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Stephen Gallagher Books In Order

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Publication Order of Sebastian Becker Books

The Kingdom of Bones (2007)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Bedlam Detective (2012)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Authentic William James (2016)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle

Publication Order of The Lost Stories Books

Doctor Who: Mission to Magnus (By:Nicholas Briggs,,,Philip Martin) (2009)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who: The Hollows of Time (By:,,Christopher H. Bidmead) (2010)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Song of Megaptera (By:) (2010)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who: Point of Entry (By:Marc Platt) (2010)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Thin Ice (By:Marc Platt) (2011)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who: The Dark Planet (By:,,,,Brian Hayles) (2013)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who: The Queen of Time (By:,,,Brian Hayles) (2013)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who: Lords of the Red Planet (By:,,Nicholas Briggs,,,Brian Hayles) (2013)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Dying of Paradise / The Last Rose of Summer (As: Stephen Couper) (1978)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Saturn 3 (1980)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Silver Dream Racer (As: John Lydecker) (1980)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Chimera (1982)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Ice Belt (As: Stephen Couper) (1983)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Follower (1984)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Valley of Lights (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Oktober (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Down River (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Boat House (1991)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Nightmare, with Angel (1992)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Rain (1995)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Red Red Robin (1995)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
White Bizango (2002)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Spirit Box (2005)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Painted Bride (2006)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle

Publication Order of Collections

Little Dead Girl Singing (2002)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Out Of His Mind (2004)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Plots and Misadventures (2007)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Magpie (1991)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
In Gethsemane (2013)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Shepherds' Business (2017)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Melody James (2018)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle

Publication Order of Fantasy Tales Books

Fantasy Tales 1 (By:Stephen Jones) (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Fantasy Tales 2 (By:Stephen Jones) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Fantasy Tales 3 (By:Stephen Jones) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Fantasy Tales 4 (By:Charles L. Grant,Kim Newman,Steve Tem,Stephen Jones) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Fantasy Tales 5 (By:Stephen Jones) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Fantasy Tales 6 (By:Stephen Jones) (1991)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Fantasy Tales 7 (By:Stephen Jones) (1991)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle

