U. F. O.: 1

by Robert Miall

Based on classic Sci-Fi television program of the same name.

Genres: Science Fiction

127 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 1970

About the author

"Robert Miall" was one of the pen names of British author John Burke.

Reviews

[Tim Deforest · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first of two books novelizing episodes from the Gerry Anderson science fiction series. This one takes elements from four different episodes, including one in which a new recruit is brought into SHADO (the organization fighting a secret war against alien invaders), which is used to set up the premise.

The book might have worked better if it had been clearly divided into four short stories (such as was done in James Blish's Star Trek books), as it reads a bit disjointed as a supposedly single novel. Or perhaps it would have been better to take one episode and expand it into to short novel length by itself.

As it is, we get the new recruit, then we get a story about recovering the body of an alien for the first time--and discovering that at least one reason they come to Earth is to harvest human organs for their own use. Then there's an attempt to drive a UFO back to its home world while using a new super-telescope to track it. Then we jump into an incident in which a member of SHADO is accused of selling secrets. Each of these elements are fine by themselves, but there's nothing (other than the general premise) to link them together into a single cohesive plot.

Still, I had fun reading it. U.F.O. wasn't a great show, but (as is true with all Gerry Anderson shows) the vehicle and base designs were pretty cool. It was pleasant enough to re-visit that universe in book form.

[Karen Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good adaptation of several episodes from the classic 1969-70 science fiction television series. The show, set a decade ahead in 1980, revolved around SHADO, a secret agency tasked with identifying and stopping aliens who were abducting humans to use for transplants to keep their dying species from extinction. SHADO, commanded by American Ed Straker, has its headquarters under a working film studio outside London. It also has plenty of futuristic weapons at its disposal to hunt UFOs, including submarines equipped with a fighter jet on its nose and a fully functional moonbase armed with space interceptors.

The series was best known for its special effects done with models, a process perfected by producer Gerry Anderson in his earlier shows that featured puppets instead of love actors, including the well known Thunderbirds. Anderson would later produce another classic SF series, Space:1999.

I will readily admit that I love the series, having gotten the DVD several years ago, so reading the novel is like visiting an old friend. If you aren't familiar with the series, it's a great introduction to a program that was ahead of its time and certainly deserved more than the single season it was produced.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Foster is sure whatever shot his plan out of the sky, killing his friend with it, was alien in nature, and his investigation leads to a secret organization, S.H.A.D.O, that is tasked with defending Earth in the wake of extraterrestrial attacks, where he begins training to help protect the planet. Miall provides science fiction fans a concise and decently suspenseful adaptation of the titular show, though suffers from rushed pacing and of poor humour.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This show was sort of X-Files crossed with Space 1999 with purple hair and short skirts .
The interceptors were awesome