Arinn Dembo


Arinn Dembo is an American author currently living and writing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Dembo is best known for her work with Vancouver-based Kerberos Productions, where she was lead writer and has worked on the background fiction for the Sword of the Stars series and Fort Zombie.
She attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in 1990 and frequently participates in the Workshop's annual Write-a-thon charity to raise money to cover its costs. Dembo holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology with a minor in classical civilizations from the University of Tennessee and a master's degree in classical archaeology from the University of British Columbia.
Published professionally for the first time in the New York Review of Science Fiction in 1991 with an essay on Tim Powers' The Stress of Her Regard, Dembo was primarily a critic in the early years of her career. She was best known as a reviewer in the PC gaming industry and covered more than 100 titles for Computer Gaming World Magazine and CNET between 1995 and 1997. Over the years she has also published short stories, novellas and reviews of books, films, music and DVD releases.
Dembo's novella The Deacon's Tale was published in 2008 by Lighthouse Interactive and packaged with the Sword of the Stars Collector's Edition. A revised edition was published as a full-length novel in 2011 by Kthonia Press. Monsoon and Other stories, a collection of short fiction and poetry including the award-winning "Monsoon", was published by Kthonia Press in 2012.
In November of 2019, Dembo joined the Executive Board of SF Canada, the professional association of Canadian speculative fiction authors. She currently serves in the role of Acting President.

Poetry

  1. "Three Desert Poems", published in Raindrops Literary Review
  2. "Severity", published in Raindrops Literary Review
  3. "The Crown", published in Raindrops Literary Review
  4. "The Humanist's Prayer", published by The Manitoba Humanist
  5. "The Other Wife: An Invocation to the Goddess Kali", published in H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror #4
  6. "The Zombie's Prayer", published in Monsoon and Other Stories
  7. "Waste", published in Weird Tales #361, Summer 2013

    Essays

  8. "Impassion'd Clay: On Tim Powers' The Stress of Her Regard", published in The New York Review of Science Fiction
  9. "We Are Indra", published in Radiant Reason: the New Humanism
  10. "Offerings at the Tomb", published in The New York Review of Science Fiction
  11. "The Last Continent: An Exchange", published in The New York Review of Science Fiction

    Short stories

  12. "Sisterhood of the Skin", published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
  13. "Between the Lines", published in Imagination Fully Dilated: Science Fiction
  14. "When Push Comes to Shove", published in The Vancouver Courier
  15. "Indigestion", published in The Vancouver Courier
  16. "Monsoon", published in Best Fantastic Erotica
  17. "ICHTHYS", published in H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror
  18. "Sacred Heart", published in Monsoon and Other Stories
  19. "The Words" published in Monsoon and Other Stories
  20. "The Passenger", published in Monsoon and Other Stories
  21. "The Uncertainty Principle", published in Lamp Light Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 2, December 2013
  22. "Agave", published in Gods, Memes and Monsters
  23. "Memphre-Magog", published in Gods, Memes and Monsters
  24. "Magna Mater", published in She Walks In Shadows
  25. "Imperial Ghosts", published in Deep Magic: The E-Zine of Clean Science Fiction and Fantasy
  26. "The Tomb of the Winds", published in Pathfinder Adventure Path #113: What Grows Within
  27. "The Old Man Down the Road", published in What October Brings: a Lovecraftian Celebration of Halloween

    Novellas

  28. Suicide Watch, published in Delta Green: Dark Theatres
  29. The Deacon's Tale, published by Lighthouse Interactive as an extra in the Sword of the Stars Collector's Edition

    Books

  30. The Deacon's Tale: a Sword of the Stars Novel, published by Kthonia Press
  31. Monsoon and Other Stories, published by Kthonia Press

    Video games

  32. Homeworld, by Relic Entertainment/Sierra Entertainment, wrote the background descriptions for the Paktu, the Manaan and the Soban, as "Marcus Skyler"
  33. Ground Control, by Massive Entertainment/Sierra Online, as "Marcus Skyler"
  34. ', by Barking Dog Studios/Sierra Entertainment, wrote the histories for the Kaalel, the LiirHra and some of the historical background fiction for the Somtaaw, as "Marcus Skyler". Also voice acting.
  35. ', by Troika Games/Sierra Entertainment, as "Marcus Skyler"
  36. Sword of the Stars, by Kerberos Productions/Paradox Interactive, writer/voice actor
  37. ', by Kerberos Productions/Paradox Interactive, writer/voice actor
  38. ' by Kerberos Productions/Paradox Interactive, lead writer/voice actor
  39. ' by Kerberos Productions/Paradox Interactive, lead writer/voice actor
  40. Fort Zombie by Kerberos Productions/Paradox Interactive, lead writer
  41. ', by Kerberos Productions/Paradox Interactive, lead writer/voice actor
  42. ', by Kerberos Productions/Paradox Interactive
  43. ', by Kerberos Productions
  44. ', by Kerberos Productions
  45. Kaiju-A-Gogo, by Kerberos Productions
  46. ', by Kerberos Productions
  47. Northstar, by Kerberos Productions, space trading ship simulation, in development

    Tabletop Games

  48. The Sword of the Stars Premium Lore Book, by Kerberos Productions, a hardcover source book for the Sword of the Stars universe.
  49. Puppetland: The Story-Telling RPG of Grim Make Believe, by Arc Dream Publishing, contributed three scenarios: "Pretty Polly", "The Box", and "The Bottler".
  50. ', by Kerberos Productions, a cooperative dungeon crawler based on '
  51. , by Kerberos Productions, a competitive card game based on the planetary conquests of the Sword of the Stars 4X games

    Acting

  52. Jesus H. Zombie, as zombie schoolteacher
  53. Cannibal Sisters, as "Lady Lunch" real estate agent