RIP Kage Baker
January 31, 2010 2:31 PM Subscribe
Science fiction writer Kage Baker has passed away after struggling with cancer. Writer of the critically acclaimed Company series and winner of the Theodore Sturgeon Award, she died this morning in the arms of her sisters.
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Dammit, I need to pick up the last few Company novels now, I fell behind on the series.
posted by mrbill at 2:42 PM on January 31, 2010
Dammit, I need to pick up the last few Company novels now, I fell behind on the series.
posted by mrbill at 2:42 PM on January 31, 2010
I'll be toasting her with many bars of Theobromos.
posted by girlhacker at 2:44 PM on January 31, 2010
posted by girlhacker at 2:44 PM on January 31, 2010
Now we'll never know what happens post-2355.
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posted by bonehead at 2:48 PM on January 31, 2010 [2 favorites]
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posted by bonehead at 2:48 PM on January 31, 2010 [2 favorites]
OH NO!!! I LOVED HER STUFF!! :( :( :(
posted by The otter lady at 2:51 PM on January 31, 2010
posted by The otter lady at 2:51 PM on January 31, 2010
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I fell behind on the Company books as well. She also published a well-reviewed young adult book last year, The Hotel Under the Sand.
Fuck cancer.
posted by mogget at 2:54 PM on January 31, 2010
I fell behind on the Company books as well. She also published a well-reviewed young adult book last year, The Hotel Under the Sand.
Fuck cancer.
posted by mogget at 2:54 PM on January 31, 2010
Thirding the "Fuck cancer."
posted by The otter lady at 2:55 PM on January 31, 2010
posted by The otter lady at 2:55 PM on January 31, 2010
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posted by Donnie VandenBos at 3:00 PM on January 31, 2010
posted by Donnie VandenBos at 3:00 PM on January 31, 2010
I mostly know her for her short fiction but those were some mighty fine stories.
posted by Kattullus at 3:19 PM on January 31, 2010
posted by Kattullus at 3:19 PM on January 31, 2010
DAMN it. What a shame, what a loss, she was much too young. Fuck.
posted by mygothlaundry at 3:23 PM on January 31, 2010
posted by mygothlaundry at 3:23 PM on January 31, 2010
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posted by divide_by_cucumber at 3:30 PM on January 31, 2010
posted by divide_by_cucumber at 3:30 PM on January 31, 2010
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posted by Smart Dalek at 4:14 PM on January 31, 2010
posted by Smart Dalek at 4:14 PM on January 31, 2010
damn, damn, damn. She got me to read science fiction again after a long hiatus.
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posted by jadepearl at 4:15 PM on January 31, 2010
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posted by jadepearl at 4:15 PM on January 31, 2010
Like jadepearl, I got interested in reading science fiction again because of Kage's novels and short stories.
I'm sad for the stories she won't get to tell, but grateful for the ones she did.
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posted by creepygirl at 4:33 PM on January 31, 2010
I'm sad for the stories she won't get to tell, but grateful for the ones she did.
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posted by creepygirl at 4:33 PM on January 31, 2010
Discovered the Company novels randomly at the library and became instantly obsessed. Thank you, Kage.
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posted by Rock Steady at 5:02 PM on January 31, 2010
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posted by Rock Steady at 5:02 PM on January 31, 2010
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I hate to see another good writer going so soon after Robert Holdstock. This story about Terry Pratchett almost made me cry. Sad time for readers.
posted by irisclara at 5:03 PM on January 31, 2010
I hate to see another good writer going so soon after Robert Holdstock. This story about Terry Pratchett almost made me cry. Sad time for readers.
posted by irisclara at 5:03 PM on January 31, 2010
Loved her and the amazing world she created. This is very sad news.
posted by OolooKitty at 5:09 PM on January 31, 2010
posted by OolooKitty at 5:09 PM on January 31, 2010
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posted by sebastienbailard at 5:10 PM on January 31, 2010
posted by sebastienbailard at 5:10 PM on January 31, 2010
Oh my god, this terrible. I didn't even know she was sick.
posted by Kevin Street at 5:44 PM on January 31, 2010
posted by Kevin Street at 5:44 PM on January 31, 2010
Kage was one of those authors I'd come across in short story collections and always meant to read more of. It's sad to think that I can now read her complete collection.
