BLAYRE, Christopher

   Pseudonym of UK biologist and author Edward Heron-Allen (1861-1943) who, under his own name, wrote The Princess Daphne (1885), a novel of psychic vampirism, and A Fatal Fiddle (coll 1890), which includes a story centred on telepathy (ESP). After a long period away from fiction he returned as CB with a series of short weird and sf stories set in the NEAR FUTURE in the University of Cosmopoli. They appeared in The Purple Sapphire (coll 1921; vt with other stories added The Strange Papers of Dr Blayre 1932), The Cheetah-Girl (1923) (a story deleted from the previous volume), and Some Women of the University (coll 1932), the latter two titles being privately published. All are of high quality, but they have had little influence.Similarities in style, content and sense of humour have led to speculation that CB was responsible for the weird fantasies appearing under the pseudonyms DRYASDUST and M.Y. HALIDOM. Hard evidence is, however, lacking.

   JE