<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Fred Saberhagen (May 18, 1930 – June 29, 2007) is an American author born in Chicago, Illinois. Saberhagen began writing short fiction in 1961 but, with the exception of his "Berserker" series, none of his work at that length has been particularly memorable. His first novel, The Golden People, was published in 1964, but his first significant books were Berserker (1967), a collection of stories in this series, and The Broken Lands (1968). The "Berserker" saga is set in a distant future when humanity has spread to the stars and is engaged in a relentless war against sentient robotic starships left behind by an alien race and imbued with a profound hatred of all living things. The Broken Lands appeared to be post-apocalyptic SF, but two sequels established it as heroic fantasy. A fourth in the series, Ardneh's Sword (2006) extends the story.

These two very different series and occasional independent novels occupied most of Saberhagen's time until 1975 when The Dracula Tape appeared. This was the first in another loosely constructed sequence of novels, this time focusing on Dracula, in the opening volume revealing that he wasn't a villain after all, just misunderstood. Saberhagen went on to write seven more novels about the famous vampire, of which The Holmes Dracula File (1978) and An Old Friend of the Family (1979) are the best. He also retold the story of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein from the monster's point of view in The Frankenstein Papers (1986).

The First Book of Swords (1983) launched a new fantasy trilogy, set in a world where a devastating war has brought magic back. It was followed by an even longer set of sequels, the "Lost Swords" series. Saberhagen's most recent fantasy was the four volume "Book of the Gods]", which ably retold several stories from Greek mythology. Dancing Bears (1996), a stand alone novel about a family who all share the ability to transform themselves into bears, is also noteworthy.

The "Berserker" stories have remained popular through Saberhagen's career in SF, and he has even edited an anthology of stories in that setting by other writers. The best of his non-series SF novels include The Mask of the Sun (1979), a blend of alternate history, time travel, and an Aztec civilization, and The White Bull (1988), which provides a rational explanation for the story of the Minotaur. A Century of Progress (1983), another [alternate history]] story, is probably Saberhagen's best single novel, pitting a time traveling protagonist against a victorious Nazi regime in the near future.

External Links

• Saberhagen's World of SF and Fantasy]