Dan Simmons, the award-winning author of more than 30 novels spanning science fiction, horror and political thrillers, has died at the age of 77. He passed away in Longmont, Colorado on 21 February, with his wife and daughter at his side, according to his obituary.
Simmons was best known for his 1989 science fiction novel Hyperion, which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel and a Locus Award. He later wrote three sequels. His 2007 novel The Terror, a fictionalised account of the doomed Franklin expedition, was adapted into a critically acclaimed television series in 2018.
Born in Peoria, Illinois in 1948, Simmons worked as an elementary school teacher for 18 years in Missouri, New York and Colorado, where he was once a finalist for Colorado Teacher of the Year. His obituary noted that he would tell his students daily instalments of an epic tale, which later became his Hyperion Cantos.
Simmons's first novel, Song of Kali, was published in 1985. His other works include Carrion Comfort, Summer of Night, Ilium, Olympos and Drood. His 2011 political thriller Flashback drew criticism for its dystopian vision, which Simmons defended by noting he had written a similar story in 1991 targeting the Reagan era.
Over his career, Simmons won two World Fantasy Awards, a dozen Locus Awards and several Bram Stoker Awards. His obituary described him as a profoundly curious learner who defied literary norms and wrote across genres.
