Blake's 7

Blake's 7

by Trevor Hoyle

Exiled from Dome City - where a vicious regime wields dictatorial power - Roj Blake swears vengeance on the corrupt leaders who have destroyed his future.

Hijacking the Liberator, the most advanced spacecraft ever created, Blake travels to the sinister planet Cygnus Alpha. There, risking the dreaded Curse of Cygnus, he rescues other victims of the regime from the megalomaniac Vargas...

And with there allies he forms a fighting force to combat galactic injustice: Blake's Seven!

From the latest spectacular television drama series by Terry Nation, creator of Survivors and other smash-hit TV successes, top British science fiction author Trevor Hoyle has written a gripping novel of deep-space action, adventure and intrigue.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Media Tie In

204 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay now I guess I should owe my books an apology - I was out on my travels yesterday and I saw this book in mint condition in one of the charity book shops I haunt (their words not mine) and I could not resist it. So yes sorry all my usual reading was put on hold. But why, this is just a novelisation of a UK TV show from the 70s.

Well for me this was the thing of dreams, I loved and feared this series in equal measure, like Dr Who (another show Terry Nations worked on) I would tune in and watch this series with awe and wonder. Now sadly the series has dated with props and special effects children of today would laugh at but which back then would be stunning and impossible.

So yes I devoured this book for not only what it represented to me but to remind me of what I had missed. The book basically retells the story of how Blake and is crew formed and how they made the Liberator their home (sorry I never really accepted the Scorpio).

This book to me represents all the wonder and joy of childhood TV and sadly what I feel we have lost over the years.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing but perfunctory script-to-novel, Terrance Dick's approach to Doctor Who novelisations style, romp through the first few episodes of the first series of Blake's 7. I don't think this would satisfy any science-fiction fans who aren't familiar with the television version because the adaptation rips through the stories at such a pace as to be rather shallow and light on detail. Also there are some jarringly sexist passages regarding Jenna and Cally who, in the series itself, were arse-kicking equals of all the male characters - my opinion of this isn't merely from a 21st Century point of view, these sentences would have annoyed me at the time because they detract from the women as portrayed on television.

However, despite its failings I enjoyed the book because I could visualise the scenes very clearly, and I'm a little sad that this short book was not followed by any more adventures whether adapted from TV or original novels (though, thanks to Big Finish there are plenty of enjoyable audio adventures to satisfy that need.)

**Immediate edit: there ARE several relatively recent ebooks continuing the B7 legacy, so I may well indulge myself in the coming months...

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

"C1977. A spin off from a popular TV series which had me glued to the screen. ""The concrete chamber was dank and bare. Caged wall lights glowed a dull red, making areas of shadowy darkness so that it seemed a place without dimensions, a lost corner of a labyrinthine basement stretching for miles beneath the city. Water dripped solemnly, like slow seconds, and there was the sour odour of dampness and decay. ""
"

[Tim Rideout · Rating 3 out of 5]

Workmanlike novelisation of the first four episodes of the first season of Terry Nation’s television series Blake’s 7.

Published in 1977, shortly before the first series was broadcast (in January 1978), the characterisations are dependent upon Nation’s scripting rather than the performances of the various actors involved. This is most obvious in the case of Avon. Hoyle’s characterisation falls a long way short of the intensity and nuance that Paul Darrow brought to the role.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)

I'm finally going through my physical tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.

I'm only adding one book per series (etc.) and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)


First time read the author's work?: N/A

Will you be reading more?: Yes

Would you recommend?: Yes


------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)

All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked

Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was introduced to this cult classic by my dad (who'd loved it when it originally aired) as a kid back in the early 90's when they started to do re-runs of it on the BBC. Was it low budget, even for it's time? Absolutely... but I instantly fell in love with it (I was never a Doctor Who kid). So when I was wandering around Blackwells in Oxford the other day looking for my next Sci-Fi read, imagine my surprise when this lone book popped out on the shelf. I had no idea there were novelisations of it, let alone one that had been republished recently - Obviously this was a no brainer purchase, I think I almost audibly screamed when I noticed it.

What an absolute blast of nostalgia I had with this. If you've seen the first series, it follows it remarkably well. Here's hoping they re-publish the next editions in the series (if they haven't done already!)

Here's to also hoping they do a modern day reboot of this show some day... It's prime for it.

[C.A. A. Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago. When the TV series first came out. Or at least around that time. I never saw the first episode. I caught the TV series from episode 2 and watched episode 3. To my memory, this book form told the story of the entire three episodes starting from the first which was the one I missed. I enjoyed it and remember reading the last part of Cygnus Alpha Penal colony just a short time after watching the TV episode. The book is more enjoyable than the TV show for one reason. Some of the props etc let the TV show down. When you visualise the concept in your mind, you can see and enjoy better. Therefore the book version scores higher than the TV presentation. I still enjoyed the TV show with cheap props etc. But the book is better.

