David Gerrold's work is famous around the world. His novels and stories have been translated into more than a dozen languages. His TV scripts are estimated to have been seen by more than a billion viewers. He has worked on a dozen different TV series, including Star Trek, Land of the Lost, Twilight Zone, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Babylon 5, and Sliders. He is the author of Star Trek's most popular episode "The Trouble With Tribbles."

Many of his novels are classics of the science fiction genre, including The Man Who Folded Himself, the ultimate time travel story, and When HARLIE Was One, considered one of the most thoughtful tales of artificial intelligence ever written. His stunning novels on ecological invasion (A Matter For Men, A Day For Damnation, A Rage For Revenge, and A Season For Slaughter) have all been best sellers with a devoted fan following. His young adult series, The Dingilliad (Jumping Off The Planet, Bouncing Off The Moon, Leaping To the Stars), traces the healing journey of a troubled family from Earth to a far-flung colony on another world.

A ten-time Hugo and Nebula award nominee, David Gerrold is also a recipient of the Skylark Award for Excellence in Imaginative Fiction, the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Horror, the Forrest J. Ackerman lifetime achievement award, and was the 2022 recipient of the Heinlein Award. He was a Guest of Honor at the 2015 World Science Fiction Convention and emceed the Hugo Award ceremony.

In 1995, Gerrold shared the adventure of how he adopted his son in The Martian Child, a semi-autobiographical tale of a science fiction writer who adopts a little boy, only to discover he might be a Martian. The Martian Child won the science fiction triple crown: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the Locus Poll. It was the basis for the 2007 film "Martian Child" starring John Cusack and Amanda Peet.

Jumping Off the Planet by David Gerrold

Jumping Off The Planet is an elevator ride to a possible future. Told by Chigger, a grumpy thirteen-year-old, it starts when Dad invites his three sons to take a vacation trip with him, up the orbital beanstalk, the first step in a journey to the moon. But all is not as it seems, and the boys are quick to figure out that Dad might be planning a parental kidnapping as part of a custody battle, triggering a series of surprising discoveries and confrontations. David Gerrold takes a deep dive into the mechanics of a dysfunctional family to show how three brothers can strive for a more positive future. This exciting space adventure intentionally evokes the great Heinlein juveniles, but with a twenty-first century sensibility. Winner of the 2001 Hal Clement Award for Best YA Novel of the Year.

CURATOR'S NOTE

•In the realm of living legends, David Gerrold stands tall—the author of groundbreaking science fiction books, stories, and entertainment packed with heart, ideas, excitement, and utterly memorable characters. Yes, this same titanic talent won Hugo and Nebula awards for his novelette "The Martian Child"…wrote the time travel novel The Man Who Folded Himself (which was Hugo and Nebula nominated)…created the classic 1970s Saturday morning TV show Land of the Lost…and wrote "The Trouble with Tribbles," widely considered to be the most beloved episode of the original Star Trek TV series (if not the most beloved installment of any series in the franchise). David's unique literary magic is in full bloom once more in Jumping off the Planet, a novel about the strains on a dysfunctional family, and the promise of space travel as a road to healing and redemption. Savor the work of this genius who has had such an extraordinary impact on the science fiction field and world of entertainment alike. – Robert Jeschonek

 

REVIEWS

  • "There is a treasure atop this beanstalk."

    – Fosfax

  • "The creation of a major talent."

    – Booklist

  • "Gerrold makes the trip an emotionally colorful and rewarding one."

    – Locus
 

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