Don Pendleton

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Don Eugene Pendleton (born December 12, 1927 in Little Rock , Arkansas ; died October 23, 1995 in Sedona , Arizona ) was an American writer, best known for the action thriller series The Executioner (German as The Mafia Killer ).

Life

Pendleton was the son of machinist Louis Thomas Pendleton and Drucy Valentine. During the Second World War he served as a naval radio operator and received the Naval Commendation Medal for his service in Iwojima . In 1947 he took his leave and worked as a telegraph operator for the Southern Pacific Railroad until 1957 , interrupted by a renewed service in the US Navy during the Korean War . From 1957 to 1960 he worked for the Federal Aviation Administration on the West Coast. From 1961 to 1967 he was a senior engineer with various avionics companies , namely 1961-1964 with Martin Marietta in Denver, 1964-1966 for General Electric at the Mississippi Test Facility of NASA and 1966-1967 for Lockheed Martin in Georgia . In these positions he was involved in the Titan ICBM project, the moon flight program and the development of the C-5 Galaxy .

In 1967 Pendleton said goodbye to avionics and turned to writing. From 1967 to 1970 he was also editor-in-chief of Orion Magazine , a magazine for esoteric speculative topics. He had already started to write at the end of the 1950s, initially under the pseudonym Stephan Gregory, under whom he wrote his first novel Frame Up, Fresno in 1960 and five novels with the detective Stewart Mann in 1967, with a more or less erotic element. Which is expressed in corresponding covers and juicy advertising slogans ("I was surrounded by 30 sex-starved, incredibly beautiful women whose desires knew no limits"). Some of the novels are said to have been “spiced up” by the publisher with additional sex scenes.

In 1968 Pendleton wrote - again as Stephan Gregory - a series of 11 "sex guides", for example The Sexually Insatiable Female , but there are already a number of titles that deal with the connection between sexuality on the one hand and topics of spirituality, esotericism and occultism on the other hand are dedicated. Pendleton dealt intensively with these metaphysical themes, especially in the publications of his later years, and as early as 1979 he stated: “My all other dominant interest in life is metaphysics. All of my writing is an expression of this interest. "

In 1969 War Against the Mafia was published , the first novel with the executioner Mack Bolan, who would be by far Pendleton's most successful novel hero. Bolan is a Vietnam veteran, a decorated sniper, similar to John Rambo, well versed in the art of killing, whose family falls victim to a tragedy for which the Mafia is responsible. Bolan now embarks on a campaign of revenge across America, the cities of his work often appear alliterating in the title ( Miami Massacre , Nightmare in New York , Vegas Vendetta , etc.).

Pendleton himself wrote 38 Mack Bolan novels until he licensed Mack Bolan and the author's name Don Pendleton to Gold Eagle, an imprint of the Canadian publisher Harlequin's Worldwide Library , in 1980 . From then on, Don Pendleton was used as the publishing pseudonym for the original Executioner series and its spin-offs ( Phoenix Force and Stony Man ). This resulted in a total of over 600 novels (as of 2018). The novel series has been translated into 25 languages ​​with a total worldwide circulation of over 200 million copies. The series is considered a prototype for the genre of action / adventure , the bloody, over -the- top pulp fiction adventure for men, the invention of which Pendleton claimed for himself. Will Murray acknowledged this and wrote about the Executioner series: "Don Pendleton transplanted the combat soldier into the urban jungle and thus created a subgenre of the crime novel." The success attracted numerous imitators, especially from the genre of sex pionage novels , for example Cherry Delight: The Sexecutioner . The first 15 Mack Bolan novels were published in German translation by Heyne.

