Gallagher, Stephen
Entry updated 8 November 2024. Tagged: Author.
(1954- ) UK scriptwriter and author who signed some of his early work Steve Gallagher. He first came to prominence with sf scripts, notably his Radio series The Last Rose of Summer (1977), which he adapted as his first novel, The Last Rose of Summer (1978; rev vt Dying of Paradise 1983 as by Stephen Couper) and its sequel, Hunter's Moon (1980), which he novelized as The Ice Belt (1983) as by Stephen Couper, both set in a Dystopian Britain; and episodes for Doctor Who, two of which he novelized: Doctor Who and Warriors' Gate (1982) and Doctor Who – Terminus (1983), both as by John Lydecker. He also wrote at least two non-fantastic Ties as by Lisa Todd.
In the 1980s Gallagher began to establish a reputation as one of the UK's most successful Horror writers, though his earlier books have strong sf overtones. Chimera (1982) is a variation on the Frankenstein myth in which the Monster is a hybrid apeman (see Apes as Human) created by a government research project in DNA manipulation (see Genetic Engineering); it was serialized on UK television in 1991. Valley of Lights (1987) features a Monster capable of controlling human minds, and Oktober (1988) is about an experimental Drug that allows the protagonist to control other people's nightmares. While often lacking originality of ideas, Gallagher's work is marked by strong characterization, gruff verisimilitude, good plotting and extensive background detail, particularly when police-procedural material is being presented. After about 1990, his work is almost exclusively horror, much of it not supernatural. [AC/PR/JC]
Stephen Gallagher
born Salford, Lancashire: 13 October 1954
works (selected)
series
Last Rose of Summer
- The Last Rose of Summer (London: Corgi Books, 1978) [novelizing his Radio script: Last Rose of Summer: pb/]
- Dying of Paradise (London: Sphere Books, 1982) as by Stephen Couper [rev vt of the above: Last Rose of Summer: pb/]
- The Ice Belt (London: Sphere Books, 1983) as by Stephen Couper [novelizing his Radio script: Last Rose of Summer: pb/]
Doctor Who
- Doctor Who and Warriors' Gate (London: W H Allen, 1982) as by John Lydecker [tie to Doctor Who: Doctor Who: hb/Andrew Skilleter]
- Warriors' Gate and Beyond (London: BBC Books, 2023) as Stephen Gallagher [tie to Doctor Who: exp of the above as coll: note change of byline: Doctor Who: pb/]
- Doctor Who – Terminus (London: W H Allen, 1983) as by John Lydecker [tie to Doctor Who: Doctor Who: hb/photographic]
individual titles
- Saturn 3 (London: Sphere Books, 1980) [tie: novelizing the movie Saturn 3 (1980): original screenplay by Martin Amis: pb/]
- Chimera (London: Sphere Books, 1982) [pb/]
- Follower (London: Sphere Books, 1984) [pb/]
- Valley of Lights (London: New English Library, 1987) [hb/]
- Oktober (London: New English Library, 1988) [hb/]
- Down River (London: New English Library, 1989) [hb/]
- Rain (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1990) [hb/]
- The Boat House (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1991) [hb/]
- Nightmare, with Angels (London: New English Library, 1992) [hb/]
- Red, Red Robin (London: Bantam Books, 1995) [hb/]
- The Spirit Box (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2005) [hb/]
- The Painted Bride (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2006) [hb/Les Edwards as Edward Miller]
- The Kingdom of Bones (New York: Crown Publishers/Shaye Areheart Books, 2007) [hb/]
- The Bedlam Detective (New York: Crown Publishers, 2012) [hb/]
- The Authentic William James (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2016) [hb/]
collections and stories
- White Bizango (Hornsea, East Yorkshire: PS Publishing, 2002) [coll: hb/Chris Moore]
- Out of his Mind (Hornsea, East Yorkshire: PS Publishing, 2004) [coll: hb/Chris Moore]
- Plots and Misadventures (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2007) [coll: hb/Les Edwards as Edward Miller]
- Blackwood: A Fairy Tale (London: The Brooligan Press, 2023) [coll: rev vt of the above: pb/]
- Comparative Anatomy: The Best of Stephen Gallagher (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2022) [coll: hb/Christopher Shy]
links
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