William Francis Nolan (March 6, 1928 – July 15, 2021) was an American author who wrote hundreds of stories in the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

, horror, and

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

genres.Jason V. Brock, "Finding Sanctuary: Running from the Zone to Logan" in Brock, ''Disorders of Magnitude: A Survey of Dark Fantasy''. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. (p. 101-109).Harold Lee Prosser, "Nolan, William F(rancis)" in ''Twentieth-century science-fiction writers'', edited by Curtis C. Smith. Chicago, St. James, 1986. (p. 539-41).Ray Russell, "Nolan, William F(rancis)" in John M. Reilly, ''Twentieth-century crime and mystery writers''.Second Edition. St. James, 1986 (pp. 677-9)

Career

Nolan became involved in science-fiction

fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...

in the 1950s, and published several fanzines, including ''

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery fictio ...

Review''. During this time, Nolan befriended several science-fiction and fantasy writers, including Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch,

Richard Matheson Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is best known as the author of '' I Am Legend'', a 1954 science fictio ...

Charles Beaumont Charles Beaumont (January 2, 1929 – February 21, 1967) was an American author of speculative fiction, including short stories in the horror and science fiction subgenres.Stefan R. Dziemianowicz, "Beaumont, Charles" in David Pringle, ed., '' ...

and

Ray Russell Ray Russell (September 4, 1924 – March 15, 1999) was an American editor and writer of short stories, novels, and screenplays. Russell is best known for his horror fiction, although he also wrote mystery and science fiction stories. His most ...

. Nolan became a professional author in 1956. Nolan is perhaps best known for coauthoring the novel '' Logan's Run'', with

George Clayton Johnson George Clayton Johnson (July 10, 1929 – December 25, 2015) was an American science fiction writer, best known for co-writing with William F. Nolan the novel '' Logan's Run'', the basis for the MGM 1976 film. He was also known for his televisi ...

, but wrote literally hundreds of pieces, from

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

to nonfiction, to prose, for many publications, such as ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...

'', '' Rogue'', ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

'', '' Dark Discoveries'', '' Nameless Digest'', and others. Nolan wrote several mystery novels, including the "Challis" series. He also had a long career in the

movie industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post ...

, primarily working for Dan Curtis, and co-wrote the screenplay for the 1976 horror film '' Burnt Offerings'' which starred

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portrayi ...

and

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

. Nolan was also a prolific editor of collections (by others), and anthologies, most recently co-editing two anthologies with friend, filmmaker, and writer

Jason V Brock Jason Vincent Brock (born March 1, 1970) is an American author, artist, editor and filmmaker. He is the CEO and co-founder (with his wife, Sunni) of JaSunni Productions, LLC, whose documentary films include '' Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of ...

: ''The Bleeding Edge'' (2009), with stories from fellow writers

John Shirley John Shirley (born February 10, 1953) is an American writer, primarily of fantasy, science fiction, dark street fiction, westerns, and songwriting. He has also written one historical novel, a western about Wyatt Earp, ''Wyatt in Wichita'', and ...

, Dan O'Bannon, and several others, and ''The Devil's Coattails'' (2012), which featured offerings from

Ramsey Campbell Ramsey Campbell (born 4 January 1946) is an English horror fiction writer, editor and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. He is the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them winners of literary awa ...

, S. T. Joshi, Richard Selzer, Earl Hamner, Jr., and more, both from Cycatrix Press. Nolan teamed up with Bluewater Productions for a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series, ''Logan's Run: Last Day,'' released in 2010. In addition, he developed comics based on one other property of his for Bluewater: ''Tales from William F. Nolan's Dark Universe'' (featuring stories adapted by Nolan and Brock and published in 2013). Another comic book mini-series ''Sam Space'' (forthcoming) has been scripted and approved. Among his many accolades, Nolan was nominated once for the

Edgar Allan Poe Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

from the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Awa ...

. He was voted a Living Legend in Dark Fantasy by the International Horror Guild in 2002, and in 2006 was bestowed the honorary title of Author Emeritus by the

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whil ...