Publication Order of Doctor Who Novelizations Books

The Time of Angels (By:Trevor Baxendale) (1963)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Daleks / Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks (By:David Whitaker) (1964)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Zarbi (By:Bill Strutton) (1965)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Crusaders (By:David Whitaker) (1966)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Massacre (By:John Lucarotti) (1966)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Sea-Devils (By:Malcolm Hulke) (1974)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion (By:Terrance Dicks) (1974)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion (By:Terrance Dicks) (1974)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters (By:Malcolm Hulke) (1974)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon (By:Malcolm Hulke) (1974)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Day of the Daleks (By:Terrance Dicks) (1974)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Daemons (By:Barry Letts) (1974)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen (By:Terrance Dicks) (1974)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen (By:Terrance Dicks) (1974)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon (By:Brian Hayles) (1975)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Cybermen (By:Gerry Davis) (1975)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Giant Robot (By:Terrance Dicks) (1975)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons (By:Terrance Dicks) (1975)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Green Death (By:Malcolm Hulke) (1975)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders (By:Terrance Dicks) (1975)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Three Doctors (By:Terrance Dicks) (1975)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks (By:Terrance Dicks) (1976)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Revenge of the Cybermen (By:Terrance Dicks) (1976)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Web of Fear (By:Terrance Dicks) (1976)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster (By:Terrance Dicks) (1976)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion (By:Malcolm Hulke) (1976)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet (By:Gerry Davis) (1976)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion (By:Malcolm Hulke) (1976)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet (By:Gerry Davis) (1976)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Ice Warriors (By:Brian Hayles) (1976)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Space War (By:Malcolm Hulke) (1976)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks (By:Terrance Dicks) (1976)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth (By:Terrance Dicks) (1977)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Masque of Mandragora (By:Philip Hinchcliffe) (1977)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius (By:Terrance Dicks) (1977)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Talons of Weng-Chiang (By:Terrance Dicks) (1977)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters (By:Terrance Dicks) (1977)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Face of Evil (By:Terrance Dicks) (1977)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Mutants (By:Terrance Dicks) (1977)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Planet of Evil (By:Terrance Dicks) (1977)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom (By:Philip Hinchcliffe) (1977)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos (By:Terrance Dicks) (1977)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Ark in Space (By:Ian Marter) (1977)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Deadly Assassin (By:Terrance Dicks) (1977)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Time Warrior (By:Terrance Dicks) (1978)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Tomb of the Cybermen (By:Gerry Davis) (1978)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars (By:Terrance Dicks) (1978)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Death to the Daleks (By:Terrance Dicks) (1978)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Horror of Fang Rock (By:Terrance Dicks) (1978)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Sontaran Experiment (By:Ian Marter) (1978)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Android Invasion (By:Terrance Dicks) (1978)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Android Invasion: 4th Doctor Novelisation (By:Terrance Dicks) (1978)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Image of the Fendahl (By:Terrance Dicks) (1979)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the War Games (By:Malcolm Hulke) (1979)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Hand of Fear (By:Terrance Dicks) (1979)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Robots of Death (By:Terrance Dicks) (1979)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Invisible Enemy (By:Terrance Dicks) (1979)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Destiny of the Daleks (By:Terrance Dicks) (1979)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation (By:Ian Marter) (1979)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Androids of Tara (By:Terrance Dicks) (1980)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Stones of Blood (By:Terrance Dicks) (1980)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Armageddon Factor (By:Terrance Dicks) (1980)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Underworld (By:Terrance Dicks) (1980)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time (By:Terrance Dicks) (1980)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon (By:Terrance Dicks) (1980)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Power of Kroll (By:Terrance Dicks) (1980)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Nightmare of Eden (By:Terrance Dicks) (1980)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus (By:Philip Hinchcliffe) (1980)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Horns of Nimon (By:Terrance Dicks) (1980)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Creature from the Pit (By:David Fisher) (1981)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Enemy of the World (By:Ian Marter) (1981)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the State of Decay (By:Terrance Dicks) (1981)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child (By:Terrance Dicks) (1981)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Leisure Hive (By:David Fisher) (1982)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and Warriors' Gate (As: John Lydecker) (1982)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken (By:Terrance Dicks) (1982)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and the Visitation (By:Eric Saward) (1982)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Full Circle (By:Andrew Smith) (1982)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who and theSunmakers (By:Terrance Dicks) (1982)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Logopolis (By:Christopher H. Bidmead) (1982)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Meglos (By:Terrance Dicks) (1983)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Four to Doomsday (By:Terrance Dicks) (1983)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Time-Flight (By:) (1983)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Terminus (As: John Lydecker) (1983)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Castrovalva (By:Christopher H. Bidmead) (1983)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Arc of Infinity (By:Terrance Dicks) (1983)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Mawdryn Undead (By:) (1983)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Earthshock (By:Ian Marter) (1983)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Five Doctors (By:Terrance Dicks) (1983)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Kinda (By:Terrance Dicks) (1983)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Snakedance (By:Terrance Dicks) (1984)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Aztecs (By:John Lucarotti) (1984)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Dominators (By:Ian Marter) (1984)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Enlightenment (By:) (1984)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Inferno (By:Terrance Dicks) (1984)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Warriors of the Deep (By:Terrance Dicks) (1984)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Highlanders (By:Gerry Davis) (1984)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Frontios (By:Christopher H. Bidmead) (1984)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Galaxy Four (By:William Emms) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Gunfighters (By:Donald Cotton) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Time Monster (By:Terrance Dicks) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Krotons (By:Terrance Dicks) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Planet of Fire (By:) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Mind of Evil (By:Terrance Dicks) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Caves of Androzani (By:Terrance Dicks) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Myth Makers (By:Donald Cotton) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Marco Polo (By:John Lucarotti) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Invasion (By:Ian Marter) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Cybermen - The Invasion (By:Ian Marter) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Awakening (By:) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Two Doctors (By:) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Timelash (By:) (1985)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Faceless Ones (By:Terrance Dicks) (1986)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Seeds of Death (By:Terrance Dicks) (1986)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Ark (By:Paul Erickson) (1986)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Savages (By:Ian Stuart Black) (1986)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Black Orchid (By:Terence Dudley) (1986)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Twin Dilemma (By:Eric Saward) (1986)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Mark of the Rani (By:Pip Baker,Jane Baker) (1986)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Celestial Toymaker (By:Gerry Davis) (1986)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The King's Demons (By:Terence Dudley) (1986)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Fury from the Deep (By:Victor Pemberton) (1986)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Mind Robber (By:Peter Ling) (1986)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Rescue (By:Ian Marter) (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Reign of Terror (By:Ian Marter) (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Rescue (By:Ian Marter) (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Time Meddler (By:Nigel Robinson) (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Ambassadors of Death (By:Terrance Dicks) (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Space Museum (By:Glyn Jones) (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Sensorites (By:Nigel Robinson) (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Romans (By:Donald Cotton) (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Mysterious Planet (By:Terrance Dicks) (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Time and the Rani (By:Pip Baker,Jane Baker) (1987)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Macra Terror (By:Ian Stuart Black) (1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Terror of the Vervoids (By:Pip Baker,Jane Baker) (1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Underwater Menace (By:Nigel Robinson) (1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who: The Underwater Menace (By:Nigel Robinson) (1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who: The Underwater Menace (By:Nigel Robinson) (1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Wheel in Space (By:Terrance Dicks) (1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Edge of Destruction (By:Nigel Robinson) (1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Smugglers (By:Terrance Dicks) (1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Vengeance on Varos (By:Philip Martin) (1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Ultimate Foe (By:Pip Baker,Jane Baker) (1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (By:Stephen Wyatt) (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Delta and the Bannermen (By:Malcolm Kohll) (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Dalek's Master Plan: The Mutation of Time (By:John Peel) (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Paradise Towers (By:Stephen Wyatt) (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The War Machines (By:Ian Stuart Black) (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Attack of the Cybermen (By:Eric Saward) (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Dragonfire (By:Ian Briggs) (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Chase (By:Terrance Dicks,John Peel) (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Mindwarp (By:Philip Martin) (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Silver Nemesis (By:Kevin Clarke) (1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Planet of Giants (By:Terrance Dicks) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Happiness Patrol (By:Graeme Curry) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks (By:Ben Aaronovitch,James Goss,Jonathan Morris) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Space Pirates (By:Terrance Dicks) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Remembrance of the Daleks (By:James Goss) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Survival (By:Rona Munro) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Ghost Light (By:Marc Platt) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Curse of Fenric (By:Ian Briggs) (1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Battlefield (By:Marc Platt) (1991)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Pescatons (By:Victor Pemberton) (1991)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Power of the Daleks (By:John Peel) (1993)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Evil of the Daleks (By:John Peel) (1993)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The TV Movie / The Novel of the Film (By:Gary Russell) (1996)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Eleventh Hour (By:Trevor Baxendale) (2012)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
City of Death (By:James Goss) (2015)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Christmas Invasion (By:Jenny Colgan) (2018)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Day of the Doctor (By:Steven Moffat,Terrance Dicks) (2018)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Rose (By:Russell T. Davies) (2018)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks (By:Eric Saward) (2019)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Crimson Horror (By:Mark Gatiss) (2020)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Dalek (By:Robert Shearman) (2021)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Witchfinders (By:Joy Wilkinson) (2021)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Fires of Pompeii (By:James Moran) (2022)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle

