Tracy, Louis

Entry updated 1 December 2024. Tagged: Author.

(1863-1928) Irish-born UK journalist and author, born Patrick Joseph Treacy, in UK from early childhood, almost certainly changed his name legally before 1888; his birth name and place of birth have been examined by Steve Holland in his Bear Alley blog [see links below]. He is best remembered for The Final War: A Story of the Great Betrayal (28 December 1895-1 August 1896 Pearson's Magazine; 1896), the first of his several Future-War novels, which is significant for the malign intensity of the Social Darwinism it espouses on behalf of "the Saxon race", and for a proliferation of advanced Weapons. Tracy was an early colleague of M P Shiel, who (uncredited) assisted him with several detective novels, all published as by Gordon Holmes, none of which seem to contain any fantastic elements; and with the first volume of the Vansittart sequence comprising An American Emperor: The Story of the Fourth Estate of France (26 December 1896-26 June 1897 Pearson's Weekly; 1897) with Shiel and The Lost Provinces: a sequel to "An American Emperor" (1 January-11 June 1898 Pearson's Weekly; 1898; vt The Lost Provinces: How Vansittart Came Back to France 1898). The narrative moves from the Near Future Ruritanian shenanigans of the first volume – in which the American Vansittart romances a princess and becomes the emperor of France after the success of a Verne-style project to irrigate the Sahara – into a Future War scenario where, on behalf of France, Vansittart marshals a fleet of armoured vehicles to defeat Germany.

The Invaders: A Story of Britain's Peril (10 March-11 August 1900 Pearson's Weekly: 1901) less interestingly threatens the UK with a Near-Future German Invasion, abetted by fifth columnists. Two later novels endow their protagonists with Psi Powers: in Karl Greier: The Strange Story of a Man with a Sixth Sense (30 July-19 November 1905 Associated Sunday Magazines; 1906; vt The Man with a Sixth Sense 1910), which involves Telepathy and a mesmeric ability to control others from a distance; in The Turning Point (1923) the hero embodies centuries-old family memories. Other works are The Wings of the Morning (1903), an associational Robinsonade; The King of Diamonds (1904), featuring a diamond-filled meteorite; and The House 'round the Corner (1914), a ghost story. [JC]

see also: ESP; Race in SF.

Louis Tracy

born Liverpool, England: 18 March 1863

died Ashford, Kent: 13 August 1928

works

series

Vansittart

An American Emperor: The Story of the Fourth Estate of France (New York: G P Putnam's Sons, 1897) with M P Shiel [first appeared 26 December 1896-26 June 1897 Pearson's Weekly: Shiel was responsible for chapters 29-39: Vansittart: illus/hb/E S Hope]
The Lost Provinces: a sequel to "An American Emperor" (London: C Arthur Pearson, 1898) [first appeared 1 January-11 June 1898 Pearson's Weekly: Vansittart: illus/hb/Harold Piffard]
- The Lost Provinces: How Vansittart Came Back to France (New York: G P Putnam's Sons, 1898) [vt of the above: Vansittart: illus/hb/Harold Piffard]

individual titles

The Final War: A Story of the Great Betrayal (London: C Arthur Pearson, 1896) [first appeared 28 December 1895-1 August 1896 Pearson's Magazine: illus/hb/E F Sherie]
The Invaders: A Story of Britain's Peril (London: C Arthur Pearson, 1901) [first appeared 10 March-11 August 1900 Pearson's Weekly: illus/hb/Lawson Wood]
The Wings of the Morning (New York: Edward J Clode, 1903) [hb/]
The King of Diamonds (London: F V White and Co, 1904) [hb/]
Karl Greier: The Strange Story of a Man with a Sixth Sense (New York: Edward J Clode, 1906) [first appeared 30 July-19 November 1905 Associated Sunday Magazines: illus/William de L Dodge: hb/]
- The Man with a Sixth Sense (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1910) [vt of the above: undated: hb/]
The House 'round the Corner (London: Ward, Lock and Co, 1914) [hb/]
The Turning Point (New York: Edward J Clode, 1923) [hb/Edward C Caswell]
The Gleave Mystery (New York: Edward J Clode, 1926) [hb/Edward C Caswell]

links

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