Edwin Charles Tubb

Tubb's best known series is The Dumarest Saga (US collective title: Dumarest of Terra), a far future epic science-fiction saga charting the adventures of traveler Earl Dumarest as he attempts to find his way back to his home planet, Earth, from a region of space so far distant that the existence of the planet is believed to be nothing more than a myth. Originally written in what Michael Moorcock has described as a "conscious and acknowledged imitation" of Leigh Brackett's Eric John Stark stories, the series subsequently developed a style of storytelling unique to Tubb.

Published over a span of more than 40 years, the Dumarest Saga comprised 33 novels. The 33rd, which brings closure to Dumarest's search for Earth, was published in 2008 by Homeworld Press of Chicago. A pair of Dumarest short stories, entitled "Child of Earth" and "Figona" and published in the science fiction anthologies Fantasy Adventures 1 (2002) and Fantasy Adventures 2 (2003), were extracts from this longer work.

Tubb's other main novel series, Cap Kennedy, is space opera in the style of Perry Rhodan. Known as F.A.T.E. in the UK (where only the first six books have ever been published), the novels follow the adventures of Captain 'Cap' Kennedy, a Free Acting Terran Envoy (F.A.T.E.) with licence to act as judge, jury, and executioner, and the power to intervene in any situation which threatens the peace of the Terran Sphere, an interplanetary federation centred on Earth.

Independently wealthy and operating from his personal spaceship, the Mordain, Kennedy is assisted on his missions by engineer Penza Saratov, veteran scientist Professor Jarl Luden, and alien navigator Veem Chemile, a humanoid chameleon who claims to be descended from the Zheltyana, an ancient race which dominated the galaxy in the distant past before vanishing without trace. The discovery of mysterious artifacts left behind by the Zheltyana on different worlds often provided the spring-board for the stories in the series.

Lester del Rey found that although the first volume managed to "avoid the primitiveness and the formula" that spoiled many similar series, the virtues of such series were also missing, leaving him unenthusiastic.[4] He later noted improvement in a subsequent installment.[5]

Tubb wrote 17 Cap Kennedy novels, all under the pseudonym Gregory Kern.

These books were the basis for the Commander Scott series from German publishers Bastei. This series included all of the Cap Kennedy books by Tubb as well as a number of further novels, written under pseudonym by different German authors. Published in the format of romanheft (a digest-sized version of pulp magazines), the series lasted for 42 issues from 1975 to 1976. (See the entry under the German Wikipedia, Commander Scott.)

Tubb was the author of six novels based on Gerry Anderson's 1975 science fiction television series Space: 1999. Breakaway (1975), Collision Course (1975) and Earthbound (2003) are novelizations of 11 scripts written for the series' first season format (including two that were subsequently filmed as second-season episodes), while Alien Seed (1976), Rogue Planet (1976) and Earthfall (1977, revised 2002) are original novels set within the first season continuity. The latter rejected the format changes of the TV series' second season to provide a satisfactory conclusion to the Space 1999 story.

Tubb's short story "Random Sample" from New Writings in SF 29 (1976) was revised to become "Dead End", a short story in the Space: 1999 anthology Shepherd Moon (2010). The original story's Prometheus starship crew are replaced by the Moonbase Alpha characters in the Space: 1999 version. "Random Sample" was itself a revised version of a much earlier Tubb short, "Entrance Exam", originally published in New Worlds magazine (1951).

Tubb's best known standalone novel is The Space-Born (1956), which started life as a serial for New Worlds Science Fiction magazine entitled "Star Ship". An acknowledged masterpiece of the "generational starship" story, the book tells of a society who are the sixteenth generation of the original crew of a vast starship on a 300-year journey to Pollux from Earth. The plot centres on a protagonist whose job is to eliminate anyone who has become a burden to the society, through ill health, mental instability, or anyone over 40.

