Plasma Rifle
Award-winning author, Army veteran, and host of Through a Glass Darkly.
Sean Patrick Hazlett (born November 17, 1975) is an American horror, science fiction, and fantasy author, editor, and futurist. He was born in Wilmington, Delaware. Hazlett is an Army veteran who served in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California. He holds degrees in Electrical Engineering and History from Stanford, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. His Master's thesis at the Kennedy School focused on policy options for Iran's nuclear program under the supervision of former Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter. Hazlett was a winner of the Writers of the Future Contest for his short story "Adramelech." He was honored on April 4, 2017, at the 33rd Annual L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards. He hosts the podcast Through a Glass Darkly about the paranormal, UAPs, parapsychology, and geopolitics.
- Type
- Energy Weapon
- Origin
- Pre-Collapse Civilisation
- Status
- Extinct / Rare Artifact
- Availability
- Found only in deep ruins
- Power Source
- Depleted Plasma Cell
- Era
- Before the Great Crumble
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Hazlett's short story "Adramelech" won the Writers of the Future Contest, and he was honored on April 4, 2017, at the 33rd Annual L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards alongside eleven other winners and two finalists. His Master's thesis at the Kennedy School focused on policy options for Iran's nuclear program under the supervision of former Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter. He hosts the podcast Through a Glass Darkly, where he has interviewed historian Norman M. Naimark, psychologist Bernard D. Beitman, and remote viewer David Morehouse. His published works include stories in magazines such as Galaxy's Edge, Abyss & Apex, and Grimdark Magazine, and he has edited anthologies including Weird World War III (Baen: October 2020), Weird World War IV (Baen: March 2022), and Weird World War: China (Baen: January 2024).
In Their Own Story
On April 4, 2017, at the 33rd Annual L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards, Sean Patrick Hazlett stood among eleven other winners of the Writers of the Future Contest—Andrew L. Roberts, Andrew Peery, Anton Rose, C. L. Kagmi, Doug C. Souza, Dustin Steinacker, Jake Marley, Stephen Lawson, Ville Merilainen, Walter Dinjos, and Ziporah Hildebrandt—and two finalists, David VonAllmen and Molly Elizabeth Atkins. His winning story was "Adramelech." Years earlier, as a student at the Harvard Kennedy School, he wrote a Master's thesis on policy options for Iran's nuclear program under the supervision of former Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter. Today, he hosts Through a Glass Darkly, a podcast where he has interviewed historian Norman M. Naimark, psychologist Bernard D. Beitman, and remote viewer David Morehouse.
Reader's Guide
Hazlett's bibliography spans from 2013 to 2025, with short stories appearing in venues like Plasma Frequency Magazine, The Colored Lens, NewMyths.com, Mad Scientist Journal, Fictionvale Magazine, Outposts of Beyond, Perihelion Online Science Fiction Magazine, Grimdark Magazine, Kasma SF Magazine, Sci Phi Journal, The Overcast, Stupefying Stories Showcase, Unnerving Magazine, Abyss & Apex, Weirdbook, Dark Moon Digest, Speculate!, Galaxy's Edge, Disturbed Digest, Terraform, Bards and Sages Quarterly, Mythic Magazine, Tell-Tale Press, Vastarien, Curiosities, 99 Tiny Terrors, Tales to Terrify, and anthologies from Baen and Raconteur Press. His collections include Alien Abattoir and Other Stories (Promethium Press: April 2015), Necromancer: And Other Stories (Promethium Enterprises: October 2025), and Hellhold: And Other Stories (Promethium Enterprises: October 2025). He edited the anthologies Weird World War III (Baen: October 2020), Weird World War IV (Baen: March 2022), and Weird World War: China (Baen: January 2024).
Did You Know?
- Sean Patrick Hazlett was born in Wilmington, Delaware on November 17, 1975.
- He served in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California.
- He holds degrees in Electrical Engineering and History from Stanford, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
- His Master's thesis at the Kennedy School focused on policy options for Iran's nuclear program under the supervision of former Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter.
- He hosts the podcast Through a Glass Darkly about the paranormal, UAPs, parapsychology, and geopolitics.
More in Vehicles & Gear
Elsewhere in the Mad Max universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record