Name: BULMER, Henry Kenneth Aged: 84
Born: January 14, 1921 Where: London, ENGLAND
Died: December 16, 2005 Where: Tunbridge Wells, Kent, ENGLAND
Interred:
Married: Pamela Buckmaster When: 1953 (div 1981)

Kenneth Bulmer

"I have said many times, and will reiterate,
that SF is not respectable but is responsible."

Ken Bulmer wrote compassionate "Men's Romance" (seek & destroy, overcome, survive until the end at any cost), with a large portion of his work, if not the majority, being in the science fantasy field. He was enthusiastic and prolific, driven by a need to communicate and a will to win. But he became disillusioned with the field of his youth and in later years moved into adventure novels set in Earth's history, from antediluvian struggles to seafaring against Napoleon. In this later period, he wrote in the science fantasy field only to continue a partnership (mutually perceived) between himself and Donald A. Wollheim, editor of Ace and DAW Books.

Bulmer began reading the American pulp magazines in the late 1930s, entered the mimeograph sub-culture of SF fandom in the 1940s (somewhat disrupted by a tour in the RAF during WWII to Africa, Sicily, and Italy, 1941-46), and was selling novel manuscripts in the early 1950s to Panther, Digit, and Curtis Warren in London and then to Ace Books in the USA. He maintained three successful markets for almost 40 years, having added post-war Germany. He wrote novels as readily as other authors wrote short stories, amassing well over 160 titles under multiple pen names. Except for a two story collection, 1962's The Wind of Liberty from Digit, his short SF works have not been collected.

Bulmer seldom wrote a stand-alone novel, and rarely held a theme to just a trilogy. Complete story novels of note included Kandar and The Wizard of Starship Poseidon. The most famous of his series was the "Dray Prescot" sequence by "Alan Burt Akers," at 37 novels in English with an additional 15 in German. Bulmer co-authored with his chemist friend, John Newman, science-fact articles as "Kenneth Johns" for Astounding and Scientific American. Bulmer also edited nine volumes of New Writings in Science Fiction, annual editions 22 to 30.

Ken bristled at being reviewed as a writer of space operas, and usually had some comments for the reviewer's limited intelligence and lack of perception. The last 15 years of his life were spent in failing health with serious episodes and the inevitable placement in a nursing home. Along the way, he raised a family and fought in WWII, serving out his natural debt to God & Country. All the rest, in the end, was for everyone else.

"If, in an unwary moment, I open one of my early books
I find great difficulty in identifying with the writer."

Thumbnail photographer is unknown to me.

PEN NAMES: Alan Burt Akers, Frank Brandon, Rupert Clinton, Ernest Corley, Peter Green, Kenneth Johns (w John Newman), Philip Kent, Karl Maras, Manning Norvil, Chesman Scot, Nelson Sherwood, H. Philip Stratford, and Tully Zetford.

Pen names used for several series of naval adventure novels were Adam Hardy, Bruno Krauss, & Richard Silver. Bulmer also wrote books 1, 2, 5, & 6 of the Wolf's Head medieval outlaw series as Arthur Frazier; most of "The Professionals" television novelizations as Ken Blake (w Robert Holdstock); books 2 & 5 of The Gladiator series as Andrew Quiller; book 11 of the Jubal Cade western series by Charles R. Pike; and books 2 & 4 of The Vikings series as Neil Langholm.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Mine here.

OBITUARY: Various

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