Edward Cline

American novelist

Author
writer
blogger

Genre

Historical fiction
detective fiction
politics

Years active1972–2019Notable worksSparrowhawk series

Edward Cline (October 22, 1946 – 2023)^[1]^[2] was an American novelist and essayist. An Objectivist, he was best known for his Sparrowhawk series of novels, which were set in England and Virginia before the American Revolutionary War.^[3]^[4] He also wrote numerous detective novels, and was noted as a critic of Islam on his blog The Rules of Reason.^[5]

Background

Cline was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and attended South Texas Junior College.^[1] He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1964 to 1965.^[1] He was active as a writer from 1972, and worked numerous different jobs, including in "factories, construction, airline and publishing communications, inventory management, banking, computer sales, insurance, and as a computer screen designer, book editor, copyeditor, and proofreader."^[1]

Books and writing

Apart from the Sparrowhawk series,^[6]^[7] Cline's other fiction included a contemporary detective series (featuring Chess Hanrahan, who solves paradoxical murders),^[8] a suspense series (featuring American entrepreneur Merritt Fury),^[9] and a period detective series (featuring Cyrus Skeen in 1920s San Francisco).^[10]

Cline was also known for his writings on aesthetics, his defenses of capitalism and of free speech, and his criticisms of contemporary political trends and of Islam (and religion in general). As a writer, his strongest influence was the novelist Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism.^[11] Cline wrote on freedom of speech and censorship issues for The Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science and The Journal of Information Ethics.^[1] He wrote feature and cover stories, as well as book reviews, for Marine Corps League Magazine, The Colonial Williamsburg Journal, The Wall Street Journal, and The Intellectual Activist.^[1] His article on English political philosopher John Locke was carried in two editions of Western Civilization (McGraw-Hill).^[1] He wrote the Rules of Reason blog, and his columns also appeared in Capitalism Magazine, Family Security Matters, and other blog sites.^[11] He also wrote a "counter-jihad handbook" about Islam.^[12]

In May 2016, Cline was informed by the FBI that his name was on a list of over 8,000 names that was characterized as an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) kill list. Cline's landlord promptly evicted him from his Williamsburg, Virginia apartment. In an interview with Vocativ Cline said, "The situation is unprecedented in my lifetime experience. I've never before been evicted or thrown under the bus for what I think and write."^[5] According to Vocativ, Cline had "spent the last 15 years raging against Islam and the existential threat he believes it poses to western civilization." A fundraising in support of Cline raised more than $14,000, after his story was covered by online outlets such as FrontPage Magazine and Gates of Vienna.^[5]

Cline is reported to have died in 2023.^[2]

Bibliography

Sparrowhawk series

Sparrowhawk One: Jack Frake, MacAdam/Cage Publishing, 2001, ISBN 1-931561-00-1
Sparrowhawk Two: Hugh Kenrick MacAdam/Cage Publishing, 2002 ISBN 1-931561-20-6
Sparrowhawk Three: Caxton, MacAdam/Cage Publishing, 2004, ISBN 1-931561-53-2
Sparrowhawk Four: Empire, MacAdam/Cage Publishing, 2004, ISBN 1-931561-87-7
Sparrowhawk Five: Revolution, MacAdam/Cage, 2005, ISBN 1-59692-154-4
Sparrowhawk Six: War, MacAdam/Cage, 2007, ISBN 1-59692-198-6
Sparrowhawk Companion (in collaboration with Jena Trammell, editor), MacAdam/Cage, 2008, ISBN 978-1-59692-261-7

Chess Hanrahan series

First Prize, Chess Hanrahan, #1, Mysterious Press/Warner Book, 1988, ISBN 0-89296-291-7
Presence of Mind, Chess Hanrahan, #2, Perfect Crime Books, 2010, ISBN 978-0-9825157-0-9
Honors Due, Chess Hanrahan, #3, Perfect Crime Books, 2011, ISBN 978-1-935797-14-2
With Distinction, Chess Hanrahan, #4, Perfect Crime Books, 2012, ISBN 978-1-935797-21-0

Merritt Fury series

Whisper the Guns, Merritt Fury, #1 Atlantean Press, 1992, ISBN 0-9626854-2-9
We Three Kings, Merritt Fury, #2, Atlantean Press, 1994, ISBN 978-0962685453
Run From Judgment, Merritt Fury, #3, Patrick Henry Press, 2012, ISBN 978-148-1248709

