Thunderbird Five is attacked by an unknown enemy with uncanny powers. An unidentified object is tracked landing in the Gobi desert, but what’s the connection? Scott Tracy races to the scene in the incredible Thunderbird One, but he cannot begin to imagine the terrible danger he is about to encounter. Alone in the barren wilderness, he is possessed by a malevolent intelligence and assigned a fiendish mission - one which, if successful, will have the most terrifying consequences for the entire world. International Rescue are about to face their most astounding adventure yet!
Based on the 1966 novel ‘Thunderbirds’ by John Theydon.
An enjoyable audiobook/audio drama hybrid. It really did feel as if I were listening to a lost episode of the original series.
The voice cast with one exception almost sounded like the originals. I was particulary impressed with Jon Culshaw's Jeff Tracy and Parker and Genevive Gaunt's Lady Penelope.
My only slight criticisms were the voice acting for John Tracy, which to my ears make him sound like Fozzie Bear from the Muppets, and the ratio of narration to dramatic sequences. I feel that sections such as Scott boarding Thunderbird 1 could have been dramatised instead.
These are only minor niggles and I really did enjoy this audiobook/drama and look forward to any projects in this vein which might materialise in the future
As a kid, I was absolutely enthralled with the series Thunderbirds from about 6 or 7 until about 10, by which time Marvel superheroes, Lost in Space and Kamandi (the Last Boy on Earth) took ahold of my imagination. So when I heard this was coming out as an audio-drama, I was thrilled. Big Finish has done a stupendous job of continuing the adventures of Doctor Who (as well as various other TV franchises, including Space: 1999, and some of their own creation as well) that I felt it would be in good and capable hands. Except, this wasn’t produced by Big Finish. It’s actually produced by Anderson Entertainment Productions in affiliation with Big Finish. Okay, okay. That’s certainly not a deal killer. Then I found out that it’s an adaptation of a novel originally released in the 60s. Okay, okay. Not a deal killer. Oh, and it’s basically a kind of hybrid audiobook / audio-drama - now here’s where I started to worry a bit. I’m not as much of a fan of audiobooks, where someone sits in front of a microphone and reads the book. These can be thrilling. But they can also be as dull as listening to paint dry. It’s all about the reader. Supercritical, I know. I tend to lean toward the author reading their own work, or someone who really, really understands the nature of the task at hand. Otherwise - well, it’s not just the voice, it’s what the reader does with their voice that really matters. In the end, I tend to prefer audio-dramas, where the story is not narrated - the whole thing is acted out, with music, sound effects and whole big production values. This is where Big Finish excels. Seriously. But this particular audio release, falls into that odd twilight zone that’s neither a true audio-drama, nor strictly speaking is it a mere audiobook. It’s an audio-hybrid, a bit of both. And again, Big Finish has a pretty darn good track record with this type of production as well. Sigh, okay I’ve rambled on about this long enough, let me wrap this up - Over all I enjoy this, but sadly the performances are a bit TOO much like the old series. While I am certainly pleased that these new performances resonate from the original cast without parroting some kind of impression, the problem is that the stiffness is there as well, and while during the original production it was kind of necessary to match the voice to the marionettes in the 1960s production of the TV series, this newer purely audio production didn’t need to perpetuate that same quality. But, as I said, it does resonate with nostalgia and authenticity, and that makes it enormously entertaining. This brings me too the narrative itself. Originally written as a tie-in novel in the 60s, this adaptation certainly works and feels like it was lifted right from that era. Unfortunately, this also works against the production as it clearly roots the story in the tone and texture of that bygone culture. All-in-all, this is an entertaining, if uninspired, production. Sadly though, there’s nothing truly remarkable to really set it off as unique. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t quite all that I was hoping it might have been.
I’m not sure how much help John Theydon was given in researching the characters, vehicles or settings. This book however, is a great example for how it should be done. Theydon has captured the likenesses of the characters down to a fine needle, and his writing makes you feel like you are reading a true Thunderbirds episode. Another great aspect is that he isn’t constrained to make it one hundred percent accurate to the original source material. A great example of this is when he is describing the launching of the Thunderbirds. A fan might go into immense detail about everything, whereas John Theydon simply describes what needs to be described, and gets on with the story.
There are a few problems. It obvious this story didn’t have enough time to be edited. On occasions the wrong characters are mentioned as talking, and Thunderbird 4 is incorrectly describe as hovering above a reservoir in Thunderbird 2’s place. Smaller things like Thunderbird 4 being describe as green and called Rescue 4, and Lady Penelope knitting, bring you out of the story.
My big problem is that there is a huge plot whole, which I can only fathom one explanation for. While reading the story, I was excited about what was happening, but continually thought, ‘why didn’t he just do this.’
All in all, a fantastic read and is everything the puppet movies should have been.
