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Thompson, Vance

(1863-1925) US literary critic and author in various genres (including early twentieth-century nutritionism). The Carnival of Destiny (coll of linked stories 1916) depicts a sequence of Reincarnations in terms of fantasy; The Scarlet Iris (1924; vt The Tarnished Woman 1924) is supernatural horror; and The Green Ray (November 1922-March 1923 Munsey's as "The Man of the Miracle"; 1924) is hoax rather than sf, except for some ambivalence surrounding a Black man bleached white and unpleasantly made the basis of a racist denouement (see Race in SF). His Dr Guelpa tales, featuring a French detective, verge on horror. [JC]

Vance Thompson

born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: 17 April 1863

died 5 June 1925

works

• The Carnival of Destiny (New York: Moffat, Yard, 1916) [col of linked stories: hb/G W Gage]
• The Green Ray (Indianapolis, Indiana: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1924) [hb/]
• The Scarlet Iris (Indianapolis, Indiana: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1924) [illus/A D Rahn: hb/Judson Card]
  • The Tarnished Woman (London: Hutchinson and Co, 1924) [vt of the above: hb/]

links

• Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Picture Gallery

Entry from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction edited by John Clute, David Langford, Peter Nicholls and Graham Sleight.
Accessed 09:14 am on 20 April 2024.
<https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/thompson_vance>