Sam Sykes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Born
Sam Watkins
OccupationNovelist
Notable works
  • Aeons' Gate series
  • Bring Down Heaven series
  • The Grave of Empires series
Sam Sykes
Sykes at WonderCon 2017
Sykes at WonderCon 2017
Born
Sam Watkins
OccupationNovelist
GenreEpic fantasy
Notable works
  • Aeons' Gate series
  • Bring Down Heaven series
  • The Grave of Empires series
ParentsDiana Gabaldon (mother)
Doug Watkins (father)
RelativesTony Gabaldon (grandfather)
Website
www.samsykes.com

Sam Watkins[1] is an American epic fantasy writer who publishes fiction as Sam Sykes.

He is the son of Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series.[1]

His debut trilogy of novels, the Aeons' Gate series, was appreciated by critics for its characterization and dialogue, and for its deconstruction of standard fantasy tropes, but criticized for its meandering, derivative plot.[2][3]

Controversy

In 2020, multiple authors, including Megan O'Keefe,[4] accused Sykes of making "gross, sexual comments" at various conventions over the years. Sykes issued an apology, acknowledging "the harm [he] caused through [his] vulgar and sexual words, [his] poor judgment and [his] lack of respect for [his] colleagues."[5] In response, his publisher Orbit Books announced that they would not be acquiring further books from Sykes and would not be arranging or supporting any public appearances for Sykes, including at conventions.[6] Both Sykes and Orbit Books pledged to donate a portion of the profits from Sykes' books.

Bibliography

References

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