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Sue Burke

Goodreads Author


Born
in Milwaukee, The United States
Website

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Member Since
February 2012

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I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, lived briefly in Austin, Texas, y'all, and moved with my husband to Madrid, Spain, in December 1999. Then back to the US, specifically Chicago, in July 2016.

I've worked for fifty years as a journalist, both as a reporter and editor, and I translate from Spanish to English.

I also write poetry, essays, and fiction, especially science fiction.
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Sue Burke I began the research before I thought about writing the novel. It started because one day I discovered that one of my houseplants had killed another p…moreI began the research before I thought about writing the novel. It started because one day I discovered that one of my houseplants had killed another plant -- a pothos had wrapped around another plant, which died from a lack of light. Then a few weeks later another plant tried to sink roots into different plant.

I decided to find out if this was normal plant behavior, and it was. Plants are often aggressive against each other and sometimes against animals, too. They often try to manipulate animals, as well. The more I learned, the more I thought there could be a story to tell.

The research took a while, since every answer led to another question and botany keeps making new discoveries, but the research also gave me more ideas to enrich the story. I now have a shelf of books.

Slowly, the novel began to take shape, although sometimes I had to research a specific detail as I went along, such as the communication scents of the Glassmakers (based on Earth ants) and how plants could duplicate the odors.(less)
Sue Burke Hello Joseph,
Thank you! I really enjoyed writing the books, and I always had in mind a trilogy.
I've just signed a contract for it with Tor books -- bu…more
Hello Joseph,
Thank you! I really enjoyed writing the books, and I always had in mind a trilogy.
I've just signed a contract for it with Tor books -- but due to covid, which has done weird things to publishing, it won't be published as soon as I'd like. I've started it, though, and I hope the story will be exciting.
Thank you again!
Sue(less)
Average rating: 3.89 · 21,986 ratings · 3,108 reviews · 55 distinct worksSimilar authors
Semiosis (Semiosis, #1)

3.90 avg rating — 15,061 ratings — published 2018 — 23 editions
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Interference (Semiosis, #2)

3.98 avg rating — 4,215 ratings — published 2019 — 5 editions
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Usurpation (Semiosis, #3)

3.69 avg rating — 794 ratings — published 2024 — 7 editions
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Immunity Index

3.33 avg rating — 601 ratings — published 2021 — 5 editions
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Dual Memory

3.68 avg rating — 494 ratings — published 2023 — 9 editions
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Clarkesworld Magazine, Issu...

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4.14 avg rating — 334 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions
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ChloroPhilia

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3.24 avg rating — 348 ratings — published 2017 — 5 editions
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Normalized Death

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2008
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Semiosis Duology

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings
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West African adire: Dyed an...

0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
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Open mic on Friday

Last Fridays Poetry open mic Friday, November 28, 8 p.m., at Esquina, 4602 N. Western Ave., Chicago.

You’re invited! It’s a relaxed, supportive atmosphere. I’ll be reading from “Liquid Sand/Arena líquida,” a book of poetry by Jorge Valés Diáz Vélez, which I helped translate.

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Published on November 26, 2025 09:11
Semiosis Interference Usurpation
(3 books)
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3.91 avg rating — 20,068 ratings

Sue’s Recent Updates

Sue Burke is now friends with Patrick Tony
194945403
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
"This book shouldn’t work. A grief-stricken mother, a collapsing world, a second-person POV, and a magic system built on geology—and yet somehow Jemisin makes it work.

I’ll be honest: at first, the second-person narration threw me off. (Yeah, that’s ri" Read more of this review »
Sue Burke answered Bonobo's question: Sue Burke
Hi Tom,
I'm writing a book, but there's no publication date yet. Thank you for reading my books! I've also published some short fiction, as you may know. A list is here, and some of it is free to read on the internet:
https://sueburke.site/publications See Full Answer
Sue Burke wants to read
They Should Have Been Hanged by John      Dolan
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Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
"Terrifying, grim. Yet somehow, hope-inducing - for me at least