Publication Order of Anthologies

Scaremongers(1981)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Best Horror Stories from the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction(1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Drabble Project(1988)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Arrows Of Eros(1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Dark Fantasies(1989)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Best New Horror 1(1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Best New Horror(1990)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Now We Are Sick(1991)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Darklands No 1(1991)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Hotter Blood: More Tales of Erotic Horror(1991)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifth Annual Collection(1992)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Giant Book of Best New Horror(1993)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Giant Book of Fantasy Tales(1996)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 7(1996)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Twentieth Annual Collection(1999)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14(2003)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Sixteenth Annual Collection(2003)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Eighteenth Annual Collection(2005)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Best New Horror 16(2005)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Full Fathom Forty(2011)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Ghosts: Recent Hauntings(2012)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Writing Crime Fiction(2012)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Twisted Histories(2013)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
New Fears(2017)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Best Horror of the Year: Volume Ten(2018)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Dark Mirages(2018)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
The Conception of Terror(2019)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle
Beyond the Veil(2021)Hardcover  Paperback  Kindle

Stephen Gallagher is an English author of horror, crime and historical fiction books. He was born and raised in Salford, Greater Manchester. He has written several television scripts and novels including BBC TV series Doctor Who for which the author wrote two series Terminus (1983) and Warrior’s Gate (1981). Stephen Gallagher adapted his own book Chimera into a television miniseries of the same name. The author wrote and developed series for ITV, Eleventh Hour featuring Patrick Stewart as the main character working as a government science advisor and investigator. This program was rumored to be the answer to the series Doctor Who but it was more in the tradition of a thriller.

