Blackpool Vanishes

by Richard Francis

This science fiction mystery, a first novel, covers a wide from poetry to the civil service, from childhood trauma to senile jealousy, from the philosophical significance of Rugby League to the possibility of colonisation by minute beings in flying saucers

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

191 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1979

About the author

The idea for writing TEAM came after the 9/11 attacks when
search and rescue dogs were used to find victims and possible survivors in the rubble. Why not have a dog help find the hostages and rescue them with his handler. On hikes and walks I would carry a note book and write down ideas for the story. And of course my inspiration and co-worker LT. has been to all my booksignings and also signs the book.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some strange books sitting on my book shelves and this is one of them.

Principally a resident of Blackpool sends most of is life seeing tiny flying saucers and reporting them to the Foreign Office and then one day Blackpool disappears. Mixed with this are a variety of characters from holiday makers in Blackpool, to an out-posted staff of the Foreign Office in the countryside, who try to solve the disappearance and to a murder and the accompanying mystery.

Not sure about this book - The chapters see the story jump around and sometimes its easy to get lost as we jump from one place to another, one place to another. Still not sure what actual happened to the alien point of view, but if I say more that would be giving too many spoilers!! Hopefully I'll stick it away and try again in a few years.

[Bruce Marsland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this a few years ago but did not get more than half way through. I thought this was strange, because it is a short book, at less than 200 pages, and the reviews in the blurb spoke eloquently about the vivid imagination and wit. Returning to it after a long gap, and starting all over again, I realised why it was difficult for me to engage with the narrative. The concept may be intriguing, and the mix of naturalism and sci-fi may be entertaining, but I found it hard work to connect with the characters. No sooner had an apparently key character appeared than they seemed to disappear again. The result was a broken flow without a compelling hook beyond the main theme. And the resolution turned out to have the feel of an anti-climax, too. All in all, flawed but worth dipping into.