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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A Checklist of the Works of Peter Berresford Ellis

PETER TREMAYNE is the fiction writing pseudonym of the Celtic scholar and author Peter Berresford Ellis.

 

Click here to read an interview with

Peter Berresford Ellis about Sister Fidelma

Peter Berresford Ellis (born 10 March 1943) is a historian, literary biographer and novelist who has published over 100 books to date under his own name and that of his pseudonyms Peter Tremayne and Peter MacAlan. He has also published over 100 short stories. His non-fiction books, articles and academic papers have made him acknowledged as one of the foremost authorities on Celtic history and culture. Under his Tremayne pseudonym he is the author of the international bestselling Sister Fidelma Mystery series. His work has appeared in 25 languages.

 

Life

Peter Berresford Ellis was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England. His father was a Cork-born journalist who started his career on the Cork Examiner. The Ellis family can be traced in the area from 1288. His mother was from an old Sussex family of Saxon origin able to trace their lineage back through fourteen generations in the same area. Her mother was of a Breton family. Educated at Brighton College of Art and London University. He took a first class honours degree and his MA in Celtic Studies. He was given a D. Litt (honoris causa) by East London University in 2006 in recognition of his work. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (1996) and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (1998). He has received numerous awards and honours for his work such as a Bard of the Cornish Gorsedd (1987) for his work on the history of the Cornish language - The Cornish Language and its Literature (published in 1974); an Irish Post Award (1989); Hon. Life President of the Scottish 1820 Society (1989); Hon. Life Member of the Irish Literary Society (2002); he was given a civic reception by the Mayor and Council of Cashel, Co. Tipperary (2004) - the highest civic award Cashel can bestow. He was awarded the French Prix Historia for the best historical mystery novel of 2010 for Le concile des maudits (The Council of the Cursed).

 

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Peter Tremayne (aka Peter Berresford Ellis)He began his career as a junior reporter on an English south coast weekly, becoming deputy editor of an Irish weekly newspaper and was then editor of a weekly publishing trade journal in London. He first went as a feature writer to Northern Ireland in 1964 for a London daily newspaper which had a profound effect on him. His first book was published in 1968 - Wales - A Nation Again, on the Welsh struggle for political independence, with a foreword by Gwynfor Evans, Plaid Cymru's first Member of Parliament. In 1975 he became a full-time writer.

 

He used his academic background to produce many popular titles in the field of Celtic Studies and he has written numerous academic articles and papers in the field for journals ranging from The Linguist (London) to The Irish Sword: Journal of the Irish Military History Society (UCD). He is highly regarded by academics in his own field and was described in by The Times Higher Education Supplement, London, (June, 1999) as one of the leading authorities on the Celts then writing.

 

He has been International Chairman of the Celtic League 1988-1990; chairman of Scrif-Celt (The Celtic Languages Book Fair in 1985 and in 1986); chairman and vice-president of the London Association for Celtic Education 1989-1995, and now is an Hon. Life Member); He was also chairman of his local ward Labour Party in London, England, and was editorial advisor on Labour and Ireland magazine in the early 1990s. He is a member of the Society of Authors.

 

Apart from his Celtic Studies interests, Ellis has always been fascinated by aspects of popular literature and has written full-length biographies on H. Rider Haggard, W.E. Johns, Talbot Mundy as well as critical essays on many more popular fiction authors. His own output in the fictional field, writing in the genre of horror fantasy and heroic fantasy, began in 1977 when the first "Peter Tremayne" book appeared. Between 1983 and 1993 he also wrote eight adventure thrillers under the name "Peter MacAlan".

 

A prolific writer, Ellis has published (as of July 2018) a total of 101 books, 101 short stories, 8 pamphlets and numerous academic papers and an uncountable number of signed journalistic articles. Under his own name he wrote two long running columns 'Anonn Is Anall' (Here and There) from 1987-2007 for The Irish Democrat and 'Anois agus Arás' (Now and again) from 2000-2008 for The Irish Post. This breaks down into 35 titles under his own name and 8 under the pseudonym of Peter MacAlan and 59 under the pseudonym of Peter Tremayne.

 

He has lectured widely at universities in several countries, including the UK, Ireland, American, Canada, France and Italy. He has also broadcast on television and radio since 1968.

