Hughes, Zach
Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Author.
Working name for much of his sf of US author Hugh Zachary (1928-2016), who also used various other pseudonyms for sf, including Evan Innes, Peter Kanto, Pablo Kane and Marcus Van Heller; he used his real name for other work from 1961 on, at least 100 titles in all. His novels in the sf field were expertly devised and readable and frequently surprisingly dark in their implications. The Book of Rack the Healer (July/August-September/October 1972 If; 1973) and its sequel Thunderworld (1982) explore with some complexity first a Post-Holocaust USA, then a planet whose Alien population renders humanity's survival problematic. The Legend of Miaree (1974) again subjects alien races to a reading which is pessimistic about the chances of species survival. Tide (1974) and The St Francis Effect (1976) are more routine but Seed of the Gods (1974) sharply parodies the Erich von Däniken "ancient astronauts" books. Other novels, such as The Stork Factor (1975), For Texas and Zed (1976) and Tiger in the Stars (1976), variously exploit Space-Opera themes, sharing with his first books an inventive knack for creating aliens. Without undue emphasis, elements of a shared background link several of these titles – Killbird (1980), for instance, is clearly set in the same universe as The Legend of Miaree – and Hughes's work gives a general sense of only casually developed potential, along with very considerable unevenness: Sundrinker (1987), another tale of Aliens, features as protagonist a mobile plant, arguing the plausibility of the premise with some force; while The Dark Side (1987) is a conventional space opera. In the end, Hughes, who retired from his active career in the mid-1990s, gave the air of being a professional writer less than fully attentive to the genre.
His pseudonymous works were of varying import. As Evan Innes, he wrote a Sharecrop sequence, possibly designed to Tie to an unmade television series, the America 2040 books beginning with America 2040 (1986) [see Checklist for the rest], which offer an epic view of the Near Future and beyond as America's domain. Books as by Pablo Kane, Peter Kanto and Marcus Van Heller – the last a House Name first used by John Stevenson (1926- ) for titles published by Olympia Press, Paris, and later used by other publishers – are light sf tales involving Sex. [JC]
Hugh Derrel Zachary
born Holdenville, Oklahoma: 12 January 1928
died Oviedo, Florida: 5 September 2016
works
series
Rack the Healer
- The Book of Rack the Healer (New York: Award Books, 1973) [first appeared July/August-September/October 1972 If: Rack the Healer: pb/Jack Gaughan]
- Thunderworld (New York: New American Library, 1982) [Rack the Healer: pb/Paul Alexander]
America 2040
- America 2040 (New York: Bantam Books, 1986) as by Evan Innes [America 2040: pb/]
- America 2040 #2: The Golden World (New York: Bantam Books, 1986) as by Evan Innes [America 2040: pb/]
- America 2040 #3: The City in the Mist (New York: Bantam Books, 1987) as by Evan Innes [America 2040: pb/]
- America 2040 #4: The Return (New York: Bantam Books, 1988) as by Evan Innes [America 2040: pb/]
- America 2040 #5: The Star Explorer (New York: Bantam Books, 1988) as by Evan Innes [America 2040: pb/Frank Morris]
individual titles (selected)
- The Ring (New York: Ophelia Press, 1968) as by Marcus Van Heller House Name [pb/]
- The World where Sex Was Born (New York: Ophelia Press, 1969) as by Peter Kanto [pb/]
- Rosy Cheeks (New York: Bee-Line Books, 1969) as by Peter Kanto [pb/]
- The Coupling Game (New York: Bee-Line Books, 1969) as by Peter Kanto [pb/]
- Taste of Evil (New York: Bee-Line Books, 1969) as by Peter Kanto [pb/]
- Unnatural Urges (New York: Bee-Line Books, 1969) as by Peter Kanto [pb/]
- A Dick for All Seasons (New York: Ophelia Press, 1970) as by Pablo Kane [pb/]
- The Legend of Miaree (New York: Ballantine Books, 1974) [pb/Gene Szafran]
- Tide (New York: Putnam, 1974) [hb/]
- Seed of the Gods (New York: Berkley Books, 1974) [pb/Vincent Di Fate]
- Gwen, in Green (Greenwich, Connecticut: Fawcett Gold Medal, 1974) as Hugh Zachary [pb/George Ziel]
- The Stork Factor (New York: Berkley Books, 1975) [pb/Richard Powers]
- The St Francis Effect (New York: Berkley Books, 1976) [pb/]
- For Texas and Zed (New York: Popular Library, 1976) [pb/Paul Rivoche]
- Tiger in the Stars (Toronto, Ontario: Laser Books, 1976) [pb/Kelly Freas]
- Killbird (New York: New American Library, 1980) [pb/Ken Kelly]
- Pressure Man (New York: New American Library, 1980) [pb/]
- Gold Star (New York: New American Library, 1983) [pb/David B Mattingly]
- Closed System (New York: New American Library, 1987) [pb/]
- The Dark Side (New York: New American Library, 1987) [pb/Dean Morrissey]
- Sundrinker (New York: DAW Books, 1987) [pb/Jill Bauman Versandi]
- The Revenant (New York: New American Library, 1988) as Hugh Zachary [pb/]
- Life Force (New York: DAW Books, 1988) [pb/Richard Hescox]
- Mother Lode (New York: DAW Books, 1991) [pb/Nicholas Jainschigg]
- Deep Freeze (New York: DAW Books, 1992) [pb/Nicholas Jainschigg]
- The Omnificence Factor (New York: DAW Books, 1994) [pb/Martin Andrews]
links
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