Stuart J. Byrne
Encyclopedia
Stuart James Byrne is an American screenwriter and writer of science fiction
and fantasy
. He published under his own name and the pseudonyms Rothayne Amare, John Bloodstone, Howard Dare, and Marx Kaye (a house pseudonym)
Favorite fiction memories of the time included Grimm's Fairy Tales, Alice in Wonderland, L. Frank Baum's Oz stories, the Rover Boys, the Boy Allies, Gernsback science-fiction, and "the life-changing impact of the Edgar Rice Burroughs books."
At the age of twelve, he moved with his family to California. In his teen years, his interest in science fiction continued. He also became an avid amateur astronomer. Years later, he recalled that "many a summer night ... were spent in awe ... in the Pleiades and the great Orion Nebula, or surfing the moons of Jupiter and rings of Saturn. In fact at fifteen I was grinding parabolic mirrors for my amateur telescope."
In the 1930s, he married Joey and fathered two children, Richard and Joanne. He earned an M.A. at UCLA. He published his first science fiction story, entitled "Music of the Spheres" in Amazing Stories
in 1935. It told how a young man sacrificed his life to send a passenger spaceship away from a fatal encounter with the sun. In their capsule review of the book, Bleiler and Bleiler state, "The story, which is purple in writing, now considers the sensations of the young man as he approaches death in the sun, fancying that he hears the music of the spheres."
In the 1940s and 1950s, Byrne published in Science Stories, Amazing Stories
, Imagination (magazine)
, and Other Worlds (magazine)
.
He was especially noted as the creator of Michael Flanagan, the hero of three stories that appeared in Amazing Stories: "The Land Beyond the Lens," "The Golden Gods," and "The Return of Michael Flannigan," all listed as by John Bloodstone. The first two of these stories were collected as Godman (spelled "Godman!" on the cover) in 1970. According to Byrne's later reminiscence, the name "John Bloodstone" was suggested by Ray Palmer to fool Howard Browne, the editor of Amazing, who had requested that Palmer write a story about a picture showing a man going through some kind of lens. Palmer passed the job over to Byrne, but eventually confessed the switch to Browne.
novel called Tarzan on Mars via an editorial called "Tarzan Never Dies," by editor Ray Palmer
, in Other Worlds Science Stories magazine. The novel could not be published because Palmer was unable to get authorization from the estate of Edgar Rice Burroughs
.
" TV show in 1959 and 1960. He is credited with writing the episode entitled "Quarantine" (1959) and providing the story for the one entitled "Contraband" (1960) . He received credit for the story of the 1971 film called "The Deserter
" as well as the original story and screenplay for the 1972 film "The Doomsday Machine".
According to Bleiler and Bleiler, he was also a screenwriter for the 1975 film Journey into Fear, although he is not so credited in the IMdb online database.
If the style seems reminiscent of that of Edgar Rice Burroughs
, it may not be surprising.
Byrne said, "An ERB attorney once suggested to me that I try writing my own ERB-style fantasy adventures using my own characters.
The result was Thundar - Man of Two Worlds, written also in the ERB classical fantasy style, under my fantasy pen name, John Bloodstone."
In 1964 Stuart and Joeys Daughter gave birth to a son named Eric. In 1974 Stuart and Joey's son, Richard had a son with his wife Ann on August 12th 1974, they named him Anthony. Richard and Ann had another son, Jonathan 2yrs and 2 days apart on August 14th 1976. All together Stu "Ba" Byrne had 3 male grandchildren. He now has 3 great grand children Tara, Bodhi Padme, and Shaman Zoe. 2 female and 1 male great grandchildren. Strong Bloodline =)
series from German to English. He is credited as co-author with Clark Dalton of the two-part story called "Test Flight to Eden" (1975), which appeared in two consecutive Perry Rhodan books. When there were financial problems publishing Perry Rhodan books due to a change in the exchange rate between German and US currencies, Byrne undertook to write the Star Man series, of which 11 appeared in print, published by Forrest J. Ackerman's Master Publications.
The first story was the Supermen of Alpha.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
. He published under his own name and the pseudonyms Rothayne Amare, John Bloodstone, Howard Dare, and Marx Kaye (a house pseudonym)
Biography
Byrne was born in St. Paul, Minnesota Later, he recalled, "I was in there early enough to see magic lantern slides instead of movies, to watch the little man in the black suit climb his ladder to light our gas lamp out front, and in the early twenties I was excited by whisperings of a thing called radio!"Favorite fiction memories of the time included Grimm's Fairy Tales, Alice in Wonderland, L. Frank Baum's Oz stories, the Rover Boys, the Boy Allies, Gernsback science-fiction, and "the life-changing impact of the Edgar Rice Burroughs books."
