Chris Bunch, 61; Vietnam War Novelist, Science Fiction Writer

Chris Bunch, 61, coauthor of a novel on the Vietnam War and several works of fantasy science fiction, died July 4 in Ilwaco, Wash., of a lung ailment.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, Bunch joined his writing partner, Allan Cole, to create the well-received 1987 novel “A Reckoning for Kings,” about the Tet Offensive of 1968. A Times reviewer called their book “an excellent piece of work by two journeymen writers [that] makes one think.”

Born in Fresno and educated at Cal State L.A., Bunch began freelancing for magazines including Popular Science. Joining Cole, he turned to scripting television series and earned credits on such shows as “Magnum, P.I.,” “Quincy,” “Hunter” and “The A-Team.”

The two writers penned an eight-volume science fiction series beginning with “Sten” in 1982 and also wrote several fantasy novels, including “The Far Kingdoms” in 1993. In recent years, Bunch had written novels on his own, including “The Warrior King” in 1999.