 

With the unparalleled popularity of his 7th century set Sister Fidelma Mysteries, in January, 2001, an International Sister Fidelma Society was formed in Charleston, South Carolina, with a website and producing a print magazine three times a year called The Brehon. In 2006 the Cashel Arts Fest established the first three-day international gathering of fans of the series which is now held bi-annually and receives the full support of the Society. In Fall, 2012, the US publishers McFarland published The Sister Fidelma Mysteries: Essays on the Historical Novels of Peter Tremayne. The volume was edited by Professor Edward J. Rielly and David Robert Wooten. ISBN 978-0-7864-6667-2 and eBook ISBN 978-1-4766-0034-5. Print book price was $40. As well as analytical essays, there is a biographical essay which has the full approval of the author.

 

Peter's wife, Dorothea Cheesmur Ellis, died on March 30, 2016. They had been together since the autumn of 1966. He has publicly acknowledged that she was the inspiration behind the creation of Fidelma. The May, 2016, issue of The Brehon (Vol XV, No 2) was devoted as a tribute issue to her life and influence.


A CHECKLIST OF THE WORKS OF PETER BERRESFORD ELLIS

 

Sister Fidelma novels series

Listed in chronological order of UK publication - novels and collections of short stories, as Peter Tremayne:

  1. Absolution By Murder (1994)
  2. Shroud for the Archbishop (1995)
  3. Suffer Little Children (1995)
  4. The Subtle Serpent (1996)
  5. The Spider's Web (1997)
  6. Valley of the Shadow (1998)
  7. The Monk Who Vanished (1999)
  8. Act of Mercy (1999)
  9. Our Lady of Darkness (2000)
  10. Hemlock At Vespers (2000)
  11. Smoke in the Wind (2001)
  12. The Haunted Abbot (2002)
  13. Badger's Moon (2003)
  14. Whispers of the Dead (2004)
  15. The Leper's Bell (2004)
  16. Master of Souls (2005)
  17. A Prayer for the Damned (2006)
  18. Dancing With Demons (2007)
  19. The Council of the Cursed (2008)
  20. The Dove of Death (2009)
  21. The Chalice of Blood (2010)
  22. Behold a Pale Horse (2011)
  23. The Seventh Trumpet (2012)
  24. Atonement of Blood (2013)
  25. The Devil's Seal (2014)
  26. The Second Death (2015)
  27. Penance of the Damned (2016)
  28. Night of the Lightbringer (2017)
  29. Die Wahrheit ist der Lüge Tod (world first of uncollected novellas and short stories) (2018)
  30. Bloodmoon (2018)
  31. Blood in Eden (2019)
  32. The Shapeshifter's Lair (2020)
  33. The House of Death (2021)
  34. Death of a Heretic (2022)
  35. Revenge of the Stormbringer (2023)

Covers for all of the Sister Fidelma series may be seen on THE BOOKS link.

Sister Fidelma short stories

  1. "Hemlock At Vespers," Midwinter Mysteries 3, ed. Hilary Hale, Little Brown, London, October 1993; US appearance: Murder Most Irish, ed. Ed Gorman, Larry Segriff & Martin H. Greenberg, Barnes Noble 1996

  2. "The High King's Sword," Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits, ed. Mike Ashley, Foreword by Ellis Peters, Robinson Books, London 1993; US: Carroll & Graf edition, New York

  3. "Murder in Repose," Great Irish Detective Stories, ed. Peter Haining, Souvenir Press, London 1993

  4. "Murder By Miracle," Constable New Crime No 2, ed. Maxim Jakubowski, Constable, London 1993; US appearance: The Year's Best Mystery & Suspense Stories 1994, ed. Edward D. Hoch, Walker & Co Ltd, New York

  5. "A Canticle for Wulfstan," Midwinter Mysteries 4, ed. Hilary Hale, Little Brown, London 1994; US appearance: Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May 1995

  6. "Abbey Sinister," Mammoth Book of Historical Detectives, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson Publishing, London 1995; US edition by Carroll & Graf New York

  7. "Tarnished Halo," Minister Mysteries 5, ed. Hilary Hale, Little Brown, London 1995

  8. "The Horse That Died for Shame," Murder at the Races, ed, Peter Haining, Orion Books, London 1995

  9. "The Poison Chalice," Classical Whodunnits, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson Books, London 1996; US edition by Carroll & Graf, New York

  10. "At the Tent of Holofernes," Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, December 1997

  11. "A Scream from the Sepulchre," Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May 1998

  12. "Invitation to a Poisoning," Past Poisons: An Ellis Peters Memorial of Historical Crime, ed. Maxim Jakubowski 1998

  13. "Holy Blood," Great Irish Stories of Murder and Mystery, ed. Peter Haining, Souvenir Press 1999

  14. "Those Who Trespass," Chronicles of Crime - The Second Ellis Peters Memorial Anthology of Historical Crime, ed. Maxim Jakubowski, Headline, October 1999

