Sciendce Fiction author Phil Klass passed away Sunday Feb 7. HE was 89. He wrote his fiction under the pen name of WIlliam Tenn. He was NOT the Phil Klass of the UFO world. Phil was one of my writing profs at Penn State in the 1970s. He was an avid fan of H.G. Wells and his first novel OF MEN AND MONSTERS ws a different take on the "martian" invasion. He used to say that he was working on a more definitive novel but it never got published.
Of interest to monster fans is that one of Phil's first science fiction stories was one of the first "modern zombie stories". It was called Down Among the Dead Men and was about zombies being used to work in starship engine rooms during a galatic war.
Tenn was quite a writer! Known for his sci-fi satire and comedy, he was admired by writer Theodore Sturgeon, who felt that Tenn's brilliant mind handled satire better than any other sci-fi humor writers. Tenn was first published in 1946 in AMAZING SCIENCE FICTION and was a frequent contributor to GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION magazine. He was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America in 1999. His place in American sci-fi is secure. He'll be missed by his many fans.