Tim Sullivan obit

Tim Sullivan, Sci-Fi Author and Actor, Dies at 76

He wrote three novels based on Kenneth Johnson’s ‘V’ television franchise and starred in such low-budget films as ‘Twilight of the Dogs’ and ‘Hollywood Mortuary.’ 

He was not on the list.

Tim Sullivan, a novelist and book reviewer who also wrote, directed and/or starred in several microbudget horror and science-fiction films, has died. He was 76.

Sullivan died Sunday of congestive heart failure in hospice in Newport News, Virginia, John R. Ellis, a friend of his for 50 years, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Sullivan starred as a military pilot who survives a worldwide plague and battles giant mutant spiders in the Ellis-directed sci-fi thriller Twilight of the Dogs (1995). He and Ellis teamed on the screenplay as well.

He also wrote and directed Vampyre Femmes (1999) and appeared in such straight-to-video releases as The Laughing Dead (1989), Eyes of the Werewolf (1999), The Mark of Dracula (2000), Hollywood Mortuary (2000) and Deadly Scavengers (2001), working often with writer-director Ron Ford.

Sullivan wrote at least seven sci-fi novels during his career, three of them based on Kenneth Johnson’s V NBC miniseries and series in the mid-1980s about an alien invasion of Earth.

One of two sons of a U.S. Postal Service worker, Timothy Robert Sullivan was born on June 9, 1948, in Bangor, Maine. One of his neighbors was Richard Tozier, who would later be featured in three Stephen King novels.

Sullivan attended John Bapst Memorial High School, earned a degree in literature from Florida Atlantic University and lived in Philadelphia and Washington before settling in Southern California in 1988.

He wrote dozens of short stories, including 1981’s “Zeke,” a tragedy about an extraterrestrial stranded on Earth that was nominated for a Nebula Award. His novels included 1988’s Destiny’s End, 1989’s The Parasite War, 1991’s The Martian Viking and The Dinosaur Trackers and 1992’s Lords of Creation.

He also edited horror anthologies and handled book reviews for The Washington Post.

Ellis said he and Sullivan had been working on a restoration of Twilight of the Dogs, and it will be available in the U.S. for the first time.

Sullivan has no survivors, though his friends Aprille Canniff and Christina Pichlmaier were with him when he died.

 

Bibliography

           

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (May 2022)

Novels

Title      Year            ISBN of first edition            Main character            Notes

The Florida Project 1985            ISBN 0-523-42430-2                      Number 5 of the V novels. In this novel, Sullivan tuckerized a number of his friends in the Washington Science Fiction Association (using their names as characters).

The New England Resistance            1985            ISBN 0-523-42467-1                      Number 9 of the V novels.

To Conquer the Throne 1987            ISBN 0-8125-5727-1                      Number 13 of the V novels.

Destiny's End            1988            ISBN 0-3807-5352-9          Deles            An exile on the distant planet of Sripha must discover the secrets of his family and his past. A science fiction novel based on Greek mythology. On the first page of the novel, Sullivan tuckerized his friend Gardner Dozois in the phrase "the garden world of Doazwah."

The Parasite War     1989            ISBN 0-330-10597-3          Alex Ward   A story of alien invasion.

The Dinosaur Trackers            1991            ISBN 0-06-106053-4                      Co-written by Sullivan, Arthur Byron Cover, John Gregory Betancourt; cover art by Kevin Johnson. Number 4 in the series Robert Silverberg's Time Tours.

The Martian Viking  1991            ISBN 0-3807-5814-8            Johnsmith Biberkopf            An adventure novel about Mars, Vikings, dreams, and hallucinations.

Lords of Creation            1992            ISBN 0-380-76284-6          David Albee   A paleontologist faces struggles with dinosaurs, extraterrestrial aliens, and a televangelist.

Short fiction

Anthologies edited

Tropical Chills (1988) (ISBN 0-3807-5500-9)

 

1. "Introduction" by Tim Sullivan

2. "Houston, 1943" by Gene Wolfe

3. "Mama Doah's Garden" by Susan Lilas Wiggs

4. "Grim Monkeys" by Steve Rasnic Tem

5. "The Flowers of the Forest" by Brian Aldiss

6. "White Socks" by Ian Watson

7. "Chrysalis" by Edward Bryant

8. "Night Fishing on the Caribbean Littoral of the Mutant Rain Forest" by Bruce Boston and Robert Frazier

9. "Dead Meat" by Charles Sheffield

10. "Where Do You Live, Queen Esther?" by Avram Davidson

11. "Talking Heads" by George Alec Effinger

12. "Getting Up" by Barry N. Malzberg and Jack Dann

13. "It Was the Heat" by Pat Cadigan

14. "A Part of Us" by Gregory Frost

15. "Zeke" by Timothy Robert Sullivan

16. "Graveyard Highway" by Dean Koontz

The Locus Index to Science Fiction: 1984–1998 described Tropical Chills as "Highly recommended."

