High, Philip E. 1914-

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High, Philip E. 1914-

(Philip Empson High)

PERSONAL:

Born April 28, 1914, in Biggleswade, England; son of William (a bank clerk) and Muriel High; married Pamela Baker, August 17, 1950 (died, September, 1997); children: Jacqueline, Beverly. Education: Attended high school in Canterbury, England. Politics: "Tory." Religion: "Raised Church of England, now unorthodox believer."

ADDRESSES:

Home—Canterbury, Kent, England. Agent—Philip Harbottle, 32 Tynedale Ave., Wallsend, Tyne and Wear N28 9LS, England.

CAREER:

Worked as insurance agent, realtor, shop assistant, psychic medium, and journalist, 1935-50; East Kent Road Car Co. Ltd., Kent, England, bus driver, 1950-79; writer, 1955—. Military service: Royal Navy; served during World War II.

WRITINGS:

SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS, EXCEPT WHERE NOTED

No Truce with Terra, Ace Books (New York, NY), 1964.

The Prodigal Sun, Ace Books (New York, NY), 1964.

The Mad Metropolis, Ace Books (New York, NY), 1966, published as Double Illusion, Dobson (London, England), 1970.

Reality Forbidden, Ace Books (New York, NY), 1967.

These Savage Futurians, Ace Books (New York, NY), 1967.

Twin Planets, Paperback Library (New York, NY), 1967.

The Time Mercenaries, Ace Books (New York, NY), 1968.

Invader on My Back, Robert Hale (London, England), 1968.

Butterfly Planet, Robert Hale (London, England), 1968, reprinted, Wildside Press (Rockville, MD), 2002.

Come, Hunt an Earthman, Robert Hale (London, England), 1973.

Sold—for a Spaceship, Robert Hale (London, England), 1973.

Speaking of Dinosaurs, Robert Hale (London, England), 1974.

Fugitive from Time, Robert Hale (London, England), 1978.

Blindfold from the Stars, Dennis Dobson (London, England), 1979.

The Best of Philip E. High, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press (Rockville, MD), 2002.

A Step to the Stars, edited by Philip Harbottle, Wildside Press (Rockville, MD), 2004.

Contributor to magazines and newspapers, including Authentic Science Fiction.

SIDELIGHTS:

Philip High once told CA: "I write because I have to write. Once an idea is formed, it prods and nags until I begin. Once started, I keep hours that no work union would tolerate. My wife keeps calling me for meals, my friends write and ask if I am dead because I don't answer letters. I am hooked on the damn thing and my Muse stands over me with a whip.

"I have never claimed to be a great literary figure. I am a storyteller and a square one to boot. I like all the loose ends tied up by the last page and I am psychologically incapable of writing anything but a happy ending. I suppose, deep down, I write as an off-beat do-gooder, hence the happy ending solution.

"My advice to young writers is to write the type of yarn you like reading the best. If you like reading Westerns more than anything else, don't try to write a detective story. Soak yourself in Westerns, then try your hand. I papered an entire wall with rejection slips until I tried the form of literature I like most, science fiction. My first short story in this field was accepted at first attempt. Note: I don't think this rule applies to poetry. I love verse, but have written only nine poems (never considered for publication) which I can read without shuddering."

High's novels are characterized by well-constructed story lines and bizarre settings without stylistic flamboyance. In Twin Planets, alien invaders wreak havoc on a future alternate Earth, and the humans are compelled to try to help this Earth avoid the same fate. Aliens are the antagonists in Invader on My Back, as well. In this book, the aliens have separated people into groups by personality type, but they all have one thing in common—a fear of looking up as the result of their subservient status. In Reality Forbidden, dream machines exist that are capable of lulling humans into conformity. Don D'Ammassa observed in Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers, "Indeed, one of the many recurring themes in High's novels is a dread of conformity and the value of the individual."