Keith Robert Andreassi DeCandido (born April 18, 1969 in New York, United States) is an American sci-fi and fantasy writer.
While DeCandido is best known for his Star Trek fiction, he has written tie-ins for other popular sci-fi and fantasy series as well, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, Supernatural, Andromeda and Farscape, as well as comic books (Spider-Man, X-Men), role-playing games (Dungeons & Dragons), and videogames (World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Command & Conquer). He has also edited various anthologies, including OtherWere,Urban Nightmares,Imaginings, the Doctor Who collection The Quality of Leadership, and the Star Trek anthologies New Frontier: No Limits, Tales of the Dominion War, and Tales from the Captain's Table.
In 2009, DeCandido was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers. That same year, he achieved a first-degree black belt in Kenshikai karate.
DeCandido also contributes to the popular-culture podcast The Chronic Rift.
DeCandido was born in the Bronx in New York City, the son of Robert L. DeCandido and GraceAnne A. DeCandido. He claims to have been a Star Trek fan even before his birth, as his parents were fans of The Original Series.
In his college years at Fordham University, DeCandido worked as an editor and writer of one of the college newspapers, called simply the paper. After graduation, he has worked as editor at several publishing companies. Along with John Drew, in the 1990s he co-produced a public access TV show in Manhattan about science fiction called The Chronic Rift, which he also co-hosted. (The podcast of the same name is a revival of the show, with many of the same people involved in the production, including DeCandido and Drew.)
DeCandido is also a professional musician. He was part of the Don't Quit Your Day Job Players for the band's entire career from 1994—2000, and played on both their CDs, TKB (1996) and Blues Spoken Here (1999). He is currently a member of the Boogie Knights, having joined in 2006 and played on their fifth CD, Many a Sleepless Knight (2006). He has also backed David M. Honigsberg, Steven L. Rosenhaus, and the Randy Bandits, and played on Rosenhaus's CD A Man Like Me (2002) and Honigsberg's Ten the Hard Way (2001).
The Next Generation: Diplomatic Implausibility (2001), ISBN 0-671-78554-0
Deep Space Nine: Demons of Air and Darkness (2001), ISBN 0-7434-1852-2
The Brave and the Bold (2002), ISBN 0-7434-1922-7 (Book 1), ISBN 0-7434-1923-5 (Book 2)
The Lost Era: The Art of the Impossible (2003), ISBN 0-7434-6405-2
I.K.S. Gorkon: A Good Day to Die (2003), ISBN 0-7434-5714-5
I.K.S. Gorkon: Honor Bound (2003), ISBN 0-7434-5716-1
The Next Generation: A Time for War, A Time for Peace (2004), ISBN 0-7434-9179-3
Ferenginar: Satisfaction Is Not Guaranteed in Worlds of Deep Space Nine Volume 3 (2005), ISBN 0-7434-8353-7
I.K.S. Gorkon: Enemy Territory (2005), ISBN 1-4165-0014-6
Articles of the Federation (2005), ISBN 1-4165-0015-4
Voyager: The Mirror-Scaled Serpent in Mirror Universe: Obsidian Alliances (2007), ISBN 0-7434-9253-6
The Next Generation: Q&A (2007), ISBN 1-4165-2741-9 (nominee, Best Speculative Fiction Novel, Scribe Awards)
Klingon Empire: A Burning House (2008), ISBN 1-4165-5647-8
A Gutted World in Myriad Universes: Echoes and Refractions (2008), ISBN 1-4165-7181-7
A Singular Destiny (2009), ISBN 1-4165-9495-7 (nominee, Best Speculative Fiction Novel, Scribe Awards)
Star Trek novellas, short stories, and comic books
The Next Generation: Perchance to Dream (four-issue comic book miniseries, art by Peter Pachoumis and Lucian Rizzo, with Scott Benefiel, February-May 2000) -- collected in Enemy Unseen (2001), ISBN 1-56389-765-2, alongside "The Killing Shadows" and "Embrace the Wolf"
"Horn and Ivory" in What Lay Beyond (2002), ISBN 0-7434-5683-1
"Broken Oaths" in Deep Space Nine: Prophecy and Change (2003), ISBN 0-7434-7073-7
"Revelations" in New Frontier: No Limits (2003), ISBN 0-7434-7707-3