It was republished in German as Heisse Angst (Droemer Knaur, 1990), translated by Marcel Bieger. (ISBN 3-426-01836-5)

Cold Shocks (1991) (ISBN 0-3807-5500-9)

 

1. "Introduction" by Tim Sullivan

2. "The Ice Children" by Gary Brandner

3. "First Kill" by Chet Williamson

4. "Colder Than by Hell" by Edward Bryant

5. "The Kikituk" by Michael Armstrong

6. "The Christmas Escape" by Dean Wesley Smith

7. "A Winter Memory" by Michael D. Toman

8. "The Sixth Man" by Graham Masterton

9. "The Ice Downstream" by Melanie Tem

10. "Morning Light" by Barry N. Malzberg

11. "Bring Me the Head of Timothy Leary" by Nancy Holder

12. "The Bus" by Gregory Frost

13. "Adleparmeun" by Steve Rasnic Tem

14. " Close to the Earth" by Gregory Nicoll

15. "Snowbanks" by Tim Sullivan

16. "St. Jackaclaws" by A. R. Morlan

17. "The Pavilion of Frozen Women" by S. P. Somtow

John Clute wrote that these two anthologies, "composed of carefully selected original and reprinted material, mostly horror, demonstrate Sullivan's editorial acuteness."

 

Stories

Title      Year            First published            Reprinted/collected            Notes

Anomaly Station  2014            Sullivan, Tim (December 2014). "Anomaly Station". Asimov's Science Fiction. 38 (12): 68–106.                 Novella

"Doin' that Tachyon Rag" [a.k.a. "Tachyon Rag"] (Spring, 1977) – As by Timothy Robert Sullivan; first appeared in Unearth.

"Downward to Darkness (Part 1 of 2)" (Fall/October, 1977) – As by Timothy Robert Sullivan; first appeared in Unearth; cover art by Tom Barber.

"Downward to Darkness (Part 2 of 2)" (Winter/January, 1978) As by Timothy Robert Sullivan; first appeared in Unearth; cover art by Clyde Caldwell.

"The Rauncher Goes to Tinker Town" (1979) - As by Timothy Robert Sullivan; first appeared in New Dimensions Science Fiction Number 9, edited by Robert Silverberg; ISBN 0-06-433336-1.

"My Father's Head" (1979) – As by Timothy R. Sullivan. Published in Chrysalis 5, ed. Roy Torgeson, Zebra Books, ISBN 0-89083-518-7.

"Zeke" (October, 1981) – First appeared in Rod Serling's Twilight Zone Magazine, ed. T. E. D. Klein.

- Nominated for the 1982 Nebula Award for Best Short Story.

- Translated as "Zeke" (in German) in Kopernikus 8 (November 1982).

- Reprinted in Nebula Award Stories Seventeen (1983), ed. Joe Haldeman, ISBN 0-03-063528-4.

- Reprinted in Nebula Award Stories 17 (1985), ed. Joe Haldeman, ISBN 0-441-56797-5.

- Reprinted in The Savage Humanists (2008), ed. Fiona Kelleghan, ISBN 978-0-88995-425-0.

- Reprinted in The Eighth Science Fiction Megapack: 25 Modern and Classic Stories, Wildside Press (2013)

"The Army of the Woods" (February, 1982) - Fantasy Newsletter #45, ed. Robert A. Collins (Florida Atlantic University).

"The Comedian" (June 1982) - First appeared in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.

- Reprinted in: The 1983 Annual World's Best SF, ed. Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur W. Saha, DAW Books (DAW Collectors #528), ISBN 0-87997-822-8.

- Reprinted in Time Travelers: From Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (1989), ed. Gardner Dozois, ISBN 0-441-80935-9.

- Nominated for the 1983 Locus Poll Award - Best Short Story.

