Adams, Robert
Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Author.
(1932-1990) US soldier and author best known for his Post-Holocaust Horseclans sequence of adventures set after 2500 CE in a series of states occupying what was once the USA and dominated from behind the scenes by a strain of immortal Mutants, while an unsavoury group of human scientists opposes them from a secret base. Occasionally the reader gains sight of repulsive sects who decayedly parody twentieth-century movements – Ecology, for instance – that were bêtes-noires of the author, who was not averse to polemical intrusions which have not perhaps worn very well, though he did not utter the full-blown Survivalist doctrines adopted by writers who followed him. The sequence begins with The Coming of the Horseclans (1975; exp 1982), Swords of the Horseclans (1977) and Revenge of the Horseclans (1977) – all three being assembled as Tales of the Horseclans (omni 1985) – and ends with The Clan of the Cats (1988). From about 1981 the series was unfortunately larded with repetitive flashbacks to previous instalments, often repeating entire scenes word for word. Two Shared-World anthologies – Friends of the Horseclans (anth 1987) and Friends of the Horseclans II (anth 1989) – also appeared, both edited with his wife, Pamela Crippen Adams.
A second series, the Castaways in Time alternate-history Time-Travel sequence, begins with Castaways in Time (1980) and ends with Of Beginnings and Endings (1989). Most of his remaining work, including another, unfinished series, was fantasy; some of his anthologies, however – including Robert Adams' Book of Alternate Worlds (anth 1987) with Pamela Crippen Adams and Martin H Greenberg, Robert Adams' Book of Soldiers (anth 1988) with Pamela Crippen Adams and Martin H Greenberg and Alternatives (anth 1989) with Pamela Crippen Adams – were of sf interest. [JC]
see also: Alternate History; Sword and Sorcery.
Franklin Robert Adams
born Danville, Virginia: 31 August 1932
died Apopka, Florida: 4 January 1990
works
series
Horseclans
- The Coming of the Horseclans (New York: New American Library, 1975) [Horseclans: pb/Carl Lundgren]
- The Coming of the Horseclans (New York: New American Library, 1982) [rev of above: Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Swords of the Horseclans (New York: New American Library, 1977) [Horseclans: pb/Carl Lundgren]
- Revenge of the Horseclans (New York: New American Library, 1977) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Tales of the Horseclans (New York: New American Library, 1985) [omni of the first three titles: Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- A Cat of Silvery Hue (New York: New American Library, 1979) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- The Savage Mountains (New York: New American Library, 1980) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- The Patrimony (New York: New American Library, 1980) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Horseclans Odyssey (New York: New American Library, 1981) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- The Death of a Legend (New York: New American Library, 1981) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- The Witch Goddess (New York: New American Library, 1982) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Bili the Axe (New York: New American Library, 1982) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Champion of the Last Battle (New York: New American Library, 1983) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- A Woman of the Horseclans (New York: New American Library, 1983) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Horses of the North (New York: New American Library, 1985) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- A Man Called Milo Morai (New York: New American Library, 1986) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- The Memories of Milo Morai (New York: New American Library, 1986) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Trumpets of War (New York: New American Library, 1987) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Madman's Army (New York: New American Library, 1987) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- The Clan of the Cats (New York: New American Library, 1988) [Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
Castaways in Time
- Castaways in Time (Norfolk, Virginia: The Donning Company/Starblaze, 1979) [Castaways in Time: pb/Kelly Freas]
- The Seven Magical Jewels of Ireland (New York: New American Library, 1985) [Castaways in Time: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Of Quests and Kings (New York: New American Library, 1986) [Castaways in Time: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Of Chiefs and Champions (New York: New American Library, 1987) [Castaways in Time: pb/]
- Of Myths and Monsters (New York: New American Library, 1988) [Castaways in Time: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Of Beginnings and Endings (New York: New American Library, 1989) [Castaways in Time: pb/Ken Kelly]
Stairway to Forever
- The Stairway to Forever (New York: New American Library, 1988) [Stairway to Forever: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Monsters and Magicians (New York: Baen Books, 1989) [pb/Ken Kelly]
works as editor
series
Barbarians
- Barbarians (New York: New American Library, 1985) with Martin H Greenberg and Charles G Waugh [anth: Barbarians: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Barbarians II (New York: New American Library, 1988) with Pamela Crippen Adams, Martin H Greenberg and Charles G Waugh (anonymously) [anth: Barbarians: pb/Ken Kelly]
Magic in Ithkar
- Magic in Ithkar (New York: Tor, 1985) with Andre Norton [anth: Magic in Ithkar: pb/Walter Velez]
- Magic in Ithkar 1 (New York: Tor, 1988) with Andre Norton [anth: vt of the above: Magic in Ithkar: pb/Walter Velez]
- Magic in Ithkar 2 (New York: Tor, 1985) with Andre Norton [anth: Magic in Ithkar: pb/Walter Velez]
- Magic in Ithkar 3 (New York: Tor, 1986) with Andre Norton [anth: Magic in Ithkar: pb/Stephen Hickman]
- Magic in Ithkar 4 (New York: Tor, 1987) with Andre Norton [anth: Magic in Ithkar: pb/Stephen Hickman]
Friends of the Horseclans
- Friends of the Horseclans (New York: New American Library/Signet, 1987) with Pamela Crippen Adams [anth: stories in the Horseclans Shared World: Friends of the Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Friends of the Horseclans II (New York: New American Library/Signet, 1989) with Pamela Crippen Adams [anth: stories in the Horseclans Shared World: Friends of the Horseclans: pb/Ken Kelly]
individual titles
- Robert Adams' Book of Alternate Worlds (New York: New American Library, 1987) with Pamela Crippen Adams and Martin H Greenberg [anth: Alternate Worlds: pb/Ken Kelly]
- Robert Adams' Book of Soldiers (New York: New American Library, 1988) with Pamela Crippen Adams and Martin H Greenberg [anth: Military SF: pb/]
- Hunger for Horror (New York: DAW Books, 1988) with Pamela Crippen Adams and Martin H Greenberg [anth: pb/J K Potter]
- Alternatives (New York: Baen Books, 1989) with Pamela Crippen Adams [pb/Ken W Kelly]
- Phantom Regiments (New York: Baen Books, 1990) with Pamela Crippen Adams and Martin H Greenberg [anth: pb/Ken Kelly]
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