Rick Cook

Rick Cook (born 1944) is a light fantasy author from the United States, best known for his Wizardry series of books. His writing includes many jokes that are hard to appreciate without having a background in systems-level programming, though the books themselves can easily be enjoyed by readers without such a background.

Published works

Novels

Wizardry series

What "Wiz" Zumwalt could do with computers was magic on Earth. Then, one day the master computer hacker is called to a different world to help fight an evil known as the "Dark League". Suddenly, the "Wiz" finds himself in a place governed by magic – and in love with a red-headed witch who despises him.

1. Wizard's Bane (1989), ISBN 0-671-69803-6
2. The Wizardry Compiled (1989), ISBN 0-671-69856-7
3. The Wizardry Cursed (1991), ISBN 0-671-72049-X
4. The Wizardry Consulted (1995), ISBN 0-671-87700-3
5. The Wizardry Quested (1996), ISBN 0-671-87708-9
6. The Wizardry Capitalized (2000), unpublished and unfinished

• The Wiz Biz (1997), ISBN 0-671-87846-8 (consists of Wizard's Bane and The Wizardry Compiled together in one volume) - according to readers' comments in online bookstores' sites, however, this compilation suffers from horrible editing, unlike the original two books.^[1]
• Wiz Biz II: Cursed and Consulted (2001), ISBN 0-671-31859-4 (consists of The Wizardry Cursed and The Wizardry Consulted together in one volume)

Cook was in the process of writing book 6 of this series (The Wizardry Capitalized), in spring 2000, when emergency heart surgery, and subsequent medication, interrupted him.^[2] The novel remains uncompleted, and Cook asked for input on his blog site as to whether or not he should publish the unfinished work. In February 2008 he announced that he has decided to present the unfinished work online.^[3][4]

Other novels

• Limbo System (1989), ISBN 0-671-69835-4

  When an Earth ship enters a star system that should have been devoid of life, the crew discovers millions of aliens living in small space habitats. And if these strange creatures manage to steal Earth's faster-than-light drive technology, they will make Machiavelli look like a kindergartner.

• Mall Purchase Night (1993), ISBN 0-671-72198-4

  Black Oak Mall was built on an elven power source, the gateway between Earth and Faery, and on the eve before May Day, security guard Andy Westlin may be the only chance of stopping the worst Faery has to offer from overrunning the Earth. (The title of this book is a play on "Walpurgis Night". A friend of Cook's says he also considered the title, A Mall and the Night Visitors.)

Short fiction

• "Fishing hole". Analog 130 (5): 64–70. May 2010.

References

1. http://www.amazon.com/Wiz-Biz-Rick-Cook/product-reviews/0671878468/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
2. "Wiz 6: The Wizard Uncompleted?"
3. "The Wizardy Uncompleted – Pt II"
4. "The Wizardy Capitalized"

External links

• Bibliography on SciFan
• Baen Free Library – Wizard's Bane and The Wizardry Compiled no longer available free
• The Wizardry Capitalized book posted online
• Rick Cook's Notebook – Rick Cook's personal blog site
• Rick Cook at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database