Cyrus Skeen series

China Basin, Cyrus Skeen, #1, Patrick Henry Press, 2011, ISBN 978-1481182201
The Head of Athena, Cyrus Skeen, #2, Patrick Henry Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1481202466
The Daedâlus Conspiracy, Cyrus Skeen, #3, Patrick Henry Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1481208772
The Chameleon, Cyrus Skeen, #4, Patrick Henry Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1481212625
A Crimson Overture, Cyrus Skeen, #5, Patrick Henry Press, 2013, ISBN 978-1492251972
The Black Stone, Cyrus Skeen, #6, Patrick Henry Press, 2014, ISBN 978-1494974626
The Pickwick Affair, Cyrus Skeen, #7, Patrick Henry Press, 2014, ISBN 978-1500217167
Silver Screens, Cyrus Skeen, #8, Patrick Henry Press, 2015, ISBN 978-1508772019
The Circles of Odin, Cyrus Skeen, #9, Patrick Henry Press, 2015, ISBN 978-1511441599
Sleight of Hand, Cyrus Skeen, #10, Patrick Henry Press, 2015, ISBN 978-1511786881
Stolen Words, Cyrus Skeen, #11, Patrick Henry Press, 2015, ISBN 978-1514248706
An August Interlude, Cyrus Skeen, #12, Patrick Henry Press, 2015, ISBN 978-1516876051
Wintery Discontent, Cyrus Skeen, #13, Patrick Henry Press, 2015 ISBN 978-1517491505
Manhattan Blues, Cyrus Skeen, #14, Patrick Henry Press, 2016 ISBN 978-1523381814
The Janus Affair, Cyrus Skeen, #15, Patrick Henry Press, 2016 ISBN 978-1530042562
First Things, Cyrus Skeen, #16, Patrick Henry Press, 2016 ISBN 978-1530496273
Civic Affairs, Cyrus Skeen, #17, Patrick Henry Press, 2016 ISBN 978-1530849468
Exegesis, Cyrus Skeen, #18, Patrick Henry Press, 2016 ISBN 978-1533003478
Seeing Double, Cyrus Skeen, #19, Patrick Henry Press, 2016 ISBN 978-1537136288
Trichotomy, Cyrus Skeen, #20, Patrick Henry Press, 2016 ISBN 978-1537649535
Beginnings, Cyrus Skeen, #21, Patrick Henry Press, 2016 ISBN 978-1539699354
Reciprocity, Cyrus Skeen, #22, Patrick Henry Press, 2016 ISBN 978-1530496273
Saving Athena, Cyrus Skeen, #23, Patrick Henry Press, 2017 ISBN 978-1541389830
Split Infinitives, Cyrus Skeen, #24, Patrick Henry Press, 2017 ISBN 978-1542843089
Passions, Cyrus Skeen, #25, Patrick Henry Press, 2017 ISBN 978-1544251967
Celebrity News, Cyrus Skeen, #26, Patrick Henry Press, 2017 ISBN 978-1544903026
Inquest, Cyrus Skeen, #27, Patrick Henry Press, 2017 ISBN 978-1546836230
Double Entendre, Cyrus Skeen, #28, Patrick Henry Press, 2017 ISBN 978-1974664009
Sufferance, Cyrus Skeen, #29, Patrick Henry Press, 2017 ISBN 978-1976594854
Warlocks, Cyrus Skeen, #30, Patrick Henry Press, 2017
The Skeen Chronicles, Cyrus Skeen, #31, Patrick Henry Press, 2017 ISBN 978-1979109109
Reprisals, Cyrus Skeen Detective, #32, Patrick Henry Press, 2017 ISBN 978-1979435604
The Pendulum, Cyrus Skeen, #33, Patrick Henry Press, 2017 ISBN 978-1981342969
School Days, Cyrus Skeen, #34, Patrick Henry Press, 2018 ISBN 978-1983486142
Breakdown, Cyrus Skeen, #36, Patrick Henry Press, 2018
The Gumshoe Guild, Cyrus Skeen, #37, Patrick Henry Press, 2018 ISBN 978-1986064071
Serenity, Cyrus Skeen, #38, Patrick Henry Press, 2018 ISBN 978-1987639087
Chicago Serenade, Cyrus Skeen, #39, Patrick Henry Press, 2018 ISBN 978-1724231536
Flute, Cyrus Skeen, #40, Patrick Henry Press, 2018 ISBN 978-1727871968
A Final Canvas, Cyrus Skeen, #41, Patrick Henry Press, 2019 ISBN 978-1790771110
Gallery, Cyrus Skeen, #42, Patrick Henry Press, 2019 ISBN 978-1795164436