  15. "Our Lady of Death," Dark Detectives: Adventures of the Supernatural Sleuths, ed. Steve Jones, Fedogan & Bremer 2000

  16. "Like A Dog Returning," Murder Most Medieval, ed. Martin H. Greenberg and John Heifers, Cumberland House, Nashville, Tennessee, USA 2000

  17. "Who Stole The Fish?," Murder Through The Ages, ed. Maxim Jakubowski, Headline Books, London 2000

  18. "Scattered Thorns," Murder Most Celtic, Martin H. Greenburg, Cumberland House, Nashville, Tennessee, USA 2001

  19. "Corpse on a Holy Day," And The Dying Is Easy, ed. Joseph Pittman and Annette Riffle, Signet, New York, April 2001

  20. "Death of an Icon", in a Mike Ashley collection from Robinson, Fall 2001

  21. "The Astrologer Who Predicted His Own Murder," in Death By Horoscope, ed. Anne Perry, Carroll & Graf, New York, Fall 2001.

  22. "Death of an Icon," The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits (Brand New Collection) ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, London, August 2001 (this is not to be confused with the collection under the same title published in 1993)

  23. "Whispers of the Dead" has been published in Murder Most Catholic, edited by Ralph McInerny, Cumberland House, Nashville, Tennessee, ISBN 1-58182-260-X, $14.95

  24. "Gold At Night," Great Irish Drinking Stories, ed. Peter Haining, Souvenir Press, London, Fall 2002

  25. "The Blemish," The Brehon (Journal of the International Sister Fidelma Society), Little Rock, Arkansas, September issue (No.3) 2002

  26. "The Lost Eagle," in The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, London, August 2003. ISBN 1-84119-685-1. Also Carroll & Graf, New York, simultaneous publication, ISBN 0-7867-1241-4

  27. "Dark Moon Rising," The Brehon (Journal of the International Sister Fidelma Society), Vol.II, No 3.  September 2003

  28. "The Banshee," in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, New York, February 2004

  29. "Cry Wolf!" original story for Whispers of the Dead, St Martins Press (New York) and Headline (London) March 2004

  30. "The Fosterer," original story for Whispers of the Dead, St Martins Press (New York) and Headline (London) March 2004

  31. "The Heir Apparent," original story for Whispers of the Dead, St Martins Press (New York) and Headline (London) March 2004

  32. "The Spiteful Shadow" in The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits - Third Collection, edited by Mike Ashley, Robinson, London, June 2005 - as New Historical Whodunnits, Carroll & Graf, New York, June 2005; reprinted in An Ensuing Evil and Others: Fourteen Historical Mystery Stories by Peter Tremayne, St Martin's Minotaur, New York, January 2006. ISBN 0-312-34228-4

  33. "Does God Obey his Own Laws?: A Sister Fidelma Mystery," in Thou Shalt Not Kill: Biblical Mystery Stories, edited by Anne Perry, Carroll & Graf, New York, December 2005

  34. "Sanctuary!," Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, New York, May 2006

  35. "Finnbarr's Bell," The Holly Bough (Cork), Christmas 2008

  36. "The Night of the Snow Wolf," (a novelette) in The Mammoth Book of Historical Mysteries, ed. Mike Ashley, Constable Robinson, London, July 2011

  37. "The Comb Bag," Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July 2013

  38. "The Lair of the White Fox" (e-novella) May 5 2016 Headline Publishing

  39. "Catspaw," Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, December 2016

  40. "The Copyist," Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, April 2017

Non-fiction

Listed in chronological order under first world publication (mainly UK but with first US publication where applicable).