Pendleton's other serial heroes were Ashton Ford, a paranormally gifted detective, and Joe Copp, a hardboiled detective who successfully navigated the triangle of perverted sex, serial killers and political corruption in Los Angeles . In addition to his action and detective stories, Pendleton also wrote several science fiction novels, including

  • The Olympians (1969), in the near future concerned with politics, corruption and sex,
  • 1989: Population Doomsday (1970), dystopia of an overpopulated world,
  • The Guns of Terra 10 (1970), when Die Kanonen von TERRA 10 also appeared in German, where an alien invasion threatens the earth, and
  • The Godmakers (1970), with a mixture of action, agents with psi powers, cosmic consciousness - and sex.

Pendleton's SF is classified as exciting, routine and largely conventional.

Pendleton married Marjorie Williamson in 1947, with whom he had four sons and two daughters between 1948 and 1963. Since 1985 he was married to his second form Linda, with whom he also worked several times in his later years. Pendleton died in 1995 at the age of 67.

bibliography

The series are arranged according to the year of publication of the first part.

Stewart Mann (series of novels, as Stephan Gregory)
  • The Insatiables (1967)
  • The Sex Goddess (1967)
  • Madame Murder (1967)
  • The Sexy Saints (1967)
  • The Hot One (1967)
Sex Advisor (as Stephan Gregory)
  • How to Achieve Sexual Ecstasy (1968)
  • The Sexually Insatiable Female (1968)
  • Hypnosis and the Sexual Life (1968)
  • Religion and the Sexual Life (1968)
  • Society and the Sexual Life (1968)
  • Sex and the Supernatural (1968)
  • ESP and the Sex Mystic (1968)
  • Dialogues on Human Sexuality (1968)
  • Secret Sex Desires (1968)
  • The Sexuality Gap (1968)
  • Hypnosis and the Free Female (1968)
Mack Bolan: The Executioner / The Mafia Killer (novel series)
  • War Against the Mafia (1969)
    • German: Prelude to the dance of death. Heyne Books # 1469, 1972.
  • Death Squad (1969)
    • German: The death team. Heyne Books # 1478, 1972.
  • Battle Mask (1970)
    • German: The boss's girl. Heyne Books # 1488, 1972.
  • Miami Massacre (1970)
    • English: Miami massacre. Heyne Books # 1501, 1972.
  • Continental Contract (1971)
    • English: Death game with easy girls. Heyne Books # 1512, 1973.
  • Assault on Soho (1971)
    • English: The death trap in the torture chamber. Heyne Books # 1531, 1973.
  • Nightmare in New York (1971)
    • English: Shadow of Death over New York. Translated by Günter Hehemann. Heyne Books # 1545, 1973.
  • Chicago Wipe-Out (1971)
  • Vegas Vendetta (1971)
    • English: Death leave in Las Vegas. Translated by Günter Hehemann. Heyne books # 1575, 1974, ISBN 3-453-10164-2 .
  • Caribbean Kill (1972)
  • California Hit (1972)
  • Boston Blitz (1972)
    • English: Shadow of Death over Boston. Translated by Günter Hehemann. Heyne books # 1619, 1974, ISBN 3-453-10211-8 .
  • Washington IOU (1972)
    • English: Death Adventure in Washington. Translated by Günter Hehemann. Heyne books # 1632, 1975, ISBN 3-453-10224-X .
  • San Diego Victories (1972)
    • English: Death Squad in San Diego. Translated by Günter Hehemann. Heyne books # 1646, 1975, ISBN 3-453-10258-4 .
  • Panic In Philly (1973)
    • English: Death panic in Philadelphia. Translated by Günter Hehemann. Heyne books # 1657, 1975, ISBN 3-453-10245-2 .
  • Jersey Guns (1974)
  • Texas Storm (1974)
  • Detroit Deathwatch (1974)
  • New Orleans Knockout (1974)
  • Firebase Seattle (1975)
  • Hawaiian Hellground (1975)
  • Canadian Crisis (1975)
