British author Eric Brown, who published more than 50 novels, children's books and short story collections, died March 21, the Guardian reported. He was 62. His first of more than 20 novels was Meridian Days (1992), set on a distant planet. His series included the Bengal Station trilogy--Necropath, Xenopath and Cosmopath (from 2009 to 2010).
Brown's fiction was "often concerned with contact between humankind and alien races, with a strong focus on the human aspect of the stories," the Guardian noted. His crime fiction included the Langham and Dupré "cosy crime" series, and he wrote books for young readers. In 1999 and 2001, his stories won the British Science Fiction Association award for short fiction.
Writer James Lovegrove said: "I knew him as a kind, self-effacing and generous soul who wasn't above a curmudgeonly grumble now and then or the occasional rant at the inanities of the world but remained nonetheless sanguine and positive.... His fiction reflected this. It's full of humanity and compassion, with a deep-rooted English sensibility and an abiding belief that our species can rise to any challenge and act responsibly. Himself an underrated author, he championed other authors, living and dead, whose work he felt wasn't getting the attention it deserved.... People who discovered his fiction while he was alive cherished it, and I truly hope that many more will now follow their example."
Ian Whates, book editor and founder of NewCon Press, which published a collection of short stories by Brown, said he was "a mild-mannered Yorkshireman who felt more comfortable sitting around a table in a pub with a handful of good friends than he did socializing at large events." He added that Brown developed "his own style of 'traditional' science fiction before branching out into more experimental forms of the genre.... As a writer and, more importantly, as a person, he will be sorely missed."
Brown's literary agent, John Jarrold, said he felt "privileged" to have represented Brown since 2005. "He was a wonderful, underrated writer, full of brilliant invention and an innate understanding of characters' flaws and foibles. He will be greatly missed as an author--but even more importantly as a warm, caring human being."