  1. Wales - A National Again: The Nationalist Struggle for Freedom, Foreword by Gwynfor Evans MP. Library 33 Ltd., London, 1968.
  2. The Scottish Insurrection of 1820, Co-authored with Seumas Mac a' Ghobhainn. Foreword by Hugh MacDiarmid. Victor Gollancz Ltd, London, 1970.
  3. The Problem of Language Revival: Examples of Language Survivals, Co-authored with Seumas Mac a' Ghobhainn, Club Leabhar Ltd., Inverness, Scotland, 1971.
  4. A History of the Irish Working Class, Victor Gollancz Ltd, London, 1972.
  5. James Connolly: Selected Writings, Edited with an introduction. Pelican Books, Penguin Ltd., London, 1973. (1st US edition, Monthly Review Press, hardcover, New York, 1973).
  6. The Cornish Language and its Literature, Routledge & Kegan Paul ltd, 1974.
  7. Hell or Connaught: The Cromwellian Colonisation of Ireland 1652-1660, Hamish Hamilton, London, 1975. (1st US edition, St Martin's Press, hardcover, New York, 1975).
  8. The Boyne Water: The Battle of the Boyne, 1690, Hamish Hamilton, London, 1976 (1st US edition, St Martin's Press, hardcover, New York, 1976).
  9. The Great Fire of London: An Illustrated Account, New English Library, London, 1977.
  10. Caesar's Invasion of Britain, Orbis Publishing, London, 1978. (1st US edition, New York University Press, hardcover, 1980).
  11. H. Rider Haggard: A Voice from the Infinite, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1978.
  12. Macbeth: High King of Scotland 1040-57, Frederick Muller Ltd, London, 1980. (1st US edition, Barnes & Noble, New York, 1993).
  13. By Jove, Biggles! The Life of Captain W.E. Johns, Co-author Piers Williams, W.H. Allen, London 1981.
  14. The Liberty Tree - A Novel, Michael Joseph, London, 1982.
  15. The Last Adventurer: The Life of Talbot Mundy 1879-1940, Donald M. Grant Publishers Inc, Rhode Island, USA. 1984.
  16. Celtic Inheritance, Frederick Muller Ltd, London, 1985. (1st US edition, Dorset Press, hardcover, New York, 1992).
  17. The Celtic Revolution: A Study in Anti-Imperialism, Y Lolfa Cyf, Ceredigion, Wales, 1985.
  18. The Rising of the Moon: A Novel of the Fenian Invasion of Canada, Methuen, London, 1987. (1st US edition, St Martin's Press, hardcover, New York, 1987).
  19. A Dictionary of Irish Mythology, Constable, London, 1987. (1st US edition, ABC Clio, hardcover, Santa Barbara, California, 1989).
  20. The Celtic Empire: The First Millennium of Celtic History 1000 BC-AD 51, Constable, London, 1990. (1st US edition, Carolina Academic Press, hardcover, North Carolina, 1991).
  21. A Guide to Early Celtic Remains in Britain, Constable Guides, London, 1991.
  22. Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, Constable, London, 1992. (1st US edition from ABC Clio, Santa Barbara, California, 1992).
  23. Celt and Saxon: The Struggle for Britain AD 410-937, Constable, London, 1993.
  24. The Celtic Dawn: A History of Pan Celticism, Constable, London, 1993.
  25. The Book of Deer (Constable Library of Celtic Illuminated Manuscripts), art by Roy Ellsworth and text by Peter Berresford Ellis. Constable, 1994.
  26. The Druids, Constable, London, 1994. (1st US edition, Wm. Eerdmans, hardcover, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1995).
  27. Celtic Women: Women in Celtic Society and Literature, Constable, London, 1995. (1st US edition, Wm. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996).
  28. Celt and Greek: Celts in the Hellenic World, Constable, London, 1997.
  29. Celt and Roman: The Celts in Italy, Constable, London, 1998. (1st US edition, St Martin's Press, hardcover, New York, 1998).
  30. The Ancient World of the Celts, Constable, London, 1999. (1st US edition, Barnes & Noble, New York, 1999).
  31. The Chronicles of the Celts: New tellings of their myths and legends, Robinson, London, 1999. (1st US edition, Carroll & Graf, hardcover, New York, 1999).
  32. Erin's Blood Royal: The Gaelic Noble Dynasties of Ireland, Constable, London, 1999. (1st US edition, extensively revised and expanded, Palgrave/St Martin's, hardcover, New York, 2002).
  33. Over the Hills and Far Away: A Hurstpierpoint Soldier in Wellington's Army, Hurst History Study Group, Hurstpierpoint, Sussex. 2002.
  34. Eyewitness to Irish History, John Wiley & Sons Inc, New York, 2004.
  35. The Shadow of Mr Vivian: The Life of E. Charles Vivian 1882-1947  PS Publishing,  UK. September, 2014, ISBN 978-1-848637-83-2.

