John Birmingham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Birmingham
|
|
|---|---|
Birmingham at the Javits Exhibition Center in February 2009, attending the New York Comic Con.
|
|
| Born | 7 August 1964 Liverpool, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Writer, author |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Alma mater | University of Queensland |
| Genre | Non-fiction, military science fiction, alternate history, urban fantasy |
| Years active | 1994–present |
John Birmingham, born on August 7, 1964, is an author from Australia. He was born in the United Kingdom. He is famous for his memoir He Died with a Felafel in His Hand. He also wrote the exciting Axis of Time series and the Cruel Stars space adventure books.
About John Birmingham
John Birmingham was born in Liverpool, United Kingdom. In 1970, he moved to Australia with his parents. He grew up in Ipswich, Queensland.
His Education and Early Jobs
John went to St Edmund's College in Ipswich. He also studied at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. For a short time, he worked as a researcher. This job was at the Australian Department of Defence. He also worked for a TV show called A Current Affair.
John's Writing Career
John Birmingham went back to Queensland to study law. But he decided to become a writer instead. He has a degree in international relations. Today, he lives in Brisbane, Australia.
How He Started Writing
John's first stories were in Semper Floreat. This was the student newspaper at the University of Queensland. He wrote about a character named Commander Harrison Biscuit. He also wrote for magazines like Rolling Stone Australia.
In 1994, John released his book He Died with a Felafel in His Hand. This book is about living in a shared house. It became very popular. It was even made into a play, a movie, and a graphic novel.
The next book was The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco in 1997. The play version of this book was very successful. It became the longest-running play in Australian history.
Other Interesting Books
John also wrote The Search for Savage Henry. This is a crime novel featuring Harrison Biscuit. He wrote How To Be a Man, a funny guide to being a man in Australia.
He spent four years researching the history of Sydney. This research became the book Leviathan: the Unauthorised Biography of Sydney. This book won a big award in 2002. The Sydney Theatre Company even made a play based on Leviathan.
John has also written for important magazines. These include Quarterly Essays and The Monthly. He often shares his thoughts on different topics.
In 2015, John decided to publish his own books. This was a new way for him to share his stories. He published three novellas called Stalin's Hammer. He also released a new novel, A Girl in Time.
The Axis of Time Series
In 2004, John published Weapons of Choice. This was the first book in his Axis of Time series. It's a type of story called alternate history. This means it imagines what if history happened differently.
The series is about a peacekeeping force from the 21st century. They travel back in time to 1942. Their arrival completely changes World War II.
The second book, Designated Targets, came out in 2005. The third book, Final Impact, was released in 2006.
The Axis of Time series continued with new stories. In 2013, he released Stalin's Hammer: Rome. This was followed by Stalin's Hammer: Cairo and Stalin's Hammer: Paris in 2016. These novellas were later put together into one book.
In 2023, a new book in the series, World War 3.1, was published. It continues the story from Stalin's Hammer.
The Disappearance Series
Without Warning was released in 2008. This book starts a new story universe. It explores what would happen if most of the United States' population disappeared. This event is called "The Wave."
The book looks at how other countries would react. The second book, After America, came out in 2010. The third book, Angels of Vengeance, was released in 2011.
The Cruel Stars Trilogy
This is a space adventure series. The first book, The Cruel Stars, was published in 2019. The second book, The Shattered Skies, came out in 2022. The third book in this series is called The Forever Dead.
Awards and Recognition
John Birmingham's book Designated Targets was a finalist for the 2005 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.
The Shattered Skies was nominated for a Dragon Award in 2022. It was recognized in the Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel category.
John Birmingham's Books
Non-fiction Books
- He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (1994)
- The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco (1998)
- Leviathan: The Un-authorised Biography of Sydney (1999)
- How to be a Man (co-authored with Dirk Flinthart) (2000)
- Appeasing Jakarta: Australia's complicity in the East Timor Tragedy (2001)
- A Time for War: Australia as a Military Power (2005)
- How to be a Writer: who smashes deadlines, crushes editors and lives in a solid gold hovercraft (2016)
- Stranger Thingies: From Felafel to Now (2018)
- On Father (2019)
Fiction Books
Axis of Time Series
- Weapons of Choice (2004)
- Designated Targets (2005)
- Final Impact (2006)
- Stalin's Hammer: Rome (2012), novella
- Stalin's Hammer: Cairo (2016), ebook only novella
- Stalin's Hammer: Paris (2016), ebook only novella
- Stalin's Hammer: The Complete Sequence (2017), all three novellas in one book
- World War 3.1: A Novel of the Axis of Time (2023)
The Disappearance Series
- Without Warning (2008)
- After America (2010)
- Angels of Vengeance (2011)
David Hooper Trilogy
(Also known as Dave vs. The Monsters)
- Emergence (2015)
- Resistance (2015)
- Ascendance (2015)
- The Protocol for Monsters (2016), ebook only novella
- Soul Full of Guns (2016), ebook only novella
- The Demons of Butte Crack County (2017) (Anthology)
A Girl in Time Series
- A Girl in Time (2016)
- The Golden Minute – A Girl in Time Novel (2018)
End of Days Series
- Zero Day Code (2019)
- Fail State (2019)
- American Kill Switch (2021)
The Cruel Stars Series
- Novels:
- The Cruel Stars (2019)
- The Shattered Skies (January 2022)
- The Javan War (September 2024), with Jason Lambright, an origin story for Lucinda Hardy.
- The Forever Dead (To Be Determined)
- Short stories:
- Parade Rest (August 2022) – A free short story prequel about Lucinda Hardy's time as a cadet.
Other Novels
- Sleeper Agent (February 2024)
Short Stories
- Fortune and Glory (2015), published in The Change: Tales of Downfall and Rebirth.
- The Finishers (November 2023), a free short story.
