Interview With Author Chuck Davis

Interview with Chuck Davis on
A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural (Volume 1)

Derrick: First off, give us a little bit of background. What was your interest in Doyle, Horror of the Heights, and this anthology?

Chuck: Actually, I hadn’t been a Sherlock Holmes or Doyle fan until about twenty years ago when I first came across “The Horror of the Heights”. Anything with airplanes, or some aeronautical aspect, always grabs my attention. Doyle’s story was very different, though, because of its science fiction flavor. The concept of huge aerial beasts above our heads thrilled and frightened me. I imagined if they were real, how they would affect the development of high altitude aviation, the dangers they would pose to a modern airliner. Sometimes stories like THOTH capture my imagination just because of the possibilities. Sir Arthur’s short story did just that and also gave me an exciting read. I must have read it ten times by now.
I wasn’t ignorant of Doyle, or Sherlock Holmes (I loved the Robert Downey portrayal better than Basil Rathbone’s) for I had seen the movie version of “The Lost World” many, many times. As to Sherlock Holmes, my only exposure was to the Rathbone and Downey movies and the recent BBC series.
As far as “A Study in Terror” anthology goes, it was when I recently got reacquainted with you, after years of relocating prairie dogs, and discovered we had many intellectual and literary interests in common. First we created the Mystery Aircraft website and blog. Soon, we were discussing Doyle and Sherlock Holmes and you brought up your idea for the anthology. I loved the idea, especially since it would contain my favorite Doyle story. When you asked me to write an article discussing Doyle’s aeronautical expertise, I just couldn’t resist.
I think the whole project turned out perfect and I am proud to have contributed in a small way towards its success.

Derrick: Wow, that’s a walk down memory lane for me. To tell you the truth, I contacted you for the anthology because of your book, Phantoms of the Skies. Tell us a little bit about how you got involved in that book and the history (or prehistory) of flight.
Chuck: Well, that’s a long story. When I was a little tike, I fell in love with birds & bats. As I grew older, I fell in love with airplanes and just about anything that flew. Then it was UFOs and for a while I was a true believer. I grew out of that, but not before getting fascinated by the Mystery Airship reports of the 1890s. Now, I have always been especially interested in strange and unusual aircraft and design studies. So, it wasn’t long before I got real interested in ancient flight and pre-Wright brothers pioneers. Fast forward to, about 2009 when I came across a book by J. Allan Danelek titled “The Great Airship of 1897”. Jeff presented an excellent case that the Mystery Airships were, in fact, the work of an individual, or individuals, working in secret on the invention of a commercially viable airship. He tweaked my interest and imagination. Next thing you know, we’re having lunch, so he can autograph my copy of the book, and we get talking about flight experiments in the 18th & 19th centuries and one of us, I think it was yours truly, suggested we co-write a book about the subject, but go back all the way to ancient times. That gave birth to “Phantoms of the Skies: The Lost History of Aviation from Antiquity to the Wright Brothers”. I think we should have spent more time on the title and finding the right publisher, because I now feel that the title is deceptive. Many people think we’re writing about ghost airplanes and pilots, not real history.
But, water under the bridge.
You know, a lot of those very early aircraft were like today’s ultralight aircraft and hang gliders. Since I flew hang gliders for many hours (until I ran out of money and unbruised body parts), aircraft like that have a special place in my heart. So, it was only natural that I was fascinated then and continue to be fascinated by “minimal” aircraft.

Derrick: Your article was called, “A fascinating read on the science and possibilities of aeronautics in the early years of the 20th century,” by Nebula Award winning author Jack McDevitt. How right was Doyle in his portrayal of flight in the story?

Chuck: Sir Arthur actually came pretty close on some aspects of predicting flight in the early 1930s (remember the story was written in 1913 and described events taking place twenty years in HIS future). Other aspects, he was so far off the mark that it bordered on pure fantasy. But I forgive him his mistakes. He did a great job.
By 1913, flight was pretty much established as a viable endeavor, but there was still a lot of experimentation going on, so the technology was, pardon the pun, up in the air. The arrangement of wings, the type of power-plant, the method of control and stabilization were still in a state of flux. This was a very exciting time to get involved with aviation. Unfortunately, there was also a lot of cranks out there and people who had no business, no vision, to be involved with the development of a new form of transportation. And, again unfortunately, a load of that nonsense was published by magazines and newspapers who didn’t do their homework. Sir Arthur absorbed some of that information, too.


Derrick: Last question, why do you think Doyle’s writings in this anthology, like his writings on Sherlock Holmes, have stood the test of time?
Chuck: That is a tough question. I think Sir Arthur’s stories have lasted and continue to be popular because he developed some wonderful characters and concepts. I mean, when you think of a “famous” detective, the first name that comes to mind is Sherlock Holmes. Doyle’s stories are compelling because of his style, his depth of plot and the twists and turns of the action. I am just getting into the Sherlock Holmes stories at age 61, but Doyle’s tales of science fiction and horror are just as compelling. Sure, all his work is outdated in some sense. But you need to suspend disbelief when you read fiction and Doyle permits the reader to do that and still be absorbed by the story. His stories today are like time machines, transporting the reader to a more gentile era.
I could read “The Horror of the Heights” hundreds of more times. I am even entertaining the idea, as an aspiring fiction author myself, to write a sequel to that tale – what would happen to aviation, especially commercial aviation and space travel, if such “aerial savannahs” actually existed. Just imagine what would happen (and I’d love to hear ideas from other fans)!
Doyle had a certain style that transcends time and technology. I rank him up there with my personal favorite author, H. G. Wells. Both authors’ stories can be transposed into modern times with little or no changes to the plot or characters. Just looks at the different versions of Sherlock Holmes or “The Time Machine” or “The War of the Worlds”. I would LOVE to see a film version of “THOTH” or “The Parasite” or “The Mystery of Cloomber”.
I hope that I’ve answered that question to everyone’s satisfaction?
Took me 61 years, but I’m a big fan of Doyle now and starting to like Lovecraft!