Below are only a few covers of Peter Berresford Ellis non-fiction titles

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PBE31.jpg PBE41.jpg PBE51.jpg pbe61.jpg PBE71.jpg PBE91.jpg

 

Pamphlets

Some of Ellis' pamphlets have been previous listed on sites as books. But these pamphlets are:

 

As Peter Berresford Ellis

  1. The Creed of the Celtic Revolution, Introduction By F.A. Ridley, Medusa Press, London, 1969.
  2. The Story of the Cornish Language, Tor Mark Press, Cornwall, 1971.
  3. Revisionism in Irish Historical Writing: The New Anti-Nationalist School of Historians, A Connolly Association Broadhseet, London, 1989. (Text of Peter's 1989 C. Desmond Greaves Memorial Lecture at Conway Hall, London).
  4. The Cornish Saints, Tor Mark Press, Cornwall, 1992.
  5. Orangeism: Myth and Reality, Connolly Association Broadsheet, London, 1997. (Text of Peter's lecture at the Irish Labour History Museum, Dublin, 1995)
  6. The Empty Glens and Other Poems, Phoenix Press, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, 2022 [privately distributed].
  7. Asteroid, Phoenix Press, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, 2023 [privately distributed].

As Peter Tremayne

  1. William Hope Hodgson: A Centenary Tribute 1877-1977, British Fantasy Society Booklet No 2, London, November, 1977.

  2. Sister Fidelma's Cashel: The Early Kings of Munster and Their Capital, The International Sister Fidelma Society, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, 2008.

 

Below are covers of some of Peter Berresford Ellis's pamphlets

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Novels as Peter Tremayne

As well as the Sister Fidelma series, under the pseudonym "Peter Tremayne," Ellis has written many novels and short stories, the majority inspired by Celtic myth and legend.

  1. The Hound of Frankenstein, Ventura Books, London, 1977. (1st US edition included in The Mammoth Book of Frankenstein, Carroll & Graf, New York, 1994).
  2. Dracula Unborn, Corgi/Bailey Bros, London, 1977. (1st US edition, Walker & Co, hardcover, New York, 1979).
  3. Masters of Terror 1: William Hope Hodgson, Edited and introduced. Corgi Books, London, 1977.
  4. The Vengeance of She, Sphere Books, London, 1978.
  5. The Revenge of Dracula, Bailey Bros, Folkestone, 1978. (1st US edition, Donald M. Grant Inc, Rhode Island (illustrated collectors' edition) 1978; 1st popular edition from Walker & Co (hardcover) New York, 1979.
  6. The Ants, Sphere Books, London, 1979. (1st US edition, Signet Books, paperback, New York, 1980).
  7. Irish Masters of Fantasy, Introduced and edited. Wolfhound Press, Dublin, 1979.
  8. The Curse of Loch Ness, Sphere Books, London, 1979.
  9. The Fires of Lan-Kern, Bailey bros, Folkestone. 1980. (1st US edition, St Martin's, hardcover, New York, 1980).
  10. Dracula, My Love, Bailey Bros, Folkestone, 1980. (1st US edition, Dell/Emerald, paperback, New York, 1983).
  11. Zombie, Sphere Books, London, 1981. (1st US edition, St Martin's Press, paperback, New York, 1987).
  12. The Return of Raffles. Magnum/Methuen Books, London 1981.
  13. The Morgow Rises! Sphere Books, London, 1982.
  14. The Destroyers of Lan-Kern, Methuen, London, 1982.
  15. The Buccaneers of Lan-Kern, Methuen, London, 1983.
  16. Snowbeast! Sphere Books, London, 1983.
  17. Raven of Destiny, Methuen, London, 1984 (1st US edition, Signet Books, paperback, New York, 1986.
  18. Kiss of the Cobra, Sphere Books, London, 1984.
  19. Swamp! Sphere Books, London, 1984 (1st US edition, St Martin's Press, paperback, New York, 1989).
  20. Angelus! Panther Books, London, 1985.
  21. Nicor! Sphere Books, London, 1987.
  22. Trollnight, Sphere Books, London, 1987.
  23. My Lady of Hy Brasil and other Stories, Donald M. Grant Inc, Rhode Island, USA, 1987.
  24. Ravenmoon, Methuen, London, 1988 (1st US edition, Baen Books, paperback, New York, 1988).
  25. Island of Shadows, Methuen/Mandarin, London, 1991.
  26. Aisling and other Irish Tales of Terror, Brandon Books, Ireland, 1992.
  27. An Ensuing Evil: Fourteen Historical Mystery Stories, New York, 2006.
  28. Made for Murders: a collection of twelve Elizabethan mysteries: Master Hardy Drew Short Story Collection, Headline, London, 2024.

Pamphlets as Peter Tremayne

  1. An Gwels Nownek ha hwedhlow erell (The Hungry Grass and other tales) gans Peter Tremayne, Kesva an tavas kernewek, 1996. This is a collection of three short stories in the Cornish language.
  2. Li an Sows gans Peter Tremayne, Kesva an Tavas Kernewek, 1997, is a Cornish version of a story "The Oath of the Saxon" which Peter published in English in 1992.

