Phyllis Eisenstein (February 26, 1946 – December 7, 2020) was an American author of
science fiction and
fantasy short stories as well as novels. Her work was nominated for both the
Hugo Award and
Nebula Award.
Eisenstein had her first two science fiction stories published in 1971, the first in collaboration with husband Alex (he continued to be her writing partner for certain short stories). After establishing herself as a professional writer, she returned to college to finish her education, studying at the
University of Illinois, where she earned a 1981
B.A. degree in
anthropology.[3]
Beginning in 2000, Eisenstein began working full-time in Chicago's very competitive advertising business; she went on to become the executive manager of
copy editors for more than a decade at Leo Burnett, Chicago's largest
advertising agency, until declining health forced her retirement in 2015.
The completed novel, The City in Stone, the last volume of her "Book of Elementals" fantasy
trilogy, was left unreleased when
Meisha Merlin Publishing, a well-established fantasy and science fiction publisher, suddenly ceased operations in 2007;[5] the novel remains unpublished, while the first two novels in the series are currently out-of-print.
Eisenstein completed The Walker Between Worlds, the first novel in a new
science-fantasy series called "The Masks of Power". The first eight chapters from the in-progress novel, comprising 38,000 words, was published in 2007 as a limited edition
trade paperback from KaCSFFS Press, a
Kansas City, Missouri science fiction and fantasy
independent publisher; this debuted for her Writer Guest of Honor appearance at Kansas City's longtime regional science fiction and fantasy convention
ConQuesT 38.[6] After completing The Walker Between Worlds, she purposely left the novel unpublished while she worked to complete the two remaining volumes in the series before publication. At the time of her death, "The Masks of Power" trilogy remained unfinished.
Death
Eisentein suffered a
stroke in January 2020, and entered hospice care shortly thereafter.[1] She died in December of that year in Chicago at age 74 after a protracted neurological illness, complicated by
COVID-19 during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois. She was survived by her husband, Alex.[7][3]
Mike Ashley & William G. Contento. The Supernatural Index: A Listing of Fantasy, Supernatural, Occult, Weird and Horror Anthologies. 1995. Greenwood Press, Westport, CT (Hardcover).
Clute, John and Grant, John. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. New York, St Martin's Press, 1997.
ISBN0-312-15897-1 (Hardcover).
Clute, John and Grant, John. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (2nd US edition). New York, St Martin's Griffin, 1999.
ISBN0-312-19869-8 (Paperback).