K.W. Jeter Books In Order

Publication Order of Doctor Adder Books

Publication Order of K. W. Jeter Suspense & Thriller Books

Publication Order of George Dower Books

Publication Order of Kim Oh Books

Publication Order of Grimm City Books

Publication Order of Star Wars: The Bounty Hunter Wars Books

Publication Order of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Books

Publication Order of Alien Nation Books

Publication Order of Blade Runner Books

with Philip K. Dick

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Anthologies

K. W. Jeter is an American author of horror and science fiction whose novels utilize dark themes and unsympathetic characters.

+Biography

Born in March 1950 in Los Angeles, K.W. Jeter is known for having coined the term ‘steampunk’, a word that aptly describes so many of his stories.

The author was a student at California State University, Fullerton. The institution brought Jeter into contact with notable figures like Philip K. Dick and James P. Blaylock who had a significant impact on the decisions he made during his literary career.

And Jeter believes he also had an impact on the literary personalities.

Jeter’s books have been compared to those of Dick because both authors love to tackle the subjectivity of reality. While Jeter’s earliest works came out in 1975, it wasn’t until he wrote ‘Dr. Adder’ in 1984 that K.W. Jeter’s name began to gain traction.

The book wasn’t easy to sell. In fact, Jeter couldn’t even find publishers willing to take a chance on it for the first ten years mostly because of all the violence and sex Jeter scattered throughout his story.

When ‘Dr. Adder’ eventually found its way into the hands of audiences, it became an instant classic. It was around that time that Jeter coined the term steampunk. His novel was categorized as cyberpunk but Jeter wasn’t sure he agreed with that terminology.

So he improvised and steampunk has since become a genre of its own. The letter to Locus which Jeter wrote in 1987 argued that the use of steam-technology and an alternate history in ‘Dr. Adder’ separated it from the other cyberpunk works on the shelves.

Jeter proceeded to write additional novels in the steampunk genre, permanently stamping his signature on that particular field.

The author produced a number of his own original works before he was hired to write novels for established franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek, and Blade Runner. The author also has a few comic books under his name.

+Literary Career

K.W. Jeter started writing fantasy, science fiction and horror in 1975. And for the next several years, he dominated the literary landscape in those genres. That opened the way for him to produce novelized sequels to the original Blade Runner Movie, not to mention the stories he wrote set in the Star Wars and Star Trek Universes.

And just when it seemed like Jeter couldn’t climb any higher, he stopped writing. In fact, by 1998, he had begun to disappear. It wasn’t until the early 2010s that the author suddenly returned to the literary scene with new original works and even a few sequels.

K. W. Jeter has played a part in the shaping of science fiction, fantasy and horror in literature, and it was suggested that Jeter returned to the writing table to prove that he still had more to offer.

Jeter has tried his hand at most genres of note. Though, he has admitted to struggling with and ultimately choosing to give the mystery genre a wide berth. Jeter loved mysteries as a kid. He remembers getting lost in the works of Ellery Queen and he admired every author that could create the sorts of puzzles and questions he couldn’t solve until the very last page.

Jeter doesn’t think he can produce a straight mystery novel. But he has shown a keen interest in trying his hand at the genre.

The author doesn’t have a particular source of inspiration. Movies definitely play a role in sparking ideas for some of his books. The Kim Oh Books, for example, were inspired by Jeter’s admiration for Asian cinema.

For the most part, though, the ideas just trickle into the author’s head. He always begins with a vision of either the first scene or an important scene that happens along the way.

And he builds upon that one piece of the puzzle until the whole picture comes into view. The author primarily aims to write a maximum of sixty thousand words. To K.W. Jeter, that is the ideal size for any novel.

Jeter believes that the traditional publishing industry has gone astray because they tend to expect astronomically ridiculous word counts for their novels these days, and that drives authors to pad their manuscripts to meet the necessary standard.

Jeter typically lets his story determine the size of his manuscript. But sixty thousand words is his optimal length. The author doesn’t have a particular daily writing target. He just writes until he has nothing to say, and then he takes a break.

The author relies heavily on his wife. She is his alpha reader. She also works as Jeter’s copy editor. Only she has access to K.W. Jeter’s new stories. The author values his wife’s opinion and he isn’t afraid to initiate drastic changes in response to her criticisms.

Jeter has admitted to struggling somewhat to keep his books unique and interesting, especially after all the original works he produced in the 80s and 90s. The author uses the outlining process to make sure he isn’t repeating himself.

The idea of writing by the seat of his pants has never crossed his mind.

+Dr. Adder

In the future, the United States breaks apart. The resulting enclaves are ruled by warlords. There’s a veneer of government that is doing little to bring technology and its many advancements under control.

Doctor Adder takes center stage as a surgeon of the most unique kind. Adder works to modify sexual organs to meet the sexual proclivities and perversions of his clients. To Adder, he’s merely doing whatever it takes to survive in a harsh world, even if some of his actions do more harm than good.

This book put K.W. Jeter on the map. It follows the exploits of Adder, a brilliant surgeon living in a wrecked Los Angeles. Adder makes his money reconfiguring the bodies of the many teenage runaways that cross his path.

Jeter writes Adder as a woman-hating criminal that has few redeeming qualities.

+Inferno Devices

George is a part-time musician that has a way with clockwork. Inheriting a watchmaker’s store gets him into a whole heap of trouble.

It starts with the attempted theft of an old device from the premises. Then comes the time travel, and the sex, and the intrigue.

Inferno Devices is considered by many to be a steampunk classic.