Below are the 2017 eBook edition covers of Tremayne non-Fidelma titles

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Snowbeast1.jpg

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Nicor1.jpg

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Swamp1.jpg

Trollnight1.jpg

 

Kindle Editions - eBooks

 

Endeavour Press Ltd

 

Peter Tremayne

  1. The Return of Raffles 1981 pub date  - May 1, 2017

 

Peter MacAan

  1. The Judas Battalion 1983 - January 2, 2017
  2. Airship, 1984 - February 12, 2017
  3. The Confession, 1985 - ????
  4. Kitchener's Gold, 1986 - April 9, 2017
  5. The Valkyrie Directive, 1987 - April 3, 2017
  6. The Doomsday Decree, 1988 - June 26, 2017
  7. Fireball, 1991 - May 1, 2017
  8. The Windsor Protocol, 1993 - June 26, 2017

 

Venture Press  (Imprint of Endeavour Press Ltd)

 

Zombie!1.jpgAll Peter Tremayne titles
  1. Raven of Destiny, 1984 (Irish mythos/fantasy trilogy) - September 26. 2018
  2. Ravenmoon, 1988 - June 13, 2017
  3. Island of Shadows, 1991 - May 11, 2017
  4. The Vengeance of She, 1978 - October 4, 2018
  5. The Ants, 1979 - May 2, 2017
  6. The Curse of Lock Ness, 1979 - August 7, 2017
  7. Zombie, 1981
  8. The Morgow Rises 1982 - April 28, 2017
  9. Kiss of the Cobra, 1984 - Juune 29, 2017
  10. Swamp, 1985 - July 5, 2017
  11. Nicor!, 1987 - March15, 2017
  12. Trollnight, 1987 - November 22, 2017
  13. Snowbeast - October 25, 2017

 

Short stories

For avid collectors of Ellis's work it should be noted that as of 2024 he has produced over 100 short stories, including 1 short story as Peter MacAlan and 1 story as Peter Berresford Ellis.

  1. 'What's In A Name?' (as Peter Berresford Ellis) Stornoway Gazette, Scotland, April 24, 1971.
  2. 'The Eye of Shiva' (as Peter MacAlan) The Mammoth Book of Historical Detectives, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, London, 1995. Subsequently reprinted as by Peter Tremayne in the collection An Ensuing Evil.

 

