Bessière, Richard
Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Author.
(1923-2011) French author of much sf, initially as F Richard-Bessière, then as Richard-Bessière, finally under his name properly spelled; and spy thrillers as by F-H Ribes. Series of works not yet translated – little of his work has appeared in English – include the Conquérants de l'Universe ["Conquerors Of The Universe"] a Fantastic Voyage sequence of Space Operas, beginning with Les Conquérants de l'Universe ["Conquerors Of The Universe"] (1951) in which the solar system is excitingly traverse; the Sydney Gordon sequence of spoofish sf Satires beginning with Les Mages de Dereb ["The Magicians of Dereb"] (1966); and the Dan Seymour series of Technothrillers beginning with Agent spatial No 1 ["Space Agent No 1"] (1966). Les Sept Anneaux de Rhéa (1962), and Les Jardins de l'Apocalypse (1963), assembled together, trans Brian Stableford, as The Gardens of the Apocalypse and the Seven Rings of Rhéa (omni 2010). In the first of these, Earth is described in Manichaean terms as a series of spheres at whose heart Hell opposes Heaven; the second, set in an exorbitantly bleak Ruined Earth dominated by Mutants and Monsters. Bessière's work over nearly half a century was extremely varied; the darkness of later tales was alleviated by the determined lightness of some of the Sydney Gordon tales, most of which, like most of his work, escaped the routine. His twenty-first century work [not listed] is almost exclusively nonfiction. [JC]
Henri Richard Bessière
born Bézier, Languedoc, France: 20 August 1923
died Bézier, Languedoc, France: 22 December 2011
works (highly selected)
series
Conquérants de l'Universe ["Conquerors Of The Universe"]
- Les Conquérants de l'Universe ["Conquerors Of The Universe"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1951) [Conquérants de l'Universe: pb/René Brantonne]
- À l'Assault du Ciel ["To Assault the Sky"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1951) [Conquérants de l'Universe: pb/René Brantonne]
- Retour du Météore ["Return of Meteor"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1951) [Conquérants de l'Universe: pb/René Brantonne]
- Planète vagabonde ["Vagabond Planet"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1951) [Conquérants de l'Universe: pb/René Brantonne]
- Sauvetage sidéral ["Sidereal Rescue"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1954) [Conquérants de l'Universe: pb/René Brantonne]
Sydney Gordon
- Route du Néant ["Nether Road"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1956) [Sydney Gordon: pb/René Brantonne]
- Cité de l'Esprit ["City of Mind"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1957) [Sydney Gordon: pb/René Brantonne]
- Création Cosmique ["Cosmic Creation"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1957) [Sydney Gordon: pb/René Brantonne]
- La Deuxième Terre ["The Second Earth"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1957) [Sydney Gordon: pb/René Brantonne]
- Via Dimension "5" (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1957) [Sydney Gordon: pb/René Brantonne]
- Bang! (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1958) [Sydney Gordon: pb/René Brantonne]
- Les Poumons de Ganymède ["The Lungs of Ganymede"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1962) [Sydney Gordon: pb/René Brantonne]
- Les Mages de Dereb ["The Wizards of Dereb"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1966) [Sydney Gordon: pb/Gaston de Sainte-Croix]
- La machine venue d'ailleurs ["The Machine From Beyond"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1969) [Sydney Gordon: pb/Gaston de Sainte-Croix]
- Quatre "diables" au paradis ["Four Devils from Paradise"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1970) [Sydney Gordon: pb/Gaston de Sainte-Croix]
- Variations sur une machine ["Variations on a Machine"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1971) [Sydney Gordon: pb/Gaston de Sainte-Croix]
- Quand la machine s'emmêle ["When the Machine Entangles Itself"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1974) [Sydney Gordon: pb/René Brantonne]
- Cette machine est folle ["This Machine is Mad"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1977) [Sydney Gordon: pb/Angus McKie]
- Tout va très bien, Madame la Machine ["All is Well, Madame Machine"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1978) [Sydney Gordon: pb/]
- Quand la machine fait "Boum" ["When the Machine Goes Boom"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1980) [Sydney Gordon: pb/René Brantonne]
Dan Seymour
- Agent spatial No 1 ["Space Agent No 1"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1966) [Dan Seymour: pb/Gaston de Sainte-Croix]
- L'enfer dans le ciel ["Hell in the Sky"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1967) [Dan Seymour: pb/Gaston de Sainte-Croix]
- Tout commencera ... hier ["It Will All Start Yesterday"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1968) [Dan Seymour: pb/Gaston de Sainte-Croix]
- Cauchemar dans l'invisible ["Vampire in the Invisible"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1969) [Dan Seymour: pb/Gaston de Sainte-Croix]
- Les prisonniers de Kazor ["The Prisoners of Kazor"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1970) [Dan Seymour: pb/Gaston de Sainte-Croix]
- La loi d'Algor ["Algor's Law"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1971) [Dan Seymour: pb/Gaston de Sainte-Croix]
- Energie -500 ["Energy 500"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1972) [Dan Seymour: pb/Gaston de Sainte-Croix]
- Quand les soleils s'éteignent ["Energy 500"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1972) [Dan Seymour: pb/Gaston de Sainte-Croix]
- Les ruches de M 112 ["The Hives M 112"] (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1974) [Dan Seymour: pb/René Brantonne]
individual titles
- Les Sept Anneaux de Rhéa (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1962) [pb/]
- Les Jardins de l'Apocalypse (Paris: Fleuve Noire/Anticipation, 1963) [pb/René Brantonne]
- The Gardens of the Apocalypse and the Seven Rings of Rhéa (Encino, California: Hollywood Comics/Black Coat Press, 2010) [omni of the above two: trans by Brian Stableford of both: introduction by translator: pb/Michel Borderie]
- The Masters of Silence (Encino, California: Hollywood Comics/Black Coat Press, 2015) [coll: containing two novellas trans by Michael Shreve: pb/Yoz]
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