Janeen Webb facts for kids

Janeen Webb is an Australian writer, critic, and editor. She is well-known for her work in the exciting worlds of science fiction and fantasy.

About Janeen Webb

Janeen Webb grew up in Charlestown, Australia. Her father was a soldier and a salesman. She went to local schools and later studied at the University of Newcastle. There, she earned a special degree in literature in 1983. For many years, she taught literature at a university in Melbourne, Victoria.

Her Work as an Editor

Janeen Webb has been involved in editing many important books and magazines. From 1987 to 1991, she helped edit Australian Science Fiction Review. She is also on the advisory board for Science Fiction Studies, a magazine about science fiction.

One of her most famous projects was co-editing a huge collection of Australian science fiction and fantasy stories called Dreaming Down-Under. She worked on this with her husband, Jack Dann. This book was so good that it won a World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology, which is a very big award in the fantasy world! It also won a 1999 Ditmar Award.

She also helped edit other books, like Aliens & Savages: Fiction, Politics and Prejudice (1998) and The Fantastic Self (1999). These books explored ideas about fiction and how we see ourselves. She worked on these with her friend and colleague, Andrew Enstice.

Books for Young Readers

Janeen Webb is currently writing a series of novels especially for young adults, called The Sinbad Chronicles. These books are exciting adventures! The first two books in this series are Sailing to Atlantis (2001) and The Silken Road to Samarkand (2003).

In 1995, Janeen married Jack Dann, who is also a science fiction author from America. They live together in rural Victoria, Australia.

Janeen Webb's Books and Stories

Janeen Webb has written and edited many different types of books and stories.

Novels

The Sinbad Chronicles

• Sailing to Atlantis (2001)
• The Silken Road to Samarkand (2003)

Dragons of Hong Kong

• The Dragon's Child (2018) – This is a shorter novel, called a novella.
• The Gold-Jade Dragon (2020)

Short Stories

Janeen Webb has written many short stories that have appeared in different collections. Some of these include:

• "Death at the Blue Elephant" (1996)
• "Niagara Falling" (1997, with Jack Dann)
• "Incident on Wolfe Street" (1998)
• "Ali Baba and the Forty Aliens" (2000) – This story retells a classic fairy tale with a new twist!
• "The Fire-eater's Tale" (2000, with Jack Dann)
• "Gawain and the Selkie's Daughter" (2002)
• "Tigershow" (2003)
• "Blake's Angel" (2003)
• "Red City" (2004)
• "The Lion Hunt" (2004)
• "A Faust Films Production" (2004)
• "Paradise Design'd" (2008)
• "Future Perfect" (2014)
• Death and the Blue Elephant (2014) – This is a collection of 18 of her short stories.

Edited Books

• Dreaming Down-Under (1998), edited with Jack Dann – This is a collection of stories by different authors.
• Yellow Wave: A Romance of the Asiatic Invasion of Australia, by Kenneth Mackay (2003), edited with Andrew Enstice – This is an older novel from 1895 that they helped prepare for new readers.
• Aliens & Savages: Fiction, Politics and Prejudice in Australia (1998), written with Andrew Enstice
• Fantastic Self: Essays on the Subject of the Self (1999), edited with Andrew Enstice