Writer Mike Resnick (photo ©pyropyga) passed away yesterday, January 9, 2020, due to a particularly aggressive lymphoma that was diagnosed in November 2019.

I already wrote a tribute to Mike Resnick on March 5, 2012, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, which includes biographical and bibliographical information covering most of his life and career.

Mike Resnick kept on writing until his health held up, for example the novels of the Dead Enders series. The latest series he wrote is the one called “The Dreamscape Trilogy”, of which only the first novel “The Master of Dreams” has been published for now while the second, “The Mistress of Illusions”, is scheduled for publication in April 2020.

Unfortunately, serious health problems for Mike Resnick began in 2019. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and a form of acute pericarditis which had serious consequences for his health to the point that he needed to have his colon removed.

Despite health problems and the need for regular rehabilitation sessions and medical care, Mike Resnick managed to resume writing. However, due to the way healthcare works in the USA, he had already piled up significant costs for treatment, and his daughter Laura opened a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help him, even in the hope that he would recover enough to be able to work regularly and therefore earn money for his therapies.

In November 2019, Mike Resnick was diagnosed with a very aggressive lymphoma. Initially the treatments gave positive results but in December his health started declining rapidly. Unfortunately for him, 2020 began with the end of hopes and the treatments ceased to let him spend his last days of life in peace.

His death left his wife Carol with huge debts for all the medical assistance he needed during 2019. Their daughter Laura updated the fundraising page so anyone who wants to give help, even if small, can still contribute.

Mike Resnick was one of the great adventurous science fiction authors, but he could write novels with profound themes as well such as the allegories of western colonialism in Africa. He became a science fiction writer because he was a fan of this genre and also for this reason he went to convention.