Other notable standalone novels include Alien Dust (1955), which charts the first 35 years of an Earth colony on Mars, and Moon Base (1964), a science fiction detective thriller set on a British Moonbase where a biochemical computer is under development. The short story collections Ten From Tomorrow (1966), A Scatter of Stardust (1972) and The Best Science Fiction of E.C. Tubb (2003) contain the best of Tubb's short form writing, including "The Last Day of Summer" (1955), "Little Girl Lost" (1955), "Vigil" (1956), "The Bells of Acheron" (1957), "Fresh Guy" (1958), "The Ming Vase" (1963), "J is for Jeanne" (1965), and "Evane" (1973).

Outside the field of science fiction, Tubb wrote 11 western novels, a detective novel and a Foreign Legion novel for Badger Books. Once again, many of these were published under a variety of pseudonyms, including the house name "Chuck Adams", which were also used by other authors. In the 1970s he wrote a trilogy of historical novels set in Ancient Rome under the pseudonym Edward Thomson.

Tubb's 1955 novel The Space-Born was dramatised for French television in 1962 as a 90-minute play for Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française. The production was directed by Alain Boudet from a script by Michael Subrela and broadcast on 11 December 1962.

The short story "Little Girl Lost", originally published in New Worlds magazine (1955), was dramatised as a segment of Night Gallery in 1972. Adapted by Stanford Whitmore and directed by Timothy Galfras, with a cast featuring William Windom and Ed Nelson, the segment originally aired on 1 March 1972, paired with The Caterpillar in the penultimate episode of the series' second season.

1. The Winds of Gath (1967) (also published with slightly modified text as Gath [1968, 2010])
2. Derai (1968) (also published as The Death Zone [2010])
3. Toyman (1969)
4. Kalin (1969)
5. The Jester at Scar (1970)
6. Lallia (1971)
7. Technos (1972)
8. Veruchia (1973)
9. Mayenne (1973)
10. Jondelle (1973)
11. Zenya (1974)
12. Eloise (1975)
13. Eye of the Zodiac (1975)
14. Jack of Swords (1976)
15. Spectrum of a Forgotten Sun (1976)
16. Haven of Darkness (1977)
17. Prison of Night (1977)
18. Incident on Ath (1978)
19. The Quillian Sector (1978)
20. Web of Sand (1979)
21. Iduna's Universe (1979)
22. The Terra Data (1980)
23. World of Promise (1980)
24. Nectar of Heaven (1981)
25. The Terridae (1981)
26. The Coming Event (1982)
27. Earth is Heaven (1982)
28. Melome (1983) (published in UK with Angado [1984] as Melome and Angado [1988])
29. Angado (1984) (published in UK with Melome [1983] as Melome and Angado [1988])
30. Symbol of Terra (1984) (published in UK with The Temple of Truth [1985] as Symbol of Terra and The Temple of Truth [1989])
31. The Temple of Truth (1985) (published in UK with Symbol of Terra [1985] as Symbol of Terra and The Temple of Truth [1989])
32. The Return (1997) (written 1985 but previously only published in French language as Le Retour [1992])
33. Child of Earth (2008)

• The Winds of Gath / Derai (1973) (omnibus edition of The Winds of Gath [1967] and Derai [1968])
• Mayenne and Jondelle (1981) (omnibus edition of Mayenne [1973] and Jondelle [1973])
• Dumarest of Terra Omnibus (2005) (omnibus edition of The Winds of Gath [1967], Derai [1968], Toyman [1969] and Kalin [1969])

All as by Gregory Kern

1. Galaxy of the Lost (1973)
2. Slave Ship from Sergan (1973)
3. Monster of Metelaze (1973)
4. Enemy Within the Skull (1974)
5. Jewel of Jarhen (1974)
6. Seetee Alert! (1974)
7. The Gholan Gate (1974)
8. The Eater of Worlds (1974)
9. Earth Enslaved (1974)
10. Planet of Dread (1974)
11. Spawn of Laban (1974)
12. The Genetic Buccaneer (1974)
13. A World Aflame (1974)
14. The Ghosts of Epidoris (1975)
15. Mimics of Dephene (1975)
16. Beyond the Galactic Lens (1975)
17. The Galactiad (1983) (written 1976 but previously only published in German language as Das kosmische Duell [1976])