Isabel Wilkerson's reporting finesse is equalled only by her courage. How she could pursue this rank-and-depressing data, these terrifying assaults on humanity? How could she amass all thi" Read more of this review »
Sue Burke entered a giveaway
Trace Elements by Jo Walton
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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
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The Sonnets by William Shakespeare
"I’m not saying Shakespeare was gay. I’m just saying the man wrote 154 sonnets and 126 of them are about how much he loves the world’s most beautiful man. The other 28 are about how his mistress is ugly and smells. Somehow, I hadn’t quite registered t" Read more of this review »
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Hellspark by Janet Kagan
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Crónica de una muerte anunciada by Gabriel García Márquez
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Quotes by Sue Burke  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“I am glad I grew the humor root. I can endure unpleasant situations better.”
Sue Burke, Semiosis

“Equality is not a fact, like the length of days... Equality is an idea, a belief, like beauty.”
Sue Burke, Semiosis

“Each of us needs to be what we are, perhaps even be more of what we are.”
Sue Burke, Semiosis

Polls

June Science Fiction -- The following poll decides which two books will go to the final round of polls for June 2018's Science Fiction BOTM.

 
  12 votes, 17.6%

 
  10 votes, 14.7%

 
  9 votes, 13.2%

 
  9 votes, 13.2%

 
  9 votes, 13.2%

 
  5 votes, 7.4%

 
  4 votes, 5.9%

 
  4 votes, 5.9%

 
  3 votes, 4.4%

 
  3 votes, 4.4%

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
SciFi and Fantasy...: Bill the other does all the challenges. Comments ok. 3 222 Jan 05, 2018 07:55PM  
Beyond Reality: Welcome to April 2018! 2 20 Apr 09, 2018 06:18PM  
Beyond Reality: Welcome to May 2018! 1 17 May 01, 2018 10:08AM  
Beyond Reality: Nominations for June 2018 21 64 May 28, 2018 04:46PM  
The Seasonal Read...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD 2194 415 May 31, 2018 09:01PM  
Beyond Reality: Welcome to June 2018! 1 18 Jun 01, 2018 05:21AM  
Beyond Reality: Semiosis -- -- Roll Call and First Impressions **NO SPOILERS!** 12 29 Jun 16, 2018 07:55AM  
“Stories only happen to those who are able to tell them.”
Paul Auster

“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”
A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness. ”
Michel de Montaigne

“The writer’s job is not to judge, but to seek to understand.”
Ernest Hemingway

“As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand.”
Ernest Hemingway

16548 Beyond Reality — 2019 members — last activity 1 hour, 11 min ago
Welcome to the Beyond Reality SF&F discussion group on GoodReads. In Beyond Reality, each of our members may nominate one SF and one fantasy book per ...more
22454 Historical Fictionistas — 15828 members — last activity 3 hours, 33 min ago
Welcome to Historical Fictionistas! We want to experience all different kinds of HF with all different kinds of people. The more diverse, the better. ...more
954 Hard SF — 1180 members — last activity Nov 26, 2025 05:12PM
This is a discussion group for this specific subgenre in SF where the plausibility of the science counts.
60565 Ciencia Ficción en Español — 2154 members — last activity Dec 20, 2025 02:37AM
Grupo abierto a todos los hispano hablantes del mundo para charlar sobre libros de Ciencia Ficción.
6836 Literatura en Espanol / Books in Spanish — 1592 members — last activity Nov 28, 2025 09:08AM
Un grupo para discutir los libros escritos en espanol. Todos son bienvenidos!
189370 Speculative Fiction in Translation — 347 members — last activity Nov 17, 2025 11:39AM
This is a group dedicated to reading SF works from around the world translated into English. We cover both new releases and older publications, and no ...more
220 Goodreads Librarians Group — 304187 members — last activity 0 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
1219146 The book you like most — 48371 members — last activity 3 minutes ago
This group (ranked in the TOP 100 most popular groups on Goodreads) is dedicated to the "Vision and Story" project. Additionally, the group THE BOOK ...more
128467 Literatura Fantástica en Latinoamérica — 344 members — last activity Jan 17, 2022 08:33AM
Grupo abierto para charlar sobre El Salto Cuántico y ciencia ficción en general. La premisa es impulsar este género y similares entre autores y lecto ...more
197161 #LeoAutorasFantásticas — 766 members — last activity Jun 29, 2024 03:55PM
Grupo abierto para todas aquellas personas que quieran conocer (o dar a conocer) a autoras de fantasía, ciencia ficción y terror.
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message 1: by Sue

Sue Burke Win a free copy of 140 And Counting, a book of Tweet-length poetry, including work by me:

http://www.goodreads.com/event/show/3...


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