Doctor Maximillian Brett is superficially similar to ProfessorMontgomeryScott (except for the whole "death" thing) - ruddy face, bushy moustache, bad english accent - but he's exactly the sort of shady character who gives archaeologists a bad name. He's always chasing his strange theories of prehistoric human civilisations, and he doesn't much care how he gets the evidence to back it up. His accent is an affectation; he's the child of farmers from Saylesville.
He was admitted to the society by people who saw a gleam of something good in him and hoped he could be made to "grow up" - not only has he failed to do so, but he has quite rudely outlived them.
In 1905 Dr. Brett met a young HayesWebster and found a man who could get him the "evidence" he needed - at a price. However, he never has the patience to properly put his ideas on paper, and he remains poorly published and is not taken seriously by the academic community. He keeps his tenure by a slim thread; he's good at finding the funds to finance his jaunts independently so the university authorities tolerate him; but his bitterness at constantly being passed over for promotion is a secret known to everyone who'll listen.
Most memebers of TheUnitySociety know not to discuss Dr. Brett's research with him - he can talk for hours about the civilisation of Hyperborea: its rise, fall, culture, politics and personalities - and if you let him, he will. Strangely, his clearly tremendous imagination seems to manifest itself nowhere other than in his researches.
Dr. Brett was out of the country during the events of TheCasket, which is a shame. During UnearthlyGoode, he was plied with alcohol and bundled into a taxi. It remains unknown whether he bears a grudge, or even remembers...
Dr. Brett attended the centenary dinner in TheGoldenYears with his wife MaryBrett.