1. Breakaway (1975)
2. Collision Course (1975)
3. Alien Seed (1976)
4. Rogue Planet (1976)
5. Earthfall (1977) (also published in 25th anniversary revised edition [2002])
6. Earthbound (2003)

1. Death God's Doom (1999)
2. The Sleeping City (1999)

Tubb's 1954 novel The Resurrected Man saw its first American publication as the cover story on the December 1958 issue of Satellite Science Fiction

• Saturn Patrol (1951), as by King Lang
  • also published as Saturn Patrol (1996) by E.C. Tubb
• Planetfall (1951), as by Gill Hunt
• Argentis (1952), as by Brian Shaw
  • also published as Argentis (1979) by E.C. Tubb
• Alien Impact (1952)
• Alien Universe (1952), as by Volsted Gridban
  • also published as The Green Helix (2009) by E.C. Tubb
• Reverse Universe (1952), as by Volsted Gridban
• Atom War on Mars (1952)
• Planetoid Disposals Ltd. (1953), as by Volsted Gridban
• De Bracy's Drug (1953), as by Volsted Gridban
  • also published as De Bracy's Drug (2004) by E.C. Tubb
  • also published as The Freedom Army (2009) by E.C. Tubb
• Fugitive of Time (1953), as by Volsted Gridban
• The Wall (1953), as by Charles Grey
  • also published as The Wall (1999, 2009) by E.C. Tubb
• The Mutants Rebel (1953)
  • also published as World in Torment (2008)
• Dynasty of Doom (1953), as by Charles Grey
• The Tormented City (1953), as by Charles Grey
  • also published as Secret of the Towers (2008) by E.C. Tubb
• Space Hunger (1953), as by Charles Grey
  • also published as Earth Set Free (1999) by E.C. Tubb
  • also published as The Price of Freedom (2008) by E.C. Tubb
• I Fight for Mars (1953), as by Charles Grey
  • also published as I Fight for Mars (1998) by E.C. Tubb
• Venusian Adventure (1953)
• Alien Life (1954)
• The Living World (1954), as by Carl Maddox
• The Extra Man (1954)
  • also published as Fifty Days to Doom (2010)
• Menace from the Past (1954), as by Carl Maddox
• The Metal Eater (1954), as by Roy Sheldon
• Journey to Mars (1954)
• World at Bay (1954)
  • also published as Tide of Death (2008)
• City of No Return (1954)
• Hell Planet (1954)
• The Resurrected Man (1954)
• The Stellar Legion (1954)
• The Hand of Havoc (1954), as by Charles Grey
• Enterprise 2115 (1954), as by Charles Grey
  • also published as The Mechanical Monarch (1958) by E.C. Tubb
• Alien Dust (1955)
• The Space-Born (1956)
• Touch of Evil (1957), as by Arthur Maclean
  • also published in revised version as The Possessed (2005) by E.C. Tubb
• Moon Base (1964)
• Death is a Dream (1967)
• The Life-Buyer (1967)
  • also published as The Life Buyer (2006)
• C.O.D. - Mars (1968)
  • also published as Fear of Strangers (2007)
• Escape into Space (1969)
• S.T.A.R. Flight (1969)
• Century of the Manikin (1972)
• The Primitive (1977)
• Death Wears a White Face (1979)
  • also published as Dead Weight (2007)
• Stellar Assignment (1979)
• The Luck Machine (1980)
• Pawn of the Omphalos (1980)
  • also published in revised version as Death God's Doom (1999)
• Stardeath (1983)
• Pandora's Box (1996) (previously unpublished work written 1954)
• Temple of Death (1996) (previously unpublished work written 1954)
• Alien Life (1998) (revised and expanded version of Alien Life [1954])
  • also published as Journey into Terror (2009)
• Alien Worlds (1999) (collection of Alien Dust [1955] and Alien Universe [1952])
• Footsteps of Angels (2004) (previously unpublished work written c.1988)
• Starslave (2010) (previously unpublished work written 1984)
• To Dream Again (2011)
• Fires of Satan (2012)