. In 2010, he received the Lifetime Achievement

Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...

from the Horror Writers Association (HWA). In 2013 he was a recipient, along with Brian W. Aldiss, of the World Fantasy Convention Award in Brighton, England by the

World Fantasy Convention The World Fantasy Convention is an annual convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art show, a dealer's room, and an ...

. In May 2014, Nolan was presented with another Bram Stoker Award, for Superior Achievement in Nonfiction; this was for his collection about his late friend Ray Bradbury, called ''Nolan on Bradbury: Sixty Years of Writing about the Master of Science Fiction''. In 2015, Nolan was named a

World Horror Society In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

Grand Master; the award was presented at the World Horror Convention in Atlanta, GA in May of that year.

Personal life

Nolan was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Bernadette Mariana Kelly, a stenographer, and Michael Cahill Nolan, an adventurer and sportsman. His family was

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...

. He briefly attended the

Kansas City Art Institute The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) is a private art school in Kansas City, Missouri. The college was founded in 1885 and is an accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and Higher Learning Commission. It has approx ...

. Later, he worked for Hallmark Cards, Inc. writing verse and illustrating

greeting card A greeting card is a piece of card stock, usually with an illustration or photo, made of high quality paper featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthdays ...

s before moving to California with his parents. After a few years working in offices, he met

, who would remain a close friend until Beaumont's untimely death at age thirty-eight. Beaumont was instrumental in Nolan becoming an author. Nolan was a close friend to radio writer

Norman Corwin Norman Lewis Corwin (May 3, 1910 – October 18, 2011) was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing. His earliest and biggest successes were in the writing and directing of radio drama during the ...

as well as speculative writer Ray Bradbury. He was also a member of the influential Southern California School of Writers in the 1950s–1960s (known informally as "The Group"), many of whom wrote for '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'', '' Star Trek'', and other popular series of the day. Nolan was an ethical

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetariani ...

and loved animals. In later life, he still wrote new material and was active in various literary projects, conventions (he was Guest of Honor at Killer Con, and at Portland's Orycon, as well as a special guest at the

World Horror Convention The World Horror Convention was an annual professional gathering of the World Horror Society and other interested parties that ran annually for 26 years, from 1991 through 2016, before being discontinued. Site selection The annual World Horror ...

, and many others), and promotional opportunities. Though estranged for more than ten years, he had been married since 1970. He resided in Vancouver, Washington. With regard to his work, he stated: "I get excited about something, and I want to write about it." Nolan died from complications of an infection in July 2021 at the age of 93.William F. Nolan (1928–2021), Der Autor von "Logan's Run" ist tot
/ref>

Appearances: films, TV and documentaries

*'' The Intruder'' (1962) as villain "Bart Carey" *
Charles Beaumont: The Life of Twilight Zone’s Magic Man
' ( JaSunni Productions, LLC; 2010) as himself *
The AckerMonster Chronicles!
' (JaSunni Productions, LLC; 2012) as himself

Bibliography (partial)

Novels

The Logan Series

*Novels and novellas: **'' Logan's Run'' (1967) – Novel (with George Clayton Johnson) **''

Logan's World ''Logan's World'' (1977) is a science fiction novel by William F. Nolan. It is a sequel to '' Logan's Run'' (1967), written by Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Plot Logan and Jessica have lived on Argos (the fabled ''Sanctuary''), a space stati ...

'' (1977) – Second novel in the original "Logan Trilogy" **'' Logan's Search'' (1980) – Third novel in the "Logan Trilogy" **'' Logan's Return'' (2001) – Novella, released as an

e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...

*Collections: **'' Logan: A Trilogy'' (1986) – Collection of the first three books *Definitive Editions: **'' Logan's Run: The Definitive Edition'' (An illustrated, limited edition from Centipede Press with extra material; 2014)

The Black Mask ''The Black Mask'' is a 1901 short story collection by E. W. Hornung. It was published in the UK by Grant Richards, London, and in the US by Scribner's, New York under the title ''Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman''.Rowland, ...
Series

*''The Black Mask Murders'' (1994) – Novel *''The Marble Orchard'' (1996) – Novel *''Sharks Never Sleep'' (1998) – Novel

The Sam Space Series

*''Space for Hire'' (1971) – Novel *''Look Out for Space'' (1985) – Novel *''3 For Space'' (1992) – Collection *''Far Out'' (2004) – Collection *''Seven for Space'' (2008) – Collection

