(1863-1922) UK author whose first sf novel, The Betrothal of James (1898), attempts to extract some humour from the fact that female cats must be sacrificed in the production of a Rejuvenation pill. Thuka of the Moon (1906), which seems to have been inspired by the early work of Lord Dunsany, is a fantasy in which lunar deities amuse themselves by creating various humanlike beings, and awkwardly prefigures Philip José Farmer's World of Tiers Pocket-Universe sequence. In The Electric Man: Being the One Act Version of the Three-Act Comedy (performed November 1906; 1910 chap), a play, a primitive Robot is mistaken for the hero, with farcical consequences; the hints of more recent concerns with Identity issues when the robot replaces its human twin are visible mostly in hindsight. [JC]

Robert Charles Hannan

born Glasgow, Scotland: 28 August 1863

died London: 10 January 1922

works

• The Betrothal of James (London: Bliss, Sands, 1898) [hb/]
• Thuka of the Moon (London: Digby, Long and Co, 1906) [hb/]
• The Electric Man: Being the One Act Version of the Three-Act Comedy (London: Samuel French, 1910) [play: chap: first performed November 1906 New Royalty Theatre, London: pb/]

links

• Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Picture Gallery

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