Last Orders : In Memory of Collin Piprell

by Collin Piprell, James Newman, Mithran Somasundrum

Collin Piprell was a Canadian writer and editor resident in Thailand. He also lived in England, where he did graduate work as a Canada Council Doctoral Fellow in politics and philosophy at Pembroke College, Oxford, and in Kuwait, where he learned to sail, water-ski, and make a credible red wine in plastic garbage bins.

In earlier years, Collin worked in a wide variety of occupations, including as a driller and stope leader in mines and tunnels in Ontario and Quebec. In Thailand he taught writing at Thammasat University, Bangkok, before setting out as a freelance writer and editor, and editorial director of a regional publishing company. At the time of his passing in 2022 he was working on a series of speculative science fiction novels set in the near future. Two of the novels were completed – MOM and Genesis 2.0 – while the third, and a number of other fiction projects, waited in the wings.

Collin published hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics (most of them sufficiently dated that they’re invisible to Google). He was also the author of short stories that appeared in Asian magazines; three novels published in Southeast Asia; a collection of short stories; a collection of occasional pieces; a diving guide to Thailand, and another book on diving; and a book on Thailand’s coral reefs. He also co-authored a book on Thailand’s national parks.

This book is a collection of stories by writer friends in memory of the man who passed on the 29th June, 2022.

120 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 8, 2025

About the author

Collin Piprell is a Canadian writer and editor living in Thailand. He has also lived in England, where he did graduate work as a Canada Council Doctoral Fellow (later, a Social Sciences and Humanities Fellow) in politics and philosophy at Pembroke College, Oxford; and in Kuwait, where he learned to sail, waterski, and make a credible red wine in plastic garbage bins.

In earlier years, he worked at a wide variety of occupations, including four jobs as a driller and stope leader in mines and tunnels in Ontario and Quebec. In later years he taught writing courses at Thammasat University, Bangkok, freelanced as a writer and editor, and published hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics (most of these pieces are pre-digital, hence effectively written on the wind). He is also the author of short stories that appeared in Asian anthologies and magazines, as well as five novels (a sixth forthcoming in 2018), a collection of short stories, a collection of occasional pieces, a diving guide to Thailand, another book on diving, and a book on Thailand’s coral reefs. He has also co-authored a book on Thailand’s national parks.

Common Deer Press is publishing the first three novels in his futuristic Magic Circles series.

Collin has another short novel nearly ready to go, something he only reluctantly describes as magic realism. Less nearly ready to go are novels he describes as a series of metaphysical thrillers. Not to mention several Jack Shackaway thrillers, follow-ups to Kicking Dogs. (He also has a half-finished letter to his grandmother, dated 10 October 1991, saying thanks for the birthday gift.)