BLAINE, John

   Pseudonym of US writer Harold Leland Goodwin (1914-1990) who specialized in sf-adventure novels for teenage readers. His books tended to emphasize the nuts and bolts of science and technology, and were more carefully written than most series books for teens. As Blake Savage he also wrote an sf novel for teens, Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet (1952; vt Assignment in Space with Rip Foster 1958; vt Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet 1969). Under his own name, Goodwin wrote some popular-science texts, including The Real Book About Stars (1951), The Science Book of Space Travel (1955) and Space: Frontier Unlimited (1962). He remains best known for the long Rick Brant Science Adventure sequence, all as JB, a series of tales - some incorporating EDISONADE elements - which feature a teenage inventor on and off the planet: The Rocket's Shadow (1947) with Peter J. Harkins writing together as JB; The Lost City (1947) with Harkins; Sea Gold (1947) with Harkins; 100 Fathoms Under (1947); The Whispering Box Mystery (1948); The Phantom Shark (1949); Smuggler's Reef (1950); The Caves of Fear (1951); Stairway to Danger (1952); The Golden Skull (1954); The Wailing Octopus (1956); The Electronic Mind Reader (1957); The Scarlet Lake Mystery (1957); The Pirates of Shan (1958) (not to be confused with Murray LEINSTER's The Pirates of Zan; 1959 dos); The Blue Ghost Mystery (1960); The Egyptian Cat Mystery (1961); The Flaming Mountain (1963); The Flying Stingaree (1963); The Ruby Ray Mystery (1964); The Veiled Raiders (1965); The Rocket Jumper (1966); The Deadly Dutchman (1967); Danger Below! (1968) with Philip Harkins (who may have been the same as Peter J. Harkins, above) writing together as JB; The Magic Talisman (written 1969; 1990).

   JC