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The Starcrossed
Bova served as the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode (1973). His novel The Starcrossed, loosely based on his experiences, featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. Bova dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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178 people want to read
About the author
Ben Bova
715 books1,040 followersBen Bova was born on November 8, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1953, while attending Temple University, he married Rosa Cucinotta, they had a son and a daughter. He would later divorce Rosa in 1974. In that same year he married Barbara Berson Rose.
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 15, 2014
Vaguely remembering having this book described to me, I took an old, mangled copy of The Starcrossed from the shelf. I chuckled at the resemblance to Harlan Ellison with regard to one of the characters depicted on the cover, but didn’t really think anything of it until I reached the description of a certain door as “…more ornately carved that Queequeeg’s sarcophagus.” (p. 28). “That’s Harlan’s door!” my mind shouted to me. As the saying goes, the penny dropped, and I remembered that Ben Bova not only knew Harlan Ellison but that Ben’s late wife, the beautiful Barbara, was acquainted with him, as well. Could this character be a parody of Harlan?
As the pages unfolded, I realized that this was, indeed, a character based on the young and angry Harlan Ellison. Even references to the fictional Ron Gilbert’s writing called back memories of Harlan’s titles. I mean, doesn’t “The Beast that Had No Mouth” remind you of “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” or “Repent…” something about a watchmaker remind you of “’Repent, Harlequin!’ said the Ticktockman” (p. 32)? How about, “…a short story of mine based on a giant pterodactyl that attacks New York City” (p. 33).
A giant studio is on its last legs and needs a hit. For all the wrong reasons, the studio opts to produce the show in Canada. Financial shortcuts and corporate skullduggery enter into the picture to further complicate matters. The technology seems to be the only solid element to the show since the actors cannot bring the bowdlerized scripts to life. Disaster follows disaster such that this account would be funny even without the veneer of science-fiction with which Bova adorns this mildly disguised tale of entertainment industry disaster.
Okay, I guess I’m really dense. In the novel, the 3D holographic series production moves to Canada to save money and a lot of the expectations for the series making money is based on a specific piece of technology. Oh, no! Didn’t Ellison work on a series in Canada? Didn’t Ben Bova serve as scientific advisor? Wasn’t there a cool technology involved from special effects guru Doug Trumbull known as “Magicam?” Oh, no! The name of that series was “The Starlost.” I was completely taken in. “The Starlost” was funded by 20th Century Fox which had just scored with “The Poseidon Adventure” about a doomed cruise liner. “The Starcrossed” series in the novel was to be produced by Titanic Productions. Harlan Ellison substituted his “Cordwainer Bird” pen name for his own when “The Starlost” came on Canadian television while Ron Gilbert substitutes his “Victor Lawrence Talbot Frankenstein” pseudonym for “The Starcrossed” script (p. 183). Both writers, real and fictional, end up winning writing awards for the original, uncut script. Ellison was to duplicate that feat with the “City on the Edge of Forever” Star Trek script as it stood before it reached network censors.
Yet, for all the “real-life” bitterness satirized in the book, there are enough genuinely funny moments that even those who weren’t aware of the ill-fated Canadian television series will enjoy reading The Starcrossed. I particularly liked the stereotype of the …er…”titanic” television critic: “Gloria Glory possessed a megatonnage unapproached by any other columnist. Her viewers were fanatically devoted to her: what Gloria said was ‘in’ was in; who Gloria said was ‘out’ went hungry. So, words such as fat, overweight, and diet had long since disappeared from Gloria’s world. They were as unspoken near her as descriptions of nasal protuberances went unsaid near Cyrano de Bergerac.” (p. 168)
The Starcrossed isn’t Ben Bova’s best novel by any means, but it is probably his funniest. And, it must have been a great catharsis for him to write it.
As the pages unfolded, I realized that this was, indeed, a character based on the young and angry Harlan Ellison. Even references to the fictional Ron Gilbert’s writing called back memories of Harlan’s titles. I mean, doesn’t “The Beast that Had No Mouth” remind you of “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” or “Repent…” something about a watchmaker remind you of “’Repent, Harlequin!’ said the Ticktockman” (p. 32)? How about, “…a short story of mine based on a giant pterodactyl that attacks New York City” (p. 33).