Gallagher became a published author in 1978 when Dying of Paradise; a standalone novel was published. In 2007 he published The Kingdom of Bones which marked the beginning of Sebastian Becker series. The author has authored several story collection and novellas and has written under pseudonyms such as John Lydecker and Stephen Couper.

The Kingdom of Bones

The Kingdom of Bones is the first book in Sebastian Becker series by Stephen Gallagher. It is the haunting narrative of Tom Sayers a retired boxing champion who must continue his fights in the ring to clear his name after a series of brutal murder. It is a fast-paced thriller with a subtle touch of the supernatural. The story kicks off as a normal Victorian crime story with a dash of greasepaint and limelight but soon develops into something deeply characterized by subtle shades of expression, a supernatural story, people with scary and shady characters and a tale of unrequited and obsessive love.

The narrative opens up in Victorian British provincial theatre where we meet Tom Sayers, a once flourishing professional boxer now working as a stage manager with a touring company. He is set up for a murder that he did not commit which forces him to exile himself to America where he earns his daily bread by working as a fairground prize-fighter. It is from here where the narrative takes a supernatural twist- it is revealed that Tom Sayer has not only come to America to escape the murder charge, he is also tracking down Louise-a singer with his company. He believes that the young beauty is possessed by a demon named The Wanderer- a demon that grants youth and immortality in exchange for a constant diet of blood through murder. Now Tom’s sole purpose in life has become to find the whereabouts of Louise and save her from the demon. The motive as to why Tom dedicates his life to this mission is never known.

The first book in Sebastian Becker series is a wonderful read. It is an intricate and creative narrative that uses historical characters of the late 1880’s and early 1900’ with most of the action taking place between America and England. The story incorporates a couple of themes. One theme gives the readers an intimate knowledge of the operations of English theatre, the knowledge about occult activities, themes of boxing from carnival to formal as well as the knowledge of early Pinkerton work.
Initially, the reader’s sympathy lies with Tom Sayers, a retired boxer who is now efficiently managing his own company in England. The relationship that exists between Tom Sayers and Detective Sebastian Becker is a bittersweet and a long one that starts when Tom Sayer is wrongly accused as being the man responsible for a series of murders in the wake of his theatre’s engagements. His story unfolds openly from the time he meets (by chance) an old friend Sebastian Becker based n Philadelphia. Becker uses his detective skills to pursue Sayers across America in this tale of crazy obsession and murder.

Gallagher did an excellent job in plot development, world-building, and characterization. The secondary characters are beautifully woven and are all fascinating especially Louise Porter, the woman who Sayers lust for and whom he tries to save from what he terms as possession by the demon. In his quest, he encounters so many strange, mysterious and deadly situations which in the result into a thrilling conclusion. Gallagher’s use of a fictitious version of a real person is a proof that he is a master in this realm of writing. His impressive historical research is vividly portrayed in the realistic recreations of 19th century London Manchester, Richmond, Philadelphia and New Orleans. As the narrative progresses, it becomes less about fighting monsters but instead centers more on finding redemption and salvation from what may be simply a strong psychological idea or a horrid supernatural force.

The Bedlam Detective

The second book in the series is set in 1912 and introduces Sebastian Becker a retired detective now working for London’s Bethlehem Hospital, a notorious insane asylum nicknamed Bedlam- thanks to its chaotic atmosphere.

The former detective now works for Lord Chancellor Lunacy Commission, and he is investigating the rich individuals to determine if they are competent enough to take care of their fortunes or if the Lord Chancellor needs to appoint an overseer for them. As the story opens up, Sebastian is requested to check up on Sir Owain, a rich industrialist who went on an expedition in Amazon forest that left everyone else in his team either dead or missing.

After his return, Owain tarnished his reputation by publishing an account of the expedition that puts the blames of his fellow travel mates on pre-historic monsters that attacked the group. This publication causes the public to ridicule Owain to the point that he leaves London and goes back to his country estate where Sebastian is sent to check on him.

As soon as Sebastian arrives to start investigations, two girls in the nearby village are killed on Owain’s land in the same fashion as the earlier death in Amazon. Owain becomes the main suspect, and it falls to Sebastian to assist the local police in determining the innocence or guilt as well as Owain’s sanity.

Did Sir Owain kill the two girls or did the pre-historic man-eating monster- monster of Arnmouth kill them? If Owain is the killer- could he have also murdered the Amazon expedition team and concocted this fantasy story as a cover-up?

Book Series In Order » Authors » Stephen Gallagher

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