HUGHES, Zach

   Working name of US writer Hugh Zachary (1928-) for almost all his sf; he uses his real name for other work, and has written as well under various pseudonyms, including Evan Innes, Peter Kanto, Pablo Kane and Marcus Van Heller. His novels in the sf field are expertly devised and readable andfrequently surprisingly dark in their implications. The Book of Rack the Healer (1973) and its sequel Thunderworld (1982) explore with somecomplexity 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 aboutthe chances of species survival. Tide (1974) and The St Francis Effect (1976) are more routine but Seed of the Gods (1974) sharply parodies theErich VON DANIKEN books. Other novels, like The Stork Factor (1975), For Texas and Zed (1976) and Tiger in the Stars (1976 Canada), variously exploit SPACE-OPERA themes, sharing with his first books an inventive knack for 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 ZH'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, ZH gives the air of being a professional writer less than fully attentive to the genre.

   JC

   Other works: Pressure Man (1980); Gold Star (1983); Closed System (1986); Life Force (1988); Mother Lode (1991); Deep Freeze (1992); The Omnificence Factor (1994).As Evan Innes: The America 2040 sequence of SPACE-OPERA adventure SHARECROPS comprising America 2040 (1986), \#2: The Golden World (1986), \#3: The City in the Mist (1987), \#4: The Return (1988) and \#5: The Star Explorer (1988).As Pablo Kane: A Dick for All Seasons (1970).As Peter Kanto: Of hisnumerous sex novels under this name, The World where Sex was Born (1969), Rosy Cheeks (1969), Taste of Evil (1969) and Unnatural Urges (1969) are ofsome interest.As Marcus Van Heller: The Ring (1968).As Hugh Zachary: Gwen, in Green (1974); The Revenant (1988).