[Michael Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

As said, their first adventure. Blake is framed, past memory treatments still leaving him dangerous to the Federation so he is framed by Tarrant and others and sent to the Prison Planet, along with Avon, Jenna, Vali, Gan and other prisoners. They manage to break free and take over an empty rogue alien craft (the Liberator) and come across some religious crazies. Having dealt with them, they head for a central Federation communications center, intent on destroying it, picking up a capsule en route, which it turns out contains four maddened assassins who attack Gan and Jenna but all turns out well in the end.

[Marleen]

I bought this a while back, not knowing what it was, as one of those mysteriously wrapped blind-date-with-a-book parcels. Finally gave it a go today. Although at first glance I like the setup, the writing was not for me, including the POVs jumping all over the place within paragraphs. I have never seen (or even heard from) the tv show this is a novelization of. If you have seen it, you might enjoy this more maybe.

[Book worm Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite Sci Fi series as an 8 yr old girl ! I fell upon this book when I spotted it in a bookstore and read it in 2 days. The story is the very first episode in the Blake’s 7 tv series and I could see each scene in my mind as I was reading it. One very happy 55 yr old woman was transported back to an 8 yr old girl ! I’m not very good at explaining things but if you are a fellow fan you will understand my joy 😄

[Wil Carpenter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strangely constructed, enjoyable but somewhat lifeless adaptation of four series 1 episodes of the beloved ‘70s science fiction classic, “Blake’s 7,” this novel shows a lot of promise but falls short of fully delivering. Riding high on nostalgia, this should take readers back to those classic early days of the show, though there is something lacking in the overall presentation.

[Ray Smillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to enjoy Blake's 7 despite (or maybe because of) the naff special effects. Haven't seen it in decades so don't recall in detail the storyline but remember the main characters and their mission. Reading reviews I gather this book is the first four episodes gathered together. Looking back I probably bought this when it was originally published then binned it soon after.

[RF Bradford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cult series from my childhood, aged 11 - was glued to Blakes 7.
This book is based on the first series and how Blake escaped captivity to find the Liberator, alien spaceship.
A very easy read and great addition for any Blakes 7 fan.
While the BBC special effects will age, the story does not and that includes this book. If you come a cross a copy, buy it.

[Bernard Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid old school sci fi. I have a few series on DVD and enjoy watching the bad special FX and all.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting stuff! Didn't realise it was a novelization rather than the original, but am more impressed with the writing now I know that. Is this the origin of Timer from Red Dwarf?

[m a cripps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

A great sci-fi read.
I remember watching
Blake's Seven on the TV. I like Star Wars too. And Dr Who.

[Allyn Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great science fiction cheese

What It's lacking in science is made up for with an action packed and fun adventure. It's cheesy and tropey but it's all good fun.

[Mark waite · Rating 4 out of 5]

The classic 1977 novel that starts a series of adventures for the crew of the Liberator

[Kendall Stark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun romp through space. Took a little while to get started, but once it did, it was super fun to read. A perfect example of classic space opera.

[Paul Pryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great accompaniment to the great show!!

[Michael Lasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhh, nostalgia. So good.

[Amy apple · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Great pace.

The writing style was not for me though. Not enough character development, no one was fleshed out and main protagonist was too cliche.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novelisation is the first four episodes of the TV show. Unfortunately it wasn't as good as the old doctor who novelisations I've been reading lately. The nice things about novelisations is they tend to go into more depth, but unfortunately this wasn't really the case with this one. I was hoping for more background on the evil federation, feel more of the oppression of the dystopian Earth. But unfortunately that didn't happen. It also seemed to have been written before the episodes were filmed. (Jenna was described as brunette and Avon was fat). The rest of the descriptions were quite vague Everyone was described simply as "being in their 30s", except the women of course who were all devastatingly beautiful. But it took less time to read than watching the episodes and it reminded me again how much I love this series and how I really should finish watching it. (Besides the last few of series 4 which I've already seen!)

[Sean Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really got into this novel, but probably because of it's nostalgia value for me. I grew up on B7 and finally being able to read it, rather than take in a television series missing a vital component, was a joy to behold.

Gender stereotyping is, of course, alive and well (this is the seventies), after all. Cally and Jenna couldn't appear to be more different, and the threat of the assassins was very real and written with a great deal of tension.

A cult classic, not to be missed by those in the genre for sure.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh I loved this series on TV! Who cares about the cheap dodgy special effects when you had such great characters as Avon and Vila?!! Well, the first two seasons were great anyway, and there were good episodes amongst the poorer bits of season 3 and 4. I had such a crush on Avon! I loved his sarcasm! This was a good novel based on the scripts and it's been on my bookshelves for many years, and I still enjoy reading it.

[Veronica]

I'm adding a shelf for books recommended by the Feminist SciFi blog of books to read this election season.

[William Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good novelizations of the first few episodes of the TV series by Astrophysicist Trevor Hoyle (or if you prefer Trevor Hoyle, the guy who wrote the two Andromeda books :-)

[Yuta Tamberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Entirely too much of the unconvincing drama

[Nanna Sally Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

great fun and a great addition to my collection of Blakes 7 books
Any fan will enjoy it

[Lcc Physics · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant