Issue 3 of Roadworks (1999). His work has appeared
in publications such as Interzone, Nemonymous, BBR, Dark Horizons,
Chills, The Dream Zone, Space & Time, Peeping Tom, Front
and Centre, Dementia 13, Mystique, Prism. But it is with
the TTA Press publications
- The Third Alternative, Zene and The Fix - that
Allen's name is most closely associated. Allen's wittily provocative
article "The Thin Man's Guide To Slipstream" (TTA 4,
1994) caused a storm of controversy and eventually spawned Allen's
regular tongue in cheek column "The Dodo Has Landed".
Generally acknowledged to be the first thing readers look for
in TTA, the polemical "Dodo" has become required reading
from Issue 18 right up to date. Allen has had several stories
published in The Third Alternative including the two which
will bookend his Elastic Press collection - "Somme-Nambula" (TTA
24, 2000) and "State of the Ark" (TTA 11, 1996). His
first TTA story came way back in Issue 3 (1994) with the hypnotic "Seven
Rides To Venus". This ultimately formed the opening chapter
of his ground-breaking debut novel "The Planet Suite" (TTA
Press, 1997). Nominated for a British
Fantasy Society award, the book is a series of intricately
linked stories about the planets of the Solar System and has
been described by Brian Aldiss as "The course for the future" and
by Rhys Hughes as "One of the best novels of the decade". Visit TTA
Press for ordering details and for Allen's message
board.
At various stages of his fascinating
career, Allen has been a performance poet, a singer/songwriter,
a music critic and a football journalist. He writes under a
different name for the London listings magazine Time Out.
|