R.I.P.: Andrew J. Offutt 1934-2013

Saddened by the news of andrew j. offutt's passing.  Having only recently drunk deeply from the Advanced Dungeon And Dragons Appendix N well, Mr. offutt's novels hold a nostalgic special place for me, as they was among the first of the fantasy titles to be explored.  This obituary appears on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Webpage:

In Memoriam: andrew j. offutt

Former SFWA President andrew j. offutt (b.1934) died on April 30.  Offutt began publishing in 1954 when his story “And Gone Tomorrow” was published in If. Although he had previously published novels under the house names J. X. Williams and John Cleve, his first science fiction novel published using his own name was Evil is Live Spelled Backwards in 1970.  He followed this up in the 1970s with a series of Howardesque novels in the Cormac Mac Art series as well as three Conan the Barbarian novels.  Offutt was one of the original Thieves’ World authors, creating the character of Hanse Shadowspawn, who also appeared in two spin-off novels. Offutt returned to the series when Lynn Abbey relaunched it in the early 2000s. Although most of his novels published under his own name were fantasies, including the War of the Gods on Earth series and the War of the Wizards, co-written with his frequent collaborator Richard Lyon, Offutt continued to write science fiction under the name John Cleve through the mid-1980s.  In addition to writing, Offutt edited five volumes of the Swords Against Darkness series between 1977 and 1979, which included Charles de Lint’s first professional sale.  Offutt served as toastmaster at the 1974 Worldcon banquet and the following year was named guest of honor at Midwestcon, the only guest of honor that con has ever named.  He was also the semi-permanent toastmaster, along with Wilson Tucker, at Chambanacon and was the toastmaster at DeepSouthCon in 1986 when he was presented with the Phoenix Award.  Offutt served two terms as President of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1976 to 1978.

I've already finished reading the War Of The Wizards series - Demon In The Mirror, The Eyes Of Sarsis, and Web Of The Spider.

I have decided, in honor of this capable swords and sorcery author (may his blade never dull and spell never fail) to delve into another of andrew j. offutt's book series, that one featuring Cormac mac Art, a Robert E. Howard creation that gets a full, six-book treatment by Offutt.  First up:  The Undying Wizard.  I'll let you know how it turns out, once I'm done.

andrew j. offutt, R.I.P.