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Kim Newman

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Kim Newman
Newman at the 2007 World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, NY
Newman at the 2007 World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, NY
Born (1959-07-31) 31 July 1959 (age 65)
Brixton, London, England
Pen nameJack Yeovil
OccupationFilm critic, journalist, writer
Website
johnnyalucard.com

Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic, and fiction writer.[1] He is interested in film history and horror fiction - both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's Dracula at the age of eleven - and alternative history. He has won the Bram Stoker Award, the International Horror Guild Award, and the BSFA award.

Early life

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Kim Newman was born 31 July 1959 in Brixton, London, the son of Bryan Michael Newman and Julia Christen Newman, both potters.[1][2] His sister, Sasha, was born in 1961, and their mother died in 2003.[1] Newman attended "a progressive kindergarten and a primary school in Brixton, and then Huish Episcopi County Primary School in Langport, Somerset".[1] In 1966 the family moved to Aller, Somerset.[1] He was educated at Dr. Morgan's Grammar School for Boys in Bridgwater.[1][3] While he attended, the school merged with two others to become Haygrove Comprehensive.[1] He graduated from the University of Sussex with an English degree in 1980 and set a short story, Angel Down, Sussex (1999) in the area.[1] Newman acted in school plays and with the Bridgwater Youth Theatre.[1]

Non-fiction

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Early in his career, Newman was a journalist for the magazines City Limits and Knave.

Newman's first two books were the non-fiction Ghastly Beyond Belief: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of Quotations (1985), co-written with his friend Neil Gaiman, a light-hearted tribute to entertainingly bad prose in fantastic fiction and Nightmare Movies: A Critical History of the Horror Film, 1968–88 (1988) is a serious history of horror films. An expanded edition, an update of his overview of post-1968 genre cinema, was published in 2011. Nightmare Movies was followed by Wild West Movies: Or How the West Was Found, Won, Lost, Lied About, Filmed and Forgotten (1990) and Millennium Movies: End of the World Cinema (1999). Newman's non-fiction also includes the BFI Companion to Horror (1996).

Newman and Stephen Jones jointly edited Horror: 100 Best Books, the 1988 horror volume in Xanadu's 100 Best series and Horror: Another 100 Best Books, a 2005 sequel from Carroll & Graf, U.S. publisher of the series. The books comprise 100 essays by 100 horror writers about 100 horror books and both won the annual Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction.[4]

Newman is a contributing editor to the UK film magazine Empire, as well as writing the monthly segment, "Kim Newman's Video Dungeon", in which he gives often scathing reviews of recently released straight-to-video horror films. He contributes to Rotten Tomatoes, Venue, Video Watchdog ('The Perfectionist's Guide to Fantastic Video') and Sight and Sound.[5] Newman is the author of the Doctor Who entry in the British Film Institute's book series on TV Classics.[6] In 2018, Newman became the chief writer on the BBC Four documentary series Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema.

Newman participated in the 2012 Sight & Sound critics' poll, where he listed his ten favorite films as follows: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now, A Canterbury Tale, Céline and Julie Go Boating, Citizen Kane, Duck Amuck, Let's Scare Jessica to Death, Mulholland Drive, Notorious, and To Have and Have Not.[7]

Fiction

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Newman's first published novel was The Night Mayor (1989), set in a virtual reality, based on old black-and-white detective movies.[8] In the same year, as "Jack Yeovil", he began contributing to a series of novels published by Games Workshop, set in the world of their Warhammer and Dark Future wargaming and role-playing games. Games Workshop's fiction imprint Black Flame returned the Dark Future books to print in 2006, publishing Demon Download, Krokodil Tears, Comeback Tour and the expanded, 250-page version of the short story "Route 666".

Anno Dracula was published in 1992. The novel is set in 1888, during Jack the Ripper's killing spree—but a different 1888, in which Dracula became the ruler of England. Anno Dracula was followed by the Anno Dracula series of novels and shorter works, that followed the same alternative history. The fourth novel in the series was published in 2013 as Johnny Alucard.[9]

Other novels include Life's Lottery (1999), in which the protagonist's life story is determined by the reader's choices[10] (an adult version of the Choose Your Own Adventure series of children's books), The Quorum (1994), Jago (1991) and Bad Dreams (1990).

Newman wrote a Doctor Who novella, Time and Relative in 2001.

