John T. Phillifent
John T. Phillifent was an English writer born in Durham in 1916, known for his contributions to both science fiction and television tie-in literature. He wrote under his own name and the pseudonym John Rackham, producing a variety of works that included the Space Puppet series, his earliest publications, and the Chappie Jones fantasy stories, which were featured in Science Fantasy magazine. Phillifent was particularly recognized for his involvement in the Ace Doubles format, where his novels paired with those of other authors in a unique publishing style. His later works, published under his own name, included notable titles such as Life with Lancelot and Hierarchies, which featured interstellar investigative agents and explored themes of heroism and morality in futuristic settings.
In addition to his science fiction work, Phillifent wrote three novels in the popular Man from U.N.C.L.E. series, capturing the spirit of the original television show with its charming characters and adventurous plots. His writing often combined elements of fantasy, adventure, and humor, appealing to a wide range of readers. Phillifent's literary career spanned several decades until his last stories were published in 1975; he passed away in 1976. His works continue to be part of the science fiction and fantasy literary landscape, reflecting the genre's evolution during the mid-20th century.
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John T. Phillifent
Writer
- Born: 1916
- Birthplace: Durham, England
- Died: 1976
- Place of death: England
Biography
John T. Phillifent wrote spin-off novels from the popular television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E, and he also was a prolific writer of science fiction, which he often published under the pseudonym John Rackham. Born in Durham, England, in 1916, he was both a writer and an engineer. His earliest publications were the four novels in the Space Puppet series, written under the Rackham pen name and appearing in 1954 and 1955. Around the same time, he also wrote the Chappie Jones series of fantasy short stories, published in Science Fantasy magazine. These stories were later collected in the book The Touch of Evil.
He followed these stories with several space operas printed as Ace Doubles, a single book containing two novels that were inverted from each other, contained separate covers, and shared a common spine. Ace published more than two hundred such volumes from 1952 to 1973, including sixteen books pairing a novel by Phillifent, or Rackham, with a book by another novelist. The earliest of these books were We, the Venusians and Danger from Vega, published in 1965; the latest were Hierarchies and Life with Lancelot, appearing in 1973.
Phillifent’s last novels were considered his best and were published under his own name. Life with Lancelot consisted of three linked stories, the first of which was originally published in a magazine as “The Stainless Steel Knight” in 1961. The protagonist, Lancelot Lake, is a spaceship technician, thought to have died heroically; he is put back together by aliens, given an alien sidekick, and launched on a journey on which he must perform three heroic tasks. Two other novels featured Rex Sixx and Roger Lowry, interstellar investigative agents. In Genius Unlimited, the two agents investigate evil experiments taking place on a utopian planet. In Hierarchies, Sixx and Lowry are hired to steal the Crown Stones of Khandalar, whose mystical powers to enforce obedience bode ill for planets on which democratic reforms are taking place.
Beginning in 1966, Phillifent contributed three novels to the Man from U.N.C.L.E. series of twenty-three books that were spun off from the television program. Like the television episodes, The Mad Scientist Affair, The Corfu Affair, and The Power Cube Affair featured troubleshooters Napolean Solo and Ilya Kuryakin from the United Network Command for Law Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.), who worked to counteract the machinations of their evil counterpart organization, T.H.R.U.S.H. The template of both television and novelistic treatments included beautiful women, a villainous plot for world domination, and the wisecracks of Solo and Kuryakin as they nonchalantly faced danger.
John T. Phillifent’s last stories were published in 1975, and he died in England in 1976.