  • St. Louis Showdown (1975)
  • Colorado Kill Zone (1976)
  • Acapulco Rampage (1976)
  • Dixie Convoy (1976)
  • Savage Fire (1977)
  • Command Strike (1977)
  • Cleveland Pipeline (1977)
  • Arizona Ambush (1977)
  • The Executioner's War Book (1977)
  • Tennessee Smash (1978)
  • Monday's Mob (1978)
  • Terrible Tuesday (1979)
  • Wednesday's Wrath (1979)
  • Thermal Thursday (1979)
  • Friday's Feast (1979)
  • Satan's Sabbath (1980)
  • Mack Bolan: The Executioner (1993, comic series, 3 parts, with Linda Pendleton)
Ashton Ford (detective novel series)
  • Ashes to Ashes (1986)
  • Eye to Eye (1986)
  • Mind to Mind (1987)
  • Life to Life (1987)
  • Heart to Heart (1987)
  • Time to Time (1988)
Joe Copp (detective novel series)
  • Copp for Hire (1987)
  • Copp on Fire (1988)
  • Copp in Deep (1989)
  • Copp in the Dark (1990)
  • Copp on Ice (1991)
  • Copp in Shock (1992)
Single novels
  • Frame Up, Fresno (1960, as Stephan Gregory)
  • All the Trimmings (1966, as Stephan Gregory)
  • The Huntress (1966, as Stephan Gregory) (1966)
  • Color Her Adultress (1967, as Stephan Gregory)
  • All Lovers Accepted (1968, as Stephan Gregory)
  • Revolt! (1968, also as Civil War II: The Day it Finally Happened!, 1971)
  • The Olympians (1969)
  • Cataclysm: The Day the World Died (1969)
  • The Guns of Terra 10 (1970)
    • English: The cannons of TERRA 10. Pabel-Moewig (Terra Astra # 69), 1972.
  • 1989: Population Doomsday (1970, also as Population Doomsday , 1974)
  • The Godmakers (1970, as Dan Britain, reissued as Don Pendleton, 1974)
  • The Linz Testament (1988, with Lewis Perdue)
  • Roulette: The Search for the Sunrise Killer (2000, with Linda Pendleton)
Poetry
  • The Search (1967)
  • The Place (1967)
Non-fiction
  • The Truth About Sex (1969)
  • Whispers from the Soul: The Divine Dance of Consciousness (2003, with Linda Pendleton)
  • The Metaphysics of a Novel: The Inner Workings of a Novel and Novelist (2003, with Linda Pendleton)
  • The Cosmic Breath: Metaphysical Essays of Don Pendleton (2010, E-Bool, Introduction by Linda Pendleton)
  • To Dance With Angels: An amazing journey to the heart with the phenomenal Thomas Jacobson and the grand spirit, Dr. Peebles (2011, with Linda Pendleton)
  • A Search for Meaning From the Surface of a Small Planet (2012)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Orion magazine: a metaphysical publication devoted to genuine spiritual knowledge. OCLC 425957817
  2. ^ Cover of The Insatiables (1967)
  3. ↑ Stephen Mertz: Don Pendleton's Stewart Mann Series , blog post, accessed June 20, 2018.
  4. ↑ "My consuming interest in life lies in the field of metaphysics. All of my writing is an outpicturing of that interest. ”Quoted from: Robert Reginald: Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature. Detroit 1979, p. 1030.
  5. ^ Don Pendleton Biography , accessed June 20, 2018.
  6. ^ "Don Pendleton has transplanted the combat soldier into the urban jungle and thereby initiated a splinter movement within the mystery field." Will Murray: Pendleton, Don (ald Eugene). In: John M. Reilly: Twentieth Century Crime and Mystery Writers. Palgrave Macmillan, 1980, p. 1161.
personal data
SURNAME Pendleton, Don
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pendleton, Don Eugene (full name); Britain, Dan (pseudonym); Gregory, Stephan (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American writer
DATE OF BIRTH December 12, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Little Rock , Arkansas
DATE OF DEATH October 23, 1995
Place of death Sedona , Arizona