• Supernatural Stories 9 (1957), as by various pseudonyms
• Ten from Tomorrow (1966)
• A Scatter of Stardust (1972)
• Kalgan the Golden (1996)
• Murder in Space (1997)
• The Best Science Fiction of E.C. Tubb (2003)
• Mirror of the Night and Other Weird Tales (2003)
• The Wager: Science Fiction Mystery Tales (2011)
• The Ming Vase and Other Science Fiction Stories (2011)
• Enemy of the State: Fantastic Mystery Stories (2011)
• Tomorrow: Science Fiction Mystery Tales (2011)
• The Wonderful Day: Science Fiction Stories (2012)
• Only One Winner: Science Fiction Mystery Tales (2013)

• Freight (1953, Nebula 3)
• Subtle Victory (1953, Authentic Science Fiction 39)
• The Inevitable Conflict (1954, Vargo Statten Science Fiction 1–3)
• Forbidden Fruit (1954, Vargo Statten/British Science Fiction 4–6)
• Star Haven (1954, Authentic Science Fiction 52)
• Number Thirteen (1956, Authentic Science Fiction 69), as by Douglas West
• The Big Secret (1956, Authentic Science Fiction 70), as by Ken Wainwright
• The Give-Away Worlds (1956, Authentic Science Fiction 72), as by Julian Cary
• Enemy of the State (1956, Authentic Science Fiction 74), as by Ken Wainwright
• There's Only One Winner (1957, Authentic Science Fiction 81), as by Nigel Lloyd
• The Touch of Reality (1958, Nebula 28)
• Galactic Destiny (1959, SF Adventures 10)
• Spawn of Jupiter (1970, Vision of Tomorrow 11)

• Assignment New York (1955), as by Mike Lantry
  • also published as Assignment New York (1996) by E.C. Tubb
• The Fighting Fury (1955), as by Paul Schofield
  • also published as The Fighting Fury (1962), as by Chuck Adams
  • also published as The Gold Seekers (2000) by E.C. Tubb
• Comanche Capture (1955), as by E. F. Jackson
  • also published as The Captive (2000), as by E.F. Jackson
  • also published as The Captive (2010) by E.C. Tubb
• Sands of Destiny (1955), as by Jud Cary
  • also published as Sands of Destiny (2009) by E.C. Tubb
  • also published as Sands of Destiny: A Novel of the French Foreign Legion (2011) by E.C. Tubb
• Men of the Long Rifle (1955), as by J.F. Clarkson
  • also published as The Pathfinders (2000), as by Charles Grey
• Scourge of the South (1956), as by M.L. Powers
  • also published as The Marauders (1960), as by M.L. Powers
  • also published as Scourge of the South (2000), as by George Holt
• Vengeance Trail (1956), as by James Farrow
  • also published as The Liberators (2000), as by Brett Landry
• Trail Blazers (1956), as by Chuck Adams
  • also published as The Last Outlaw (1961), as by Chuck Adams
  • also published as Trail Blazers (2000), as by Eric Storm
  • also published as Trail Blazers (2007) by E.C. Tubb
• Quest for Quantrell (1956), as by John Stevens
  • also published as Night Raiders (1960), as by John Stevens
  • also published as Curse of Quantrill (2000), as by Carl Maddox
• Drums of the Prairie (1956), as by P. Lawrence
  • also published as The Red Lance (1959), as by L.P. Eastern
  • also published as The Dying Tree (2000), as by Edward Thomson
• Men of the West (1956), as by Chet Lawson
  • also published as Massacre Trail (1960), as by Chuck Adams
  • also published as Hills of Blood (2000), as by Frank Weight
• Wagon Trail (1957), as by Charles S. Graham
  • also published as Cauldron of Violence (2000), as by Gordon Kent
  • also published as Cauldron of Violence (2010) by E.C. Tubb
• Colt Vengeance (1957), as by James R. Fenner
  • also published as Colt Law (1962), as by Chuck Adams
  • also published as The First Shot (2000) by E.C. Tubb

