Dr. Theophilus Tanner
Encyclopedia
Dr. Theophilus Tanner, or "Doc" as he is known, is a fiction
al character from the book series Deathlands
. He is rescued by Ryan Cawdor
and his people from the ville of Mocsin, where he was being kept captive by Jordan Teague, the ville's baron
.
Dr. Tanner speaks in a very strange, Victorian
way. Physically, he is very tall and skinny. His face is deeply lined and framed by long gray hair. He has perfect teeth and speaks with a deep, rich voice which commands attention. He is a doctor of philosophy
, as well as having studied ichthyology
. Initially he carries a Civil-war era LeMat
black powder pistol capable of firing nine .36 cap and ball rounds, with a second smooth-bore barrel which fires a single .63 shotgun shell; in Cold Asylum
this is replaced with a 1987 replica of the gun, chambered for .44 Magnum
rounds and 18 gauge shells, respectively. Tanner also carries a "Sword-Stick", a slender Rapier concealed as a walking stick which on more than one occasion has saved the Doctor and his friends' lives. For quite some time he also carried an unidentified Webley
shotgun.
Theophilus Algernon Tanner was actually born on February 14, 1868 in South Strafford, Vermont. During a time travel
ing experiment by scientists, he was brought one hundred years into the future, to 1998. Since he proved to be a nuisance and kept trying to escape, the scientists pushed him a further one hundred years into the future, to the Deathlands
. The time travel has put a strain on his body, and his memory has partly lapsed. His knowledge of pre-apocalypse redoubts (hidden government fortresses) proves invaluable to Ryan Cawdor
and his team.
He possesses knowledge of several other projects besides the one which "Time Trawled" him to the deathlands time period,notably TITAN, there is a past drug induced psychotic break whenever something brings that particular project to the forefront, and Doc fails to think clearly until the moment passes or he is distracted to another subject.
Dr. Tanner was left out of the 2003 film Deathlands: Homeward Bound
. His absence might be due to him being viewed as a somewhat divisive character among fans, who tended to love him or hate him.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al character from the book series Deathlands
Deathlands
The Deathlands is a series of novels published by Gold Eagle Publishing. The first novel 'Pilgrimage to Hell' was first published in 1986. This series of novels was first written by Christopher Lowder, under the pen name Jack Adrian. Mr. Lowder became ill after developing the plot and writing most...
. He is rescued by Ryan Cawdor
Ryan Cawdor
Ryan Cawdor is a fictional Deathlands character that first appeared in the novel Pilgrimage to Hell by Jack Adrian.-Ryan's life:Ryan is the youngest son of a powerful baron in Virginia. His middle brother, Harvey, is responsible for the loss of Ryan’s left eye after murdering Morgan, Ryan's eldest...
and his people from the ville of Mocsin, where he was being kept captive by Jordan Teague, the ville's baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
.
Dr. Tanner speaks in a very strange, Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
way. Physically, he is very tall and skinny. His face is deeply lined and framed by long gray hair. He has perfect teeth and speaks with a deep, rich voice which commands attention. He is a doctor of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, as well as having studied ichthyology
Ichthyology
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish. This includes skeletal fish , cartilaginous fish , and jawless fish...
. Initially he carries a Civil-war era LeMat
LeMat Revolver
The LeMat revolver was a .42 or .36 caliber cap & ball black powder revolver invented by Dr. Jean Alexandre LeMat of New Orleans, which featured a rather unusual secondary 16 gauge smoothbore barrel capable of firing buckshot, and saw service with the armed forces of the Confederate States of...
black powder pistol capable of firing nine .36 cap and ball rounds, with a second smooth-bore barrel which fires a single .63 shotgun shell; in Cold Asylum
Cold Asylum
Cold Asylum is the twentieth book in the series of Deathlands. It was written by Laurence James under the house name James Axler.-Plot synopsis:...
this is replaced with a 1987 replica of the gun, chambered for .44 Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
rounds and 18 gauge shells, respectively. Tanner also carries a "Sword-Stick", a slender Rapier concealed as a walking stick which on more than one occasion has saved the Doctor and his friends' lives. For quite some time he also carried an unidentified Webley
Webley
Webley Inc. is a company providing speech-driven unified communications solutions.Webley is privately held and headquartered in Bannockburn, IL....
shotgun.
Theophilus Algernon Tanner was actually born on February 14, 1868 in South Strafford, Vermont. During a time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
ing experiment by scientists, he was brought one hundred years into the future, to 1998. Since he proved to be a nuisance and kept trying to escape, the scientists pushed him a further one hundred years into the future, to the Deathlands
Deathlands
The Deathlands is a series of novels published by Gold Eagle Publishing. The first novel 'Pilgrimage to Hell' was first published in 1986. This series of novels was first written by Christopher Lowder, under the pen name Jack Adrian. Mr. Lowder became ill after developing the plot and writing most...
. The time travel has put a strain on his body, and his memory has partly lapsed. His knowledge of pre-apocalypse redoubts (hidden government fortresses) proves invaluable to Ryan Cawdor
Ryan Cawdor
Ryan Cawdor is a fictional Deathlands character that first appeared in the novel Pilgrimage to Hell by Jack Adrian.-Ryan's life:Ryan is the youngest son of a powerful baron in Virginia. His middle brother, Harvey, is responsible for the loss of Ryan’s left eye after murdering Morgan, Ryan's eldest...
and his team.
He possesses knowledge of several other projects besides the one which "Time Trawled" him to the deathlands time period,notably TITAN, there is a past drug induced psychotic break whenever something brings that particular project to the forefront, and Doc fails to think clearly until the moment passes or he is distracted to another subject.
Dr. Tanner was left out of the 2003 film Deathlands: Homeward Bound
Deathlands: Homeward Bound
Deathlands: Homeward Bound is a 2003 Sci Fi Channel television film based loosely on the Deathlands series of books. The film stars Vincent Spano and Traci Lords, and was directed by Joshua Butler.-Synopsis:...
. His absence might be due to him being viewed as a somewhat divisive character among fans, who tended to love him or hate him.