Peter Saxon was a house pseudonym used by various writers in the 1960s and early 70s. ‘Saxon’ wrote several paperback horror novels, including the ‘Guardians’ series, in which a group of wealthy characters battled against the occult in Britain.
W. Howard Baker first used the name to write several Sexton Blake novels for Amalgamated Press, before moving on to Mayflower Books. He is known to have authored two entries in the Guardians series, The Killing Bone (1968) and Vampire’s Moon (1972).
Rex Dolphin, as Saxon, wrote the Guardians novel The Vampires of Finistère (1968).
Stephen D. Frances, using the Saxon name, wrote The Disorientated Man (which was filmed as Scream and Scream Again, the book’s subsequent title for re-release), Black Honey and the novelisation of the horror film Corruption (both 1968).
Wilfred McNeilly also published as Peter Saxon, writing The Darkest Night and Dark Ways to Death (both 1966), Satan’s Child and The Torturer (both 1967) and The Haunting of Alan Mais (1969). As Errol Lecale he also wrote the six books in The Specialist series, which – like the Guardian series – pitted a wealthy occult specialist against supernatural forces: Tigerman of Terrahpur (1973), Castledoom, The Severed Hand and The Death Box (all 1974), and Zombie and Blood of My Blood (both 1975).
Ross Richards was Peter Saxon for the Guardians novel Through the Dark Curtain (1967).
And finally, Martin Thomas wrote as Peter Saxon for the Guardians adventure The Curse of Rathlaw (1968).
Other Saxon novels that have not been authenticated to individual authors are The Slave Brain (1967), The Unfeeling Sky and The Warring Sky both 1970), The Enemy Sky and Panky in Love. The latter four are not genre works.
As you might expect, the quality of ‘Saxon’ novels varies wildly!
David Flint, moviesandmania
