Dibell, Ansen
Entry updated 15 June 2026. Tagged: Author.
Pseudonym of US author Nancy Ann Dibble (1942-2006) whose sf sequence, the Strange and Fantastic History of the King of Kantmorie, comprises five Planetary Romances, though only the first three – Pursuit of the Screamer (1978), Circle, Crescent, Star (1981) and Summerfair (1982) – have appeared in their original language. For English readers, the outcome of the sequence will remain unclear, along with its potential stature as a work of art, until the appearance in English of the final volumes, «Tidestorm Limit» and «The Sun of Return» [see Checklist below for translated Dutch and French titles]. The sequence is set in a world inhabited by Genetically Engineered races in exile from a forgotten galactic civilization, along with a dying group of Clones, and intimately affected by an organic Computer named Shai which (or who) is also an animate Spaceship; Shai eventually offers the male protagonist the opportunity of Space Flight, but the outcome of the sequence is unclear, especially with regard to the "households" whose female residents share ESP powers, specifically that of Empathy. The resemblance to aspects of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover sequence may diminish in the volumes not published in English.
As Nan Dibble this author also published Beyond Words, Beyond Silence (1992), a novel Tied to the Television series Beauty and the Beast (1987-1990). [JC]
Nancy Ann Dibble
born New York: 8 September 1942
died Cincinnati, Ohio: 7 March 2006
works
series
Strange and Fantastic History of the King of Kantmorie
- Pursuit of the Screamer (New York: DAW Books, 1978) [Strange and Fantastic History of the King of Kantmorie: pb/Gino D'Achille]
- Circle, Crescent, Star (New York: DAW Books, 1981) [Strange and Fantastic History of the King of Kantmorie: pb/Ken W Kelly]
- Summerfair (New York: DAW Books, 1982) [Strange and Fantastic History of the King of Kantmorie: pb/Ken W Kelly]
- Stormvloedgrens (Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Meulenhoff, 1983) [trans by Walter B Relsky of unpublished English manuscript of «Tidestorm Limit»: Strange and Fantastic History of the King of Kantmorie: pb/Don Maitz]
- Aux Confins de l'ouragan (Paris: Paris Editions OPTA/Collection club du libre d'anticipation, 1985) [trans by Daniel Lemoine of unpublished English manuscript of «Tidestorm Limit»: Strange and Fantastic History of the King of Kantmorie: pb/Ken W Kelly]
- Gift van de Shai (Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Meulenhoff, 1985) [trans by Walter B Relsky of unpublished English manuscript of «The Sun of Return»: Strange and Fantastic History of the King of Kantmorie: pb/John Harris]
- Le soleil de grand retour (Paris: Paris Editions OPTA/Collection club du libre d'anticipation, 1985) [trans by Daniel Lemoine of unpublished English manuscript of «The Sun of Return»: Strange and Fantastic History of the King of Kantmorie: pb/Jean-Claude Hadi]
individual titles
- Beyond Words, Beyond Silence (Massapequa Park, New York: Cinemaker Press, 1992) as by Nan Dibble [tie to the television series: Beauty and the Beast: pb/Kevin Barnes]
nonfiction
- Plot: (Elements of Fiction Writing) (Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer's Digest Books, 1988) [nonfiction: pb/]
- Word Processing Secrets for Writers (Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer's Digest Books, 1989) with Michael A Banks [nonfiction: pb/]
works as editor
- Cosmic Critiques: How and Why Ten Science fiction Stories Work (Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer's Digest Books, 1990) with Isaac Asimov and Martin Harry Greenberg [nonfiction: anth: pb/]
links
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