Samuel Youd

Samuel Youd (born April 16 1922 (1922--) (age 85)) is a British science fiction author. He writes under the following pseudonyms:

Samuel Youd

• John Christopher
• Hilary Ford
• William Godfrey
• Peter Graaf
• Peter Nichols
• Anthony Rye
• Stanley Winchester

He is most known for writing The Tripods trilogy under the pseudonym John Christopher.

Biography

Youd was born in Lancashire, and educated at Peter Symonds' School in Winchester, Hampshire (now Peter Symonds College).

He did his war service in the Royal Corps of Signals 1941–1946. A scholarship from the Rockefeller Foundation made it possible for him to pursue his writing career, beginning with The Winter Swan. His novels were popular during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably The Death Of Grass, although there was a revival in the 1980s after British television dramatised The Tripods. In recent years his novels appear to have fallen out of favour and now few remain in print, although they are still valued by collectors and fans of the genre.

Many of his science fiction novels follow the ruined earth pattern also followed by authors John Wyndham or H. G. Wells. In these novels everyday characters are placed into a setting in which they experience a major disaster which has severe implications for society and the world. Thus, he explores how characters and society cope with such changes.

In 1966 he started writing science-fiction for adolescents. The Tripods trilogy, the Prince in Waiting trilogy (also known as the Sword of the Spirits trilogy) and the Lotus Caves are still widely read today.

Bibliography

(as John Christopher unless noted)

• The Winter Swan (1949, as Christopher Youd)
• Babel Itself (1951, as Samuel Youd)
• Brave Conquerors (1952, as Samuel Youd)
• Crown and Anchor (1953, as Samuel Youd)
• A Palace of Strangers (1954, as Samuel Youd)
• The Twenty-Second Century (1954)
• Holly Ash (US title The Opportunist, 1955, as Samuel Youd)
• The Year Of The Comet (US title Planet In Peril, 1955)
• The Death Of Grass (US title No Blade Of Grass, 1957)
• Giant's Arrow (1956) (as Anthony Rye and in US as Samuel Youd)
• Malleson at Melbourne (1956, as William Godfrey)
• Dust and the Curious Boy (US title: Give the Devil His Due, 1957, as Peter Graaf) - Volume 1 in the Joe Dust series
• The Friendly Game (1957, as William Godfrey)
• The Caves Of Night (1958)
• Daughter Fair (1958, as Peter Graaf) - Volume 2 in the Joe Dust series
• Felix Walking (1958, as Hilary Ford)
• Felix Running (1959, as Hilary Ford)
• The Sapphire Conference (1959, as Peter Graaf) - Volume 3 in the Joe Dust series
• A Scent of White Poppies (1959)
• The Long Voyage (US title The White Voyage, 1960)
• The Choice (UK title The Burning Bird, 1961, as Samuel Youd)
• Messages of Love (1961, as Samuel Youd)
• The Gull's Kiss (1962, as Peter Graaf)
• The World In Winter (US title The Long Winter, 1962)
• The Summers at Accorn (1963, as Samuel Youd)
• Cloud On Silver (US title Sweeney's Island, 1964)
• The Possessors (1964)
• Bella on the Roof (1965, as Hilary Ford)
• Patchwork of Death (1965, as Peter Nichols)
• A Wrinkle In The Skin (US title The Ragged Edge, 1965)
• The Little People (1966)
• The Tripods trilogy
  • The White Mountains (1967)
  • The City of Gold and Lead (1967)
  • The Pool of Fire (1968)
  • a prequel—see below—was published in 1988
• The Practice (1968, as Stanley Winchester)
• Men With Knives (1968, as Stanley Winchester)
• Pendulum (1968)
• The Lotus Caves (1969)
• The Guardians (1970)
• The Helpers (1970, as Stanley Winchester)
• Sword of the Spirits trilogy
  • The Prince In Waiting (1970)
  • Beyond the Burning Lands (1971)
  • The Sword of the Spirits (1972)
• Dom And Va (1973)
• A Figure in Grey (1973, as Hilary Ford)
• Ten Per Cent of Your Life (1973, as Stanley Winchester)
• Sarnia (1974, as Hilary Ford)
• Wild Jack (1974)
• Castle Malindine (1975, as Hilary Ford)
• A Bride for Bedivere (1976, as Hilary Ford)
• Empty World (1977)
• Fireball (1981)
• New Found Land (1983)
• Dragon Dance (novel) (1986)
• When the Tripods Came (1988), a prequel to The Tripods trilogy
• A Dusk of Demons (1993)
• Bad Dream (2003)

See also

• science fiction
• authors
• novels
• short stories
• television shows

External links

• Biography of Samuel Youd
• Samuel Youd at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• John Christopher book reviews
• EmptyWorld.com, an apocalyptic fiction site, named after Youd's 1977 novel.

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