Aaron Allston was one of the few people who contributed significantly to making science fiction a popular genre among the general public around the world. His lifelong passion for science fiction led him to write 13 distinct Star Wars stories and two novels in the ‘Terminator’ series, gaining him acclaim from fans all over the world. Allston, who was also a game producer, was instrumental in the development of more than 40 role-playing games, including ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ and ‘Lands of Mystery.’ Few of these ‘Star Wars’ novels later inspired the film industry, resulting in the production and release of blockbuster films of the same name. Many moviegoers throughout the world were enthralled by these films and were in awe of the science fiction genre. The ‘X-wing’ series, which included of five different novels titled ‘Wraith Squadron,’ ‘Iron Fist,’ ‘Solo Command,’ ‘Starfighters of Adumar,’ and ‘Mercy Kill,’ is among his most well-known works as a writer. He also wrote three distinct novels for the ‘Fate of the Jedi’ series, including ‘Outcast,’ ‘Backlash,’ and ‘Conviction.’
Childhood and Adolescence
Aaron Allston was born to Rose Binford Baehm and Tom Dale Allston in Corsicana, Texas. His ancestors were all writers. There were a few writers in the two generations preceding him. During his early years, Allston moved around a lot in Texas, and he finally completed his high school career in Denton, Texas.
Because he was equally passionate about both literature and science, Allston held the posts of reporter and secretary of the school science fiction club throughout his undergraduate days. He began writing when he was only 11 years old. By the age of 14, he had written his first short story, and by the age of 16, he had completed the challenge of writing an entire novel. Aaron claimed in an interview that his talent to write was a genetic gift.
In 1979, he enrolled in the University of Texas to pursue a journalism degree, and in his leisure time, he continued to scribble down his ideas on paper. He did, however, drop out of university after only a few months.
Career of Aaron Allston
In the year 1980, Allston left the daily newspaper ‘Austin – American Statesmen’ after roughly a year of service.
In the same year, Allston was hired as a circulation manager for Steve Jackson’s magazine, ‘Space Gamer,’ by the latter’s publisher and game designer, Steve Jackson. For the next three years, he worked as an assistant editor and then as the editor of the same publication.
Allston shifted his emphasis in 1983, and went on to work as a full-time freelance game creator and editor for Hero games. He also worked for the ‘Star Trek’ magazine around this time, which provided him a deeper understanding of licensed fiction. In 1986, he joined TSR, the publisher of the popular role-playing game ‘Dungeons and Dragons.’ He worked for this company for about a decade, till the mid-1990s.
TSR published Allston’s first game-based fiction novel, ‘Web of Danger,’ in the year 1988. The game line ‘Top Secret/S.I.’ was supported by this book. The work’s selling did not turn out to be profitable. He started working on the game ‘The Savage Empire’ in 1990. Origin Systems Inc. was the publisher of this game. The majority of the work centered on story and character development. Allston went on to work for Origin Systems Inc. on additional similar games.
His second work, ‘Galetea -2D,’ was released by Baen Books in 1993. This was also his first original fantasy piece.
In 1997, he began writing the first book in the Star Wars trilogy. In the year 1998, the book ‘X Wing: Wraith Squadron’ was released. Following that, a slew of new books in the same series appeared. He dabbled in filmmaking in 2007, directing, writing, and producing the film ‘Deadbacks.’ Regrettably, the movie was never released.
Major Projects of Aaron Allston
In his career as a game developer, Aaron Allston has created roughly 40 games. ‘Ninja Hero,’ ‘Dungeons & Dragons,’ ‘The Grand Duchy of Karameikos,’ and ‘Lands of Mystery’ are among them. Aaron Allston is best known for his ‘Star Wars’ novels, having authored 13 of them over the course of several years. The ‘X-Wing’ series was his first foray into this franchise. ‘Wraith Squadron,’ ‘Iron Fist,’ ‘Solo Command,’ ‘Starfighters of Adumar,’ and ‘Mercy Kill’ were the titles of the five novels in this series.
Three of his pieces, titled ‘Rebel Dream,’ ‘Rebel Stand,’ and ‘Enemy Lines,’ were released in 2002 under the series ‘The New Jedi Order.’ The novel ‘Betrayal’ was written in 2006 as part of the ‘Legacy of The Force’ trilogy, while ‘Exile’ and ‘Fury’ were written in 2007. The novels ‘Outcast,’ ‘Backlash,’ and ‘Conviction’ were published in the ‘Fate of The Jedi’ series in the years 2009, 2010, and 2011.
Achievements & Awards
The journal ‘Space Gamer’ went on to win the H.G Wells award for best role-playing magazine in 1982 during his term as editor.
Personal History and Legacy
Allston’s health problems began after he was diagnosed with type II diabetes at the age of eight in 1993. Allston, on the other hand, ignored his medical problems and rarely went to the doctor for a check-up. In the year 2003, he began to have problems with his eyes. In 2006, Allston was diagnosed with glaucoma (a medical ailment that causes damage to the eye’s optic nerve), which was followed by diabetic retinopathy surgery.
In March 2009, he suffered a heart attack, which resulted in severe visual loss. He underwent quadruple bypass surgery as a result of his heart problems. He was a bachelor who resided in Austin, Texas, with his four housemates and pets (four cats and a dog).
Allston preferred to spend his time indoors, reading, watching movies, and playing video games. He was also a big lover of reality shows and cooking shows on television. Allston’s history of cardiac problems proved to be devastating. He fell after a public engagement in Missouri on February 27, 2014, reportedly due to major heart failure. On the same day, he passed away.
Estimated Net Worth
Aaron Allston is one of the wealthiest and most well-known writers. Aaron Allston’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.
Trivia
Aaron Allston was particularly drawn to films featuring a lot of blood and gore, such as those with flesh-eating zombies as protagonists.