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Jo Walton

ジョー・ウォルトン

Jo Walton

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1964-01-01 （Aberdare, Wales, UK）
Nationality
Canadian, British (Welsh-born)
Languages
English, Welsh
Residence History
Aberdare, Wales (birthplace) → Cardiff, Wales (brief) → Lancaster, Lancashire, UK → London, UK → Swansea, Wales → Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Career

Occupations
Writer, Poet, Critic, Essayist, Role-playing game writer, Reviewer
Active Years
1995-
Affiliations
Tor.com (columnist, reviewer), Cakebread & Walton (collaborations on role-playing material), NESFA Press (publisher collaborations)
Influenced By
Anthony Trollope, Larry Niven, Arthurian literature, Celtic mythology and folklore, Plato (ideas from the Republic)

Education

Park School, Aberdare
Country: United Kingdom
Aberdare Girls' Grammar School
Country: United Kingdom
Howell's School, Llandaff
Country: United Kingdom
Oswestry School
Country: United Kingdom
Lancaster University
Country: United Kingdom
Specific degree and graduation year not clearly stated in available sources

Awards

Hugo Award
2012
Work: Among Others
Category: Best Novel
Organization: World Science Fiction Society
Result: Won
Nebula Award
2012
Work: Among Others
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)
Result: Won
World Fantasy Award
2004
Work: Tooth and Claw
Category: Novel
Organization: World Fantasy Convention
Result: Won
Mythopoeic Award
2010
Work: Lifelode
Category: Adult Literature
Organization: Mythopoeic Society
Result: Won
James Tiptree Jr. Award / Otherwise Award
2015
Work: My Real Children
Organization: James Tiptree Jr. Award committee / Otherwise Award
Result: Won
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
2002
Work: Jo Walton
Category: New Writer
Organization: World Science Fiction Society
Result: Won
Prometheus Award
2008
Work: Ha'penny
Category: Novel
Organization: Libertarian Futurist Society
Result: Won
Locus Award
2015
Work: What Makes This Book So Great
Category: Nonfiction
Organization: Locus Magazine
Result: Won
Skylark Award
2017
Work: Jo Walton
Organization: New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA)
Result: Won
Nebula Award
2007
Work: Farthing
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)
Result: Nominated
John W. Campbell Memorial Award
2007
Work: Farthing
Category: SF Novel
Organization: John W. Campbell Memorial Award committee
Result: Nominated
Lambda Literary Award
2008
Work: Ha'penny
Category: SF, Fantasy & Horror
Organization: Lambda Literary Foundation
Result: Nominated
Prometheus Award
2009
Work: Half a Crown
Category: Novel
Organization: Libertarian Futurist Society
Result: Nominated
World Fantasy Award
2012
Work: Among Others
Category: Novel
Organization: World Fantasy Convention
Result: Nominated
Mythopoeic Award
2022
Work: Or What You Will
Organization: Mythopoeic Society
Result: Won

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tooth and Claw

2003 Historical fantasy (Victorian-style, dragons)

A Victorian-era novel about dragons that examines family, inheritance, religion and class, written in a tone inspired by Anthony Trollope but with dragons in place of humans.

familyinheritanceclassreligion

Among Others

2011 Fantasy, coming-of-age

A semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel combining books, science fiction fandom and magic; a young protagonist copes with loss and finds identity through literature and friendships.

books and readingloss and healingidentitymagic

Lifelode

2009 Domestic fantasy (everyday life intersecting with magic)

A novel centered on a household where magic is entwined with everyday life, exploring time, responsibility and family relationships.

hometimeresponsibilityethics of magic

My Real Children

2014 Alternate history

Follows one woman who remembers two divergent lives, examining choices, regret, family and the political consequences of alternate historical paths.

choicesfamilyhistorical divergence

Farthing

2006 Alternate history, cozy mystery

An alternate-history mystery set in a Britain that made peace with Nazi Germany, exploring how political change affects everyday life and criminal investigation.

politicsjusticewhat-if history

Ha'penny

2007 Alternate history, mystery

A sequel to Farthing that continues to follow characters facing political conspiracies and moral dilemmas.

moralitypolitical conspiracy

Half a Crown

2008 Alternate history, mystery

The final volume of the Small Change trilogy, depicting conflicts and resistance under an altered political regime.

resistancepolitical change

The King's Peace

2000 Fantasy (Arthurian-inspired)

The first book in a series set in a world influenced by Arthurian legend and Celtic myth, an epic exploring justice and rulership.

heroic narrativejusticekingship

The Just City

2015 Science fiction / fantasy (philosophical reimagining)

The first book in a trilogy in which Greek gods and philosophers attempt to recreate Plato's Republic in a speculative setting.

philosophycommunityethics

Lent

2019 Historical fantasy

A historical-fantasy set in Renaissance Italy that incorporates elements of reincarnation and repeating lives in an experimental narrative.

religionreincarnationhistory

Or What You Will

2020 Metafictional fantasy

A metafictional novel about immortality and creativity, featuring an ageing fantasy novelist and an exploration of art and death.

creativityimmortalityart

What Makes This Book So Great

2014 Nonfiction (essays and reviews)

A collection of essays and reviews originally written for Tor.com, reflecting on the craft of reviewing and the history of SF and fantasy.

book criticismliterary criticismhistory of SF

Bibliography

  • Tooth and Claw
  • The King's Peace
  • The King's Name
  • The Prize in the Game
  • Farthing
  • Ha'penny
  • Half a Crown
  • Lifelode
  • Among Others
  • My Real Children
  • The Just City
  • The Philosopher Kings
  • Necessity
  • Lent
  • Or What You Will
  • What Makes This Book So Great
  • Starlings
  • An Informal History of the Hugos

Adaptations

  • Heart's Home (audio drama, Odyssey Theatre / The Other Path podcast, 2022)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Cross-genre narration (blending fantasy, SF and alternate history)Occasional adoption of Victorian or classical narrative tonesCritical perspective expressed through essays and reviews
Recurring Motifs
books and readingfamily and homecounterfactual history (what-if scenarios)reimagining of myth and classical sourcescreativity and identity

Legacy

Walton is acclaimed for moving fluently between fantasy, science fiction and alternate history, and has won multiple major awards. Among Others won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. She is also influential as a critic and reviewer, contributing to contemporary discussions of SF through online columns.

Academic Societies

  • Mythopoeic Society (associated)
  • SF-related academic and fan communities (associated)

In Popular Culture

  • International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day (a movement around online free publishing by writers)

Quotes

  • On Welsh: "It's the second language of my family of origin, my grandmother was a well known Welsh scholar and translator, I studied it in school from five to sixteen, I have a ten-year-old's fluency on grammar and vocab but no problem whatsoever with pronunciation."
    Source: LiveJournal comment (2007) (2007)
  • She declared 23 April as International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day in response to Howard V. Hendrix's remarks about posting work online.
    Source: Online declaration (2007) (2007)

Trivia

  • She began writing at age 13 but her first novel was published in 2000.
  • Known for online essays and book criticism, contributing regularly to Tor.com.
  • Her poem "The Lurkers Support Me in E-Mail" is widely quoted online, often unattributed.
  • Has contributed to role-playing game material (e.g., GURPS Celtic Myth).
  • Won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2002 and both the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 2012 for Among Others.