The War of Ideas series

Running Out My Guns, The War of Ideas, #1, Patrick Henry Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1481810067
Broadsides in the War of Ideas, The War of Ideas, #2, Patrick Henry Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1481800792
Corsairs and Freebooters, The War of Ideas, #3, Patrick Henry Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1481804509
Boarding Parties & Grappling Hooks, The War of Ideas, #4, Patrick Henry Press, 2013, ISBN 978-1482087833
Letters of Marque, The War of Ideas, #5, Patrick Henry Press, 2013, ISBN 978-1493749034
From The Crow's Nest, The War of Ideas, #6, Patrick Henry Press, 2014, ISBN 978-1499690620

Other works

The Wizards of Disambiguation: A Critique of Detective Genre Literary Criticism, Atlantean Press Review, 1993
Islam's Reign of Terror, Patrick Henry Press/Voltaire Press, 2014, ISBN 978-1500920777
Rational Scrutiny: Paradoxes and Contradictions in Detective Fiction, Patrick Henry Press, 2014, ISBN 978-1500848903
Handbook on Islam: A Counter-Jihad Guide for the Uninitiated, the Ill-Advised the Misinformed, and the Lied-To, CreateSpace, 2015, ISBN 978-1512315318
Cogitations: Recent Reflections on the State of Things, Patrick Henry Press, 2015 ISBN 978-1517267377
Routing Islam, Patrick Henry Press, 2016 ISBN 978-1539426868
Collectables, Patrick Henry Press, 2018 ISBN 978-1-7271-5539-6
The Ghouls of Grammatical Egalitarianism, Patrick Henry Press, 2019 ISBN 978-1798103388

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Cline, Edward 1946–". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Edward Cline". Fantastic Fiction. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
^ Husband, Janet G.; Husband, Jonathan F. (2009). Sequels: An Annotated Guide to Novels in Series. American Library Association. p. 161. ISBN 9780838909676.
^ Federman, Dina Schein (February 20, 2010). "Review: The Sparrowhawk Series, by Edward Cline". The Objective Standard. Vol. 5, no. 1 (Spring 2010 ed.).
^ ^a ^b ^c Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (June 15, 2016). "Anti-Islamic Writer Was Evicted After ISIS Found Him Online". Vocativ. Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
^
Reviews of novels in the Sparrowhawk series:
- "SPARROWHAWK: Book One: Jack Frake". Publishers Weekly. November 12, 2001. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- "SPARROWHAWK, BOOK I, JACK FRAKE". Kirkus Reviews. October 1, 2001. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- "SPARROWHAWK, BOOK TWO: Hugh Kenrick". Publishers Weekly. October 28, 2002. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- "SPARROWHAWK BOOK IV: Empire". Publishers Weekly. November 15, 2003. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
^ Reid, Calvin (May 9, 2011). "MacAdam Cage Fighting To Stay in Business". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
^
Reviews of novels in the Chess Hanrahan series:
- MacDonald, Ken (March 10, 1988). "BOOK REVIEW: FIRST PRIZE by Edward Cline". The Pittsburgh Press. p. B6.
- "First Prize". Publishers Weekly. April 1, 1988. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- Gross, John (May 6, 1988). "Books of the Times; Murder Spans the Decades in Tales of Suspense". The New York Times.
- "With Distinction: A Chess Hanrahan Novel". Publishers Weekly. March 12, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
^ "Virtues in Verse: The Best of Berton Braley". Publishers Weekly. February 28, 1994. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
^ "Manhattan Blues". Kirkus Reviews. March 28, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Da Cunha, Mark (June 30, 2011). "Capitalism Magazine Interview with Edward Cline". Capitalism Magazine. Archived from the original on February 15, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
^ Cline, Edward (2015). Handbook on Islam: A Counter-Jihad Guide for the Uninitiated, the Ill-Advised the Misinformed, and the Lied-To. CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1512315318.