Chris Bunch: author, screen writer, soldier
14/08/2005 . Source: Jessica Martin 
An obituary by SFF writer Allan Cole. Chris Bunch, international best selling genre author, screenwriter and decorated Vietnam veteran, sadly died July 4th 2005 from a lung ailment. He was 62. Bunch was probably best known for "Sten" - the landmark, eight volume science fiction series, which he wrote with former collaborator Allan Cole. The series was a world wide-wide hit, especially in Russia, where it sold more than ten million copies and was on the Moscow best-seller list for two years. His second major work, also written with Cole, was "A Reckoning For Kings," a classic Vietnam war novel that some critics, and scholars, have called the "the best Vietnam novel, ever."
Bunch also made his mark in the world of television. Working with Cole from the 1976 to 1993, he sold well over a hundred television, MOW, and film scripts. His credits include everything from "Quincy," and "The Rockford Files," to "The Incredible Hulk," "Hunter," and "The A Team." His last TV foray was a very popular episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger," titled "Right Girl, Wrong Time."
Chris went on to excel in his solo work, winning high praise and excellent international sales for works such as "The Empire Stone Trilogy," the "Star Risk" books, the "Seer King" trilogy, the "Dragon Master" trilogy and many others.
Going backwards in time: in Chris Bunch's previous incarnation, before breaking into books and film, he was a supremely successful free-lance writer, penning pieces for everything from Popular Science, to Life Magazine, to The California Highway Patrol. Earlier, he was the managing editor of underground magazines such as 1960's classic, "Open City," where he was among the first to publish the poems of the brilliant Charles Bukowski.
Chris was also influential in the late Sixties, early Seventies music scene, acting a gonzo PR person for many important bands and musicians.
His greatest influence came in his later years, when he was new writers to break into the game.
The final words:
Chris is survived by his wife, Karen, of Ilwaco, Washington; His mother, Elizabeth Rice Bunch, of Manhattan Beach, California; his sister, Kathryn Bunch, of Boca Raton, Florida, and his brother, Philip Bunch, of Manhattan Beach, California.
Stregg forever, Chris...
Allan
(Thanks to Allan Cole for allowing SFcrowsnest to re-post this from http://www.acole.com. Allan is an author, screenwriter and former prize-winning newsman. The son of a CIA operative, Cole was raised in Europe and the Far East. His books include the science fiction series, Sten, and fantasy novels that encompass, the Timura Trilogy, the classic Vietnam novel, A Reckoning For Kings, and the thriller, Dying Good.)
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