This page is for site visitors to post remembrances and thoughts at the time of Dr. Pournelle’s passing (8 Sep 2017). Your thoughts can be added using the form at the bottom of this page. Comments that are not related to words of encouragement or condolences will be removed.
Dr. Pournelle’s family appreciates those that have taken the time to send condolences and well wishes.
For those that are interested in Dr. Pournelle’s books, please see the e-books page or the Amazon page . Here’s a list of all of Jerry’s books: All The Books.
Jerry’s last post is here. The text of the eulogy given at the memorial is here. Site news is here. – Editor
Dr. Pournelle has been a life-long (and life-changing) inspiration. My condolences to his family and friends.
Like many others, I loved the books with Larry Niven and his BYTE musings in Chaos Manor..He will be missed..
Thank you sir. You inspired me to become an engineer and a better person.
I’m sorry to hear of Dr. Pournelle’s death. I’ve loved his work, solo and collaborations, for many years. (By weird coincidence, I had his book *Go Tell the Spartans* with me when I was stranded at a conference on 9/11/01 — helped me get through those days.)
…I’d almost come to believe that Dr. Pournelle would go on forever. (I’d hoped he would.)
I, too, began reading his columns in BYTE; and was delighted to find his Chaos Manor on the web when I “took the plunge”. His published books never disappointed, and his “blog” always seemed the most reasonable and informative available.
(His case for having invented blogging is solid!)
Farewell to one of our country’s treasures: An intelligent, compassionate and gentle man, who made the world around him better.
That there are and were others, he’d not deny. But losing one is painful…
My condolences to his family, and the great many of his friends.
A Step Farther Out, his BYTE columns, Far Frontiers w/ Jim Baen, his solo novels, his collaborations w/ Niven, and w/ Barnes – I’ve loved his work for many years. He will be missed.
RIP Jerry Pournelle. You will be missed.
Like many long-time readers, I was reading him in BYTE in the late 1980s as I started my programming career, and frankly never stopped. His collaboration with Larry Niven, “The Mote in God’s Eye,” remains my favourite hard-science fiction novel. His meticulously detailed views of politics, with a vise-like sort of Conrad Black grasp of history, kept me entertained and informed long after the technology writings ended. Many fields of study have lost a giant.
Will I might not have agreed with some of his political views, I always admired his works. Both science fiction and Chaos Manor.
The World has lost one of its great literary talents.
Godspeed
I was shocked and saddened to learn about Jerry’s passing. I have followed him since his days in Byte and enjoyed many of his novels over the years. He was always reasoned and logical in his discussions about current events and history, and his voice will be sorely missed…
My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Pournelle family during this sad and difficult time.
Jerry’s imagination and vibrant mind gave me a great deal of pleasure and mental challenge over the years.
I m sure the words of fans who will miss him do not begin to compare to the loss that you, his loved ones feel, yet we do feel the loss and begin to miss him.
It is sad that there will be no more musings, no other opus. But for you have lost a husband, father, and friend. My deepest condolences to you.
The world seems a little darker today. Lets hope that the future is like he envisioned it.
My condolences to the Pournelle family.
My condolences to the Pournelle family. I followed Dr Pournelle’s work since the Byte days and have read and enjoyed a number of his works. I, along with many others, will miss his common sense view of reality.
I read Jerry’s work not just for years, but for decades. I read his work in Byte for years, then finally decided to try out one of his books, which then made me a science fiction reader, which was over 30 years ago. My guess is that this was a common experience.
What made Jerry special to me was that he took time from his busy schedule to read his email, and respond to well thought out comments and questions.
I am so saddened by Dr. Pournelle’s passing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his novels and collections during my teenage years and into adulthood. His Byte columns strongly influenced my entry into the world of computer engineering. I have been been a long time reader on this site and his observations and thoughts, while not always aligned with my own, were always well reasoned and explained. Truly we have lost a great thinker.
My condolences for your loss. Thoughts and prayers for Jerry’s wife and family.
I loved Jerry’s column in Byte and have followed him for years. I was very impressed with his computer with the large monitor (Zeke??) He is one of the great authors in science fiction. The world is a lesser place without him.
My sincere condolences to his family. I lost my father recently so I have some small sense of what they are going through.
The ONLY reason I have a computer is/was because of Jerry’s “So you don’t have to” columns. DOS survives.
Jerry’s SCI-FI and collaborations are always captivating!
Farewell and God Bless Dr. Pournelle.
You and your family are in our prayers.
An old analog guy.
My condolences to Dr. Pournelle’s family. He was a truly great author, and his career and achievements left me in awe.
Rest in peace.
Farewell and Godspeed, teacher. Thank you.
Condolences to those who loved him left here on Earth.
I discovered Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven’ partner ship in 1977 while in the NAVY. They made the long days and night at sea much more friendly.
Dr. Pournelle will be missed.