The Challis Series

*''Death Is For Losers'' (1968) – Novel *''The White Cad Cross-Up'' (1969) – Novel *''Helle on Wheels'' (1992) – Novella *''The Brothers Challis'' (1996) – Collection

The Kincaid Series

*''Pirate's Moon'' (1987) – Novella *''Broxa'' (1991) - Novella *''The Winchester Horror'' (1998) – Novella *''Demon!'' eprint of Broxa(2005) – Novella *''Kincaid: A Paranormal Casebook'' (2011) – Collection

Biographies

On
Max Brand Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 – May 12, 1944) was an American writer known primarily for his Western (genre), Western stories using the pseudonym Max Brand. He (as Max Brand) also created the popular fictional character of young ...

*''Max Brand's Best Western Stories'' (1981) – Brand Collection *''Max Brand's Best Western Stories II'' (1985) – Brand Collection *''Max Brand: Western Giant'' (1986) – Anthology/Bibliography *''Max Brand's Best Western Stories III'' (1987) – Brand Collection *''Tales of the Wild West'' (1997) – Brand Collection *''More Tales of the Wild West'' (1999) – Brand Collection *''Masquerade'' (2005) – Brand Collection *''King of the Pulps'' (forthcoming) – Biography

On
Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett (; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade ('' ...

*''Dashiell Hammett: A Casebook'' (1969) – Critical study *''Hammett: A Life at the Edge'' (1983) – Biography *''Dash'' (2004) – Stage Play *''A Man Called Dash: The Life and Times of Samuel Dashiell Hammett'' (

Alfred A. Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...

, 2015 entative release date – Definitive biography

On Ray Bradbury

*''Ray Bradbury Review'' (1952) – Anthology *''The Ray Bradbury Index'' (1953) – Pamphlet *''The Ray Bradbury Companion'' (1975) – Biography/bibliography *''The Dandelion Chronicles'' (1984) – Pamphlet *''The Bradbury Chronicles'' (1991) – Anthology (with

Martin H. Greenberg Martin Harry Greenberg (March 1, 1941 – June 25, 2011) was an American academic and anthologist in many genres, including mysteries and horror, but especially in speculative fiction. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned ov ...

) *''Nolan On Bradbury: Sixty Years of Writing about the Master of Science Fiction'' (2013; Hippocampus Press) – Collected nonfiction book (Edited by S. T. Joshi)

Other biographies and nonfiction

*''Adventure on Wheels'' (1959) – John Fitch autobiography *''

Barney Oldfield Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield (January 29, 1878 – October 4, 1946) was an American pioneer automobile racer; his "name was synonymous with speed in the first two decades of the 20th century". After success in bicycle racing, he began auto ...

'' (1961) – Biography *'' Phil Hill: Yankee Champion'' (1962) – Biography *'' John Huston: King Rebel'' (1965) - Biography *''Sinners and Supermen'' (1965) – Nonfiction collection *'' Steve McQueen: Star on Wheels'' (1972) – Biography *''

Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fi ...

: Last Days of the Lion'' (1974) – Biographical chapbook *'' McQueen'' (1984) - Biography *''The Black Mask Boys'' (1985) – Biography/Anthology *''How to Write Horror Fiction'' (1990) – Reference *''Let's Get Creative: Writing Fiction That Sells!'' (2006) - Reference

Bibliographies

*''The Work of

'' (1986) *''The Work of William F. Nolan'' (1988)

Anthologies and collections (as editor)

*''The Fiend in You'' (1962) – Anthology (with Charles Beaumont; Nolan is uncredited) *''The Pseudo-People'' (1965) *''Man Against Tomorrow'' (1965) *''Il Meglio Della Fantascienza'' (1967) *''3 To the Highest Power'' (1968) *''A Wilderness of Stars'' (1969) *''A Sea of Space'' (1970) *''The Edge of Forever'' (1971) – Collection of

Chad Oliver Symmes Chadwick Oliver (30 March 1928 – 9 August 1993) was an American anthropologist and science fiction and Western writer. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father was a surgeon and his mother a nurse. When he was young he suffered from ...

