Ian Wallace

Writer

• Born: December 4, 1912
• Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
• Died: July 7, 1998
• Place of death: North Carolina

Biography

Ian Wallace, whose experimental, often enigmatic science- fiction works became underground classics for a small but fiercely devoted readership, was born John Wallace Pritchard in Chicago on December 12, 1912. His family moved to Detroit before Wallace was a year old, and he would remain in and around the Detroit area for most of his life. In the late 1920’s, he earned his B.A. in English with a teaching certificate in special education and a master’s degree in educational psychology, both from Wayne State University. Beginning in the late 1930’s, he worked as a clinical psychologist and served in the same capacity in the army during World War II. From 1934 until his retirement to North Carolina in 1974, he held a number of administrative posts in the Detroit public school system and briefly taught education theory at Wayne State.

In the late 1960’s, drawing on his admiration for the intricate style and provocative arguments of Thomas Mann’s late 1920’s novels of ideas and the dense, erudite treatises of British philosopher Bertrand Russell, Wallace began to write a series of interrelated science-fiction novels. The books in this Croyd Spacetime Maneuvers series were set in a distant galaxy but involved contemporary and complex issues that drew on his generation’s anxiety about the nuclear peril. The series posits a galaxy where computers have long maintained a peaceful coexistence among belligerent cultures, a worldwide peace that is suddenly imperiled by a menacing threat of a nameless entity that comes to embody mayhem and mischief. As the series unfolds, Wallace develops his keen interest in the dynamics of power itself, the logic of authority, and the complex struggle between good and evil that determines the course of history. The often ponderous feel of the books comes from their richly allegorical characters drawn from the range of Wallace’s familiarity with Eastern and Western religions, as well as from his meticulous research into scientific theories of time travel, black holes, telepathy, and perception. The complex plot lines defy neat summary and featured Wallace’s signature ornate style, a sly introduction of sexuality, a compelling command of arcane scientific theory, and his imagining of a galaxy where time and space can be manipulated. The series commanded the attention of a small group of science-fiction fans who were patient enough to read Wallace’s often bewildering stories.

However, Wallace’s novels sold poorly and drew divided critical responses within established science-fiction forums. After he retired, Wallace began to write cerebral science-fiction epics. His St. Cyr Interplanetary Detective Mysteries series is a brilliant homage to detective fiction. The series features an intergalactic sleuth, Claudine St. Cyr, a beautiful woman who becomes involved in conventional murder plots enlivened by elements of the fantastic.

At the time of his death in 1998, Wallace’s best works had been long out of print. Since his narratives are crowded with allegorical characters and compelled by an intimidating command of scientific theory and theories about the mind and perception, Wallace remains a marginal enthusiasm even among science-fiction aficionados.