KIM STANLEY ROBINSON is an American writer of science fiction. He has published 19 novels and many short stories but is best known for his Mars books. His work has been translated into 24 languages. Many of his novels and stories have ecological, cultural, and political themes running through them and feature scientists as heroes. Robinson has won numerous awards, including the Hugo Award for Best Novel, the Nebula Award for Best Novel and the World Fantasy Award. Robinson’s work has been labeled by The Atlantic as "the gold-standard of realistic, and highly literary, science-fiction writing." According to an article in The New Yorker, Robinson is "generally acknowledged as one of the greatest living science-fiction writers." CECELIA HOLLAND is an American historical fiction author, also well-known for her science fiction novel, Floating Worlds. Her first novel, The Firedrake, was published in 1966, and Holland has been a full-time professional writer ever since. Her character-driven plots, scrupulously researched, are often developed from the viewpoint of a male protagonist. With plenty of action (her battle scenes are noteworthy for their bottom-up viewpoint and understated verisimilitude), her work focuses primarily on the life of the mind—whatever that might mean in a particular culture—and especially on politics, in the broadest sense, whatever politics might be in a monarchical, feudal or tribal society. Holland lives in rural Humboldt County, CA. For ten years, Holland taught creative writing classes at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, CA. She was visiting professor of English at Connecticut College in 1979. Holland was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1981–1982.