Jerry Pournelle Dies at the Age of 84

Jerry Pournelle has died at the age of 84 years. He will be remembered by technology enthusiasts as a person who wrote witty columns for computer users. Jerry Pournelle will also be remembered for his role in science fiction where he wrote several novels. Jerry Pournelle died at his Los Angeles home and news about his death was announced by Philip Pournelle who is his son. Philip revealed that his dad had just returned from Atlanta where he had gone for the Dragon Con. For starters, this is a convention that is held on a yearly basis with the aim of connecting fantasy fans and science fiction fans. He talked about contacting a cold during the travel in his last blog post. Jerry Pournelle held many degrees including a Ph.D. in political science. Earlier in his life, he was involved with the aerospace industry. He also worked as an advisor to the federal government on issues related to space exploration and military matters. In the field of science fiction, Jerry Pournelle is remembered as the person who wrote Janissaries in 1979. For starters, this is a book that talks about how soldiers were abducted by aliens. He will also be remembered as the author of Starswarm. This is a 1998 novel that talks about a boy raised in space by a computer program known as Gwen and his uncle. Gwen had been left behind by his mother.

He also collaborated with other authors to produce science fiction book. His favorite collaborator was Larry Niven, and the two wrote several books such as The Mote in God’s Eye in 1975. This is a book that covered an outer space saga. Two years later, the two wrote another book known as Lucifer’s Hammer that discusses an attempt to regroup by humans. In 1976, the two also wrote a book called Inferno. Their last collaboration was in the year 2009 when they wrote a book inspired by hell known as Escape from Hell. Jerry Pournelle made a name for himself by writing lively columns for the Byte Magazine. In these articles, he discussed software and personal computer. Jerry Pournelle was born on 7th August 1933 in the Louisiana city of Shreveport. While his mother was a teacher, his father was an executive who specialized in radio advertisement. He grew up in rural Tennessee where he attended small schools. He acquired his education from reading a family book known as Encyclopedia Britannica.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/obituaries/jerry-pournelle-science-fiction-novelist-and-computer-guide-dies-at-84.html