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posted by restless_nomad at 6:40 PM on January 31, 2010
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posted by restless_nomad at 6:40 PM on January 31, 2010
Oh, my darling, you were so brave and funny and wonderful.
Rest now, sweet friend...
posted by Jinx of the 2nd Law at 8:32 PM on January 31, 2010
Rest now, sweet friend...
posted by Jinx of the 2nd Law at 8:32 PM on January 31, 2010
Damn. I had no idea she was sick. I've been collecting all of her Company and other stuff (small press) for the past few years. I've always felt she was underrated as an author.
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posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 10:47 PM on January 31, 2010
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posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 10:47 PM on January 31, 2010
One of the best scifi authors from asimov's, she converted me to her novels with wonderful short stories, which were excellent on their own, but made richer by the story arc of The Company.
Sad to hear of her passing.
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posted by gryftir at 10:58 PM on January 31, 2010
Sad to hear of her passing.
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posted by gryftir at 10:58 PM on January 31, 2010
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Been a fan for a while, but it's sad regardless of the quality of her writing.
Thank you so much for not using the word succumbed. I've been seeing 'succumbed to cancer' in obits/headlines a lot lately, and I really, really hate that.
posted by BrotherCaine at 11:53 PM on January 31, 2010
Been a fan for a while, but it's sad regardless of the quality of her writing.
Thank you so much for not using the word succumbed. I've been seeing 'succumbed to cancer' in obits/headlines a lot lately, and I really, really hate that.
posted by BrotherCaine at 11:53 PM on January 31, 2010
Sorry, that came out wrong. I meant it'd still be sad even if I hadn't loved her work.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:19 AM on February 1, 2010
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:19 AM on February 1, 2010
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Kage Baker made me happy during some hard times. I'm sorry to see her go.
On the bright side it looks like I missed the last couple of Company novels. Time to get to a bookstore.
posted by mmoncur at 12:48 AM on February 1, 2010
Kage Baker made me happy during some hard times. I'm sorry to see her go.
On the bright side it looks like I missed the last couple of Company novels. Time to get to a bookstore.
posted by mmoncur at 12:48 AM on February 1, 2010
Though I never met her, I've been reading her books for so long it feels oddly like losing a friend. Farewell to a brilliant builder of worlds and teller of tales.
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:32 AM on February 1, 2010
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:32 AM on February 1, 2010
She kept her illness private until about two weeks ago, so not many people knew she was sick.
I haven't read more of her than some Company short fiction; I'll look forward to reading more.
posted by Zed at 9:43 AM on February 1, 2010
I haven't read more of her than some Company short fiction; I'll look forward to reading more.
posted by Zed at 9:43 AM on February 1, 2010
I have long loved the Company books, because they were such a great combination of solid, basic sci-fi tropes (cyborgs, time travel, etc.) with good characters and dialogue. *sigh* And I was very much looking forward to another one coming out sometime not too far off.
Ah, the last six months have been like watching the lights go out, one by one. :7(
posted by wenestvedt at 9:43 AM on February 1, 2010
Ah, the last six months have been like watching the lights go out, one by one. :7(
posted by wenestvedt at 9:43 AM on February 1, 2010
Right after I got started in publishing, I had the pleasure of having a professional dinner with Kage and a few other people. I was still a little shell-shocked by the not-small number of authors who turned out to be loud, obnoxious, self-aggrandizing jerks. Kage was their antidote: sweet, quiet, professional, generally pleasant to be around, and able to treat some wet behind the ears editorial assistant as if he might be -- gasp! -- a real person. Ten years later, I haven't forgotten it.
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posted by Amanojaku at 1:15 PM on February 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
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posted by Amanojaku at 1:15 PM on February 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
What a bummer.
*sigh*
Though I will say that I'm glad she "finished" (more or less) the Company series before she got sick. So that will live on.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:41 PM on February 1, 2010
*sigh*
Though I will say that I'm glad she "finished" (more or less) the Company series before she got sick. So that will live on.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:41 PM on February 1, 2010
Oh God, how I will miss her work. It was so lovely to know that that kind of talent was working away practically in my backyard (I'm from the Central Coast).
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posted by PsychoTherapist at 3:03 PM on February 1, 2010
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posted by PsychoTherapist at 3:03 PM on February 1, 2010
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