At the age of twelve, he moved with his family to California. In his teen years, his interest in science fiction continued. He also became an avid amateur astronomer. Years later, he recalled that "many a summer night ... were spent in awe ... in the Pleiades and the great Orion Nebula, or surfing the moons of Jupiter and rings of Saturn. In fact at fifteen I was grinding parabolic mirrors for my amateur telescope."
In the 1930s, he married Joey and fathered two children, Richard and Joanne. He earned an M.A. at UCLA. He published his first science fiction story, entitled "Music of the Spheres" in Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
in 1935. It told how a young man sacrificed his life to send a passenger spaceship away from a fatal encounter with the sun. In their capsule review of the book, Bleiler and Bleiler state, "The story, which is purple in writing, now considers the sensations of the young man as he approaches death in the sun, fancying that he hears the music of the spheres."
In the 1940s and 1950s, Byrne published in Science Stories, Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
, Imagination (magazine)
Imagination (magazine)
Imagination was an American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in October 1950 by Raymond Palmer's Clark Publishing Company. The magazine was sold almost immediately to Greenleaf Publishing Company, owned by William Hamling, who published and edited it from the third issue,...
, and Other Worlds (magazine)
Other Worlds (magazine)
Other Worlds Science Stories was an American science fiction magazine, edited by Raymond A. Palmer with Bea Mahaffey. It was published by Palmer's Clark Publishing in Evanston, Illinois beginning in the late 1940s...
.
He was especially noted as the creator of Michael Flanagan, the hero of three stories that appeared in Amazing Stories: "The Land Beyond the Lens," "The Golden Gods," and "The Return of Michael Flannigan," all listed as by John Bloodstone. The first two of these stories were collected as Godman (spelled "Godman!" on the cover) in 1970. According to Byrne's later reminiscence, the name "John Bloodstone" was suggested by Ray Palmer to fool Howard Browne, the editor of Amazing, who had requested that Palmer write a story about a picture showing a man going through some kind of lens. Palmer passed the job over to Byrne, but eventually confessed the switch to Browne.
Tarzan, the unpublishable
In 1955, Byrne became known as the author of an unpublishable new TarzanTarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
novel called Tarzan on Mars via an editorial called "Tarzan Never Dies," by editor Ray Palmer
Raymond A. Palmer
Raymond Arthur Palmer was the influential editor of Amazing Stories from 1938 through 1949, when he left publisher Ziff-Davis to publish and edit Fate Magazine, and eventually many other magazines and books through his own publishing houses, including Amherst Press and Palmer Publications...
, in Other Worlds Science Stories magazine. The novel could not be published because Palmer was unable to get authorization from the estate of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
.
Men into Space
As a screenwriter, Byrne wrote for the "Men into SpaceMen Into Space
Men Into Space is an American sci-fi television series broadcast from September 30, 1959 to September 7, 1960 by CBS which depicted future efforts by the United States Air Force to explore and develop outer space. The black-and-white filmed show starred William Lundigan as Col...
" TV show in 1959 and 1960. He is credited with writing the episode entitled "Quarantine" (1959) and providing the story for the one entitled "Contraband" (1960) . He received credit for the story of the 1971 film called "The Deserter
The Deserter
-Film and television:* The Deserter , a 1912 silent film by Thomas H. Ince* The Deserter , a 1933 film by Vsevolod Pudovkin* The Deserter , a 1971 film by Burt Kennedy...
" as well as the original story and screenplay for the 1972 film "The Doomsday Machine".
According to Bleiler and Bleiler, he was also a screenwriter for the 1975 film Journey into Fear, although he is not so credited in the IMdb online database.
Thundar
Byrne reverted to the Bloodstone pseudonym for the publication of his original paperback novel Thundar. This vivid novel of the adventures of Michael Storm, also known as Thundar, on earth in the far future is one of Byrne's best. After a framing device concerning Michael Storm's diaries, the story begins with Storm's adventures in the Peruvian mountains searching for the legendary time-gate of Viricocha. According to Byrne, "The scenes and locale of the opening adventure in the Peruvian Andes are authenticated by the fact that I spent some years in those mouintains, following the trails of Pizarro while guided by archaic Spanish manuscript".If the style seems reminiscent of that of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
, it may not be surprising.
Byrne said, "An ERB attorney once suggested to me that I try writing my own ERB-style fantasy adventures using my own characters.
The result was Thundar - Man of Two Worlds, written also in the ERB classical fantasy style, under my fantasy pen name, John Bloodstone."