A giant studio is on its last legs and needs a hit. For all the wrong reasons, the studio opts to produce the show in Canada. Financial shortcuts and corporate skullduggery enter into the picture to further complicate matters. The technology seems to be the only solid element to the show since the actors cannot bring the bowdlerized scripts to life. Disaster follows disaster such that this account would be funny even without the veneer of science-fiction with which Bova adorns this mildly disguised tale of entertainment industry disaster.
Okay, I guess I’m really dense. In the novel, the 3D holographic series production moves to Canada to save money and a lot of the expectations for the series making money is based on a specific piece of technology. Oh, no! Didn’t Ellison work on a series in Canada? Didn’t Ben Bova serve as scientific advisor? Wasn’t there a cool technology involved from special effects guru Doug Trumbull known as “Magicam?” Oh, no! The name of that series was “The Starlost.” I was completely taken in. “The Starlost” was funded by 20th Century Fox which had just scored with “The Poseidon Adventure” about a doomed cruise liner. “The Starcrossed” series in the novel was to be produced by Titanic Productions. Harlan Ellison substituted his “Cordwainer Bird” pen name for his own when “The Starlost” came on Canadian television while Ron Gilbert substitutes his “Victor Lawrence Talbot Frankenstein” pseudonym for “The Starcrossed” script (p. 183). Both writers, real and fictional, end up winning writing awards for the original, uncut script. Ellison was to duplicate that feat with the “City on the Edge of Forever” Star Trek script as it stood before it reached network censors.
Yet, for all the “real-life” bitterness satirized in the book, there are enough genuinely funny moments that even those who weren’t aware of the ill-fated Canadian television series will enjoy reading The Starcrossed. I particularly liked the stereotype of the …er…”titanic” television critic: “Gloria Glory possessed a megatonnage unapproached by any other columnist. Her viewers were fanatically devoted to her: what Gloria said was ‘in’ was in; who Gloria said was ‘out’ went hungry. So, words such as fat, overweight, and diet had long since disappeared from Gloria’s world. They were as unspoken near her as descriptions of nasal protuberances went unsaid near Cyrano de Bergerac.” (p. 168)
The Starcrossed isn’t Ben Bova’s best novel by any means, but it is probably his funniest. And, it must have been a great catharsis for him to write it.
August 13, 2013
**A Reader's Guide to THE STARCROSSED by Ben Bova**
Ben Bova's THE STARCROSSED is a slight but delightful novel detailing the (mis)adventures of a group of Hollywood industry pros as they attempt to create a new science fiction TV series. As some other reviewers here have pointed out, the story has the feel of an extended in-joke, which in fact it is. Fortunately it's not very "in," and a small amount of fun preparation will assist contemporary readers in getting the humor and the most important references. There are two preliminary steps any prospective reader of the novel should take before opening it.
1) Watch an episode of THE STARLOST, a notoriously terrible 1970s TV series created by Harlan Ellison but, due to interference of many kinds, soon disowned by him--which is why his credit reads "Created by Cordwainer Bird," Ellison's dismissive pseudonym. THE STARLOST is available on DVD and entire episodes can be viewed on YouTube. I recommend (if that's the word) the pilot, "Voyage of Discovery." It represents 49 minutes of your life you'll never get back, but it's amusing in a ghastly sort of way.
2) Read Ellison's essay "Somehow, I Don't Think We in Kansas, Toto," available in several of the author's books including STALKING THE NIGHTMARE and THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON. It details, often hilariously, the real-life saga behind the making--and undoing--of THE STARLOST.
Once you've completed these steps, you'll be ready to enjoy Bova's amusing novel. Keep in mind as you read that "Ron Gabriel" is Bova's Ellison character--it should be obvious--and that Bova himself, who was the mostly-ignored science advisor on THE STARLOST, appears as "Bill Oxnard."
The novel, it should be noted, is only marginally science fiction, despite the marketing claims of the original hardcover edition's dust jacket. The book is set in the near-future, but other than 3-D television and L.A. smog clouds that are now perfumed, there's little extrapolation of anything here. THE STARCROSSED is a Hollywood showbiz satire, and a good one. Not a great one, admittedly, but then the original situation bordered so much on the satirical to begin with that perhaps it was impossible to really satirize it totally effectively. Yet it's a fun novel, especially if you know the background.
Once upon a time, of course, the events behind the misbegotten STARLOST series were well-known, but now they've faded into history, as has Bova's novel. The book is long out of print (though it can be had in a Kindle edition as part of a Bova omnibus called LAUGH LINES). But for fans of Ben Bova, Harlan Ellison, and the stranger byways of 1970s television, THE STARCROSSED is well worth a look.
