Space: 1999 The Armageddon Engine

by James Swallow

Adrift in deep space, Commander John Koenig and the people of Moonbase Alpha face an uncertain fate when a planet-killing alien weapon at the heart of a sinister cloud diverts their lost Moon on to a fatal trajectory.

As each moment brings the Moon closer to total obliteration, Koenig leads a desperate mission into the unknown to save all life on Alpha. Does hope lie among a rag-tag colony of refugees hiding in the shadow of devastation? Or can the Alphans find a path into the heart of the war machine and end its destructive rampage? With time running out, the answer will mean the difference between survival… or annihilation.

132 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2024

About the author

James Swallow is a New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author and scriptwriter, a BAFTA nominee, a former journalist and the award-winning writer of over sixty-five books, along with scripts for video games, comics, radio and television.

DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.

Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.

For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow

Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.

You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.

Reviews

[Ade Couper · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem with this story is that it was done in Season 1's "The Infernal Machine"....

[Valerio Pastore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoiler: se qualcuno conosce l'episodio "Gli occhi di Tritone" (Ring Around the Moon), saprà dove si va a parare con questa novella che, finalmente, sotto la gestione della Anderson Entertainment, riapre il ciclo delle produzioni originali!
Diciamo, anzi, che siamo decisamente sul derivativo andante!
Non importa che non sia un romanzo full-length, "The Armageddon Engine", in cui la Luna è minacciata da una mostruosità capace di divorare interi pianeti, è perfettamente bilanciato per offrire un'esperienza di lettura come la visione di un episodio della prima stagione. Si divora d'un fiato, ti tiene incollato alle pagine, e ti lascia con quella gran voglia di averne ancora!
Certo, da una parte dispiace che a Powys Media non abbiano rinnovato la licenza, i loro lavori originali erano cosa di un certo pregio, narrativamente parlando, ma importa che ora si ricominci, e proprio sotto l'egida della casa di produzione che diede vita a questa stupenda saga, quasi 50 anni fa!

[The Void Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Space: 1999 - The Armageddon Engine" by James Swallow is a thrilling addition to the beloved Space: 1999 universe. Swallow masterfully expands on the lore of Moonbase Alpha, delivering a gripping story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The new adventures of Commander John Koenig and his crew are filled with tension, intrigue, and heart-pounding action. The introduction of the Armageddon Engine—a planet-killing alien weapon—adds a fresh and ominous threat that the crew must face. Swallow's writing brings the characters to life, making their struggles and triumphs resonate deeply. Fans of the original series will love this new chapter, and newcomers will find themselves quickly drawn into the captivating world of Space: 1999. Highly recommended for any sci-fi enthusiast!

[Daniel Pitterman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a new Space 1999 book. I found out in a Space 1999 facebook group. Finally something good from facebook.

It is set in Year 1. It is actually more of a short novella than a book. Not a particularly groundbreaking story but it was fun to revisit the Moonbase Alpha crew. If you are a fan of the show, you will enjoy spending a few hours with some friends from 50 years ago. 🤯

[David M.Merchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have made a good Space: 1999 movie.

[George W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, captured the feel for Space: 1999, except for a few quibbles on my part with Bergman’s dialog.