Biography

Tony Ballantyne is the author of the Recursion series of novels as well as many acclaimed short stories that have appeared in magazines and anthologies around the world. He has been nominated for BSFA and Philip K Dick awards.

He is currently working on the Penrose series of novels, dealing with a planet where robot life has (possibly) evolved.  Twisted Metal, the first in the series is out in paperback in June 2010, Blood and Iron, the follow up appears in hardback at the same time.

 Blood and Iron

“Engrossing and Original.  Blood and Iron is a subtle critique of colonialism, a graphic account of opponents sliding towards conflict, and a fascinating mystery: just what is the relationship between the human race and the robots of Penrose?”

-Guardian

“An absorbingly written novel that finds new and inventive ways to ask some classic SF ‘what if?’ questions”

-SFX

Twisted Metal

“Written in a deceptively simple style, Twisted Metal is not only highly readable, but surprisingly thoughtful.  Ballantyne’s creation of a world of robots allows him to focus on the beliefs that we humans have about ourselves from an entertainingly different perspective.”

–The Times

“Ballantyne’s fourth novel is an original work with a distinctive voice.  It works not only as a thrilling action adventure, but as a thought experiment exploring free will, independence and totalitarianism.”

- The Guardian

Divergence

“Full of invention and ideas, guaranteed to revive a sense of wonder.”

–The Times

“Ballantyne handles an intricate future skillfully and oddly hopefully … maintaining a fine balance between good characterization and a fast-paced plot.”

—Booklist

Capacity

“A techno-thriller that aspires to be more than just detective fiction with gadgetry, Capacity successfully tackles themes like free will, accountability, and the nature of human consciousness… It’s to Ballantyne’s credit that these weighty issues never threaten to occlude the individual characters, or to overshadow the sometimes painful attachment you feel for them.”

-Strange Horizons

“Tony Ballantyne lets seasoned hard SF and fans of cyberpunk have it with both barrels in a zero compromise, take no prisoners, novel. Richly plotted and drawing upon many SF tropes, Capacity is so epic in ambition and scope that the unprepared reader might be excused a passing sense of vertigo…”

-Concatenation

Recursion

“Overflowing with provocative ideas, Ballantyne’s debut displays enviable mastery of both suspenseful storytelling and technological extrapolation.  Mark him as a writer of considerable promise”

-Booklist

“An exceptional first novel.  A new British writer has arrived to join the likes of Hamilton, Reynolds and Banks”

-Vector