"The Ceremony of Innocence Is Drowned" in Tales of the Dominion War (2004), ISBN 0-7434-9171-8
"loDnIpu' vavpu' je" ("Brothers and Fathers") in Tales from the Captain's Table (2005), ISBN 1-4165-0520-2
"Letting Go" in Voyager: Distant Shores (2005), ISBN 0-7434-9253-6
"Four Lights" in The Next Generation: The Sky's the Limit (2007), ISBN 0-7434-9255-2
"Family Matters" in Mirror Universe: Shards and Shadows (2009), ISBN 1-4165-5850-0
Alien Spotlight II: Klingons: Four Thousand Throats... (comic book, art by JK Woodward, 2009; winner, Best Single Issue of a Comic Book, TrekMovie.com)
"The Unhappy Ones" in Seven Deadly Sins (2010)
Captain's Log: Jellico (comic book, art by JK Woodward, forthcoming in October 2010)
Star Trek eBooks
S.C.E. series (2000—2006)
Fatal Error (2000)
Cold Fusion (2001)
Invincible Books 1-2 (w/David Mack, 2001)
Gateways Epilogue: Here There Be Monsters (2001)
War Stories Books 1-2 (2002)
Breakdowns (2003)
Security (2005)
What's Past Book 6: Many Splendors (2006)
The Next Generation: Slings and Arrows Book 6: Enterprises of Great Pitch and Moment (2008)
Other novels
Spider-Man: Venom's Wrath (written with Jose R. Nieto, 1998), ISBN 0-425-16574-4
Young Hercules: Cheiron's Warriors (1999), ISBN 0-671-03552-5
Young Hercules: The Ares Alliance (1999), ISBN 0-671-03554-1
Farscape: House of Cards (2001), ISBN 0-8125-6162-7
Andromeda: Destruction of Illusions (2003), ISBN 0-7653-4407-6
Dragon Precinct (2004), ISBN 0-7434-6770-1, a high fantasy police procedural story and DeCandido's first original novel
Spider-Man: Down These Mean Streets (2005), ISBN 1-4165-0968-2
Cycle of Hatred (2006), ISBN 0-7434-7136-9
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Blackout (2006), ISBN 1-4169-1917-1
Nova (2006), ISBN 0-7434-7134-2
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Deathless (2007), ISBN 1-4169-3630-0 (nominee, Best YA Novel, Scribe Awards)
Tiberium Wars (2007), ISBN 0-3454-9814-3
Supernatural: Nevermore (2007), ISBN 0-0613-7090-8
NY: Four Walls (2008), ISBN 1-4165-1343-4
Supernatural: Bone Key (2008), ISBN 0-0614-3503-1
Mack Bolan, Executioner: Code of Honor (under Don Pendleton's name, 2009), ISBN 0-3736-4373-X
Supernatural: Heart of the Dragon (2010) ISBN 1-8485-6600-X
Mack Bolan, Executioner: Deep Recon (under Don Pendleton's name, 2010)
untitled Dungeons & Dragons novel (forthcoming in 2011)
Unicorn Precint (forthcoming in 2011), sequel to Dragon Precinct
Novelizations
Gargantua (1998), ISBN 0-8125-7098-7 (as K. Robert Andreassi)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Xander Years Volume 1 (1999), ISBN 0-671-02629-1
Darkness Falls (2002), ISBN 0-7434-6632-2
Genesis (2004), ISBN 0-7434-9291-9
Apocalypse (2004), ISBN 0-7434-9349-4
Serenity (2005), ISBN 1-4165-0755-8
Extinction (2007), ISBN 1-4165-4498-4 (nominee, Best Speculative Novel...Adapted, Scribe Awards)
Other comic books
Farscape: The Beginning of the End of the Beginning (cowritten with Rockne S. O'Bannon, art by Tommy Patterson, four-issue miniseries, December 2008-April 2009)
Farscape: Strange Detractors (cowritten with O'Bannon, art by Will Sliney, four-issue miniseries, April-July 2009)
Farscape: D'Argo's Lament (art by Neil Edwards, four-issue miniseries, April-July 2009)
Farscape: Gone and Back (cowritten with O'Bannon, art by Patterson, July-October 2009)
Farscape: D'Argo's Trial (art by Caleb Cleveland, August-November 2009)
Farscape (ongoing monthly series, cowritten with O'Bannon, art by Sliney, November 2009—present)
Farscape: D'Argo's Quest (art by Cleveland, December 2009-March 2010)
StarCraft: Ghost Academy Volume 1 (manga, art by Fernando Furukawa, 2010)
Cars: Adventures of Tow Mater #1-4 (art by Travis Hill, four-issue story arc, August-November 2010)
Short stories
"An Evening in the Bronx with Venom" in The Ultimate Spider-Man (1994), ISBN 1-57297-103-7, with John Gregory Betancourt
"Improper Procedure" in The Ultimate Silver Surfer (1995), ISBN 1-57297-299-8
"God Sins" in The Gathering: Distant Planes (1995), ISBN 0-06-105765-7