All as by Edward Thomson

1. Atilus the Slave (1975)
2. Atilus the Gladiator (1975)
3. Gladiator (1978)

• Hellfire Landing (Commando issue 5, 1961)
• Target Death (Combat Library issue 102, 1961)
• Lucky Strike (War Picture Library issue 124, 1961)
• Calculated Risk (Air Ace Picture Library issue 78, 1961)
• Too Tough to Handle (War Picture Library issue 134, 1962)
• The Dead Keep Faith (War Picture Library issue 140, 1962)
• The Spark of Anger (Battle Picture Library issue 52, 1962)
• Full Impact (Air Ace Picture Library issue 92, 1962)
• I Vow Vengeance (War at Sea Picture Library issue 7, 1962)
• One Must Die (Battle Picture Library issue 72, 1962)
• Gunflash (War Picture Library issue 157, 1962)
• Hit Back (Battle Picture Library issue 69, 1962)
• Suicide Squad (War Picture Library issue 172, 1962)
• No Higher Stakes (Battle Picture Library issue 89, 1963)
• Penalty of Fear (Thriller Picture Library issue 444, 1963)

• Gateway to the Stars (ed. John Carnell, 1955) - 'Unfortunate Purchase'
• SF: The Year's Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy (ed. Judith Merril, 1956) - 'The Last Day of Summer'
• SF '59: The Year's Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy (ed. Judith Merril, 1959) - 'Fresh Guy'
• The Vampire (ed. Ornella Volta and Valerio Riva, 1963) - 'Fresh Guy'
• The Year's Best SF: 9 (ed. Judith Merril, 1964) - 'The Ming Vase'
• Dimension 4 (ed. Groff Conklin, 1964) - 'Sense of Proportion'
• Best of New Worlds (ed. Michael Moorcock, 1965) - 'New Experience'
• Weird Shadows from Beyond (ed. John Carnell, 1965) - 'Fresh Guy'
• New Writings in SF 6 (ed. John Carnell, 1965) - 'The Seekers'
• The Year's Best SF: 11th (ed. Judith Merril, 1966) - 'J is for Jeanne'
• SF Reprise 1 (ed. Michael Moorcock, 1966) - 'New Experience'
• Window on the Future (ed. Douglas Hill, 1966) - 'Sense of Proportion'
• 9th Annual S-F (ed. Judith Merril, 1967) - 'The Ming Vase'
• The Devil His Due (ed. Douglas Hill, 1967) - 'Return Visit'
• More Tales of Unease (ed. John Burke, 1969) - 'Little Girl Lost'
• The Best of Sci-fi 12 (ed. Judith Merril, 1970) - 'J is for Jeanne'
• The Year's Best Horror Stories (ed. Richard Davis, 1971) - 'Lucifer!'
• New Writings in Horror and the Supernatural (ed. David Sutton, 1971) - 'The Winner'
• New Writings in SF 22 (ed. Kenneth Bulmer, 1973) - 'Evane'
• Space 1 (ed. Richard Davis, 1973) - 'Mistaken Identity'
• The 1974 Annual World's Best SF (ed. Donald Wollheim, 1974) - 'Evane'
• New Writings in SF 23 (ed. Kenneth Bulmer,1974) - 'Made to be Broken', 'Accolade'
• History of the Science Fiction Magazine 1946-1955 (ed. Mike Ashley, 1974) - 'The Wager'
• World's Best SF Short Stories 1 (ed. Donald Wollheim, 1975) - 'Evane'
• New Writings in SF 28 (ed. Kenneth Bulmer, 1976) - 'Face to Infinity'
• New Writings in SF 29 (ed. Kenneth Bulmer, 1976) - 'Random Sample'
• Best of British SF Vol. 2 (ed. Mike Ashley, 1977) - 'Trojan Horse'
• Strange Planets (ed. A. Williams-Ellis and M. Pearson, 1977) - 'Made to be Broken'
• New Writings in SF 30 (ed. Kenneth Bulmer, 1978) - 'Read Me This Riddle'
