author
Alexander Forbes
1882–1965
Best known in fiction for a single, unusual novel, this Harvard scientist imagined a future war shaped by radio technology long before such ideas felt familiar. His work blends technical curiosity, naval adventure, and an early science-fiction sense of what modern communication could become.
1 Audiobook
The Radio Gunner
by Alexander Forbes
About the author
Alexander Forbes was an American scientist and author born in 1882. Reliable sources identify him as a pioneer in neurophysiology and a longtime member of the Harvard Medical School physiology department, while reference works on speculative fiction also credit him with writing the novel The Radio Gunner.
Published in 1924, The Radio Gunner first appeared anonymously and was later attributed to Forbes. Science-fiction reference sources describe it as a future-war novel set in 1937, centered on radio detection and military communications, which gives it a distinctive place among early technological thrillers.
That mix of laboratory knowledge and storytelling helps explain the book’s appeal today. Forbes seems to have brought a working scientist’s interest in signals, instruments, and emerging technology into his fiction, creating a novel that feels both historical and forward-looking.