Donald Kingsbury's works can be classified as "hard science fiction"; they feature speculations in such hard sciences as physics and aeronautics and demonstrate a solid grounding in scientific fact and principles. Yet, his focus is generally on the psychological and social effects of technological developments. He explores new definitions of "human" by tracing the development of vastly different cultures in alien conditions. As he said in an interview that appeared in Contemporary Authors (2000), "Designing new kinds of humans, new governments, and odd cultures is my favorite sport."

Donald MacDonald Kingsbury was born on 12 February 1929 in San Francisco. His father was Hector MacDonald Kingsbury, a mining engineer, and his mother was Laura Kingsbury (née Barker). In 1930 his father was hired to assist in the development of the gold mines in New Guinea. The only means of traveling to and from their new home was by plane, and...