He also wrote short stories, radio plays, and a non-fiction book on stammering, its causes and cures.
Compton was born in London on 19 August 1930, as the son of actor Gerald Cross and actress Nuna Davey.
In Science Fiction: History, Science, Vision, Robert Scholes and Eric S. Rabkin write:[2] Compton's work is informed by an acute and subtle moral sense which avoids the extremes of satire and sentiment while compelling us to see the world ethically...he succeeds superbly in preserving certain traditional fictional values and human values in works of genuine science fiction.
Compton was named the 2007 Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Compton died on 10 November 2023, in Maine, United States, where he lived.