"A Major Game of Hoople" (1984) - Ares #17. A sports story, its title is a pun on Major Hoople.

"JuJu, Incorporated" (May, 1984) - As by Timothy Robert Sullivan; Fantasy Review, ed. Robert A. Collins and Neil Barron (Florida Atlantic University).

"Special Education" (January, 1986) - Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.

"Stop-Motion" (August, 1986) - Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.

- Placed #5 in the 1987 Asimov's Readers' Poll.

"Dinosaur on a Bicycle" (March, 1987) - Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.

- Reprinted in: Dinosaurs! (June, 1990), ed. Jack Dann, Gardner Dozois, ISBN 0-441-14883-2.

"Knucklebones" (1988) - Ripper!, ed. Gardner Dozois, Susan Casper, Tor Books, ISBN 0-812-51700-8.

- Reprinted in: Jack the Ripper (1988), ed. Dozois and Casper, ISBN 0-7088-4062-0.

"Father to the Man" (October, 1988) - Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.

"Midnight Glider" (Autumn, 1990) - Iniquities.

"Nox Sanguinis" (Spring, 1991) - Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine Issue 11, ed. Kristine Kathryn Rusch.

"Fantasies" (August, 1991) - Co-written with Michael Swanwick, in Amazing Stories. A unicorn tale with a twist.

"Snowbanks" (1991) - Cold Shocks, ISBN 0-380-76160-2.

"Los Niños de la Noche" (1991) - The Ultimate Dracula, ed. Megan Miller, David Keller, Byron Preiss, Dell Publishing, ISBN 0-440-50353-1. Reprinted in: The Ultimate Dracula (2003), ed. Byron Preiss, ibooks Inc., ISBN 0-7434-5820-6.

"Hypnoteyes" (December 31, 1991) - Pulphouse: A Fiction Magazine, ed. Dean Wesley Smith.

"Anodyne" (November, 1992) - Pulphouse: A Fiction Magazine, ed. Dean Wesley Smith.

"Atlas at Eight A.M." (Mid-December 1992) - Asimov's Science Fiction - a time loop story.

"Mother and Child Reunion" (1993) - As by Timothy R. Sullivan; reprinted in The Ultimate Witch, ed. John Gregory Betancourt and Byron Preiss, Byron Preiss Visual Publications, ISBN 0-440-50531-3.

"Hawk on a Flagpole" (July, 2000) - Asimov's Science Fiction.

"The Mouth of Hell" (August, 2003) - Asimov's Science Fiction.

"The Nocturnal Adventure of Dr. O and Mr. D" (April, 2008) - The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. A comedy about John Lennon and Philip K. Dick in the afterlife.

"Planetesimal Dawn" (October–November, 2008) - The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

"Way Down East" (December, 2008) - Asimov's Science Fiction.

"Inside Time" (December, 2009) - The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

"Star-Crossed" (March–April, 2010) - The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

"Under Glass" (November–December, 2011) - The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

"Repairmen" (March–April, 2012) - The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

"The Nambu Egg" (July–August, 2013) - The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. The title refers to the theories of Yoichiro Nambu.

"Yeshua's Dog" (2013) - The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Sullivan gave a reading of this story at the 2013 Philcon science fiction convention.

"Through Mud One Picks a Way" (2013) - The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. (Sullivan chose the title from a line in Robert Browning's poem "Red Cotton Night-Cap Country.")

"The Memory Cage" (May/June 2014) - The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Screenplays

Twilight of the Dogs (1995)

Eyes of the Werewolf (1999)

Vampyre Femmes (1999)

V-World Matrix (1999)

Hunting Season (2000)

Demonicus (2001)

Non-fiction

"Notables Gather (1980 ICFA)" (April, 1981) - As by Timothy Robert Sullivan; Locus, #243.

"TZ is Year's Best Fantasy Film" (September, 1983) - As by Timothy Robert Sullivan; Fantasy Newsletter, #62. A film review of Twilight Zone: The Movie.

"Holy Woody" (October–November, 1983) - As by Timothy Robert Sullivan; Fantasy Newsletter, #63. An essay about the film Zelig by Woody Allen.

Review of Lyrec by Gregory Frost (March, 1984) - As by Timothy Robert Sullivan; SF & Fantasy Review, ed. Robert A. Collins and Neil Barron (Florida Atlantic University).

"A Clockwork Worldcon" (October, 1984) - As by Timothy Robert Sullivan; Fantasy Review.