"UNIT We Fall" in Doctor Who: Decalog 3: Consequences (1996), ISBN 0-426-20478-6
"Arms and the Man" in Untold Tales of Spider-Man (1997), ISBN 1-57297-294-7
"How You Can Prevent Forest Fires" in Urban Nightmares (1997), ISBN 0-671-87851-4
"A Bone to Pick" in Did You Say Chicks?! (1997), ISBN 0-671-87867-0, with Marina Frants
"Playing It SAFE" in The Ultimate Hulk (1998), ISBN 0-425-16513-2
"Diary of a False Man" in X-Men: Legends (2000), ISBN 0-425-17082-9
"Raymond's Room" in Doctor Who: Missing Pieces (2001)
"Recurring Character" in The Further Adventures of Warrior Princess (2001), ISBN 0-441-00852-6
"Getting the Chair" in Murder by Magic (2004), ISBN 0-446-67962-3, set in the same universe as Dragon Precinct
"Editorial Interference" in Circles in the Hair (2006)
"Crime of Passion" in Hear Them Roar (2006), ISBN 0-9773040-1-9, set in the same universe as Dragon Precinct
"Sunday in the Park with Spot" in Furry Fantastic (2006), ISBN 0-7564-0381-2
"House Arrest" in Bad-Ass Faeries (2007), set in the same universe as Dragon Precinct
"Life from Lifelessness" in Doctor Who: Destination Prague (2007)
"A Clean Getaway" in Pandora's Closet (2007), set in the same universe as Dragon Precinct
"Meiyo" on the Battlecorps.com web site (2008)
"Three Sides to Every Story" in BattleTech: 25 Years of Art and Fiction (2009)
"Fire in the Hole" in Dragon's Lure (2010), set in the same universe as Dragon Precinct
"Letter from Guadalajara" in More Tales of Zorro (forthcoming in 2010)
Essays and articles
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Watcher's Guide Volume 1 (written with Christopher Golden & Nancy Holder, 1998), ISBN 0-671-02433-7
"You Set Loose What?: Australia, 1859" in You Did What?: Mad Plans and Great Historical Disasters (2004), ISBN 0-06-053250-5
"The Red Sox Fan's Guide to Surviving Yankee Stadium" in The Red Sox Fan Handbook (2005), ISBN 1-57940-110-4
"'The Train Job' Didn't Do the Job" in Finding Serenity (2005), ISBN 1-932100-43-1
"The Ideas Factory" in Star Trek Magazine (#80, July 2005)
"'Twas Stupidity Killed the Beast" in King Kong is Back! (2005), ISBN 1-932100-64-4
"Actor and Superactor" in The Man from Kyrpton (2006), ISBN 1-932100-77-6
"Pryde of the X-Men" in The Unauthorized X-Men (2006), ISBN 1-932100-74-1
"The Madness of King George" in Star Wars on Trial (2006), ISBN 1-932100-89-X
"Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man" in Webslinger (2007), ISBN 1-933771-06-2
"Voyager" in Star Trek Magazine (#133, July/August 2007)
"Klingon Empire" in Star Trek Magazine (#133, July/August 2007)
"Corps of Engineers" in Star Trek Magazine (#133, July/August 2007)
"Introduction" in Assembled!: Five Decades of Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2007), ISBN 0-6151-5444-1
"Anti-Star Trek?" in Star Trek Magazine (#134, September/October 2007)
"Embracing the Star Trek Universe" in Star Trek Magazine (#137, March/April 2008)
"When 42 Isn't the Answer..." in Star Trek Magazine (#138, May/June 2008)
"Just Following Orders" in Star Trek Magazine (#141, November/December 2008)
"The Mirror Universe Timeline" in Star Trek Magazine (#142, January/February 2009)
"Not Just a Pretty Face (or Two)" in In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural (2009)
"Avengers Assemble--in the Bookstore!" in Assembled! 2: The Unauthorized Guide to Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Villains (2009)
"Kang" in Star Trek Magazine (#149, December 2009)
"The Proud Forehead" in Star Trek Magazine (#151, February 2010)
"The Team(s) of the Decade" in Maple Street Press Yankees 2010 Annual (March 2010)
Anthology/collection editing
The Ultimate Dragon (with Byron Preiss and John Betancourt, 1995)
The Ultimate Alien (with Byron Preiss and John Betancourt, 1995)
OtherWere: Stories of Transformation (with Laura Anne Gilman, 1996)
Urban Nightmares (with Josepha Sherman, 1997)
Virtual Unrealities: The Short Fiction of Alfred Bester (with Byron Preiss & Robert Silverberg, 1997)
Imaginings: An Anthology of Long Short Fiction (2003)