Selected Fiction

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Novels

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  • The Night Mayor (1989)
  • Bad Dreams (1990)
  • Jago (1991)
  • The Quorum (1994)
  • Life's Lottery (1999)
  • Anno Dracula series
  • Time and Relative (2001)
  • Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles (Titan Books, 2011; ISBN 9780857682833)
  • An English Ghost Story (2014)
  • The Secrets of Drearcliffe Grange School (2015)[11][12][13][14][15]
  • The Haunting of Drearcliff Grange School (2018)
  • Angels of Music (2016)
  • Something More Than Night (2021)

Short story collections

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  • The Original Dr. Shade, and Other Stories (1994)
  • Famous Monsters (1995)
  • Back in the USSA (1997) (with Eugene Byrne)
  • Seven Stars (2000)
  • Where the Bodies are Buried (2000)
  • Unforgivable Stories (2000)
  • Dead Travel Fast (2005)
  • Diogenes Club series
    • The Man from the Diogenes Club (2006)
    • The Secret Files of the Diogenes Club (2007)
    • Mysteries of the Diogenes Club (2010)
    • The Man From the Diogenes Club (2017)
  • Anno Dracula 1899 and Other Stories (2017)

Comics

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  • Anno Dracula – 1895: Seven Days in Mayhem (Titan Comics, 2017, five issues) with artist Paul McCaffrey.

As "Jack Yeovil"

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  • Warhammer setting
    • Drachenfels (1989)
    • Beasts in Velvet (1991)
    • Genevieve Undead (1993, three novellas published as a single book)
    • Silver Nails (2002, short stories)
    • The Vampire Genevieve (2005, compilation of the above four books)
  • Dark Future setting
    • Krokodil Tears (1990)
    • Demon Download (1990)
    • Route 666 (1993)
    • Comeback Tour (1991)
  • Orgy of the Blood Parasites (1994)
  • "The Big Fish" in Shadows over Innsmouth (1994)

Non-Fiction

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  • Nightmare Movies: Wide Screen Horror Since 1968 (1984)
  • Ghastly Beyond Belief: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of Quotations (1985) (with Neil Gaiman)
  • Horror: 100 Best Books (1988) (with Stephen Jones)
  • Nightmare Movies: A Critical History of the Horror Film, 1968–1988 (1988)
  • The BFI Companion to Horror (1996)
  • Millennium Movies (1999)
  • Cat People (1999)
  • Science Fiction / Horror: A Sight and Sound Reader (2002)
  • Horror: Another 100 Best Books (2005) (with Stephen Jones)
  • Nightmare Movies: Horror on Screen Since the 1960s (2011)
  • Horror!: The Definitive Companion to the Most Terrifying Movies Ever Made (2013) (with James Marriott)
  • Quatermass and the Pit (2014)

Awards

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Work Year & Award Category Result Ref.
Ghastly Beyond Belief

(with Neil Gaiman)

1986 Locus Award Nonfiction/Reference Nominated [16]
The Next-But-One Man 1988 Interzone Readers Poll Fiction 3rd Place [17]
Horror: 100 Best Books

(with Stephen Jones)

1989 Locus Award Related Nonfiction Nominated
1989 Bram Stoker Award Non-Fiction Won
The Original Doctor Shade 1990 BSFA Award Short Fiction Won
1991 British Fantasy Award Short Story Nominated
1991 Interzone Readers Poll Fiction 3rd Place [18]
The Original Doctor Shade and Other Stories 1995 British Fantasy Award Anthology/Collection Nominated
In the Air 1991 BSFA Award Short Fiction Nominated
Anno Dracula 1992 The Dracula Society Children of the Night Award Won [19]
1993 Bram Stoker Award Novel Nominated
1993 World Fantasy Award Novel Nominated
1993 Lord Ruthven Award Fiction Won
1994 Locus Award Horror Novel Nominated
1994 International Horror Guild Award Novel Won [20]
1999 Prix Ozone Foreign Horror Novel Won [21]
Tom Joad

(with Eugene Byrne)

1993 Interzone Readers Poll Fiction 6th Place [22]
The Quorum 1995 British Fantasy Award August Derleth Award Nominated [23]
1995 Locus Award Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel Nominated
Out of the Night, When the Full Moon Is Bright... 1995 British Fantasy Award Short Story Nominated
1995 World Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
The Bloody Red Baron 1996 Sidewise Award for Alternate History Long Form Nominated [24]
1996 Locus Award Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel Nominated
2000 Prix Ozone Foreign Horror Novel Won [25]
Famous Monsters 1996 British Fantasy Award Anthology/Collection Nominated
Abdication Street 1997 Sidewise Award for Alternate History Short Form Nominated [26]
Coppola's Dracula 1997 International Horror Guild Award Long Fiction Won
1997 Bram Stoker Award Long Fiction Nominated
1998 Locus Award Novella Nominated
1998 World Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
Citizen Ed 1997 British Fantasy Award Short Story Nominated
Teddy Bears' Picnic 1998 Sidewise Award for Alternate History Short Form Nominated [27]
Residuals 1998 Locus Award Novelette Nominated
Back in the USSA 1998 Locus Award Collection Nominated
Judgement of Tears: Anno Dracula 1959 1999 Locus Award Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel Nominated
Seven Stars 1999 International Horror Guild Award Novel Nominated
Andy Warhol's Dracula 1999 International Horror Guild Award Long Fiction Nominated
2000 Locus Award Novella Nominated
Americanski Dead at the Moscow Morgue 1999 International Horror Guild Award Short Story Nominated
2000 World Fantasy Award Short Fiction Nominated
Millenium Movies 2000 World Fantasy Special Award—Professional award Nominated
The Other Side of Midnight: Anno Dracula 1981 2001 Sidewise Award for Alternate History Short Form Nominated [28]
Where the Bodies Are Buried 2001 British Fantasy Award Collection Won
Is There Anybody There? 2001 World Fantasy Award Short Fiction Nominated
A Drug on the Market 2002 International Horror Guild Award Intermediate Form Nominated
Horror: Another 100 Best Books

