(1942-2011) Welsh author of Technothrillers, one of the earliest practitioners of the form; of his eighteen novels, those of most sf interest comprise the Firefox sequence – Firefox (1977) and Firefox Down (1983) – about a Near-Future Russian fighter, the MiG-31, which boasts both anti-radar and a Weapons system operated by thought waves (see Psionics). The former novel was filmed as Firefox (1982). Moscow 5000 (1979), as by David Grant, and Sea Leopard (1981) are of less direct interest, though most of his later work comprises an exceedingly loose series set in a world constantly buffeted by crises, often concerning the deployment of advanced Weapons, whose resolutions hover just short of sf. [JC]
born Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales: 24 November 1942
died Somerset: 4 April 2011
works (selected)
series
Firefox
individual titles