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I must say it warms my heart to click on Space: 1999 books on the left and see that long list of titles. And when you think that the omnibi count as six each…
I think the time has come to change our perception of Space: 1999 as a series–particularly as a book series. I would suggest that it is now more akin to Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover novels. Not in content, but in structure.
MZB published her Darkover novels out of order, but they were all mutually consistent. When something was “overwritten” and she determined that the new idea was better than her old conception, she went back and made changes to the older books to MAKE them consistent. Some early books were completely rewritten from scratch.
She slowly crafted a multi-generational story (indeed her saga, if you will, crossed millennia–as does Dune). Space: 1999 is the story of the Alphans, what happens 500 years down the line would not be the same. But I think the comparison is valid nevertheless.
Eventually, there will be ONE epic tale (with auxiliary tales of histories and futures of characters) comprising Year One, Year Two, Message from Moonbase Alpha and all the Powys novels and major stories.
I think, beyond the thoughts and memories that would occur to the characters naturally, it would be a mistake to reiterate and explain continuity references to get people up to speed. The books are there, as are the episodes. We all love the show. The Powys books just may make you go back and read a few passages again, or watch a few episodes, or read the transcripts on Martin’s site. But that’s the fun of it.
And in the case of Omega and Alpha, you may see things with new perspectives–in fact, I guarantee it.
I would love to hear people’s thoughts when, after reading Omega and Alpha, they go back and watch the key episodes mentioned above.
We are having a problem getting the fun link to work, so I took it down for a while. Sorry. The Lulu link works fine.
Mateo
We’ll be putting up a Lulu link on the Alpha page soon.
Speaking of which: if you go to the HOME page and scroll down, you’ll see all the Space: 1999 and Prisoner book covers including Alpha.
If you click on Alpha, it will take you to the Alpha page (but there is not Lulu link there yet).
To find the Lulu link, follow the instructions in the previous post. The reason you may be having trouble is that the first 50 books or so went out with the wrong URL by mistake.
Mateo
Anyone who wants a copy of Year Two with one page flipped upside-down (everything else is the same as the other copies) can now purchase one. Note that many of these are SIGNED copies (not numbered, though). In the space where the numbering would go, I will be writing in the crossed circle symbol.
I will let them go for $60 plus shipping costs: $11 U.S./$15 Canada/$28 U.K and Rest of the World. The first orders will get the signed copies until they run out. Thereafter, we will be shipping the unsigned ones.
Just Paypal us at powysmedia at prodigy .net. Make sure you include your name, complete address and the name of the book you are ordering.
Mateo
I think the actor they got to play Winters was great. For a one-shot he really pulled it off in a believable fashion. However, I am really fond of Paul Morrow and I think Prentis Hancock was not given enough opportunities to really shine as an actor. His big moment was in The Last Sunset–he totally dominates that episode!
I also liked him in Earthbound and Mission of the Darians (and many others, but those in particular).
Sadly, so much was lost in the changeover to Year Two, losing Bergman, Morrow, Kano, really hurt the show. However, I liked Verdeschi, Fraser and Maya too. But they are very different–Y1 and Y2–in tone, in atmosphere, in direction, in characterization, and perhaps most prominently in music. I love both Barry Gray’s and Derek Wadsworth’s scores, but they are each only appropriate for their respective seasons.
So would Paul have worked in Year Two? Who can tell?
With the books, we are striving to tell stores with a Year One tone and style, even those that include characters from Year Two. The developments in Born for Adversity suggest clearly what we are trying to get away from.
You should contact Lulu immediately and ask for a replacement copy. It would be a good idea to take digital pictures of the problem to accompany your email to them.
As these books are print-on-demand, we at Powys do not ship the books to you and so can’t look them over first. Sometimes the automated process doesn’t work 100%.
When we printed Year Two (the old fashioned way), there were 25 copies printed with pages 27/28 bound upside-down in the book. I checked each copy out and had the printer print more to cover the now ruined copies–which I still have! So please, go ahead and contact Lulu.com.
Mateo
We’ll be making an announcement soon regarding future releases. Suffice it to say, in my best book-eating zombie voice, “More books….”
Does it? I honestly did NOT know that.
Also, I am thinking about how to respond to the question of what it was like to approach the original authors to contribute to Powys books. Kinda busy at the moment. Short answer: an honor and a thrill!
I’ve seen people on this forum post hidden text that only appears when you click on an icon. I know it is possible, but I have no clue how to do it.
Anyone want to share the process?
Mateo
I am glad you are excited about Alpha. We actually published both books on the same day. However, the only way to find out about Alpha was to follow the URL printed at the back of Omega. We’ll be putting up a regular book page soon, now that the cat’s out of the bag.
Now you’ve got ME checking the cover of The Forsaken! If there’s a hand on that image, I will be shocked! Nevertheless… We’ve still got some surprises in store for you, don’t worry. 😛
The Alphan saga continues…
Well THAT’S a relief! We kept that secret for a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time. We wanted to make this an event to remember. We imagined the reader getting to the end of Omega and wondering, how is the author going to resolve all this with so few pages left?
Then, a cliffhanger! How many months until the sequel??
Then, a handy-dandy URL after the last page. And image. Then an ordering page, then: SURPRISE! The sequel book is out NOW!
We never counted on Lulu just accidentally sending someone both books! 😛 It’s funny, and HEY, the word had to get out sometime (we dropped enough “hand” hints in our posts).
Enjoy the books!
Oh yeah, and did you notice Christopher Penfold ALSO wrote the Afterword to ALPHA? What more could you ask for?
Mateo
