(1939-1998) US author, most of whose work consists of a long series of science-fantasy Space Operas of extended quests in highly coloured venues; as the years of her career passed, her work became more and more fantasy-oriented. The sequence divides into the Diadem books – Diadem from the Stars (1977), which romantically sets out the epic adventures of Aleytey, a young girl electronically attached to the power-bestowing diadem of the title, as she searches for the planet which is the home of her mother's super-race, Lamarchos (1978), Irsud (1978), Maeve (1979), Star Hunters (1980), The Nowhere Hunt (1981), Ghosthunt (1983), The Snares of Ibex (1984) and Quester's Endgame (1986); subseries followed: Shadith's Quest comprising Shadowplay (1990), Shadowspeer (1990) and Shadowkill (1991) and Shadowsong comprising Fire in the Sky (1995), The Burning Ground (1995) and Crystal Heat (1995). The speculative element in these titles does not significantly figure; but the differing venues, reminiscent of the worlds of Leigh Brackett, are depicted with some richness. Of Clayton's singletons, A Bait of Dreams: A Five-Summer Quest (coll of linked stories 1985) is fantasy, and Shadow of the Warmaster (1988) is a Space Opera with thriller elements involving a kidnapped xenologist and her immensely powerful industrialist father, who hires the protagonist to find his daughter. Clayton also wrote several fantasy sequences, all of which touch teasingly upon (but do not seriously make use of) sf elements [see Checklist below]. [JC]
Patricia Jo Clayton
born Modesto, California: 15 February 1939
died Portland, Oregon: 13 February 1998
works
series
Diadem
- Diadem from the Stars (New York: DAW Books, 1977) [Diadem: pb/Michael Whelan]
- Lamarchos (New York: DAW Books, 1978) [Diadem: pb/Michael Whelan]
- Irsud (New York: DAW Books, 1978) [Diadem: pb/Eric Ladd]
- Maeve (New York: DAW Books, 1979) [Diadem: pb/Richard Hescox]
- Star Hunters (New York: DAW Books, 1980) [Diadem: pb/Michael Mariano]
- The Nowhere Hunt (New York: DAW Books, 1981) [Diadem: pb/Ken W Kelly]
- Ghosthunt (New York: DAW Books, 1983) [Diadem: pb/Ken W Kelly]
- The Snares of Ibex (New York: DAW Books, 1984) [Diadem: pb/Segrelles]
- Quester's Endgame (New York: DAW Books, 1986) [Diadem: pb/Michael Whelan]
- Shadowplay (New York: DAW Books, 1990) [Diadem: Shadith's Quest: pb/Jody Lee]
- Shadowspeer (New York: DAW Books, 1990) [Diadem: Shadith's Quest: pb/Jody Lee]
- Shadowkill (New York: DAW Books, 1991) [Diadem: Shadith's Quest: pb/Jody Lee]
- Fire in the Sky (New York: DAW Books, 1995) [Diadem: Shadowsong: pb/Dorian Vallejo]
- The Burning Ground (New York: DAW Books, 1995) [Diadem: Shadowsong: pb/Kevin Murphy]
- Crystal Heat (New York: DAW Books, 1995) [Diadem: Shadowsong: pb/Dorian Vallejo]
Duel of Sorcery
Skeen
Soul Drinker
The Drums of Chaos
- Drum Warning (New York: Tor, 1996) [The Drums of Chaos: hb/Greg Call]
- Drum Calls (New York: Tor, 1997) [The Drums of Chaos: hb/Greg Call]
- Drum into Silence (New York: Tor, 2002) with Kevin Andrew Murphy [The Drums of Chaos: hb/Greg Call]
individual titles
links
Previous versions of this entry