Customer Reviews

Space: 1999 Resurrection

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4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the first a series of books based on the 1970s series Space 1999. It has a wonderful foreword by Johnny Byrne, the screenwriter who wrote many of the original episodes. That the book is a sequel to one of Byrne's episodes, End Of Eternity, should reassure the fans that the spirit of the series is preserved. Author William Latham perfectly captures the characters and atmosphere of the show.

Coming to the series as self-confessed newbie, not a fan, Latham is not afraid of taking the story and characters in fresh directions. We get new depths and new dimensions to Koenig and Balor, with gripping psychological twists. The exploration of absolute power and immortality is both thoughtful and exciting. The horror themes of the original episode are skilfully developed, much darker than television could ever attempt. Yet this is still emotionally true to the characters.

I recommend this book very highly. If you're not a Space 1999 fan, you discover an absorbing science fiction horror story with solid character development. If you are a fan, you'll see the universe you recognise taken to fascinating new directions.

This book is the sequal to "End of Eternity" episode from season 1 of Space 1999. The book answers a lot of questions from the original episode, such as: What made Baylor immortal? What was his home world like? Why was he so evil? How long was he on the asteroid? And so on. I liked the book a lot. It was steep [monetarily], but worth it for me. A very interesting and fun read!

The new line of Space 1999 books is something more than what's come before, taking advantage of the stasis Space 1999 has been in for the last 25 years. The opportunity is there to capitalize on all the what if's left dangling in the series, to fill in some blanks and to get people asking some new questions.

The series starts off strong with William Latham's Resurrection, a short tightly plotted thriller that takes advantage of Space 1999's gothic horror legacy. A few things are added here and there to our Moonbase in the Latham work, most obvious is the meaty role given to Victor Bergman who gets to shine throughout the story. A few horrific elements are thrown in and we get to take a walk into the mind of the series most disturbing
character, Balor. The Balor character builds on what was already shown in the original episode, End of Eternity and he once again wrecks havoc in the halls of Moonbase Alpha. Full of style with a couple of surprises, Resurrection was a great read for me and even more for my friends who read through the book never having seen the episode it's based on. Most of all I enjoyed the sense of "place" within the story. The beginning exposition where Latham takes the reader through space finally into Main Mission, describing the events of the Breakaway in clever fashion, "The final revolution" is my favorite part breaking the long silence of 25 years between the series end and this new series of books. Latham was the right writer to do the first book in this new line of Space 1999 original novels.

I'm looking forward to the upcoming books in this series!

If you are a fan of the 1970s television series Space:1999, then you are in luck. Powys Media is publishing a series of new Space:1999 novels, as well as reprinting the 16 novels published during the show's original two-year run (visit their web site for the latest publishing schedule).

This novel is quite enjoyable and accurately captures the feel of the TV show. If you have never seen Space:1999 before, however, this is not the place for you to begin...people who are not already familiar with the characters and situation are likely to be somewhat confused, William Latham's appealing story notwithstanding. Perhaps newbies should consider viewing the new DVDs first.

All I can say is that Latham has succeeded in making his follow-up to the Year 1 episode END OF ETERNITY a gripping and compulsive story, where Balor(the alien) has been given added dimensions. Not only is he as evil as he ever was, but he appears to be a philosopher and something of a historian. He is as calculating as he is charming;a compulsive yet repulsive character by turns.

There is much resonance with the series, no small feat for a writer who previously had been unfamiliar with it. Back story and various characters from the series are included. Jackie Crawford makes a (brief) appearance. The research of Cabot Rowland is referenced by Bob Mathias. Perhaps the most horrific reference is the revival (at least in part) of Mike Baxter as part of Balor's plan. Jean Koenig makes an appearance in a brief but very touching and possibly even poetic sequence. Lastly, in horrific echoes of the confrontational scenes in THE TROUBLED SPIRIT, the start of Chapter 7 sees Bergman confronting Latham's original character Ken Lucas. A man who has died and yet been brought back to (a sort of) life - or perhaps `undead' would be a better word - battles with the Professor in a scene that reminds me somewhat of Dan Mateo's evil spirit in that well-remembered first year episode.

