Pat Cadigan (born
1953) is an American-born
science fiction author, whose work is described as part of the
cyberpunk movement. Her novels and stories all share a common theme, exploring the relationship between the human mind and technology.
She was born in
Schenectady, New York, and grew up in
Fitchburg, Massachusetts. she was educated at the
University of Massachusetts and the
University of Kansas, graduating in 1975. Cadigan then went to work as a writer for
Hallmark Cards. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Cadigan edited the small press magazines
Shayol and
Chacal. She was first published in 1981; success as an author encouraged her to write full time from 1987. She emigrated to
England in 1996.
Her first novel,
Mindplayers, introduces what becomes the common theme to all her works. Her stories blur the line between reality and perception by making the human mind a real, explorable place. Her second novel,
Synners, expands upon the same theme, and both feature a future where direct access to the mind via technology is possible. While her stories include many of the gritty, unvarnished characteristics of the cyberpunk genre, she further specializes in this exploration of the speculative relationship between technology and the perceptions of the human mind.
She has won a number of awards, including the
Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1992 and 1995 for her novels
Synners and
Fools.
