L. Timmel Duchamp
American writer

L. Timmel Duchamp (born 1950) is an American author of science fiction. She is also an editor for Aqueduct Press.
Biography
Duchamp is often grouped together with Kelly Link and other contemporary women authors who use genres like fantasy, horror, and science fiction to explore themes of feminism and gender politics. Until recently Duchamp's output focused primarily on short stories and critical essays, with publications in anthologies such as The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases and magazines including Asimov's Science Fiction.
Her first novel, Alanya to Alanya, was released in June 2005. First in a series of five books dubbed the Marq'ssan Cycle, Alanya to Alanya is set on a near-future earth controlled by a male-dominated ruling class patterned loosely after the corporate world of today. The Marq'ssan, an advanced race of aliens, bring business as usual to a screeching halt all over the world by disabling technology and aiding groups willing to fight for independence from the power structure. The main character is Kay Zeldin, a history professor who has a history of working for the government. But as she works for the government she becomes more and more convinced to follow the Marq'ssans.
Selected bibliography
"O's Story".
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