Creasey, John
Entry updated 7 October 2024. Tagged: Author.

(1908-1973) UK author, publisher and literary agent who began writing for the Boys' Papers in 1926, turning to adult thrillers in 1932. He wrote 562 books under (it is widely reported) 28 pseudonyms, but it is doubtful if all were exclusively by him (Michael Moorcock was at one time approached to do writing for him). Like George Griffith with his Future-War novels, Creasey exploited contemporary fears of organized crime and of terrorist and revolutionary activities, often including sf elements as an additional horror – for example, his first novel, Seven Times Seven (1932; rev 1971), depicts a criminal gang equipped with "freezing gas" (see Inventions). Several of his books for boys, beginning with The Stolen Formula (1935) as by M E Cooke, make use of sf Inventions and other advanced Technology; the last of these, The Missing Monoplane (1947), in which the sf element is a Ray capable of immobilizing aircraft, may have been drafted before the outbreak of World War Two rendered the simpleminded Imperialism here espoused no longer sellable. Within a short while, sf themes began to become more prominent in his adult tales, though his straight detective and thrillers titles always far outnumbered his work with fantastic elements.
Two series contain most of Creasey's sf. The Department Z sequence [see Checklist below] beginning with The Death Miser (1933; rev 1965) and The Mark of the Crescent (1935; rev 1970), focused on the eponymous counter-espionage department and initially featured anti-Nazi stories, not all of which edged into the fantastic. After World War Two, this sequence became more sf-oriented, and late titles merge with the long Dr Palfrey series [see Checklist below], which includes Dangerous Quest (1944; rev 1965), a futuristic novel about an underground Gestapo group in liberated Yugoslavia, The Children of Hate (1952; rev vt The Children of Despair 1958; vt The Killers of Innocence 1971), in which midget aircraft piloted by Zombie-like children attack the world's cities, The Flood (1955) which deals with imminent human-induced world Disaster, and The Unbegotten (1971) in which an Alien Invasion is defeated. It has been speculated that Dr Palfrey's secret organization, which is called Z5 and is staffed by men with near super powers, neatly bridges the gap between Doc Savage and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and probably inspired the latter. All were sensational in nature, though it may be noted that the pre-War titles were accurate in the targetting of enemies; late titles contributed relatively little to the genre, and were influential mainly on the library-thriller market. [JE/JC]
see also: Crime and Punishment; Sexton Blake Library.
John Creasey
born Southfield, Surrey: 17 September 1908
died Bodenham, Salisbury, Wiltshire: 9 June 1973
works (selected)
series
Department Z
Including known fantastic titles only.
- The Death Miser (London: Andrew Melrose, 1933) [Department Z: hb/]
- The Death Miser (London: Arrow Books, 1965) [rev of the above: Department Z: pb/]
- The Mark of the Crescent (London: Andrew Melrose, 1935) [Department Z: hb/]
- The Mark of the Crescent (London: John Long, 1970) [rev of the above: Department Z: hb/]
- Death Round the Corner (London: Andrew Melrose, 1935) [Department Z: hb/]
- Death Round the Corner: A Department Z Adventure (London: John Long, 1971) [rev vt of the above: Department Z: hb/]
- Thunder in Europe (London: Andrew Melrose, 1936) [Department Z: hb/]
- Thunder in Europe (London: John Long, 1970) [rev of the above: Department Z: hb/]
- Carriers of Death: A Department Z Story (London: Andrew Melrose, 1937) [Department Z: hb/]
- Carriers of Death (New York: Popular Library, 1958) [rev vt of the above: Department Z: pb/]
- Days of Danger (London: Andrew Melrose, 1937) [Department Z: hb/]
- Days of Danger (London: John Long, 1970) [rev of the above: Department Z: hb/]
- Death Stands By (London: John Long, 1938) [Department Z: hb/]
- Death Stands By: A Department Z Story (London: Arrow, 1966) [rev of the above: Department Z: pb/]
- Menace! (London: John Long, 1938) [Department Z: hb/]
- Menace! (London: John Long, 1972) [rev of the above: Department Z: hb/]
- Panic! (London: John Long, 1939) [Department Z: hb/]
- Panic! (London: Jay Books, 1958) [Department Z: pb/]
- Death by Night (London: John Long, 1940) [Department Z: hb/]
- Death by Night (London: John Long, 1971) [rev of the above: Department Z: hb/]
- The Island of Peril (London: John Long, 1940) [Department Z: hb/]
- The Island of Peril (London: Arrow, 1968) [rev of the above: Department Z: pb/]
- The Peril Ahead (London: Stanley Paul and Co, 1940) [Department Z: hb/]
- The Peril Ahead (London: John Long, 1969) [Department Z: hb/]
- Dark Peril (London: Stanley Paul and Co, 1944) [Department Z: hb/]
- Dark Peril: A Department Z Adventure (London: John Long, 1969) [rev vt of the above: Department Z: hb/]
- The League of Dark Men (London: Stanley Paul and Co, 1947) [Department Z: hb/]
- The League of Dark Men (London: Arrow Books, 1965) [rev of the above: Department Z: pb/]
- Department of Death (London: Evans Brothers, 1949) [Department Z: hb/]
The Sexton Blake Library
- The Case of the Murdered Financier (London: The Amalgamated Press/Sexton Blake Library, 1937) [chap: tie to the Shared World franchise: Sexton Blake Library: pb/]
- The Great Air Swindle (London: The Amalgamated Press/Sexton Blake Library, 1939) [chap: tie to the Shared World franchise: Sexton Blake Library: pb/]
- The Case of the Mad Inventor (London: The Amalgamated Press/Sexton Blake Library, 1942) [chap: tie to the Shared World franchise: Sexton Blake Library: pb/]
Dr Palfrey
- Traitors' Doom (London: John Long, 1942) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Valley of Fear (London: John Long, 1943) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Perilous Country (London: Arrow, 1962) [rev vt of the above: Dr Palfrey: pb/]
- The Legion of the Lost (London: John Long, 1943) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- Dangerous Quest (London: John Long, 1944) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- Dangerous Quest (London: John Long, 1965) [rev of the above: Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Hounds of Vengeance (London: John Long, 1945) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Hounds of Vengeance (London: Arrow, 1967) [rev of the above: Dr Palfrey: pb/]