Non-Fidelma Short Stories as Peter Tremayne

  1. 'Plant Change!', Camden Journal, London, December 21 1979.
  2. 'The Ploughing of Pra-a-Ufereth', Cornish Banner, August 1 and November 1, 1980.
  3. 'Dracula's Chair', The Count Dracula Fan Club Book of Vampires, ed. Jeanne Youngson, Adams Press, Chicago, USA, 1980
  4. 'Reflections on a Dark Eye', Fantasy Tales, London, Spring, 1981
  5. 'The Lane', Fantasycon VII Programme Booklet, Birmingham, July, 1981
  6. 'The Hungry Grass', Freak Show Vampire, ed. Jeanne Youngson, Adams Press, Chicago, 1981
  7. 'The Storm Devil of Lan-Kern', Fantasy Tales, Winter, 1982
  8. 'Snakefright', Eldritch Tales, Kansas, USA, February, 1983
  9. 'The Imshee', Weirdbook, USA, July, 1982
  10. 'The Kelpie's Mark', Fantasy Macabre, London, July, 1983
  11. 'The Last Gift', Masters of Terror 1: Peter Tremayne, British Fantasy Society, London, March, 1984.
  12. 'The Hudolion', Eldritch Tales, Kansas, USA, May, 1984
  13. 'My Lady of Hy-Brasil', Kadath, Genoa, Italy, Fall, 1984
  14. 'Feis na Samhna', Feasta, (Irish language first publication) November, 1984 (English version first in Halloween Horrors ed. Alan Ryan, Doubleday, USA, 1986.
  15. 'Aisling', Weirdbook, USA, Spring, 1985
  16. 'The Pooka', Shadows 8, ed. Charles L. Grant, Doubleday, USA, 1985
  17. 'The Singing Stone', Fantasy Tales, London, Winter, 1986
  18. 'Deathstone', Winter Chills, London, January, 1987
  19. 'Tavesher', Shadows 9, ed. Charles L. Grant, Doubleday, USA, 1986
  20. 'Buggane', Chillers for Christmas, ed. Richard Dalby, O'Mara Books, London, October, 1989.
  21. 'The Mongfind', Weirdbook, USA, Autumn, 1990
  22. 'Fear a' Gorta', Final Shadows, ed. Charles L. Grant, Doubleday, USA, 1991
  23. 'The Oath of the Saxon', The Camelot Chronicles, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, London, 1992
  24. 'Daoine Domhain', Weirdbook, USA, Autumn, 1993
  25. 'The Dreeador', first published in Aisling and other Irish Tales of Terror, 1992
  26. 'Amhrana', first published in Aisling and other Irish tales of Terror, 1992
  27. 'Marbh Beo', The Mammoth Book of Zombies, ed. Stephen Jones, Robinson, London, October, 1993
  28. 'The Foxes of Fascoumb', The Mammoth Book of Werewolves, ed. Stephen Jones, Robinson, London, 1994
  29. 'The Last Warrior Quest', Great Irish Tales of the Unimaginable, ed. Peter Haining, Souvenir Press, London, 1994
  30. 'Son of Dracula', The Vampire Omnibus, ed. Peter Haining, Orion Books, London, 1995
  31. 'The Temptations of Merlin', The Merlin Chronicles, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson Publishing, London, 1995
  32. 'The Banquet of Death', Classical Stories, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, 1996  
  33. 'My Name Upon the Wind', The Vampire Hunter's Casebook, ed. Peter Haining Warner Books, London, 1996
  34. 'The Magic Bowl' , The Chronicles of the Holy Grail, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, 1996
  35. 'The Way of the White Cow', Great Irish Stories of Childhood, ed. Peter Haining, Souvenir Press, London, 1997
  36. 'The Family Curse', Dancing With the Dark, ed. Stephen Jones, Cassell, London, 1997
  37. 'Knight of the Golden Collar', The Chronicles f the Round Table, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, 1997
  38. 'An Ensuing Evil', Shakespearean Whodunnits, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, 1997
  39. 'The Affray at the Kildare Street Club', New Sherlock Holmes Adventures, ed. Mike Ashley Robinson, 1997
  40. 'Methought You Saw a Serpent', Shakespearean Detectives, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, London, 1998
  41. 'Nights Black Angels', Royal Whodunnits: Tales of Eight Royal Murder and Mystery, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, London, 1999
  42. 'Murder in the Air', The Mammoth Book of Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, London, 2000
  43. 'The Spectre of Tullyfane Abbey, Villains Victorious, ed. Martin H. Greenberg & John Helfers, DAW Books, USA, 2001
  44. 'The Revenge of the Gunner's Daughter', The Mammoth Book of Hearts of Oak, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, London, 2000
  45. 'The Siren of Sennen Cover', Murder in Baker Street: New Tales of Sherlock Holmes, ed. Martin H. Greenberg, Carroll & Graf, New York, 2001
  46. 'The Bridge of Sighs', Phantoms of Venice, ed. David Sutton, Shadow Publishing, UK, 2001
  47. 'Let the Game Begin', Much Ado About Murder, ed. Anne Perry, Berkley, New York, 2002
  48. 'A Study in Orange', My Sherlock Holmes, Untold Stories of the Great Detective, ed. Michael Kurland, St Martins New York, 2003
  49. 'The Kidnapping of Mycroft Holmes' ' The Strand Magazine, No 10, USA, 2003
  50. 'The Passing Shadow', Death by Dickens, ed. Anne Perry, Berkley, New York, 2004
  51. 'For the Blood is the Life', Emerald Magic, Andrew M. Greeley, Tor Books, New York, 2004
  52. 'A Walking Shadow', The Strand Magazine, No 15, USA, 2005
  53. 'Satan in the Star Chamber', The Mammoth Book of Jacobean Whodunnnits, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, London, 2006
  54. 'The Stuart Sapphire', The Mammoth Book of Perfect Crimes and Impossible Mysteries, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, London, 2006
  55. 'The Case of the Panicking Policeman', The Strand Magazine, No 20, 2006
  56. 'The Fiery Devil', The Mammoth Book of Dickensian Whodunnits, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, London, 2007
  57. 'Fear No More the Heat O' Sun', Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, NYC, February, 2010
  58. 'The Case of the Reluctant Assassin', Sherlock Holmes: The American Years, ed. Michael Kurland, St Martins, NY, 2010
  59. 'This Thing of Darkness', Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, NYC, May, 2011
  60. 'Now Go We In Content', Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, NYC, March/April, 2022

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine became one of Peter's regular outlets for his mystery tales. Below is a selection of covers of issues containing some of his his stories from 1995. [Note, with later issues, editors realised Peter's name on the cover was a way to attract readers]

Ellery51.jpg

Ellery61.jpg

Ellery71.jpg

Ellery81.jpg

Ellery91.jpg

As Peter MacAlan

He has also published eight thriller novels as Peter MacAlan. These are:

  1. The Judas Battalion, W.H. Allen, London, 1983.
  2. Airship, W.H. Allen, London, 1984.
  3. The Confession, W.H. Allen, London, 1985.
  4. Kitchener's Gold, W.H. Allen, London, 1986.
  5. The Valkyrie Directive, W.H. Allen, London, 1987.
  6. The Doomsday Decree, W.H. Allen, London, 1988.
  7. Fireball, Severn House, London, 1991.
  8. The Windsor Protocol, Severn House, London, 1993.

