Countdown to Action

Thunderbirds FTL #1

by Joan Marie Verba

After his wife dies in a tragic accident, astronaut Jeff Tracy is left with five young sons to raise. But he turns his grief into a to create an organization which will rescue people that no one else can reach. He builds a business which creates the new technology that the organization will require and earns the billions he needs to finance it. At last, he is ready to put it all together. He enlists the services of a genius to design aircraft and supporting machinery far beyond the standards of his time. Together, they find a Pacific island to use as the base for their operations. Jeff asks his five sons, now grown, to give up promising careers to build the base, operate the machines, and serve in his organization. But he finds that in order to make his dream a reality, it will require sacrifice, courage, and determination...far beyond what he, or his sons, ever expected. Can they make International Rescue a reality, and what will it take to make the fantastic Thunderbird machines go?

176 pages, Paperback

First published June 6, 2008

About the author

Joan Marie Verba earned a bachelor of physics degree from the University of Minnesota and attended the graduate school of astronomy at Indiana University, where she was an associate instructor of astronomy for one year. She has worked as a computer programmer, editor, publisher, health/weight loss coach, social media manager, and web developer. An experienced writer, she is the author of the nonfiction books Voyager: Exploring the Outer Planets and Boldly Writing, as well as the novels Countdown to Action, Action Alert, Deadly Danger, Situation: Critical, Extreme Hazard, Danger Zone, Defying the Ghosts, and Sword of Queens, plus numerous short stories and articles. She is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.

Reviews

[Amanda Bartoszek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the classic children's adventure show (starring marionettes), this novel tells the backstory behind International Rescue and their Thunderbirds ships. We discover what motivated former astronaut Jeff Tracy and his sons to create private, secret organization dedicated to rescuing people from disasters around the planet. We also learn how they meet supporting characters Kyrano, Tin-Tin, Lady Penelope and Parker. Finally, we also see how the ships and their secret base were constructed, and uncover the motivation behind recurring villain The Hood.

This books is very much a prequel, setting up the stuff fans will have already seen on the show. As a result, some elements (particularly the Hood) get set up but never quite pay off. Also, while we see the setup and get some pretty detailed descriptions of the Thunderbirds vehicles and their functions, as well as Tracy Island, we don't really see them in action that much. So it's a pretty atypical Thunderbirds story, and may appeal more to longtime fans than folks unfamiliar with the series. Having said that, I can't imagine too many people buying/reading this book who aren't already Thunderbirds fans, so that's probably not a big issue.

The author, Joan Marie Verba, is clearly one of those fans. The writing is occasionally clunky, and her detailed descriptions of the design and functions of the Thunderbirds and all the gadgets on Tracy Island certainly don't help to speed the pace. However, as the title says, this is merely the countdown to action, and it's fine that it's a slow, deliberate build-up to everything that comes next.

If I have one major criticism, it's that the characters aren't particularly fleshed out. However, I even have mixed feeling about that, since a novel based on a TV show should be true to that show. Is it a problem if the characters come across as stiff and wooden in the book, when that's what they literally were on the show? I guess the one change I would wish for is some more depth to patriarch Jeff Tracy. While we see his sons go through some trials and tests of faith, it would have been nice to have seen him go through the same sort of thing.

Having said that, when she's trying, Ms Verba really was able to evoke real emotion. Lucy Tracy's death scene actually brought tears to my eyes. Between stuff like that, and her fantastic evocation of the images of the TV series, I felt that she really wrote a successful Thunderbirds novel. I eagerly look forward to reading the next book, to see how she handles a more traditional Thunderbirds story, now that the groundwork has been laid.

[Kim Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this yesterday to my friend's grandson. He's laid up in bed following an operation and he wouldn't let me stop reading until I finished the book! I have to say, that as someone who grew up watching the original series of Thunderbirds I actually enjoyed reading this story. The characters seem pretty much as I remember them and he enjoyed the book so much he now wants to watch the original series. I simply had to give it 5 stars!

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Science Fiction - great font for reluctant readers
Jeff Tracy loses his wife in an automobile accident and is left to raise his 5 boys on his own - his goal in life is to establish a group that can rescue people in situations that there is no hope for rescue. His boys help him build such a group using technology from the future.