Writer Andrew J. Offutt died 30 April 2013. Born Andrew Jefferson Offutt V on 16 August 1934 in Lexington, Kentucky, he wrote and edited fantasy, science fiction, and erotica, and was nominated for four Balrog awards in 1979 and 1980. He wrote under several versions of his own name, as well as a dozen or more pseudonyms and house names.

Offutt’s first published story was “And Gone Tomorrow”, which appeared in If in 1954, but he considered the beginning of his professional career to be “Blacksword”, which came out five years later in Galaxy. He’d written several novels under house names before his first self-bylined novel, Evil is Live Spelled Backwards (1970). He went on to write more original books, as well as several Conan novels.

He was one of the original Thieves’ World authors, creating the character Hanse Shadowspawn, and he returned to the series with its Lynn Abbey-directed relaunch last decade. He also wrote or co-wrote the War of the Gods on Earth series and the War of the Wizards series.

Offutt also edited five volumes in the Swords Against Darkness series, between 1977 and 1979.

He was President of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1976 to 1978.

See this page for his bibliography.

Offutt is survived by his wife of more than 55 years, Jodie McCabe, four children, and five grandchildren.