Ben Bova's THE STARCROSSED is a slight but delightful novel detailing the (mis)adventures of a group of Hollywood industry pros as they attempt to create a new science fiction TV series. As some other reviewers here have pointed out, the story has the feel of an extended in-joke, which in fact it is. Fortunately it's not very "in," and a small amount of fun preparation will assist contemporary readers in getting the humor and the most important references. There are two preliminary steps any prospective reader of the novel should take before opening it.
1) Watch an episode of THE STARLOST, a notoriously terrible 1970s TV series created by Harlan Ellison but, due to interference of many kinds, soon disowned by him--which is why his credit reads "Created by Cordwainer Bird," Ellison's dismissive pseudonym. THE STARLOST is available on DVD and entire episodes can be viewed on YouTube. I recommend (if that's the word) the pilot, "Voyage of Discovery." It represents 49 minutes of your life you'll never get back, but it's amusing in a ghastly sort of way.
2) Read Ellison's essay "Somehow, I Don't Think We in Kansas, Toto," available in several of the author's books including STALKING THE NIGHTMARE and THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON. It details, often hilariously, the real-life saga behind the making--and undoing--of THE STARLOST.
Once you've completed these steps, you'll be ready to enjoy Bova's amusing novel. Keep in mind as you read that "Ron Gabriel" is Bova's Ellison character--it should be obvious--and that Bova himself, who was the mostly-ignored science advisor on THE STARLOST, appears as "Bill Oxnard."
The novel, it should be noted, is only marginally science fiction, despite the marketing claims of the original hardcover edition's dust jacket. The book is set in the near-future, but other than 3-D television and L.A. smog clouds that are now perfumed, there's little extrapolation of anything here. THE STARCROSSED is a Hollywood showbiz satire, and a good one. Not a great one, admittedly, but then the original situation bordered so much on the satirical to begin with that perhaps it was impossible to really satirize it totally effectively. Yet it's a fun novel, especially if you know the background.
Once upon a time, of course, the events behind the misbegotten STARLOST series were well-known, but now they've faded into history, as has Bova's novel. The book is long out of print (though it can be had in a Kindle edition as part of a Bova omnibus called LAUGH LINES). But for fans of Ben Bova, Harlan Ellison, and the stranger byways of 1970s television, THE STARCROSSED is well worth a look.
May 28, 2023
I have a soft spot for this one, because I have a love for techie tales of behind-the-scenes TV series stories. This one does read, now that I'm older, as a piece of True Story Hollywood fic, in some ways; but it's so funny, and the tropes of different scifi series are used to such fun effect, that you probably won't care. In a near future with rejuvenating youth treatments, really great cameras, and the same kinds of people, a little scifi show that started off as one thing morphs into a totally different genre with the efforts of its director, scheming assistant producer, stars, blackmailed headwriter, technical advisor, and the VP of programming. The characters are what makes it; there's a trio of people to root for, and a couple of very amusingly hissable villains. If you've ever been any kind of scifi TV fan, you'll find this an enjoyable read.
April 20, 2022
This book is hilarious, but ONLY if you’re in on the real-life production the book is inspired by.
In the near future, Los Angeles is a polluted hellscape. Things are so bad the smog is given a different scent every day as a public service, and landscapers paint the grass green because real foliage does not grow anymore. The coastline of California is lined with oil rigs that spew pollution but locals take it in stride as the only way to fuel our modern world.
Naturally, people need a distraction from all of this. Enter three-dee television.
Bill Oxnard invented the system that makes holographic projection possible, and he’s been hired as a science consultant on a new three-dee TV production called The Starcrossed. It’s the brainchild of one Ron Gabriel, a writer who has a reputation as difficult to work with and too horny for his own good. His idea is to remake Romeo and Juliet... in space!
But there are other forces at work. Producers have their own agenda, directors also have their own goals, nobody really understands the concept. The producers hire actors who will get them press but can’t perform for a damn and also don’t understand what they’re performing. Oxnard tries to consult them on the technical aspects of the concept only to be met with ridicule. Gabriel also tries to steer the show and guide the actors to believe they’re 700 years in the future and this is a drama in space, but nobody seems to care.
Ron Gabriel believes so hard in his show, but he is unable to write any episodes himself due to the producers tying his hands (and quite literally locking him in his hotel room so he can’t flee). He tries to write good material to produce, but nobody on the production side is interested in that.
