BARNETT, Paul (Le Page)

(1949-)

   Scottish writer and editor, resident in England, who has used the pseudonym John Grant for all his published work except some short stories and a nonfiction book as by Eve Devereux and a handful of essays and reviews and a nonfiction book translation under his own name. He entered the field through editing Aries 1 (anth 1979), which contains the first and so far only sf short story by Colin WILSON, with whom PB later edited the nonfiction The Book of Time (1980) and The Directory of Possibilities (1981). The solo A Directory of Discarded Ideas (1981), largely on PSEUDO-SCIENCE, led directly to his book-length fiction, Sex Secrets of Ancient Atlantis (1985), a parody of pseudo-science in general and ATLANTIS studies in particular. His first novel, The Truth about the Flaming Ghoulies (1984), a comedy, describes in epistolary form a NEAR FUTURE rock band whose members prove to be ANDROIDS. Earthdoom! (1987) with David LANGFORD is a perhaps overly broad parody of the DISASTER-novel genre. Albion (1991) is a fantasy novel about a POCKET UNIVERSE, the first of a projected tetralogy, the second of which, The World (1992), is more overtly sciencefictional, depicting the fusion of two alternate universes to form a third. Judge Dredd: The Hundredfold Problem * (1994), tied to the comic, is set in a dyson sphere (Freeman DYSON). By training a publisher's editor, he has served as Technical Editor for the 2nd edn of this encyclopedia. Other works: The Legends of Lone Wolf series of ties, SWORD-AND-SORCERY novels based on gamebooks by Joe Dever (1956-) and published as co-authorships: Eclipse of the Kai * (1989), The Dark Door Opens * (1989) - these 2 assembled as Legends of Lone Wolf Omnibus * (1992) - The Sword of the Sun * (1989; rev in 2 vols vt The Tides of Treachery * 1991 US and The Sword of the Sun * 1991 US), Hunting Wolf * (1990), The Claws of Helgedad * (1991), The Sacrifice of Ruanon * (cut 1991), The Birthplace * (1992), The Book of the Magnakai * (1992), The Tellings * (coll 1993,The Lorestone of Varetta * (1993, The Secret of Kazan-oud * (1994) and The Rotting Land * (1994), with History Book: a "Thog the Mighty" Text (1994 chap) being an unserious appendage to the sequence; much nonfiction, including Dreamers: A Geography of Dreamland (1984) and Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters (1987 US; exp 1993 US; further rev 1993 US).

   See also: COSMOLOGY; GAMES AND SPORTS; MUSIC.