We all remember where we were, 25 years ago today in 1999, when the Moon was blasted out of orbit after a freak nuclear accident, less than two decades after a secret agency had been fighting a clandestine war against bodysnatching aliens… Or at least you would if you were a fan of Gerry Anderson’s sci-fi dramas Space: 1999 and UFO.
Fittingly, as it is “Breakaway Day” this weekend, this Saturday I’ll be at Heathrow at the London 1999 Convention (no better place!) for the official launch of my new tie-in novellas UFO – Shadow Play and Space: 1999 – The Armageddon Engine. Based on these two classic television shows, the novellas are all-new, officially-sanctioned stories, releasing today in signed, limited-edition hardcovers – and my thanks to everyone who pre-ordered their copies!
For those of you unfamiliar with the shows – UFO ran for a single season in the early 1970s, following the challenges faced by the members of SHADO, a covert agency charged with defending the Earth of 1980 against an insidious alien invasion; Space: 1999 ran for two seasons a few years later, centred on the adventures of the crew of Moonbase Alpha, who find themselves on an odyssey through the void when the Moon is blasted into space. For more about the shows, check out these primer videos for UFO and Space: 1999.
UFO – SHADOW PLAY
The last line of defence in a clandestine war, SHADO is all that stands between humanity and a force of alien invaders – and leading that fight is the uncompromising Ed Straker, commanding Earth’s defenders around the clock.
But what happens when the man at the top is pushed too far?
After an experiment goes wrong, Straker awakens from a coma with missing memories and strange hallucinations that threaten his grip on reality – but is it the result of alien interference, or has the commander’s iron will finally cracked?
Facing danger from within and without, Straker must find the truth.
Even if it kills him.
SPACE: 1999 – THE ARMAGEDDON ENGINE
Adrift in deep space, Commander John Koenig and the people of Moonbase Alpha face an uncertain fate, when a planet-killing alien weapon at the heart of a sinister cloud diverts their lost Moon on to a fatal trajectory.
As each moment brings the Moon closer to total obliteration, Koenig leads a desperate mission into the unknown to save all life on Alpha.
Does hope lie among a rag-tag colony of refugees hiding in the shadow of devastation?
Or can the Alphans find a path into the heart of the war machine and end its destructive rampage?
With time running out, the answer will mean the difference between survival… or annihilation.
Working on this project has been a lot of fun for me, with Jamie Anderson and his team giving me great freedom to create new and engaging fiction for these iconic shows I love – I’m excited to bring Shadow Play and The Armageddon Engine to long-time devotees and new fans alike!
Hardcover editions of the books are available for order; click here for UFO – Shadow Play and here for Space: 1999 – The Armageddon Engine or grab the two-book bundle; and if audiobooks are your preference, you can find those here and here.
