George Alec Effinger, a science fiction writer hailing from America, was born on January 10, 1947 and passed away on April 27, 2002. He is the author of The Great God Quay: The Tale of Barada and the Weequays.
In 1970, he participated in the Clarion workshop, and three of his narratives were included in the first Clarion anthology. His initial story that was published was "The Eight-Thirty to Nine Slot" in Fantastic in 1971. He also utilized various pen names when publishing during his early career.
His initial novel, What Entropy Means to Me (1972), garnered a nomination for the Nebula Award. He found his greatest success through the trilogy of Marîd Audran novels. These were situated in a 21st-century Middle East, and featured cybernetic modules and implants that enabled individuals to alter their bodies or personalities. The novels are actually set in a thinly disguised version of New Orleans' French Quarter, and present fictionalized accounts of the transvestites and other individuals Effinger encountered in the city's bars. The three novels that were published include When Gravity Fails (1987), A Fire in the Sun (1989), and The Exile Kiss (1991). He started writing a fourth novel in the Budayeen series, titled Word of Night, but he only managed to complete the first two chapters. These chapters were then included in the Budayeen Nights anthology (2003), which contains all of Effinger's shorter works from the Marîd Audran setting.
His novelette, "Schrödinger's Kitten" (1988), was awarded the Hugo and Nebula Awards, in addition to the Japanese Seiun Award. A collection of stories titled George Alec Effinger Live! From Planet Earth was released posthumously in 2005. It contains all of the stories Effinger wrote using the pseudonym "O. Niemand," as well as many of his most well-known stories. Each story written as O. Niemand imitates the style of a different major American author, and they are all set in the asteroid city of Springfield.
He also authored the Maureen (Muffy) Birnbaum series of parodies, which involved placing a preppy character in various scenarios involving science fiction, horror, and fantasy.
Throughout his life, Effinger dealt with health issues. These resulted in substantial medical expenses that he could not afford, leading to him declaring bankruptcy. Because Louisiana's legal system is based on the Napoleonic Code instead of English Common Law, it was possible that the copyrights to Effinger's works and characters could be transferred to his creditors, specifically the hospital. However, no one from the hospital attended the bankruptcy hearing, and Effinger was able to regain the rights to all of his intellectual property.
Effinger's first wife was named Diana, whom he met in the 1960s. From the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, he was married to Beverly K. Effinger, who was an artist. For a short period before he died, he was married to Barbara Hambly, who was also a science fiction author.
Effinger's life ended in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- " The Great God Quay: The Tale of Barada and the Weequays " — Tales from Jabba's Palace