Robert Sheckley is dead. It was the first e-mail I saw when I came into work this morning. We knew it was coming, so the obituary is mostly written already, and appreciations are starting to come in. A Certain Magazine will have coverage in the January issue.

I had a chance to meet him, once, at the Worldcon in Boston. He's one of the greats, and was never appreciated in the field as he should have been.

I'll re-read his story "Zirn Left Unguarded, The Jenghik Palace in Flames, Jon Westerly Dead" when I get home tonight, I think.

J.N. Williamson passed away, too, and I'm working on his obituary. Dan Hooker, a literary agent who called me and gave me encouragement (along with a rejection) when I sent him a novel several years ago, passed away recently, too. I'm writing a lot of obituaries this month. All I can do is try to give them a good send-off, in the small way I can.