Edmund Cooper
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Edmund Cooper (April 30, 1926 - March 11, 1982) was a poet and prolific writer of science fiction and detective novels, published under his own name and several pen names.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Marple, near Stockport, Cheshire, Cooper left school at 15 and joined the Merchant Navy. After World War II, he trained as a teacher and began to publish short stories. His first novel, Deadly Image (later republished as The Uncertain Midnight) was completed in 1957 and published in 1958. A 1956 short story, Brain Child, was adapted as the movie The Invisible Boy (1957). Several of his early works were published under pseudonyms as Cooper was not proud of them.
By 1968, Cooper had achieved enough success to commit to writing full time. The following year The Uncertain Midnight was adapted for Swiss television, in French. At the height of his modest popularity, in the 1970s, he began to review science fiction for the Sunday Times and continued to do so until his death of alcohol-related illnesses in 1982.
[edit] Work and Criticism
An atheist and individualist, Cooper's science fiction often depicts unconventional heroes facing unfamiliar and remote environments. The colonisation of extra-terrestrial planets is a common theme and is the basis of the Expendables series, published under the name Richard Avery. The Expendables is notable both for the diversity of its cast of characters and for the frank nature of their conversations and attitudes on racial and sexual topics.
Cooper's depiction of women often proved controversial. Several of his books depicted future worlds dominated by women, often to the detriment of all. Cooper has been quoted as disparaging women's mental capacity: "let them have totally equal competition ... they'll see that they can't make it."(Note 1)
[edit] Publications
[edit] Novels
- 1958 The Uncertain Midnight (aka Deadly Image), ISBN 0-7066-0771-6
- 1959 Seed of Light, ISBN 0-340-21990-4
- 1960 Wish Goes to Slumber Land
- 1964 Transit, ISBN 0-571-05724-1
- 1966 All Fools' Day, ISBN 0-340-00182-8
- 1968 Five to Twelve, ISBN 0-340-10904-1
- 1968 A Far Sunset, ISBN 0-340-04364-4
- 1969 Seahorse in the Sky, ISBN 0-340-12975-1
- 1969 The Last Continent, ISBN 0-340-15091-2
- 1970 Son of Kronk, ISBN 0-340-12577-2
- 1971 The Overman Culture, ISBN 0-425-03155-1
- 1971 Kronk, ISBN 0-340-16217-1
- 1972 Who Needs Men?, (aka Gender Genocide), ISBN 0-340-18614-3
- 1973 The Cloud Walker, ISBN 0-340-19478-2
- 1973 The Tenth Planet, ISBN 0-340-20512-1
- 1974 Prisoner of Fire, ISBN 0-340-17016-6
- 1974 The Slaves of Heaven, ISBN 0-340-22337-5
- 1978 Merry Christmas, Ms Minerva!, ISBN 0-7091-7001-7
[edit] As Martin Lester
- 1954, Black Phoenix,
[edit] As George Kinley
- 1954 Ferry Rocket
[edit] As Broderick Quain
- 1954 They Shall Not Die
[edit] As Richard Avery
The Expendables Series:
- 1975 The Deathworms of Kratos, ISBN 0-340-19472-3
- 1975 The Rings of Tantalus, ISBN 0-340-19889-3
- 1975 The War Games of Zelos, ISBN 0-340-19875-3
- 1976 The Venom of Argus, ISBN 0-340-19918-0
[edit] Short Stories (collections)
- 1956 Voices in the Dark
- 1958 Tomorrow's Gift
- 1963 Tomorrow Came
- 1964 The Square Root of Tomorrow, ISBN 0-7091-1122-3
- 1968 The News from Elsewhere, ISBN B0000CO5KF
- 1971 Unborn Tomorrow, ISBN 0-7091-1917-8
- 1971 Double Phoenix (with Roger Lancelyn Green), ISBN 0-345-02420-6
- 1972 Jupiter Laughs and Other Stories, ISBN 0-340-26462-4
- 1980 World of Difference, ISBN 0-7091-8686-X
[edit] Work adapted for the screen
- 1957 Invisible Boy
- 1969 The Uncertain Midnight (French)