(with Stephen Jones)

2005 Bram Stoker Award Non-Fiction Won
2005 International Horror Guild Award Non-Fiction Nominated
2006 Locus Award Non-Fiction Nominated
The Serial Murders 2005 International Horror Guild Award Long Fiction Nominated
Soho Golem 2005 World Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
Clubland Heroes 2006 Bram Stoker Award Long Fiction Nominated
The Gypsies in the Wood 2006 Locus Award Novella Nominated
The Man Who Got Off the Ghost Train 2007 World Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
The Man from the Diogenes Club 2007 British Fantasy Award Collection Nominated
2007 Locus Award Collection Nominated
The Secret Files of the Diogenes Club 2008 World Fantasy Award Collection Nominated
Cold Snap 2008 World Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
Mysteries of the Diogenes Club 2011 Locus Award Collection Nominated
Professor Moriarty: The Hound of D'Urbervilles 2012 Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated
Nightmare Movies: Horror on Screen Since the 1960s 2012 British Fantasy Award Non-Fiction Nominated
Johnny Alucard 2014 Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated
An English Ghost Story 2014 The Dracula Society Children of the Night Award Nominated [29]
Guignol 2016 World Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
Daikaiji 2020 Locus Award Horror Novel Nominated

Newman has been nominated for the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award six times[nb 1] and for the World Fantasy Award seven times.[nb 2]

Explanatory notes

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  1. ^ Kim Newman's Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award nominations include Best Article for 'Rediscovering Polanski' in Video Watchdog #108, 'Edgar Wallace: Your Pocket Guide to the Rialto Krimi Series' in Video Watchdog #134, and 'Suspense: The Lost Episodes' in Video Watchdog #140; Best Commentary for I Walked with a Zombie and Mark of the Vampire (both with Stephen Jones); and DVD Reviewer of the Year (for 2008)
  2. ^ Kim Newman's World Fantasy Award nominations include Best Novel for Anno Dracula; Best Collection for The Secret Files of the Diogenes Club; and Best Novella for Out of the Night, When the Full Moon Is Bright...; Coppola's Dracula; Soho Golem; The Man Who Got Off the Ghost Train and Cold Snap.

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Newman, Kim (24 May 2011). "Biography". The Kim Newman Web Site. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  2. ^ Kim James Newman. Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2007.
  3. ^ Newman, Kim (7 September 2020). "Fifty years ago today was my first day at Dr Morgan's Grammar School for Boys, Bridgwater". Twitter. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  4. ^ Bibliography: Horror: 100 Best Books". Internet Speculative Fiction Database.
      "Bibliography: Horror: Another 100 Best Books". ISFDB. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
      Select a "Title" for more data including a complete table of contents.
  5. ^ "Kim Newman | the Guardian". TheGuardian.com.
  6. ^ "Doctor Who: A Cultural Reading by Kim Newman - GoodReads". GoodReads. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Kim Newman | BFI". Archived from the original on 18 August 2016.
  8. ^ Clute and Grant 1997, p. 682.
  9. ^ "Kim Newman's Anno Dracula – Johnny Alucard cover art and release date unveiled". Archived from the original on 13 October 2012.
  10. ^ "Life's Lottery by Kim Newman review". 16 September 2014.
  11. ^ Lovegrove, James (24 October 2014). "'An English Ghost Story', by Kim Newman". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  12. ^ "Back in Black: The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School by Kim Newman". Tor.com. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  13. ^ "THE SECRETS OF DREARCLIFF GRANGE SCHOOL". Starburst Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  14. ^ "The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School by Kim Newman". SFFWorld. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  15. ^ "THE SECRETS OF DREARCLIFF GRANGE SCHOOL by Kim Newman: Frightfest Gore on the Shelf book review copy copy". Film4 FrightFest. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  16. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards
  17. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Interzone_Readers_Poll_1988
  18. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Interzone_Readers_Poll_1991
  19. ^ https://thedraculasociety.org.uk/the-children-of-the-night-award.html
  20. ^ https://horroraward.org/prevrec.html
  21. ^ https://www.bdfi.net/prix/prix.php?id=ozone
  22. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Interzone_Readers_Poll_1993
  23. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/British_Fantasy_Awards_1995
  24. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Sidewise_Awards_1996
  25. ^ https://www.bdfi.net/prix/prix.php?id=ozone
  26. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Sidewise_Awards_1997
  27. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Sidewise_Awards_1998
  28. ^ https://www.sfadb.com/Sidewise_Awards_2001
  29. ^ https://thedraculasociety.org.uk/the-children-of-the-night-award.html

General and cited references

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