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If you are referring to our books (as opposed to the 70s novelizations and novels–whose sales numbers I don’t know), we calculated in our market research that the book-buying Space: 1999 fan base would be between 1000 and 1500 people. Our releases reflect that target. We based that on membership in online groups, Fanderson membership, the number of eBay auctions with 1999 items within any give time frame, stuff like that.
Which Forsaken cover was more popular? Hard to say. The book sold out, so all copies of both covers were bought in equal numbers. You’d have to ask the fans, I guess. The author (and I) prefer the rose petal cover. The artist designed the images after the type of cover art used in Japanese literature. Particularly the works of Mishima. Fact.
If you read recent threads, that pun–in every conceivable form–has been made again and again. :blink:
The Forsaken was originally intended to have only one cover–the rose petal cover. The cover concept was designed while the novel was being written. Vicente Gallegos-Aguazul came up with the design. He and Cesar Gallegos (no relation), the graphic artist for Powys, went out, collected the leaves, bought the roses, and photographed the image. Cesar then cropped it and inserted the image of the Moon (as per the original design).
We submitted this cover to Carlton with full author approval. The people at Carlton suggested that the cover was perhaps too far removed from the series. So we came up with a second cover. This one had an image of a blue planet over the base. We called it the “Launching Pad” cover.
The flower petal cover is symbolic. The green APPLE-shaped leaves signify the planet Pyxidea and the temptation it offers to settle there, the rose petals strewn diagonally across the image are meant to reference the flat-line nebulas and star clusters so often seen in Space: 1999 AND to symbolize Sandra Benes. In the “interlude” in the novel, Paul lies in bed with Sandra and thinks that her hair always smells like roses.
Within a single rose petal is nestled an image of the Moon. All this signifies Paul’s choice: The Green Planet OR The Moon and Sandra.
The Launching Pad cover is also significant because it contains a small inserted clue to a future novel. Yes, we planned it out YEARS in advance. B)
Anyway, back to the story. Carlton agreed to let us publish the book with both covers and allow the fans to buy the one they wanted. We agreed. It was not done to make people buy both or anything like that. It was about be willing to compromise to stay true to our artistic vision, and the kindness of the people at Carlton to allow us that opportunity to do so.
I’m glad this thread helped you with the URL problem. Sometimes typos get past us despite our best efforts. We correct them as soon as we find out about them. Still, about 50 or so had the typo. To reiterate: just replace
http://www.powysmedia.com/powys//
with
http://www.captphilonline.com/powys//
and then put the file name as it appears from that point on.
Always glad to lend a hand.
An interesting question re: the Space Brain, for more information you might try the URL in the book. There is a handy thread on the forum about “problems with URLs” if it doesn’t work for you.
We posted a thread to give people a hand with URL problems. There are instructions on what to do if the URL links are faulty.
Interesting to think of the access device used to enter Susurra (the Leiran ship) in Survival. The parallels in Omega are revealing to say the least.
Has anyone read the epilogue of SURVIVAL lately. If you’ve finished Omega, it might be fun to go back and read it. Oh yeah, we’ve been foreshadowing this for a LONG time!
It is our opinion that during the tiranium crisis, births on Alpha might have been put on hold, but after Catacombs of the Moon (omnibus) tiranium wasn’t necessarily the deciding factor. Attrition and the simple human survival necesitated lifting restrictions on births.
Pat,
You know these books better than I do! It was way back in Resurrection?
Proves my point, to make this work–presenting the Alphan odyssey as an epic tale in book form–we need to remember the Virgin Doctor Who publishing tagline “Stories too broad and too deep for the television screen”. I am paraphrasing. They meant–and we took it as our inspiration–that in novels we could have special effects sequences impossible on the screen without an AVATAR-sized budget, and with a depth of characterization impossible without hours of voiceovers telling the characters’ thoughts.
It meant that the “classic 48” (to steal some terminology from The Honeymooners) would become the central core of an even larger story, one that extended from before Breakaway to beyond The Dorcons! After all, Omega takes place a few YEARS after Born for Adversity.
From the start, we’ve treated each novel as part of that larger epic. And built into each novel bits that let the reader know that more was going on than meets the eye. I love it in Resurrection, where Koenig hears a voice while dying out on the surface of the Moon–likely in his head–and wonders if it hasn’t been there all along but he couldn’t hear it. He mentions this to Balor, who doesn’t know what Koenig’s talking about.
In the Forsaken, now freed of Cryptodira control/influence, the Slath-Zar begin to explore the planet. The implications of this are tremendous (in our view) when you ask yourself, “Who were the intended beneficiaries of the destruction of the Pyxidean sun?”–whether it was intentional or not. And was it? We are so caught up in the Alphans’ story that little things like this might get missed.
Adding things into the mix, creating linkages, patching plot holes, smoothing out continuity, retconning…are what make a project of this size hold together as a consistent unified whole. Sure, we could have published a series of unrelated pastiches, where life on Alpha remained the same, Tony and Maya continued to merely flirt with each other, and between each novel a reset button was pressed… But we realized that, although most of us became fans when we were young (generally between 10-14 years old), novels intended for people in their 30s (now 40s) in the 21st century would have to be presented somewhat differently.
Some may disagree, of course. I am simply saying that is the decision we made (from the start).
In YEAR TWO (the omnibus) we established that Helena had established a gene bank to ensure there is enough diversity to found a human colony–so that if someone dies, their genetic information would not be lost. As well, there were references to children having been born on Alpha. There is only a certain window for childbirth and if it passes, they will have no future at all.
Also in the omnibus is mention of Koenig’s retraining program, where all Alphans are learning their fellow Alphans’ jobs, so that they all become able to fill in for other people. This is referred to in Shepherd Moon as well. And in Omega, etc.
These things were not in the series, per se. But lots of things took place off screen, didn’t they?
My plan has always been to create a “literary Space: 1999” in which all the books are mutually consistent (we do try). Sometimes this means making small changes to the episodes. For example, when Maya in Bringers of Wonder first turns into one of the alien creatures in front of Helena–who at this point HAS NOT SEEN THEM IN THEIR TRUE FORM, Helena has NO REACTION to their disgusting (and one would think SURPRISING) form.
We inserted a reaction. Not because we want to change the series for the sake of changing it–but because that change made logical sense and most likely an oversight on the part of the screenwriter (an understandable one).
I think the change that was made, made it a better book.
We are, I believe, the FIRST publishing company to do this.
The standout, in my opinion, is Catacombs of the Moon–which now “adds up” and has a much more powerful ending. We didn’t change a lot, but what we DID change changed what is often listed as one of the worst episodes of Year Two into a rather Year One sort of story with a surprising logic to it (if I say so myself).
You’ll be happy to know there are no legal issues with changing printers. We hire printers to print books; they have no stake in the material, the license, or copyright. And if you look at our first poll, we’re way ahead of you. 🙂
Btw, Survival is still in print and can be purchased here on the site, or via Amazon.com for its original cover price.
Also, I have noticed over the years how few people ever sell our books on eBay, etc. It looks like people are considering them “keepers”. Flattering.
Mateo
