David McIlwain
David McIlwain, born on January 21, 1921, in Liverpool, England, was a notable science fiction writer and television scriptwriter. He developed a passion for science fiction in his teens, forming friendships with fellow writers, including Jonathan Burke and Samuel Youd, who later became known as John Christopher. McIlwain often wrote under the pseudonym Charles Eric Maine and was engaged in the early science fiction community, producing fanzines such as The Satellite and Gargoyle. His career spanned various fields, including service as a flight lieutenant in the Royal Air Force during World War II and later work as a TV engineer and journalist.
McIlwain's writing gained traction in the postwar era, where he began selling radio plays, with notable works transitioning into novels and films, such as Spaceways and Timeslip. He is recognized for his innovative themes, including an all-female society in his novel World Without Men, which reflects on societal changes influenced by the birth-control pill. His literary contributions also include disaster novels and works under different pseudonyms, showcasing his versatility. Despite some critical views on the scientific accuracy of his ideas, McIlwain remains celebrated for his engaging storytelling. He passed away on November 30, 1981, leaving behind a varied legacy in the genre of science fiction.
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David McIlwain
Writer
- Born: January 21, 1921
- Birthplace: Liverpool, England
- Died: November 30, 1981
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
David McIlwain was born on January 21, 1921, in Liverpool, England, the son of David McIlwain, an engineer, and Carolyn Jones McIlwain. He attended Holt High School in Liverpool, and like many other science-fiction writers, became an avid science- fiction fan in his early teenage years. He became friends with two other science-fiction writers-to-be, Jonathan Burke and Samuel Youd (who became famous under the pen name of John Christopher).
McIlwain first used the pseudonym of Charles Eric Maine for the science fiction that he wrote with Burke, later keeping it as the name under which he wrote his own science fiction. Together they also engaged in the pastime of many young science-fiction fans, producing their own fan magazine, or fanzine, The Satellite. McIlwain also produced his own fanzine, Gargoyle, from 1940 to 1941.
During World War II, McIlwain served in the Royal Air Force as a flight lieutenant signals officer. In 1947, he married Joan Hardy; they were divorced in 1960. In 1961, he married Clare Came. He had two sons; sources dispute whether he had three or four daughters. In the postwar period, he became involved in the communications industry as a TV engineer, and also as a journalist and editor in London from 1946 to 1971.
McIlwain started his freelance writing career by selling radio plays, the first of which, Spaceways, was turned into a novel and then a film. Similarly, his script for Timeslip, a 1953 television play, became the basis for a movie of the same name in 1956, which was called The Atomic Man in the United States, as well as a novelized version The Isotope Man in 1957. That novel led to McIlwain’s only series of novels, centering on the main character, Mile Delaney. They include Subterfuge (1959) and Never Let Up (1964).
McIlwain’s novel about an all-female future, World Without Men (1958), was first published as a paperback in the United States with a particularly lurid cover by Emsh (Ed Emshwiller); it posited an all-lesbian society brought about by the invention of the birth-control pill. Other McIlwain novels turned into films included Escapement (1956), called The Electronic Monster in the U.S., and The Mind of Mr. Soames in 1961. Like his friend John Christopher, McIlwain also wrote disaster novels, such as The Tide Went Out and The Darkest of Nights.
McIlwain also wrote general fiction under the pseudonym of Robert Wade and crime novels as Richard Rayner. McIlwain died on November 30, 1981. While McIlwain insisted that he concentrated on new and fresh ideas in his science fiction, some critics have complained that these ideas were presented in the tired genre package of the thriller and sometimes were not scientifically accurate enough. However, most agree that at his best, McIlwain is a vigorous and effective storyteller.