- Death in the Rising Sun (London: John Long, 1945) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- Death in the Rising Sun (London: Arrow, 1970) [rev of the above: Dr Palfrey: pb/]
- Shadow of Doom (London: John Long, 1946) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- Shadow of Doom (London: Arrow, 1970) [rev of the above: Dr Palfrey: pb/]
- The House of the Bears (London: John Long, 1946) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The House of the Bears (London: Arrow, 1962) [rev of the above: Dr Palfrey: pb/]
- Dark Harvest (London: John Long, 1947) [Dr Palfrey: hb/Alex Jardine]
- Dark Harvest (London: Arrow, 1962) [rev of the above: Dr Palfrey: pb/]
- Sons of Satan (London: John Long, 1947) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- Sons of Satan (London: Arrow, 1970) [rev of the above: Dr Palfrey: pb/]
- The Wings of Peace (London: John Long, 1948) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Wings of Peace (London: Arrow, 1964) [rev of the above: Dr Palfrey: pb/]
- The Dawn of Darkness (London: John Long, 1949) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The League of Light (London: Evans Brothers, 1949) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The League of Light (London: Arrow, 1963) [rev of the above: pb/]
- The Man Who Shook the World: The 13th "Dr Palfrey" Adventure (London: Evans Brothers, 1950) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Man Who Shook the World (London: Arrow, 1963) [rev of the above: hb/]
- The Prophet of Fire: The 14th "Dr Palfrey" Adventure (London: Evans Brothers, 1951) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Children of Hate (London: Evans Brothers, 1952) [Dr Palfrey: hb/C H Richard]
- The Children of Despair (London: Jay Books, 1958) [vt of the above: pb/]
- The Killers of Innocence: A Dr Palfrey Thriller (New York: Walker, 1971) [rev t of the above: hb/]
- The Touch of Death: The Seventeenth "Dr Palfrey" Adventure (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1954) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Mists of Fear: The Eighteenth "Dr Palfrey" Adventure (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1955) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Flood (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1956) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Plague of Silence: A "Dr Palfrey" Story (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1958) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Drought: A New Dr Palfrey Story (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1959) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- Dry Spell (London: New English Library, 1967) [rev vt of the above: pb/]
- The Terror: The Return of Dr Palfrey (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1962) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Terror (New York: Walker, 1966) [rev of the above: minor updating not confirmed but likely: hb/Lena Fong Lueg]
- The Depths: A New Story of Dr Palfrey (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1963) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Sleep (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1964) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Inferno: A Dr Palfrey Story (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1965) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Famine: A New Story of "Dr Palfrey" (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1967) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Blight: A Story of Dr Palfrey (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1968) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Oasis: A Story of Dr Palfrey (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1969) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Smog: A Story of Dr Palfrey (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1970) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Unbegotten: The 30th Book of Dr Palfrey (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1971) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Insulators: The 31st Book of Dr Palfrey (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1972) [Dr Palfrey: hb/Jefferson Godwin]
- The Voiceless Ones: The 32nd Book of Dr Palfrey (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1973) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Thunder-Maker: A New Dr Palfrey Adventure (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1976) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
- The Whirlwind: The 34th Dr Palfrey Adventure (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1979) [Dr Palfrey: hb/]
Patrick Dawlish
- A Shadow of Death (London: John Long, 1968) [Patrick Dawlish: hb/]
- A Scream of Murder (London: John Long, 1969) [Patrick Dawlish: hb/]
individual titles
- Seven Times Seven (London: Andrew Melrose, 1932) [hb/]
- Seven Times Seven (London: John Long, 1971) [rev of the above: hb/]
- Men, Maids and Murder (London: Andrew Melrose, 1933) [hb/]
- Men, Maids and Murder (London: John Long, 1973) [rev of the above: hb/]
- The Stolen Formula (London: Mellifont, 1935) as by M E Cooke [pb/]
- The Mystery 'plane (London: Sampson Low, Marston, 1936) [hb/]
- The Air Marauders (London: Sampson Low, Marston, 1937) [hb/]
- The S.O.S. Flight (London: Sampson Low, Marston, 1937) [hb/]
- The Miracle 'plane (London: Sampson Low, Marston, 1938) [hb/]
- The Fighting Fliers (London: Sampson Low, Marston, 1938) [hb/]
- Monarch of the Skies (London: Sampson Low, Marston, 1939) [hb/]
- Death in Flames (London: Corgi Books, 1973) as by Gordon Ashe [rev of the above: pb/]
- The Missing Monoplane (London: Sampson Low, Marston and Company, 1947) [possibly written in 1930s: illus/hb/uncredited]
- Four of the Best (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1955) [omni of four novels from various series, including The Department of Death from Department Z (see above): hb/]
- The Black Spiders (London: Transworld Publishers, 1957) [pb/]
- A Shadow of Death: A Crime Haters Story (London: John Long, 1968) as by Gordon Ashe [hb/]
- A Blast of Trumpets (London: John Long, 1975) as by Gordon Ashe [hb/]
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