stories *''The Future is Now'' (1971) *''The Human Equation: Four Science Fiction Novels of Tomorrow'' (1971) *''Science Fiction Origins'' (1980) - Anthology (with Martin H. Greenberg) *''Urban Horrors'' (1990) – Anthology (with Martin H. Greenberg) *''California Sorcery'', Edited by Nolan and William Schafer (1998) *''Offbeat'' (2002) – Collection of

stories *''The Bleeding Edge'' (2009) – Anthology (with Jason V Brock) *''The Devil's Coattails'' (2012) – Anthology (with Jason V Brock)

Verse

*''The Mounties'' (1979) – Broadside *''Dark Encounters'' (1986) – Collection *''Have You Seen the Wind?'' (2003) – Collection, with prose *''Ill Met by Moonlight'' (2004) – Collection, with prose and artwork *''Soul Trips'' (2015) – Collection

Auto racing-specific works

*''Omnibus of Speed'' (1958) – Anthology (with Charles Beaumont) *''Men of Thunder'' (1964) – Collection *''When Engines Roar'' (1964) – Anthology (with Charles Beaumont) *''Carnival of Speed'' (1973) – Collection

Horror works

*''Things Beyond Midnight'' (1984) – Collection *''Blood Sky'' (1991) – Chapbook *''Helltracks'' (1991) – Novel *''Night Shapes'' (1995) – Collection *''William F. Nolan's Dark Universe'' (2001) – Career retrospective *''Nightworlds'' (2004) – Collection

Miscellaneous works

*''A Cross Section of Art in Science-Fantasy'' (1952) – Chapbook *''Image Power'' (1988) – Pamphlet *''Rio Renegades'' (1989) – Western novel *''Simply An Ending'' (2002) – Pamphlet *''With Marlowe in L.A.'' (2003) – Pamphlet

Other Nolan collections

*''Impact-20'' (1963) – Short stories *''Alien Horizons'' (1974) *''Wonderworlds'' (1977) *''Down the Long Night'' (2000) *''Ships in the Night: And Other Stories'' (2003) – Collection of sci-fi, Western, etc. *''Wild Galaxy: Selected Science Fiction Stories'' (2005) *''Like a Dead Man Walking and Other Shadow Tales'' (edited by Jason V Brock; a mix of science fiction, horror, poetry, and literary stories; Centipede Press, 2014)

Screenplays

*''Burnt Offerings'' (1976) *''Who Goes There?'' (a.k.a. '' The Thing'') Screen treatment (1978), written for Universal Studios (not produced), published by Rocket Ride Books in "Who Goes There?: The Novella That Formed The Basis of THE THING" (2009)

Television scripts

*''Brain Wave'' (1959) – One Step Beyond *''Mental Lapse'' (1959) – Wanted: Dead or Alive *''Black Belt'' (1960) – Wanted: Dead or Alive *''The Joy of Living'' (1971) –

Presents *'' The Norliss Tapes'' (1973) – NBC Movie of the Week *''

The Turn of the Screw ''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in '' Collier's Weekly'' (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', published by Macmil ...

'' (1974) – ABC miniseries *'' Trilogy of Terror'' (Millicent and Therese; Julie) (1975) – ABC Movie of the Week *'' Melvin Purvis: G-Man'' (1975) *''Sky Heist'' (1975) – NBC Movie of the Week *'' The Kansas City Massacre'' (1975) – ABC Movie of the Week *'' Logan's Run'' (1977) – Pilot for CBS series *''First Loss'' (1981) – 240-Robert *''The Partnership'' (1981) – Darkroom *'' Bridge Across Time'', a.k.a. ''Terror at London Bridge'' (1985) – NBC Movie of the Week *'' Trilogy of Terror II'' (The Graveyard Rats; He Who Kills) (1996) – USA Movie of the Week

References

External links

* * * * *
Interview with Nolan about the new ''Logan's Run: Last Day'' comics
from Bluewater Productions * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, William F. 1928 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American horror writers American science fiction writers American mystery writers Kansas City Art Institute alumni Writers from Kansas City, Missouri American male short story writers Chapbook writers World Fantasy Award-winning writers Writers from Vancouver, Washington 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Missouri Novelists from Washington (state)