• Perilous Planets (ed. Brian Aldiss, 1978) - 'The Seekers'
• The Androids Are Coming (ed. Robert Silverberg, 1979) - 'The Captain's Dog'
• Wollheim's World of Best SF (ed. Donald Wollheim, 1979) - 'Evane'
• Heroic Fantasy (ed. Gerald Page and Hank Reinhardt, 1979) - 'Blood in the Mist'
• Pulsar 2 (ed. George Hay, 1979) - 'The Knife'
• Jewels of Wonder (ed. Mike Ashley, 1981) - 'Blood in the Mist'
• The Drabble Project (ed. Rob Meades and David B Wake, 1988) - 'As it Really Was', 'The Very Small Knife'
• Space Stories (ed. Mike Ashley, 1996) - 'The Bells of Acheron'
• Classical Stories: Heroic Tales from Ancient Greece and Rome (ed. Mike Ashley, 1996) - 'The Sword of Freedom'
• The New Random House Book of Science Fiction Stories (ed. Mike Ashley, 1997) - 'The Bells of Acheron'
• Fantasy Annual 1 (ed. Philip Harbottle and Sean Wallace, 1997) - 'Time and Again'
• Heroic Adventure Stories: From the Golden Age of Greece and Rome (ed. Mike Ashley, 1998) - 'The Sword of Freedom'
• Giant Book of Heroic Adventure Stories (ed. Mike Ashley, 1998) - 'The Sword of Freedom'
• The Iron God/Tomorrow Gryphon Double (ed. Philip Harbottle, 1998) - 'Tomorrow'
• Fantasy Annual 2 (ed. Philip Harbottle and Sean Wallace, 1998) - 'Gift Wrapped'
• Fantasy Annual 3 (ed. Philip Harbottle and Sean Wallace, 1999) - 'Fallen Angel'
• Gryphon Science Fiction and Fantasy Reader 1 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 1999) - 'Talk Not at All'
• Fantasy Annual 4 (ed. Philip Harbottle and Sean Wallace, 2000) - 'Afternoon'
• Fantasy Quarterly 1 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2001) - 'The Inevitable Conflict'
• Fantasy Adventures 1 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2002) - 'Child of Earth'
• Fantasy Adventures 2 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2002) - 'Figona', 'Emergency Exit'
• Fantasy Annual 5 (ed. Philip Harbottle and Sean Wallace, 2003) - 'Lazarus'
• Fantasy Adventures 3 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2003) - 'Illusion'
• Fantasy Adventures 4 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2003) - 'The Greater Ideal'
• Fantasy Adventures 5 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2003) - 'The Answer'
• Fantasy Adventures 6 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2003) - 'Food for Friendship'
• Fantasy Adventures 7 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2003) - 'Sell Me a Dream'
• Mammoth Book of New Terror (ed. Stephen Jones, 2004) - 'Mirror of the Night'
• Fantasy Adventures 8 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2004) - 'Jackpot'
• Fantasy Adventures 9 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2004) - 'Spawn of Jupiter'
• Fantasy Adventures 10 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2004) - 'The Dilettantes'
• Fantasy Adventures 11 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2004) - 'Agent'
• Fantasy Adventures 12 (ed. Philip Harbottle, 2006) - 'You Go'
• Space:1999 - Shepherd Moon (ed. Mateo Latosa, 2010) - 'Dead End'