
Ross Rocklynne (February 21, 1913 – October 29, 1988) was the
pen name
A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
used by Ross Louis Rocklin, an American
science fiction author active in the
Golden Age of Science Fiction
The Golden Age of Science Fiction, often identified in the United States as the years 1938–1946, was a period in which a number of foundational works of science fiction appeared in American genre magazines. Exemplars include the '' Foundation' ...
. He also wrote under the pen names Paul Cahendon, R. L. Rocklin and R. Rocklinne.
Life and career
Born in 1913 in Cincinnati,
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, Rocklynne was a regular contributor to several science fiction pulps including
Astounding Stories,
Fantastic Adventures and
Planet Stories
''Planet Stories'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published by Fiction House between 1939 and 1955. It featured interplanetary adventures, both in space and on some other planets, and was initially focused on a young readershi ...
.
His love of science fiction began at the age of 12 when he was living at a boys' home, Kappa Sigma Pi, where he says a Black janitor introduced him to the genre. Rocklynne remembered the story that turned him into a life-long fan was the first installment of E.E. Smith’s, "
The Skylark of Space" in the August 1928 issue of
Amazing Stories
''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearance ...
.
During his youth, Rocklynne was active in the world of science-fiction fandom and contributed many pieces of writing to amateur and semi-professional fanzines. In 1939, he attended the first
World Science Fiction Convention
Worldcon, officially the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during Wor ...
in New York City where met the greats of
First Fandom
First Fandom is an informal association of early, active and well-known science fiction fandom, science fiction fans.
In 1958, a number of fans at Midwestcon realized amid table-talk that they all had been active in fandom for more than 20 years. ...
and became life-long friends with the likes of
Forrest J. Ackerman,
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 genres, including fantasy, science fiction, Horror fiction, horr ...
,
Charles Hornig and many others.
His father, Francis Rocklin, was an inventor and basement tinkerer who spent much of his life trying to perfect a perpetual motion machine. Ross sometimes helped him with inventions including some that were written up in
Popular Mechanics
''Popular Mechanics'' (often abbreviated as ''PM'' or ''PopMech'') is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do it yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation an ...
, including an upside-down pocket and a funnel-shaped keyhole.
He sold his first story, "Man of Iron" to Astounding Stories in 1935 "
ter four years of spasmodic writing."
["Meet the Authors", '']Amazing Stories
''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearance ...
'', June 1938, p.6 Despite his numerous appearances and solid writing, Rocklynne never quite achieved the fame of his contemporaries
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein ( ; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific acc ...
,
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American author of science fiction, Fantasy literature, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of ...
, and
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov ( ; – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...
.
One of his best-known stories is "
The Men and the Mirror" from the July 1938 issue of Astounding Stories which author and friend of 40 year
Arthur Jean Coxcalled a “perfectly engineered piece of fiction, with a dramatic situation growing neatly and naturally out of a scientific problem.”
The story was the third of six "problem" stories that featured characters Colbie, a police officer, and Deverel, a wanted criminal, although sometimes their names were changed in the stories for editorial reasons. Other stories in the series are "At the Center of Gravity" (1936), "Jupiter Trap" (1937), "They Fly So High" (1952), "The Bottled Men" (1946) and "And Then There Was One" (1940).
In the June 1940 issue of
Astonishing Stories
''Astonishing Stories'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published by Popular Publications between 1940 and 1943. It was founded under Popular's "Fictioneers" imprint, which paid lower rates than Popular's other magazines. The ...
, Rocklynne published “Into the Darkness,” the first of four stories he wrote about sentient stars that were later published as a novel, “The Sun Destroyers,” which was half of a 1973
Ace Double
American company Ace Books began publishing genre fiction starting in 1952. Initially these were mostly in tête-bêche format with the ends of the two parts meeting in the middle and with a divider between them which functioned as the rear cover ...
.
His only other story series is the five-story Sidney Hallmeyer series which ran from 1940 to 1945 which have never been collected into book form. These stories feature the exploits of an interplanetary diplomat employed by the "Bureau of Transmitted Egos" who temporarily inhabits the body of one of the planet's inhabitants in order to facilitate negotiations.