There are a number of twists in the book and many are due to the devious way in which Balor is this time trying to gain control of Moonbase Alpha.

Don't expect pages of physical action, laser battles and fighting or arid technical detail.What is here is a compulsive thriller which works on several levels: a character study, a psychological thriller, and a science-fiction novel all in one. It would make a fine 2 parter in the Year 1 style. The character conflict and dialogue is such that it drives the entire novel forward and you really do wonder how the hell the Alphans are going to defeat Balor. Not only that, but their battle has to be fought on a number of fronts as readers will have seen (Balor is not the only enemy!)

There is even a hint of the 'MUF' from the first series, something that is again alluded to in the final pages that wrap up the novel. What more can you ask for?

This is different in tone to any Space:1999 novel you will have previously read. It's a Space:1999 novel for the 21st Century, but one that is firmly rooted in the best tradition of the series. Its neither a `trivial' read or candy-floss space opera. Its multi-faceted, multi-layered and thoughtfully written. It works as a thriller, a horror story, a psychological study and as a character examination.

I urge every fan to try this book. Its engrossing,thought-provoking and a winner in every way. I hope there are more to come.

Latham does great work. A worthy successor to the episode "End Of Eternity." Try to borrow it, if you can.

This book is a mixture of science fiction, horror and subtle psychology. It is an authentic re-capturing of the Space 1999 Year 1 characters and brings an old enemy from Year 1 of the series back to Alpha. Fan fiction writers may not like it but any genuine open minded fan of the series will....and they'll find new depths each time they read it. If you want a 'romantic' Space:1999 novel, this isn't it. But it IS otherwise a gripping read...and I'm not afraid to put my name to my comments!

A welcome and excellent return of the space 1999 characters. Good build up to the revelation that an old enemy has returned. William Latham and Powys Media have resisted what could easily have been an oportunity to delve into fanfiction with great skill and avoided all the pitfalls. The dialogue dominated centre piece from the enemy, reads like a play written by an existentialist psychotic and chills with its disurbed logic. Resurrection is well worth investigating and its links to the original series are without question.

Very entertaining book to read! I couldn't get myself to get up from my chair until I got to the end. Good thing I have a healthy bladder. Anyway, the description was vivid and the ideas were probing. Some of the real human psychological issues have been revealed for the second time; the first was by a psychology genius named, Freud. I'm not suggesting that Latham is a psychology genius, but maybe just a genius. ;)

What else can I say about the book? Oh yeah, it is extremely suspenseful. At times, it is a bit creepy and makes you shiver a bit with anticipation.

Would I recommend this book? Hmmm, let me see... yes I would.

This book is terrible. I'm a big SPACE: 1999 fan and this book was recommended by other fans of the show . So I bought it. BIG MISTAKE. "SPACE: 1999 RESURRECTION" is totally amateurish. The writing is inert. And the book only a little over 100 pages long.

The idea of bringing back Balor from the "End of Eternity" episode from season one is great, but alas, in this painfully misguided story-line, nothing goes right. The first and foremost mistake is the way this novel deals with Balor's return, which is ridiculous and obviously underwritten because there are too many implausible details between what happened in the TV episode and this story. The novel is filled with large amounts of blood and with zombies haunting Moonbase Alpha. This belongs more in a cheesy Italian horror flick than elegant SPACE: 1999 (btw, I love horror films). And the characterizations are one-note. Yes, the show's scripts weren't amazingly multi-layered but a novelist HAS the luxury to delve further into characters because a book is not limited to telling a story under one hour. But the worst part is the whole DNA aspect of Balor. It's so ludicrous, I threw the book across the room. "SPACE: 1999 RESURRECTION" ends up feeling more like a gory episode of SCOOBY-DOO than an epic, metaphysical SPACE: 1999 adventure.

I love SPACE: 1999, certainly the first season, and we deserve better than this kind of fourth-rate novel.