George H. Smith (fiction author)
Encyclopedia
George Henry Smith was an American
science fiction
author
. He is not to be confused with George H. Smith
, a libertarian
writer, or George O. Smith
, another science fiction writer.
, and the others by DAW Books
.
According to a legend, Avalon
is the place where King Arthur
was taken when he was dying. In Avalon, Earth is a place of legend, separated from Avalon by a dimensional gateway, and what is legend in one place is real in another.
In Kar Kaballa, Dylan MacBride, the son of a famous Avalonian explorer, attempts to warn the Empire in which he lives (fairly similar to the late-19th century
British Empire
) of an impending invasion by the Gogs. The Gogs are a nomadic race equivalent to the Mongols, living on a continent separated from Avalon by a narrow sea. Their ruler is Kar Kaballa, and they worship a deity named Cythraul who demands human sacrifice and wishes to emerge and consume the world.
MacBride's attempts are unsuccessful because the Empire assumes the Gogs cannot cross the sea barrier that separates the continents and, in any case, the Navy would stop them. MacBride's explanations that the sea barrier that separates the continents freezes over once every fifty years and that the freeze is due to happen again, giving the Gogs ready access to Avalon and making the Navy powerless to stop them, are ignored. Thus, the 19th-century-equivalent culture must contend anachronistically with an invasion of a barbarian horde similar to that of Attila the Hun
or Genghis Khan
(but armed with formidable, advanced weaponry).
MacBride must team with a naval officer, a visitor from Earth who is trying to sell a new weapon called a Gatling gun to the Imperial authorities, and Clarinda McTague, an appealing sorceress who worships the goddess Keridwen, in an attempt to stop the Gogs and prevent Cythraul from emerging from his underground lair and consuming the world.
It's a comical story, combining the "Yellow Peril" threat popular in old novels, a Great Old One as per Lovecraft, and elements of Celtic mythology.
The Second War of the Worlds is a sequel to Kar Kaballa in which Wells' Martian invaders (from War of the Worlds) have taken a step sideways to Thor (the Anwwn-equivalent of Mars) to attempt the invasion of Anwwn. There are primitive submarines, dirigibles, and Old Souls involved, and the Martians are once again defeated.
The Island Snatchers is the third Dylan McBride book, and features Gaelic gods stealing the island from which Clarinda (now Mrs. McBride) hails, and the McBrides' efforts to get the island back.
Druid's World is a variant of Kar Kaballa, featuring a protagonist named Adam MacBride, but again set in an "Avalon" which combined features of 19th century
England (although the naval mutinies are similar to those of the Napoleonic Wars
, the Spithead Mutiny in particular) with features of the 5th or 6th century Byzantine Empire
.
Quite different is Smith's nuclear war
novel Doomsday Wing. It shares many plot elements with the more famous film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
, but with reversed allegiances — where the film depicted a fanatic anti-Communist American general initiating an attack on the Soviet Union on his own initiative, in the Smith novel there is a fanatic Russian Communist attacking America without any authorization.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He is not to be confused with George H. Smith
George H. Smith
George Hamilton Smith is an American author, editor, educator and speaker.-Biography:Smith grew up mostly in Tucson, Arizona, and attended the University of Arizona for several years before leaving without a degree; he relocated to Los Angeles during 1971. With the help of libertarian editor Roy A...
, a libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
writer, or George O. Smith
George O. Smith
George Oliver Smith was an American science fiction author. He is not to be confused with George H. Smith, another American science fiction author.-Biography:...
, another science fiction writer.
Works
- Dylan MacBride series
- Kar Kaballa (1969)
- The Second War of the Worlds (1976)
- The Island Snatchers (1978)
- Doomsday Wing (1963)
- The Forgotten Planet (1965) (as by George Henry Smith)
- The Unending Night (1964)
- The Four Day Weekend (1966) (as by George Henry Smith)
- Druid's World (1967) (as by George Henry Smith)
- Witch Queen of Lochlann (1969) (published under both names)
Plot summaries
Kar Kaballa, The Second War of the Worlds, and The Island Snatchers are a weakly associated series, featuring a protagonist named Dylan MacBride, and set in the land of Avalon on Anwwn (Earth). The first was published by Ace BooksAce Books
Ace Books is the oldest active specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books. The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, and began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns...
, and the others by DAW Books
DAW Books
DAW Books is an American science fiction and fantasy publisher, founded by Donald A. Wollheim following his departure from Ace Books in 1971. The company therefore claims to be "the first publishing company ever devoted exclusively to science fiction and fantasy." The first DAW Book published was...
.
According to a legend, Avalon
Avalon
Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 pseudohistorical account Historia Regum Britanniae as the place where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged and later where Arthur was...
is the place where King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
was taken when he was dying. In Avalon, Earth is a place of legend, separated from Avalon by a dimensional gateway, and what is legend in one place is real in another.
In Kar Kaballa, Dylan MacBride, the son of a famous Avalonian explorer, attempts to warn the Empire in which he lives (fairly similar to the late-19th century
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
) of an impending invasion by the Gogs. The Gogs are a nomadic race equivalent to the Mongols, living on a continent separated from Avalon by a narrow sea. Their ruler is Kar Kaballa, and they worship a deity named Cythraul who demands human sacrifice and wishes to emerge and consume the world.
MacBride's attempts are unsuccessful because the Empire assumes the Gogs cannot cross the sea barrier that separates the continents and, in any case, the Navy would stop them. MacBride's explanations that the sea barrier that separates the continents freezes over once every fifty years and that the freeze is due to happen again, giving the Gogs ready access to Avalon and making the Navy powerless to stop them, are ignored. Thus, the 19th-century-equivalent culture must contend anachronistically with an invasion of a barbarian horde similar to that of Attila the Hun
Attila the Hun
Attila , more frequently referred to as Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of the Hunnic Empire, which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his reign he was one of the most feared...
or Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
(but armed with formidable, advanced weaponry).
MacBride must team with a naval officer, a visitor from Earth who is trying to sell a new weapon called a Gatling gun to the Imperial authorities, and Clarinda McTague, an appealing sorceress who worships the goddess Keridwen, in an attempt to stop the Gogs and prevent Cythraul from emerging from his underground lair and consuming the world.
It's a comical story, combining the "Yellow Peril" threat popular in old novels, a Great Old One as per Lovecraft, and elements of Celtic mythology.
The Second War of the Worlds is a sequel to Kar Kaballa in which Wells' Martian invaders (from War of the Worlds) have taken a step sideways to Thor (the Anwwn-equivalent of Mars) to attempt the invasion of Anwwn. There are primitive submarines, dirigibles, and Old Souls involved, and the Martians are once again defeated.
The Island Snatchers is the third Dylan McBride book, and features Gaelic gods stealing the island from which Clarinda (now Mrs. McBride) hails, and the McBrides' efforts to get the island back.
Druid's World is a variant of Kar Kaballa, featuring a protagonist named Adam MacBride, but again set in an "Avalon" which combined features of 19th century
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
England (although the naval mutinies are similar to those of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, the Spithead Mutiny in particular) with features of the 5th or 6th century Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
.
Quite different is Smith's nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
novel Doomsday Wing. It shares many plot elements with the more famous film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, commonly known as Dr. Strangelove, is a 1964 black comedy film which satirizes the nuclear scare. It was directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, and featuring Sterling...
, but with reversed allegiances — where the film depicted a fanatic anti-Communist American general initiating an attack on the Soviet Union on his own initiative, in the Smith novel there is a fanatic Russian Communist attacking America without any authorization.