George Alec Effinger books

George Alec Effinger was an American science fiction author best known for the Budayeen Cycle, a cyberpunk series set in a fictional Middle Eastern city.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Orbit 11 1972 Buy
Wandering Stars: An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy and Science Fiction 1973 Buy
Alternate Kennedys 1992 N/A
Ascents of Wonder 1977 Buy
Alternate Warriors 1993 N/A
Study War No More 1977 Buy
Alternate Outlaws 1994 N/A
Alpha 7 1977 Buy
Alternate Tyrants 1997 N/A
Galaxy Science Fiction, September-October 1979 1979 Buy
Laughing Space: An Anthology of Science Fiction Humor 1982 Buy
The Best Science Fiction of the Year 12 1983 Buy
The Year’s Best Fantasy Stories 12 1986 Buy
Friends of the Horseclans 1987 Buy
Robert Adams’ Book of Alternate Worlds 1987 Buy
Barbarians 2 1988 Buy
Tropical Chills: Fourteen Tales of Scorching Horror to Make Your Blood Run Cold 1988 Buy
The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Sixth Annual Collection 1989 Buy
Isaac Asimov’s Fantasy! 1989 Buy
Inside the Funhouse 1992 Buy
South From Midnight 1994 Buy
War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches 1996 Buy
Don’t Forget Your Spacesuit, Dear 1996 Buy

Author’s Choice Monthly Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Old Funny Stuff 1989 Buy
Daily Voices 1989 N/A
Heroines 1990 Buy
Peripheral Vision 1990 Buy
Swatting at the Cosmos 1990 Buy
Neon Twilight 1990 Buy
Tales from a Vanished Country 1990 Buy
True Minds 1990 Buy
Hedgework & Guessery 1991 Buy
Unthreatened by the Morning Light 1991 Buy
Stories by Mama Lansdales Youngest Boy 1991 Buy
Nine Hard Questions About the Nature of the Universe 1991 Buy
It’s Been Fun 1991 Buy

Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Mixed Feelings 1974 Buy
Irrational Numbers 1976 Buy
Dirty Tricks 1978 Buy
Idle Pleasures 1983 Buy
Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson 1993 Buy
Budayeen Nights 2003 Buy
Live! from Planet Earth 2005 Buy
A Thousand Deaths 2007 Buy
Bliss-Bestowing Hands 2016 Buy

Heroes in Hell Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Rebels In Hell 1986 Buy
Heroes in Hell 1986 Buy
The Gates of Hell 1986 Buy
Masters in Hell 1987 Buy
Kings in Hell 1987 Buy
Crusaders in Hell 1987 Buy
Legions of Hell 1987 Buy
Angels in Hell 1987 Buy
The Little Helliad 1988 Buy
War in Hell 1988 Buy
Prophets in Hell 1989 Buy
Explorers in Hell 1989 Buy
Bridge Over Hell 2009 Buy
Lawyers in Hell 2011 Buy
Rogues in Hell 2012 Buy
Dreamers in Hell 2013 Buy
Poets in Hell 2014 Buy
Doctors in Hell 2015 Buy
Hell Bound 2015 Buy
Pirates in Hell 2017 Buy
Hell Hounds 2017 Buy
Lovers in Hell 2018 Buy
Hell Gate 2019 Buy
Mystics in Hell 2021 Buy
Liars in Hell 2022 Buy
Monsters in Hell 2024 Buy

Infocom Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Planetfall 1988 Buy
Wishbringer 1988 Buy
Enchanter 1989 Buy
Stationfall 1989 Buy
The Zork Chronicles 1990 Buy
The Lost City of Zork 1991 Buy

Planet of the Apes Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Man the Fugitive 1974 Buy
Planet of the Apes Omnibus 1 2017 N/A
Escape to Tomorrow 1975 Buy
Journey Into Terror 1975 Buy
Planet of the Apes Omnibus: Volume 3 2017 N/A
Lord of the Apes 1976 Buy
Planet of the Apes Omnibus: Volume 4 2018 N/A

Short Stories/Novellas

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Schrödinger’s Kitten 1988 Buy
Everything But Honor (in Asimov’s) 1989 Buy
The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything & Target 2011 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
What Entropy Means to Me 1972 Buy
Relatives 1973 Buy
Nightmare Blue 1975 Buy
Those Gentle Voices 1976 Buy
Felicia 1976 Buy
Death in Florence / Utopia 3 1978 Buy
Heroics 1979 Buy
The Wolves Of Memory 1981 Buy
Shadow Money 1988 Buy
Look Away 1990 Buy
The Red Tape War 1991 Buy
Trinity: Hope-Sacrifice-Unity 1997 Buy

The Budayeen Cycle Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
When Gravity Fails 1986 Buy
A Fire in the Sun 1990 Buy
The Exile Kiss 1991 Buy

The Nick of Time Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Nick of Time 1985 Buy
The Bird of Time 1986 Buy

George Alec Effinger (1947-2002) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He published prolifically from the early 1970s until his death, producing novels, short stories, and novelizations. His most acclaimed work is the Budayeen Cycle, a cyberpunk series set in a fictional city loosely based on the French Quarter of New Orleans reimagined through an Islamic cultural lens.

Effinger won the Hugo and Nebula Awards for his short story “Schrodinger’s Kitten” in 1989. He also wrote Planet of the Apes novelizations, Infocom game tie-in novels, and contributed to the shared-world Heroes in Hell anthology series. Despite chronic health problems that slowed his output in later years, he remained a respected figure in the science fiction community.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has George Alec Effinger written?

George Alec Effinger has written 104 books across ten series.

What was George Alec Effinger's first book?

George Alec Effinger’s first book is Orbit 11, published in 1972.

What is George Alec Effinger best known for?

Effinger is best known for the Budayeen Cycle, a cyberpunk trilogy beginning with When Gravity Fails (1986). Set in a futuristic Middle Eastern city, the series won wide praise for its blending of hard-boiled detective fiction with cyberpunk technology and Islamic culture.

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