In 1964 Stuart and Joeys Daughter gave birth to a son named Eric. In 1974 Stuart and Joey's son, Richard had a son with his wife Ann on August 12th 1974, they named him Anthony. Richard and Ann had another son, Jonathan 2yrs and 2 days apart on August 14th 1976. All together Stu "Ba" Byrne had 3 male grandchildren. He now has 3 great grand children Tara, Bodhi Padme, and Shaman Zoe. 2 female and 1 male great grandchildren. Strong Bloodline =)
Perry Rhodan
In the 1970s, Byrne also worked as a translator on the Perry RhodanPerry Rhodan
Perry Rhodan is the name of a science fiction series published since 1961 in Germany, as well as the name of the main character. It is a space opera, dealing with several themes of science fiction. Having sold over one billion copies worldwide, it is the most successful science fiction book series...
series from German to English. He is credited as co-author with Clark Dalton of the two-part story called "Test Flight to Eden" (1975), which appeared in two consecutive Perry Rhodan books. When there were financial problems publishing Perry Rhodan books due to a change in the exchange rate between German and US currencies, Byrne undertook to write the Star Man series, of which 11 appeared in print, published by Forrest J. Ackerman's Master Publications.
The first story was the Supermen of Alpha.
Gothic
Also in the 1970s, Byrne tried his hand at Gothic writing from the first-person female point of view. The result was The Visitation, originally published in 1977, and republished as Hoaxbreaker in 2003.e-Books
Since 1998, many of Byrne's stories have been published in electronic form. They are all listed as by "Stuart J. Byrne," with "writing as John Bloodstone," etc. as appropriate.Short stories
Byrne's published short stories included:- Music of the Spheres Amazing Stories, August, 1935
- Prometheus II, Amazing Stories, February, 1948
- Colossus I, Other Worlds, May 1950
- Colossus II, Other Worlds, July 1950
- Colossus III, Other Worlds, September, 1950
- Beyond the Darkness, Other Worlds, July 1951
- Matter of Perspective, Other Worlds, October 1951
- Gsrthnxrpqrpf, Other Worlds, March 1952
- Land Beyond the Lens, (by John Bloodstone), Amazing Stories, March 1952
- The Golden Gods (by John Bloodstone), Amazing Stories May 1952
- Return of Michael Flannigan (by John Bloodstone), Amazing Stories August 1952
- The Golden Guardsmen, Other Worlds, April, June, and July, 1952
- The Ultimate Death (by Howard Dare), Other Worlds, July 1952
- The Naked Goddess, Other Worlds, October, 1952
- Lady of Flame (reprint of The Naked Goddess), Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, #30, February 1953
- Children of the Chronotron, Imagination, December 1952
- Power Metal, Other Worlds, May, June, and July, 1953
- The Bridge, Science Stories, December 1953
- Potential Zero (by John Bloodstone), Science Stories, December 1953
- Last Days of Thronas (by John Bloodstone), Science Stories, February 1954
- Beware the Star Gods, Imagination, June 1954
- The Metamorphs, Other Worlds, January 1957
- Spaceship Named Desire, Other Worlds, July 1957
- Test Flight to Eden (Part 1 of 2), by Stuart J. Byrne and Clark Darlton, in Perry Rhodan #68: Stars of Druufon, 1975
- Test Flight to Eden (Part 2 of 2), by Clark Darlton and Stuart J. Byrne, in Perry Rhodan #69: The Bonds of Eternity, April 1975
- Star Man 1: Supermen of Alpha, Perry Rhodan #137: The Phantom Horde / Star Man 1-5, Master Publications, 1979
- Star Man 2: Time Window, Perry Rhodan #137: The Phantom Horde / Star Man 1-5, Master Publications, 1979
- Star Man 3: Interstellar Mutineers, Perry Rhodan #137: The Phantom Horde / Star Man 1-5, Master Publications, 1979
- Star Man 4: The Cosmium Raiders, Perry Rhodan #137: The Phantom Horde / Star Man 1-5, Master Publications, 1979
- Star Man 5: The World Changer, Perry Rhodan #137: The Phantom Horde / Star Man 1-5, Master Publications, 1979
- Star Man 6: Slaves of Venus, Master Publications (assumed), publication date unknown.
Novels
Byrne's published books included:- Starman (1969), Powell Sci-Fi, PP 165, Powell Publications, Reseda, CA.
- Godman
- (1970) (writing as John Bloodstone), Powell Sci-Fi, PP 205, Powell Publications, Reseda, CA (front cover gives title as "Godman!")
- Thundar (1971) (writing as John Bloodstone), Leisure Books, North Hollywood, CA (front cover gives title as "Thundar: Man of Two Worlds", spine says "Thundar!", and title page says "Thundar")
- The Alpha Trap (1976), Major Books, Canoga Park, CA
- The Visitation (1977) (writing as Rothayne Amare), Major Books, Canoga Park, CA
- Starquest (2006)