STEVENS, Francis

   Pseudonym of US writer Gertrude Barrows Bennett (1884-?1939), who wrote 12 quite highly acclaimed fantasies in the period 1917-23; these appeared in The ARGOSY , The ALL-STORY , THRILL BOOK and other early PULP MAGAZINES. A similarity in style and imagery led many readers to believethat FS was a pseudonym of A. MERRITT. The sf content is highest in her DYSTOPIA The Heads of Cerberus (1919 Thrill Book; 1952), in which a greydust from a silver phial transports its inhalers to a totalitarian Philadelphia of AD2118. Other novels include the LOST-WORLD tale TheCitadel of Fear (1918 Argosy Weekly; 1970), Claimed (1920 Argosy Weekly; 1966) in which an elemental being recovers an ancient artefact, and "The Labyrinth" (1918 All-Story), "Avalon" (1919 Argosy), "Serapion" (1920 Argosy) and "Sunfire" (1923 Weird Tales). Short stories include "The Elf Trap" (1919), "Friend Island" (1918) and "Behind the Curtain" (1918). Some of her stories were reprinted in FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES and FANTASTIC NOVELS.

JE

   See also: FANTASTIC VOYAGES; GAMES AND SPORTS; WOMEN SF WRITERS.