The series degenerates into politics and money laundering and backstage squabbling. In the end, The Starcrossed is terrible, but somehow—thanks to all that politics and backstage squabbling—it still manages to make money, leading to a bitter ending in which nobody really suffers any consequences, the people involved might manage to survive and may even advance within the system, and showbusiness continues on.
I giggled while reading this. Ron Gabriel as a caricature of Harlan Ellison (the real-life writer who attempted to head the real-life production of The Starlost, which this book parodies) is spot on. Gabriel is intensely protective of his writing and wants the show to be successful, but he falls in love with every woman he sees and his libido gets the best of him, which means he is easily manipulated by Hollywood producers.
I imagine Ellison must have known this to be accurate. Indeed I only read the book because of The Ellison Collection (goodreads link). (And after watching the first episode of The Starlost. Look it up. It’s painful.)
Meanwhile everyone else is trying to navigate the politics of a TV production. Some come out ahead. Most do not. What about the show itself? That’s inconsequential. It somehow ends up earning money, despite being so bad on so many levels. That’s how the entertainment industry works. Doesn’t matter if the show is good or not. Doesn’t matter if audiences like it or not. All that matters is how well you play politics.
Hollywood hasn’t changed much since this book was written, or since The Starlost entered production. I enjoyed The Starcrossed. Was hard to put down for just how absurd and believable it is. Taking Romeo and Juliet and making a space-opera out of it isn’t a bad concept for a series, and to watch how Hollywood messes up a perfectly good show and screws over not only the writer who wants to do a good job, but the science consultant who everyone laughs at because he knows what he’s talking about and his knowledge interferes with what the crafts department is doing, makes it all the more hilariously painful.
Doesn’t matter if it’s well-written or not—doesn’t matter if the science is accurate or not—all that matters is if you secure the right advertising and the right stars and the right publicity. Even if it’s bad, your bad sci-fi series could still turn a profit.
It may take place in “the future,” but not much has changed in the entertainment biz. Not much at all.
In the near future, Los Angeles is a polluted hellscape. Things are so bad the smog is given a different scent every day as a public service, and landscapers paint the grass green because real foliage does not grow anymore. The coastline of California is lined with oil rigs that spew pollution but locals take it in stride as the only way to fuel our modern world.
Naturally, people need a distraction from all of this. Enter three-dee television.
Bill Oxnard invented the system that makes holographic projection possible, and he’s been hired as a science consultant on a new three-dee TV production called The Starcrossed. It’s the brainchild of one Ron Gabriel, a writer who has a reputation as difficult to work with and too horny for his own good. His idea is to remake Romeo and Juliet... in space!
But there are other forces at work. Producers have their own agenda, directors also have their own goals, nobody really understands the concept. The producers hire actors who will get them press but can’t perform for a damn and also don’t understand what they’re performing. Oxnard tries to consult them on the technical aspects of the concept only to be met with ridicule. Gabriel also tries to steer the show and guide the actors to believe they’re 700 years in the future and this is a drama in space, but nobody seems to care.
Ron Gabriel believes so hard in his show, but he is unable to write any episodes himself due to the producers tying his hands (and quite literally locking him in his hotel room so he can’t flee). He tries to write good material to produce, but nobody on the production side is interested in that.
The series degenerates into politics and money laundering and backstage squabbling. In the end, The Starcrossed is terrible, but somehow—thanks to all that politics and backstage squabbling—it still manages to make money, leading to a bitter ending in which nobody really suffers any consequences, the people involved might manage to survive and may even advance within the system, and showbusiness continues on.
I giggled while reading this. Ron Gabriel as a caricature of Harlan Ellison (the real-life writer who attempted to head the real-life production of The Starlost, which this book parodies) is spot on. Gabriel is intensely protective of his writing and wants the show to be successful, but he falls in love with every woman he sees and his libido gets the best of him, which means he is easily manipulated by Hollywood producers.
[Ron] turned and surveyed the [airport] waiting area of Gate 26. Two hundred eleven people sitting there, going slowly insane with boredom and uncertainly. Gabriel had already made dates with seventeen of the likeliest-looking girls, including the chunky security guard who ran the magnetic weapons detector.
I imagine Ellison must have known this to be accurate. Indeed I only read the book because of The Ellison Collection (goodreads link). (And after watching the first episode of The Starlost. Look it up. It’s painful.)