Perhaps his most famous story from that era was 1941's "Time Wants a Skeleton", which has been reprinted in several anthologies, including Asimov's ''Mammoth Book of Golden Age Science Fiction''.
That year, he married Frances Rosenthal, a teacher of literature and creative writing and
Writer's Digest
''Writer's Digest'' is an American magazine aimed at beginning and established writers. It contains interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles.
History
''Writer's Digest'' was first published in December 1920 und ...
editor who wrote two books about writing under the name F.A. Rockwell. They divorced in 1947.
One of Rocklynne's stories from
Galaxy Magazine, "Jaywalker," was adapted as a half-hour radio drama for the NBC science fiction series
X-Minus One.
Rocklynne partially retired from writing in 1954 around the time he began dabbling in
Dianetics
Dianetics is a set of pseudoscientific ideas and practices regarding the human mind, which were invented in 1950 by science fiction writer L.Ron Hubbard. Dianetics was originally conceived as a form of psychological treatment, but was reje ...
, but the main reason he stopped was because he developed an extremely painful affliction of the face and jaw. Rocklynne found that he could forget the pain only when involved in some physical activity or when socially engaged with others. When he was alone the pain tended to monopolize his attention and this made the lonely and reflective pursuit of writing very difficult, if not impossible.
He supported himself for the next 15 years driving and dispatching taxis in Los Angeles,
but returned to science fiction writing in 1967 and continued publishing stories until 1973. His most notable story during this time was the
novelette "Ching Witch!" which was included in
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...
's original
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
, ''
Again, Dangerous Visions
''Again, Dangerous Visions'' (1972) is a science fiction short story anthology, edited by American author Harlan Ellison. It is the follow-up to ''Dangerous Visions'' (1967), also edited by Ellison. Cover art and interior illustrations are by Ed ...
'' (1972).
Rocklynne died in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
at the age of 75 due to complications of heart disease. Forrest J. Ackerman delivered the eulogy at Rocklynne's funeral. He was survived by his two sons, Keith Alan (born in 1944) and Jeffrey David (born in 1946)
His final resting place is at Hollywood Foreverin Hollywood, California.
Short stories
*"Man of Iron", ''Astounding Stories'', August 1935
*"
The Men and the Mirror", ''Astounding Stories'', July 1938
*"Into the Darkness", ''
Astonishing Stories
''Astonishing Stories'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published by Popular Publications between 1940 and 1943. It was founded under Popular's "Fictioneers" imprint, which paid lower rates than Popular's other magazines. The ...
'', June 1940
*"Quietus", ''
Astounding Science-Fiction'', September 1940 (appeared in the 1946 anthology ''
Adventures in Time and Space
''Adventures in Time and Space'' is an American anthology of science fiction stories edited by Raymond J. Healy and J. Francis McComas and published in 1946 by Random House. A second edition was also published in 1946 that eliminated the last ...
'')
*"Time Wants a Skeleton", 1941
Gift Horse, ''Astounding'', August 1945
The Infidels, ''Astounding'', September 1945
*"Jaywalker", ''
Galaxy Science Fiction
''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Edi ...
'', December 1950
Touch of the Moon, ''Galaxy Science Fiction'', April 1968
Find the Face, ''Galaxy Science Fiction'', August 1968
*"Ching Witch!", ''
Again, Dangerous Visions
''Again, Dangerous Visions'' (1972) is a science fiction short story anthology, edited by American author Harlan Ellison. It is the follow-up to ''Dangerous Visions'' (1967), also edited by Ellison. Cover art and interior illustrations are by Ed ...
'', 1972
*"Sorry: Wrong Dimension"
External links
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocklynne, Ross
American science fiction writers
1913 births
1988 deaths
Writers from Cincinnati
American male short story writers
20th-century American novelists
American male novelists
20th-century American short story writers
20th-century American male writers
Novelists from Ohio