'', using a "nanologic" package.

* HomosexualReproduction: ''Aristoi'', the (male) protagonist's boyfriend voluntarily becomes pregnant with the protagonist's sperm, using the commonplace technology of the far future.

* MisterSeahorse: In ''{{Aristoi}}'', the (male) protagonist's boyfriend voluntarily becomes pregnant [[HomosexualReproduction with the protagonist's sperm]], using the commonplace technology of the far future (it's so far in the future that people have godlike powers and can do just about anything).

* {{Nanomachines}}: ''Aristoi'' covers these, in various aspects, in great detail. Nanomachines are pretty much the basis for the entire economy, and a great deal of effort is expended in making sure the few people authorized to design new ones know what they're doing. The novel goes into more than usual detail on what it would take to actually get one running, including troubles such as getting rid of the heat such things would generate, especially in a vacuum. Gray goo does come up a couple times, at least once as a malicious attack.

Among his better known works are the early {{Cyberpunk}} novel, ''Literature/{{Hardwired}}'', the PostCyberpunk novel ''Aristoi'', the humorous Drake Maijstral series (''The Crown Jewels'', ''House of Shards'' and ''Rock of Ages''), the epic ''DreadEmpiresFall'' series (''The Praxis'', ''The Sundering'', and ''The Conventions of War''), and, most recently, the Dagmar Shaw thrillers (''This is Not a Game'', ''Deep State'', and ''The Fourth Wall''). He has also written a novel in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse, ''The New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way'', and the straight-up historical ''Privateers and Gentlemen'' series.

* PatchWorkMap: ''Implied Spaces'' takes place in a world where technology is advanced enough that every rich kid can design his own little world. Most of them try for patchwork maps. The main character is a scholar studying what happens on the borders between the patches, when the physical realities of these constructed worlds start to act. These borders are the eponymous implied spaces.

* PatchWorkMap: ''Implied Spaces'' takes place in a world where technology is advanced enough that every rich kid can design his own little world. Most of them try for patchwork maps. The main character is a scholar studying what happens on the borders between the patches, when the physical realities of these constructed worlds start to act. These borders are the [=titular=] implied spaces.

Walter Jon Williams is an American ScienceFiction writer, generally known for ''not'' having a signature-style. He has written everything from {{Cyberpunk}} (and PostCyberpunk) to Comedy of Manners; from SpaceOpera to PoliceProcedural. All available evidence suggests that Williams does not like being pigeonholed.