For those of a certain age, just a mention of Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds offers up an exciting whiff of nostalgia. For this reviewer, it takes one back to my teenage years nearly two decades ago when re-runs of the series on TechTV (as it then was) introduced me to the series as part of my discovering what my British colleagues would call Cult TV. It has also been high on my wishlist for Big Finish to tackle as they've gradually brought to audio more of the Anderson catalog. At long last, the iconic atompunk series comes to audio, with the company distributing the download of Terror From the Stars.
It's worth saying upfront that this release isn't the standard sort of audio drama listeners might expect going into it. Terror From the Stars is more in the vein of the enhanced audiobook format that Big Finish employed in their Doctor Who - The Lost Stories releases featuring the first three Doctors. On the one hand, it features narration and description to fill in more visual moments. On the other hand, it has dramatized scenes as well as both sound effects and a score. The result is a cross between the audiobook and audio drama formats, offering a best of both worlds approach in bringing the story to life.
The story of Terror From the Stars being an adaptation of a novel published in the original TV series heyday and written by John Theydon (which the internet tells me was a pseudonym for the prolific John William Jennison). The plot feels entirely in keeping with the TV series, bringing together elements from across its run, seeing International Rescue dealing first with a mysterious attack on the Thunderbird 5 space station that leads them first to the Gobi Desert and then (of course) to London. In addition to the various Tracy's, Brains, Lady Penelope, Parker, and the villainous Hood feature. It's a story that, in many ways, would have made a fine Thunderbirds feature film, something that this production of it seems to embrace wholeheartedly.
Which isn't to say it's not without faults. Adapted for the enhanced audiobook format by Andrew Clements and running over four hours, there is a sense that it perhaps leans a tad too heavily into being faithful in retaining prose from the novel. That includes lengthy descriptive passages such as Scott Tracy's boarding of Thunderbird 1 that, while neat, slows things down as a listening experience. Or, indeed, given the work that sound designer Benji Clifford has done in releases such as the most recent Third Doctor Adventures set, if some of the things described could have played out in dramatized sequences instead. By and large, under the direction of Samuel Clemens, the release finds a good balance, though the production might be faithful to a fault in places.
Though let there be no doubt it's a solid piece of work. The voice casting alone makes this worth a listen. The ever-reliable Jon Culshaw steps into the roles of the patriarch Jeff Tracy and burglar turned butler Parker, wonderfully bringing both iconic characters to life with the attention previously brought to bear on Doctor Who's icons. The same is true of much of the cast, including Genevieve Gaunt as Lady Penelope, Justin T Lee as Scott Tracy and the Hood, and Wayne Forester as Brains. Some are closer matches to their sixties counterparts than others, but all show respect for the original and are very much in their spirit. Beyond the cast, the sounds of the series are there, too, with Joe Kraemer's music magnificently pastiching the scores of the original series and Clifford's sound design bringing the world to life. So much so that at times one can close one's eyes and imagine it all in the glory of Supermarionation.
While one can fault it perhaps for being too long and bound to the prose of its source novel, there's no doubt that Terror From the Stars has its Supermarionation heart in the right place. And whether you're a fan of the original series looking for a nostalgia rush or someone new to Thunderbirds, chances are this will leave you smiling from ear to ear. Not to mention proclaiming that "THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!"
Apparently, an alien ship of some sort has crash-landed in the Gobi desert and is transmitting a distress signal, so Thunderbird 1 is dispatched to investigate.
Yes, there are aliens--an entire civilization of microscopic beings inside a small container. But the distress signal is a trap. They plan to take over the world by taking over the minds of the human race. They start with Scott Tracy, enslaving his mind and using him to fly the alien container to England. The plan is to dump the aliens into London's water supply, where they can breed and eventually infest mankind through drinking water.
It's an unusual Thunderbirds story, in that it doesn't involve a straightforward rescue. And we don't get to see the vehicles in action as much as we'd like. But it's still fun, with the best sequence being a car chase in which Lady Penelope and her butler Parker are pursing a mind-controlled Scott across England.
There's also an odd but entertaining action scene in which Scott, before he's mind-controlled, has a fight with a mutant mountain goat. That by itself is justification for the book's existence.
First of all, I am probably not in the target audience for this book. However, nostalgia being what it is, it fell neatly into the category of ‘I remember when…’ and for that reason alone I gave it a read.
And it left me feeling underwhelmed.
The story rattles along like a classic episode, and there’s a good deal of location hopping; space, deserts, moorlands, reservoirs. However, there’s also some pretty juvenile writing style with the bad guy talking out loud to himself all the time.
The IR tam are well represented, as are their UK members.
Occasionally there are spurts of evocative writhing, especially when it comes to describing the setting. But these are letdown by shallow plotting.
But the story ends rapidly with no real sense of peril.
As a 12 year old in the 60s I might have thoroughly enjoyed the story. As a 12 year old in the 20s I’m not so sure I would. As it is I’m neither of these. But I can’t honestly give more than 2 stars - short, shallow, and ultimately unsatisfying. Sorry.