"Guest Editorial: The New Network Fantasy Series: 'Slick But Stupid'" (October, 1985) - Fantasy Review.

"Interview: Gardner Dozois" (November, 1985) - Fantasy Review.

"Right Off the Wall" (June, 1986) - Fantasy Review.

"Atlanta's Worldcon: The View from the Catbird Suite" (September, 1986) - Co-written with Gregory Frost; Fantasy Review, ed. Rob Latham and Robert A. Collins (Meckler Publishing Corporation).

"Magazine Fiction in Review" (March, 1987) - Fantasy Review.

"Magazine Fiction in Review" (May, 1987) - Fantasy Review.

"Magazine Fiction in Review" (June, 1987) - Fantasy Review.

"Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Science Fiction Writer Visits Alien World!" (July 27, 1991) - Pulphouse: A Weekly Fiction Magazine, ed. Dean Wesley Smith.

Filmography

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1989    The Laughing Dead            Father O'Sullivan            A horror film, featuring zombies and demons amid Aztec ruins, directed by S. P. Somtow. Gregory Frost, Edward Bryant and artist Raymond Ridenour have minor roles (Ridenour's character was named Dozois); Somtow's sister, Premika Eaton, also played a part. Award-winning fantasy author Tim Powers played a zombie.

1994    Ill Met by Moonlight            Oberon            Somtow directed this film as a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. The cast included Timothy Bottoms as Egeus, Edward Bryant as Peter Quince, film-maker Ron Ford as Nick Bottom, Robert Z'Dar as Theseus, and Bill Warren in a minor part. Somtow directed Sullivan to deliver his lines in the voice of Nick Nolte; Sullivan is noted for vocal impressions.

1994    Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction            Himself            Documentary television episode.

1995    Twilight of the Dogs            Sam Asgarde            A science fiction film written by Sullivan and directed by John R. Ellis. Originally entitled New Genesis: Twilight of the Dogs. The title is a pun on Götterdämmerung, meaning Twilight of the Gods.

1996    Alien Force   Army Slacker Fred / Jaywalker / Gorek Foo            This science fiction film directed by Ron Ford for Wildcat Entertainment features Burt Ward as an alien overlord and Randal Malone as Raleigh.

1997    The Mark of Dracula                        Count Dracula menaces a small rural town in this Ron Ford film, which includes archive footage of Max Schreck as Count Orlok in Nosferatu.

1997    Alien Agenda: Under the Skin                       

1998    Dead Time Tales            Phil Canyon            The movie, in four segments, is based on the short stories "The Mark of the Beast" by Rudyard Kipling, "The Transformation" by Mary Shelley, "The Crystal Egg" by H.G. Wells, and a fourth story by David S. Sterling (producer of Camp Blood).

1998            Hollywood Mortuary            Pratt Borokov            In this horror-comedy, Randal Malone plays makeup artist Pierce Jackson Dawn, a name conflating those of Jack Pierce and Jack Dawn; Sullivan plays Pratt Borokov, a thinly veiled Boris Karloff, while Ron Ford performs the part of Janos Blasko (Bela Lugosi). Margaret O'Brien, Anita Page, Conrad Brooks and David DeCoteau play themselves.

1998            Creaturealm: From the Dead    Pratt Borokov          

1999    V-World Matrix            Dr. Parks  

1999            Vampyre Femmes            Nacho            Written and directed by Sullivan for Dead Alive Productions.

1999    Eyes of the Werewolf            Dr. Atwill   Written and directed by Sullivan for SNJ Productions.

1999    A Passion to Kill             

2000    Hunting Season            

2000    Camp Blood   George            A direct-to-video slasher film written and directed by Brad Sykes.

2000    Camp Blood 2            Dr. West    A sequel to Camp Blood directed by Brad Sykes and produced by David S. Sterling.

2001    Deadly Scavengers            The Doctor A deadpan joke is that the Doctor was hired because his job is "to clean things up." This is an allusion to the character role of Newman as "The Cleaner" in the Seinfeld episode The Muffin Tops, which in turn was an allusion to Harvey Keitel's role as "The Wolf" in 1994's Pulp Fiction.

2005    The Naked Monster            Dr. Howard            Science fiction/horror comedy written by Ted Newsom and directed by Newsom and Wayne Berwick as an homage to and spoof of the "giant monster-on-the-loose" films of the 1950s.