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=                            Robert_Shea                             =
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                            Introduction
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Robert Joseph Shea (February 14, 1933 - March 10, 1994) was an
American novelist and former journalist best known as co-author with
Robert Anton Wilson of the science fantasy trilogy 'Illuminatus!' It
became a cult success and was later turned into a marathon-length
stage show put on at the British National Theatre and elsewhere. In
1986 it won the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award. Shea went on to write
several action novels based in exotic historical settings.


                      Early life and education
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Robert Joseph Shea was born in New York City. He attended high school
at Manhattan Prep (Manhattan College High School), a Roman Catholic
school run by the Christian Brothers, in the Riverdale section of The
Bronx. After graduation, he attended Manhattan College and Rutgers
University.


                       Career and other works
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Apart from co-authoring 'Illuminatus!' with Wilson, Shea wrote several
historical action novels, including 'Shike' (1981), a two-volume novel
set in Ancient Japan about the warrior monk Jebu and his love Lady
Shima Taniko, 'All Things Are Lights' (1986), and 'The Saracen', a
novel published in two volumes in 1989 depicting the struggle between
a blond Muslim warrior called Daoud ibn Abdullah and his French
crusader adversary, Simon de Gobignon. His last published book was the
Native American tale 'Shaman' (1991).

'All Things Are Lights' and the outline for the unfinished novel
'Children of Earthmaker' have been released under a Creative Commons
license and are available to read and copy at Robert Shea's website,
as are 'Shike', 'The Saracen', and 'Shaman' under similar license
terms. 'Lady Yang' was finished but never published; a Creative
Commons online version is in the works by Shea's son Michael.

Three of his lectures and two panel discussions he participated in
were recorded when he was a featured speaker at both the Starwood
Festival and the WinterStar Symposium (both with and without Robert
Anton Wilson) and produced by the Association for Consciousness
Exploration.

For several years, Shea edited the anarchist zine 'No Governor'.  The
title comes from a quote attributed to Zhuangzi, "There is no governor
anywhere."  Copies of the zine in PDF format may be downloaded from
Bobshea.net. The zine was mentioned in, and read by, one of the
characters in 'Illuminatus!'.

In 2025, Hilaritas Press issue'd Every Day Is a GOOD Day', a
collection of short pieces by Shea, the first new Shea book in about
30 years.


                              Tributes
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'Clipped from the Robert J. Shea Tribute page:'

:Robert Joseph Shea attended Manhattan Prep, Manhattan College and
Rutgers University and worked as a magazine editor in New York and Los
Angeles. In the 60's he edited the Playboy Forum where he met Robert
Anton Wilson, with whom he collaborated on Illuminatus! After
publishing Illuminatus!, Bob left Playboy to become a full time
novelist. His novels include: 'Shike', set in medieval Japan; 'All
Things Are Lights', a story that entwines the fate of Cathars of
southern France with the occult traditions of Courtly Love and the
troubadours; 'The Saracen', describing the intricate politics of
medieval Italy through the eyes of an Islamic warrior; 'Shaman',
tracing the fate of the survivors of the Black Hawk War in 19th
century Illinois; 'Lady Yang', a tragic story of an idealistic empress
of medieval China.


                           Personal life
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Shea was a resident of Glencoe, Illinois He was survived by his son,
Michael E. Shea, and his second wife, author Patricia Monaghan.


                            Bibliography
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* 'The Illuminatus! Trilogy' (with Robert Anton Wilson) Full Trilogy
printed December 1, 1983 by Dell: ,
** 'The Eye in the Pyramid' (1975) Dell
** 'The Golden Apple' (1975) Dell
** 'Leviathan' (1975) ISBN Dell
* 'Shike' (January 13, 1992) Two in One version: Ballantine Books
** 'Time of the Dragons' (June 1, 1981) Jove
** 'Last of the Zinja' (July 1, 1981) Jove
* 'All Things Are Lights' (April 12, 1986) Ballantine Books
[http://bobshea.net/all_things_are_lights.html]
* 'From No Man's Land to Plaza del Lago' (October 1987) Amer
References ,
* 'The Saracen' - both books available as free downloads from Project
Gutenberg [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28515] and
[http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28516]
** 'Land of the Infidel' (February 13, 1989) Ballantine Books,
** 'The Holy War' (March 13, 1989) Ballantine Books
* 'Shaman' (February 20, 1991) Ballantine Books  - Available as a free
download from Project Gutenberg
[http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28976]
* 'Every Day Is a GOOD Day', (Sept. 23, 2025) Hilaritas Press


               Recorded lectures & panel discussions
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* 'A Meeting With Robert Shea', ACE
* 'Writing and Mysticism', ACE
* 'Magic in the Central Empire', ACE
* 'The Once and Future Legend' (panel discussion with Ariana
Lightningstorm, Patricia Monaghan, Jeff Rosenbaum, Rev. Ivan Stang,
and Robert Anton Wilson), ACE
* 'What IS the Conspiracy, Anyway?' (Panel Discussion with Anodea
Judith, Jeff Rosenbaum, Rev. Ivan Stang, and Robert Anton Wilson), ACE


                           External links
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* [http://bobshea.net Robert Shea's Official Website]: Robert J.
Shea's official website maintained by his son, Michael E. Shea.  The
site includes creative commons licensed versions of 'All Things Are
Lights' and other works.
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