COLE, Adrian (Christopher Synnot)

(1949-)

   UK writer, most of whose books lace fantasy and horror venues with sf devices, but which in the final analysis read essentially as fantasies. He began publishing work of genre interest with "Wired Tales" for Dark Horizons in 1973, and several stories soon followed about a not entirely unusual Cursed Warrior named The Voidal, culminating perhaps in The Coming of the Voidal (1977 chap). The quasi-sf Dream Lords FANTASY sequence - A Plague of Nightmares (1975 US), Lord of the Nightmares (1975 US) and Bane of Nightmares (1976 US) - was followed by the fantasy Omaran Saga - A Place among the Fallen (1986), Throne of Fools (1987), The King of Light and Shadows (1988) and The Gods in Anger (1988). The Star Requiem sequence, which is sf - Mother of Storms (1989), Thief of Dreams (1989), Warlord of Heaven (1990) and Labyrinth of Worlds (1990) - demonstrates in a PLANETARY-ROMANCE setting AC's moderate familiarity with sf tropes (like the flight of a remnant of humanity from genocide, and the relentless search for that remnant by genocidal aliens) and a smooth style broken by intermittent moments of inattention. For collaborative stories he has also signed himself Adrian Bryant.

   JC

   Other works: Madness Emerging (1976), which combines sf and horror, as does Paths in Darkness (1977); Longborn the Inexhaustible (1978 chap); The LUCIFER Experiment (1981); Wargods of Ludorbis (1981); Moorstones (1982) and The Sleep of Giants (1983), both juveniles; Blood Red Angel (1993).

   See also: ROBERT HALE LIMITED