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Stingray
Stingray and the Monster
Commander Shore's old enemy, Conrad Hagen, is out of prison and back on the loose with his beautiful but devious daughter, Helga. When they hijack a World Aquanaut Security Patrol vessel and kidnap Atlanta, it's up to Captain Troy Tempest and the crew of Stingray to save her. But first they will have to uncover the mystery of the treasure of Sanito Cathedral and escape the fury of the monster from the deep. Thrills, adventure and daring rescue await readers in John Theydon's classic Stingray novel!
The second release in the Stingray series. Written by John Theydon and originally published under the title ‘Stingray and the Monster’ in 1966.
The second release in the Stingray series. Written by John Theydon and originally published under the title ‘Stingray and the Monster’ in 1966.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 18, 2024
Though Thunderbirds was my introduction to the worlds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, this reviewer has long maintained a soft spot for their earlier Stingray. Featuring the adventures of eponymous submarine and its crew of Captain Troy Tempest of the titular submarine of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASP), Lieutenant "Phones,” and the mute lady of the sea Marina, it featured hall of the legendary Anderson hallmarks of high adventure and colorful characters realized in Supermarionation. All of which can be found in Monster from the Deep, a 2022 audiobook from Anderson Entertainment and Big Finish Productions.
Like Operation: Icecap before it, this very is much more in the vein of the enhanced audiobook format that Big Finish employed in their Doctor Who - The Lost Stories releases featuring the first three Doctors. On the one hand, it features narration and description to fill in more visual moments. On the other hand, it has dramatized scenes as well as both sound effects and a score. The result is a cross between the audiobook and audio drama formats, offering a best of both worlds approach.
Also worth mentioning is that, as with the aforementioned Operation: Icecap, this is an adaptation of a novel published in 1966 during the original TV series heyday and written by John Theydon (a pseudonym for the shockingly prolific John William Jennison). The plot feels entirely in keeping with the TV series with a wide mix of elements. There’s Conrad Hagen, the old foe of WASP leader Commander Shore, freshly released from prison and seeking revenge on his old foe by kidnapping his daughter Atlanta. There’s a South American treasure, long lost beneath the sea, and guarded by the titular beast. Finally, but the least surprisingly, the undersea dictator King Titan tries once more to take down his arch-nemesis Tempest once and for all.
It’s something that ought to have offered solid mix of elements. Any one of which would have been perfect for an episode of Stingray on television. As a novel, however, they never quite gel together in a satisfying fashion. Instead, they often collide and play off or even against one another like a series of loosely linked set pieces. Adaptor Ben Page (who also voices the Aquaphibians) does his best with an overcooked plot and Theydon's original prose in audio, while also finding moments for dramatization, using the descriptions for sequences when the latter won't quite convey things on audio. That's especially true of the numerous action sequences where Wayne Forester's narration neatly complements the cast, sound design, and the music score. Overall, though, it lacks the flow of Operation: Icecap.
Let there be no doubt of how well the production is, however. The voice cast is solid, starting with Marc Silk’s Troy Tempest, often echoing Don Mason's iconic voice while also making the part very much his own. The same is true of much of the cast, including the aforementioned Forester (who, in addition to his narrating, also voices Phones and Titan’s agent X-2-0), Jules de Jongh as Atlanta, and Nicholas Briggs pulling double duty as the voices of Commander Shore and the malevolent Titan. Some inevitably sound closer to their sixties counterparts than others, and all of them get to pull double or even triple duty playing multiple new characters, including Briggs taking on the villain Hagen in scenes where he is quite literally talking to himself! Beyond the cast, the sounds of the series are there, too, with Benji Clifford's music magnificently pastiching the Barry Gray Stingray TV scores and Toby Hrycek-Robinson's sound design bringing the world to life. So much so that at times one can close one's eyes and imagine it all of its Supermarionation glory.
Despite an overcooked plot, Monster from the Deep makes for a fun Stingray tale. For its faults, there’s plenty of time and love going into every minute of the audiobook, with everyone having their Supermarionation loving heart in the right place. For fans of Stingray, from old foes to underwater treasure, there is plenty to recommend checking this out for.
Like Operation: Icecap before it, this very is much more in the vein of the enhanced audiobook format that Big Finish employed in their Doctor Who - The Lost Stories releases featuring the first three Doctors. On the one hand, it features narration and description to fill in more visual moments. On the other hand, it has dramatized scenes as well as both sound effects and a score. The result is a cross between the audiobook and audio drama formats, offering a best of both worlds approach.
Also worth mentioning is that, as with the aforementioned Operation: Icecap, this is an adaptation of a novel published in 1966 during the original TV series heyday and written by John Theydon (a pseudonym for the shockingly prolific John William Jennison). The plot feels entirely in keeping with the TV series with a wide mix of elements. There’s Conrad Hagen, the old foe of WASP leader Commander Shore, freshly released from prison and seeking revenge on his old foe by kidnapping his daughter Atlanta. There’s a South American treasure, long lost beneath the sea, and guarded by the titular beast. Finally, but the least surprisingly, the undersea dictator King Titan tries once more to take down his arch-nemesis Tempest once and for all.
It’s something that ought to have offered solid mix of elements. Any one of which would have been perfect for an episode of Stingray on television. As a novel, however, they never quite gel together in a satisfying fashion. Instead, they often collide and play off or even against one another like a series of loosely linked set pieces. Adaptor Ben Page (who also voices the Aquaphibians) does his best with an overcooked plot and Theydon's original prose in audio, while also finding moments for dramatization, using the descriptions for sequences when the latter won't quite convey things on audio. That's especially true of the numerous action sequences where Wayne Forester's narration neatly complements the cast, sound design, and the music score. Overall, though, it lacks the flow of Operation: Icecap.
Let there be no doubt of how well the production is, however. The voice cast is solid, starting with Marc Silk’s Troy Tempest, often echoing Don Mason's iconic voice while also making the part very much his own. The same is true of much of the cast, including the aforementioned Forester (who, in addition to his narrating, also voices Phones and Titan’s agent X-2-0), Jules de Jongh as Atlanta, and Nicholas Briggs pulling double duty as the voices of Commander Shore and the malevolent Titan. Some inevitably sound closer to their sixties counterparts than others, and all of them get to pull double or even triple duty playing multiple new characters, including Briggs taking on the villain Hagen in scenes where he is quite literally talking to himself! Beyond the cast, the sounds of the series are there, too, with Benji Clifford's music magnificently pastiching the Barry Gray Stingray TV scores and Toby Hrycek-Robinson's sound design bringing the world to life. So much so that at times one can close one's eyes and imagine it all of its Supermarionation glory.
Despite an overcooked plot, Monster from the Deep makes for a fun Stingray tale. For its faults, there’s plenty of time and love going into every minute of the audiobook, with everyone having their Supermarionation loving heart in the right place. For fans of Stingray, from old foes to underwater treasure, there is plenty to recommend checking this out for.
May 30, 2022
The second "Stingray" original novel by "John Theydon", and just as well-written and imaginative as his other works. A criminal who wants revenge on Commander Shore kidnaps his daughter and heads off on a treasure hunt, with Stingray in pursuit. Great fun, even if it is mostly aimed at teenagers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews