Fred Saberhagen is one of my all time favorite authors. Born May 18, 1930, died June 29, 2007. He was the author of the famous Berzerker series of science fiction stories, and also had a serious knack for taking established stories and giving them his own unique twist. His stories had a significant impact on my own writing, and freed my imagination from the restraints that many people place on their own imaginings.
As much as I love his Berzerker stories (regarding massive planet-sized robots fighting a nearly exterminated humanity), it was his re-imaginings of classical mythology that worked on me the greatest. The Book of Swords, the Face of the Gods, took mythology and twisted them into very nearly making complete sense in a practical way. He did the same with Dracula, giving that myth a realness that is absolutely incredible. I love how his stories came alive with a reality that I couldn't find in any other writer.
More than any other writer, Fred Saberhagen taught me how to infuse my stories with imagination. He taught me not to fear twisting perceptions and gaming the reader. I learned an enormous amount from him, and it pains me that we will never see another word from him. He was one of a kind, and I am grateful I saw him, at least a little bit, running around behind the words on the page.
- M
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