HYNE, C(harles) J(ohn) Cutcliffe (Wright)

(1866-1944)

   UK writer. He utilized his ample travelling experience in creating the popular Captain Kettle series which appeared in PEARSON'S MAGAZINE, in book form beginning with Honour of Thieves (1895; vt TheLittle Red Captain 1902), and later in the cinema; Captain Kettle on the Warpath (coll 1916), The Rev. Captain Kettle (coll 1925), Mr Kettle, Third Mate (1931) and Ivory Valley (1938) are the only volumes to contain sf elements. He is best known for The Lost Continent (1900), set in ATLANTIS at the time of its destruction. CJCH began writing sf with Beneath Your Very Boots (1889), a LOST-WORLD tale set in caves under England, followingit up with a ROBINSONADE, The New Eden (1892), later turning to future WAR with Empire of the World (1910; vt Emperor of the World 1915) and to the Wandering-Jew theme with Abbs, His Story through Many Ages (1929). Thisdiversity of ideas was even more prevalent in his short stories, particularly The Adventures of a Solicitor (coll of linked stories 1898) as by Weatherby Chesney, which contains stories about INVISIBILITY, ROBOTS, SPACE FLIGHT and rejuvenation, together with several GOTHIC andweird fantasies. CJCH, one of the most prolific writers of early magazine sf, is now almost forgotten.

   JE

   Other works: The Recipe for Diamonds (1893); The Stronger Hand (coll 1896); The Adventures of an Engineer (coll of linked stories 1898) as by Weatherby Chesney; The Foundered Galleon (1898-9 Scraps as by Weatherby Chesney and Alick Jones;1902) as byWeatherby Chesney; Atoms of Empire (coll 1904); Red Herrings (coll 1918); West Highland Spirits (coll 1932); Man's Understanding (coll 1933), some sf; Wishing Smith (1939).

   See also: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT; WEAPONS.