Space: 1999 Alien Seed

Rating:
Summary: Nostalgic fun
Review: Back in the mid-1970s, John Rankine and E.C. Tubb wrote a handful of original Space: 1999 novels. Alien Seed was the first one published, after six books of first season episode adaptations. It's not the best 1999 novel (that would be the all-too-rare Earthfall, a complete rethink of the Space: 1999 premise, also written by Tubb), but for fans of the show, it provides solid entertainment. The characters are pretty well handled (bear in mind this is set in year one continuity, with Victor Bergman and no Maya), the setting is well depicted, and there aren't too many unbelievable plot developments. The book is short but enough happens in its pages to keep the reader from feeling cheated. If anything, it suggests that too many media SF tie-in novels these days are a lot longer than they really need to be.

I just reread the Pocket edition a couple weeks ago not knowing this new reprint even existed, and it holds up quite well for a book based on an occasionally preposterous TV series. (I've always loved Space: 1999, but I wouldn't argue that it was the most convincing or logical of SF TV shows.) Serious fans of the show who haven't read this already should give it a shot. Others can safely pass it by.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read!!
Review: Finally, a novel based on the popular and classic science fiction television show. Written by acclaimed British author E.C.Tubb this book should be on anybody's bookshelf who watched the series. Having read tons of Star Wars and Star Trek stuff it's great to see Space: 1999 getting it's due with an original story novel. I found this book is a fast-paced action page turner that remains true to the series. Excellent cover artwork. Well worth the wait.

Rating:
Summary: You Can Go Back Again
Review: I have to hand it to E.C. Tubb. Alien Seed (A first series novel) is great. Being a fan of the show (Series One before it turned into a Star Trek Clone) Tubbs's representation of the characters are nearly dead on. I personally miss Dr. Bergman and Kano from the series (They Were dropped in Series 2 and their roles were combined into Maya. I hate her more than Jar-Jar. Call me a purist!) The story was actually better than regular Space 1999 episodes. It wasn't so much reading it as watching it in your head, with the british accents. (Victor's "John" or Paul Murrow's "Commander!" It is well worth the money if you are a fan of the show.

Rating:
Summary: Space: 1999 Alien Seed
Review: This is a great book for Space 1999 fans. This book is for the fans who collected the books from the 70's or just miss the show. This book takes place with in the 1st season of the tv show and is an original story, not a story re-written from an episode like most of the original releases. This is a reprint of the book released in the 70's under the same title. But if you collect the books or have never read the original this book is worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: A Retro Treasure...
Review: What a joy to see that my all-time favorite science fiction program, "Space: 1999", is enjoying a well-deserved renaissance.

"Alien Seed" is a reprint from an original "Space: 1999" novel issued back in the '70s, which focuses squarely on Year One of the series. While the book doesn't deal with quite the level of existential metaphysics of Year One, it it an enjoyable read, nonetheless. The action and settings are vivid, and the mystery surrounding the alien seed is finely crafted.

Best of all, the characterizations are right on the money. You really feel that you're on Moonbase Alpha, trying to solve a dangerous, life-threatening puzzle right alongside your Year One heroes; Commander John Koenig, Dr. Helena Russell, Prof. Victor Bergman, Sandra, Paul, Alan, Mathias, and Kano. The key to this is the believability of the dialogue for each character. You can almost hear the actors reading the lines in your head as you follow the story, but that isn't all. You might also hear a strain or two of Barry Gray's music, the unique warble of stun gun fire, the quiet beeping of Main Mission control consoles, and the distinctive sound of an Eagle lifting off from the pad. At that point, you know E.C. Tubb was doing something right.

While this is a relatively short book, it could be the feeling of brevity is due in part to the rapid, page-turning excitement of returning to Moonbase Alpha after all too many years.