Below are the 2017 eBook edition covers of the MacAlan titles

The-Judas-Battalion1.jpg

Airship1.jpg

Confession1.jpg

Kitchener's Gold1.jpg

Valkyrie1.jpg

Doomsday1.jpg

Fireball-MacAlan1.jpg

Windsor1.jpg

 

Overall, Ellis's works have appeared in 25 languages. His signed articles are almost too numerous to count and include several academic papers in the field of Celtic culture and history.

 

Citations (references)

[1] The Burning of Cork, Gerry White and Brendan O'Shea, Mercier Press, Cork, 2006.

[2] The Ellis Family of Millstreet, Millstreet: 'A Considerable Town,' Aubane Historical Society, Cork, 2003.

[3] Daisy: Growing Up in a Sussex Village, Eva Daisy (Randell) Ellis, Hurstpierpoint Historical Society, Sussex, 2003.

[4] Entries on Ellis's career at various times can be taken from his entries in the following reference works: International Authors' and Writers' Who's Who (Cambridge, UK) from 8th ed 1977 onwards; Contemporary Authors (Detroit, USA) from Vols 81, 1979, onwards; Who's Who in the World (Chicago, USA), 5th ed. 1980 onwards; European Biographical Directory (Belgium) 1990); Who's Who in International Affairs (London), 1990; Who's Who of Authors and Writers (Europa Publications), 2004; The Cambridge Blue Book, (Cambridge, UK), 2005; The Writers' Directory (Detroit, USA), 2005.

[5] Book and Magazine Collector, London, March, 1993 (contains an overview of life and work and bibliography to that date).

[6] Other details of his fiction work and career are contained in the Tremayne entries in The Encyclopaedia of Fantasy ed. John Clute and John Grant, St Martins Press, USA, and Little Brown, UK, 1997; The Mammoth Encyclopaedia of Modern Crime Fiction, ed. Mike Ashley, Robinson, UK, and Carroll & Graf, USA, 2002; and Supernatural Literature of the World, An Encyclopaedia, edit. S.T. Joshi and Stefan Dziemianowicz, Greenwood Press, USA, 3 vols, 2005.

[7] Book and Magazine Collector, London, October, 2004 (contains a detailed looked at The Sister Fidelma Mysteries).

[8] Details of the biannual three day international gatherings at Cashel on the Cashel Arts Fest website at www.cashelartsfest.com.

[9] A profile of, and tribute to, Ellis and his work as an historian appeared in History Ireland, Vol 17, No 5 September/October, 2009.


Peter started to write the Sister Fidelma mysteries as short stories in 1993 merely to illustrate how the Brehon laws worked and how a woman could be an advocate of the law system in 7th century Ireland. The stories were so well received that Headline offered him an initial three-book contract to write novels featuring Sister Fidelma. These have proved extraordinarily popular and several critics have hailed Sister Fidelma as the natural successor to Brother Cadfael.

This is a compliment that Peter disarmingly rejects, pointing out that Fidelma and Cadfael are poles apart. Fidelma lives in a period 800 years before Cadfael and operates in a cultural and law system that is totally alien to the Cadfael settings. However, he does point out that he owes a surprising debt to Cadfael - the origin of the Peter Tremayne pseudonym.

Writing in Past Poisons: An Ellis Peters Memorial Anthology of Historical Crime (ed. by Maxim Jakubowski, Headline, 1998) Peter informs us that Ellis Peters, the creator of Brother Cadfael in 1977, was the pseudonym of Edith Pargetter, famous for her Welsh historical novels. Asked to review the first Cadfael novel A Morbid Taste for Bones in the "Catholic Herald" (London), in August, 1977, he thought that he could not write the review under his own name in case readers might think Ellis Peters was merely a reversal of Peter Berresford Ellis. He then created Peter Tremayne, using the name of a favourite spot in Cornwall, and a name which he developed into his fiction writing pseudonym.

 

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