Raven, Simon
Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Author.
(1927-2001) UK author best known for his Alms for Oblivion sequence, which bracingly deprecates almost all aspects of twentieth century British civilian and military life; the third volume of the sequence, The Sabre Squadron (1966), slides close to sf. None of his work is of strong sf interest, though Brother Cain (1959) is about a Faustian bargain that verges on the supernatural, and Doctors Wear Scarlet (1960) hints at a rational cause for the plague of Vampires it depicts. In The Roses of Picardie: A Romance (1980), a Mutant strain of rats is chewing up cathedrals of a Europe sunk anyway deep in Decadence; at least one possibly immortal vampire makes an appearance. September Castle: A Tale of Love (1983) traverses similar territory. The Islands of Sorrow (1994 chap) depicts Venice in supernatural hues; Remember Your Grammar and Other Haunted Stories (coll 1997) contains ghost stories. [JC]
Simon Arthur Noel Raven
born London: 28 December 1927
died London: 12 May 2001
works
- Brother Cain (London: Anthony Blond, 1959) [hb/Oliver Carson]
- Doctors Wear Scarlet (London: Anthony Blond, 1960) [hb/Michael Johnson and Herman Hecht]
- The Sabre Squadron (London: Anthony Blond, 1966) [Alms for Oblivion: hb/Oliver Elmes]
- The Roses of Picardie: A Romance (London: Blond and Briggs, 1980) [hb/Colin Lewis]
- September Castle: A Tale of Love (London: Blond and Briggs, 1983) [hb/Colin Lewis]
- The Islands of Sorrow (London: The Winged Lion, 1994) [chap: hb/Lawrence Toynbee]
- Remember Your Grammar and Other Haunted Stories (Bicary, France: The Winged Lion, 1997) [coll: hb/Annie Shrager]
links
previous versions of this entry