Really well produced adaptation of a sixties Thunderbirds book. The cast is well chosen and the choice of Justin T Lee as Kyrano and the Hood helps add some genuine Asian representation. Jon Culshaw is perfect as Jeff Tracy and Parker. And Genevieve Gaunt adds class as Lady Penelope although I don't remember the character having quite such a pronounced speech impediment. If I have any quibbles it is with the source material and while Sci-fi elements sit well with other Anderson shows I always feel that the more grounded approach of Thunderbirds gave it a more realistic feel. I suppose they could have changed it but then it wouldn't have been true to the original story. Very enjoyable and entertaining :)
Adapting a 1960s book into an audio drama was probably the best way to capture the feel of Thunderbirds - and Big Finish succeeded in what they set out to do. The problem is, going this route instead of coming up with a new story has meant that the 1960s Orientalism and sexism is still heavy and present. I also felt that this should have been much shorter, since it dragged a lot... something closer to the length of an original episode would have been better.
I discovered the Gerry Anderson website and app, (who knew!), where they sell all things Anderson.
This novella is about an attempted alien invasion of Earth, and it's up to International Rescue to save the day. It was a light, easy read. I could picture the puppets in the story, and hear the voices in the dialogue.
Yes, I officially declare myself to be a lost cause, in what must be my 21st childhood. 🤣🤣
A quick easy read for anyone who enjoyed the original series. Unfortunately for me the alien aspect felt too unrealistic which an odd thing to say when it comes to the futuristic world of thunderbirds. However it just didn’t feel to me quite in line with the tv series. I appreciated that thunderbird 5 station was incorporated and we got to know all of the characters within the book. Unlike the tv show it was nice to really get some inside thoughts from the characters.
Published in 1989, I purchased this on eBay for the price of postage only, last year. Only 120 pages this book is fast-paced and involves a potential alien invasion. All Thunderbird characters are involved and all 5 Thunderbirds too. Being used to the TV series I found it hard to read Jeff Tracy being angry and Scott and Brains almost on the verge of an argument. But as I said it is fast-paced and reads ok. Lady Penelope and Parker were great.
Took me right back to my childhood watching Thunderbirds on a Saturday morning. The story is standard Thunderbirds fayre, and although there were some errors like saying Thunderbird 4 was hovering over a reservoir when it should have been Thunderbird 2, it was an enjoyable and nostalgic read.
Vintage copy published in 1966 found in a second hand book shop on Orkney.
The story in this book is in the spirit of the show. Seems to be set amongst the early episodes of Thunderbirds. Aliens are part of this plot which is different to my memory of the show focussed on earthly problems. Fun story though.
Though based on a "children's show", the book is well written, as the Tracy family find themselves in the way of an alien invasion of Earth by things that can take over people's minds. The Hood complicates things, not realising what is going on.
The ending is disappointing. It's almost as if the author didn't know how to finish the story and as a consequence poor Gordon is left with no part of the action! Up to that it was very good reading.
Oh dear! It started so well for the first half. Reading through grinning, feeling like the setup for a lost thunderbirds episode but with peril thrown onto the Tracy brothers themselves! Drama on the rarely seen Thunderbird five, exotic dessert locations, grapples with that dastardly Hood and later on an exciting chase in FAB 1 with Penny and Parker.
However, from the halfway mark when an alien appears with alien tech I had to keep checking the front cover to make sure I wasn’t reading somewhat flat episode episode of Captain Scarlet. Any mention of Scott Tracy could have easily been replaced with Captain Blue. Heck, they’re even calling him Earthman (!) the title the Mysterons assign to all humans.
So far off the mark with the Thunderbirds premise… this book featured no rescue attempts or any members of the public in peril. This is the core of Thunderbirds. How can the author who had an excellent grasp of the character traits, replicating their turns of phrase and dialogue with so many on-point touches of Anderson humour in the dialogue then take the story into this alternative angle?
Another thing that made Thunderbirds great, was it’s grounding to ‘reality’ albeit a vision of 2065 with advanced tech. It was good clean family fun and excitement. The novels addition of a darker tone, bloodied civilians and bringing in extra terrestrial life, forcefields and alien tech would be at home in nearly every other Gerry Anderson production… apart from Thunderbirds.
A real shame to stray so far from what Thunderbirds was, feeling closer to an episode of Captain Scarlet or UFO with a member of Spectrum or SHADO under the influence of their foe. The even bigger surprise he was given permission to write further stories for Thunderbirds. I only hope they will be more grounded with the source material.
Reprint of the 1966 title 'Thunderbirds', with a few - very minor - tweaks to bring it more in line with today's environment of political correctness - the Tracys are no longer allowed to call Tin-Tin 'honey', The Hood can't get away with calling Lady Penelope 'the girl', and no-one can comment "It's queer," meaning something is strange or odd - all perfectly acceptable things in the 1960s, not so much now. A solid, enjoyable story, with characters that are closely mapped to that of the TV show, the only thing that feels like a mis-step is having Scott play the piano, where as the TV has Virgil in sole possession. Nothing feels like padding to round out pages, and there is no need to retcon in a story point into the TV continuity.