Picture a British storyteller who whisked readers to a vibrant alien world teeming with swordplay and cosmic intrigue—meet Alan Burt Akers! Behind this pen name lies Kenneth Bulmer, a prolific science fiction maestro who crafted the epic 52-book Dray Prescot series, a cornerstone of the Sword and Planet genre. From 1972 to 1997, Akers (aka Bulmer) spun tales of Dray Prescot, an Earth-born hero navigating the exotic planet Kregen, captivating fans with swashbuckling adventures and intricate world-building.
With a flair for action-packed narratives and a nod to Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Martian tales, Akers’s work is a thrilling blend of heroism, romance, and interplanetary mystery. Let’s dive into the life, works, and legacy of this under-the-radar gem of sci-fi storytelling.
The Making of Alan Burt Akers
Born Henry Kenneth Bulmer on January 14, 1921, in London, the man behind Alan Burt Akers was a versatile writer with a passion for science fiction and adventure. Little is known about his early life, but Bulmer’s love for pulp fiction and comics shaped his career. After marrying Pamela Buckmaster in 1953 and settling in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, he became a prolific author, penning over 160 novels under various pseudonyms. His choice of Alan Burt Akers for the Dray Prescot series was a playful homage to genre giants like Burroughs, setting the stage for his Kregen saga.
Bulmer’s early career included comics like Jet-Ace Logan and contributions to science fiction fandom, notably as a 1955 TransAtlantic Fan Fund delegate to the U.S. This immersion in speculative fiction fueled his ambition to create a sprawling, immersive series that would become his magnum opus.
Alan Burt Akers’s Unforgettable Stories
The Dray Prescot series, launched with Transit to Scorpio in 1972, is Akers’s crowning achievement. This 52-novel epic, divided into eleven cycles, follows Dray Prescot, an English sailor teleported to Kregen, a planet orbiting Antares. There, he battles as a pawn of the mysterious Star Lords, seeking love with Princess Delia and freedom from slavery in the continent group Paz. Each tale, narrated in Prescot’s first-person voice, brims with vivid world-building, from Kregen’s seven continents to its fish-headed Shank raiders.
Key works include The Suns of Scorpio (1973), where Prescot navigates rival sun-worshipping factions; Swordships of Scorpio (1973), introducing the island of Pandahem; and Krozair of Kregen (1977), a high-stakes adventure in the Krozair Cycle. Akers’s style blends fast-paced action with intricate political and cultural details, earning praise for its anti-slavery themes and rejection of the genre’s darker tropes, unlike John Norman’s Gor series. Later volumes, published in German by Wilhelm Heyne Verlag from 1991 to 1998, remained untranslated in English until e-book releases, adding to the series’ cult allure.
The series’ structure, with cycles like the Delian and Spectre Cycles, offers self-contained arcs within a grand narrative, making it accessible yet deep. Bulmer’s use of “tapes” supposedly recorded by Prescot added a meta-layer, enhancing the illusion that Kregen was real—a nod to Burroughs’s storytelling tricks.
Why Alan Burt Akers Matters
Alan Burt Akers’s Dray Prescot series left an indelible mark on Sword and Planet fiction, blending pulp adventure with thoughtful themes like unity and liberation. Fans cherish its sprawling scope and Prescot’s relatable heroism, which inspired a dedicated following, especially in Germany, where later volumes first appeared. Though Bulmer’s stroke in 1997 halted a planned 53rd volume, the series’ unfinished nature only adds to its mystique, with readers imagining Prescot and Delia’s ultimate fate.
Bulmer’s influence extends beyond books, shaping genre discussions on forums like Swords of REH and inspiring e-book reissues by Mushroom Publishing. His ability to craft a universe as rich as Barsoom, yet distinctly his own, cements Akers as a quiet giant of sci-fi.
- Born: January 14, 1921, London, England
- Key Works: Dray Prescot series (52 novels, 1972–1997)
- Pseudonyms: Alan Burt Akers, Manning Norvil, Andrew Quiller, and more
- Died: December 16, 2005, Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Ready for a cosmic adventure? Snag Transit to Scorpio and dive into Alan Burt Akers’s thrilling Sword and Planet saga!