author
Roman Frederick Starzl
1899–1976
A pulp-era science fiction writer from Iowa, he helped shape the feel of early space adventure with fast-moving stories for magazine readers. Though less famous today, his work was admired by fellow genre pioneers and still interests readers who enjoy the roots of classic SF.
3 Audiobooks
In the Orbit of Saturn
by Roman Frederick Starzl
The Metal Moon
by Roman Frederick Starzl, Everett C. Smith
The Martian Cabal
by Roman Frederick Starzl
About the author
Born in Le Mars, Iowa, in 1899, Roman Frederick Starzl was an American writer, journalist, and newspaper publisher. He was part of a family connected with the Le Mars Globe-Post, which he and, before him, his father owned.
Writing as R. F. Starzl, he became known for early science fiction published in pulp magazines. His stories included energetic space-operatic adventures such as the Interplanetary Flying Patrol tales, and later critics noted that his fiction was admired by E. E. Smith, one of the big names of early space opera.
Starzl eventually stepped away from fiction after becoming able to join the family newspaper business, and his writing is less widely remembered now than that of some of his contemporaries. Even so, he remains an interesting figure in early American science fiction, especially for readers curious about the magazine era that helped define the genre.