Meanwhile everyone else is trying to navigate the politics of a TV production. Some come out ahead. Most do not. What about the show itself? That’s inconsequential. It somehow ends up earning money, despite being so bad on so many levels. That’s how the entertainment industry works. Doesn’t matter if the show is good or not. Doesn’t matter if audiences like it or not. All that matters is how well you play politics.
Hollywood hasn’t changed much since this book was written, or since The Starlost entered production. I enjoyed The Starcrossed. Was hard to put down for just how absurd and believable it is. Taking Romeo and Juliet and making a space-opera out of it isn’t a bad concept for a series, and to watch how Hollywood messes up a perfectly good show and screws over not only the writer who wants to do a good job, but the science consultant who everyone laughs at because he knows what he’s talking about and his knowledge interferes with what the crafts department is doing, makes it all the more hilariously painful.
Doesn’t matter if it’s well-written or not—doesn’t matter if the science is accurate or not—all that matters is if you secure the right advertising and the right stars and the right publicity. Even if it’s bad, your bad sci-fi series could still turn a profit.
It may take place in “the future,” but not much has changed in the entertainment biz. Not much at all.
May 7, 2025
From the JetBlackDragonfly book blog at www.edenthompson.ca/blog
Ben Bova is a favourite science fiction writer of mine. I enjoy the mixture of space exploration with technical side of human colonization. His Grand Tour series includes Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mars, Mercury, etc. What I liked about Mars was, when they get there, it was about survival and seeking life - even the tiniest signs of water.
I also love low-budget science fiction TV, which brings us to The Starlost. Created by science fiction writer Harlan Ellison, the special effects wizard from 2001: A Space Odyssey Douglas Trumbull, and science consultant Ben Bova, The Starlost was an hour-long TV series shot in 1973. It showed in syndication but was produced by Canada's number two network, CTV, so you know it's going to be super quality already! The legend is they created this great show idea, and once it was sold, there was no budget, so they had minimal sets, bad scripts, and no time for retakes (Camera appeared in the shot? Don't worry about it). They'd shoot it fast, show it once on TV, and everyone moves on.
Today, The Starlost is available on a 16-show, 4-disc remastered DVD. Yes, the sets are one step above cardboard (such as upside-down plastic garbage cans to create a space console), and the acting is almost non-existent, but it has an endearing charm.
Harlan Ellison removed his name from the credits (they used the pseudonym Cordwainer Bird), and Ben Bova was so angry at being involved he wrote a rare comedic novel The Starcrossed.
The future of TV is 3-D. Recycling an idea they couldn't sell, a new 3-D TV show based on an outer space Romeo and Juliet ius developed. To save money Titanic Productions decides to film in Canada, as it's even easier than Mexico. The producer's latest girlfriend is hired as the starlet and a Canadian hockey star is signed to play Romeo, never mind he has a thick French accent and can barely read. The scripts are written by high school students in a contest. Before they start filming, the studio sees it will be a flop and bets all the production money on a football game. The crew is left to put together some kind of show, which gets released to scathing reviews.
Pretty funny scenarios and crazy characters. If you know the history that came before The Starcrossed novel it's even funnier. This was a light, so-bad-it's-good diversion.
Ben Bova is a favourite science fiction writer of mine. I enjoy the mixture of space exploration with technical side of human colonization. His Grand Tour series includes Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mars, Mercury, etc. What I liked about Mars was, when they get there, it was about survival and seeking life - even the tiniest signs of water.
I also love low-budget science fiction TV, which brings us to The Starlost. Created by science fiction writer Harlan Ellison, the special effects wizard from 2001: A Space Odyssey Douglas Trumbull, and science consultant Ben Bova, The Starlost was an hour-long TV series shot in 1973. It showed in syndication but was produced by Canada's number two network, CTV, so you know it's going to be super quality already! The legend is they created this great show idea, and once it was sold, there was no budget, so they had minimal sets, bad scripts, and no time for retakes (Camera appeared in the shot? Don't worry about it). They'd shoot it fast, show it once on TV, and everyone moves on.
Today, The Starlost is available on a 16-show, 4-disc remastered DVD. Yes, the sets are one step above cardboard (such as upside-down plastic garbage cans to create a space console), and the acting is almost non-existent, but it has an endearing charm.
Harlan Ellison removed his name from the credits (they used the pseudonym Cordwainer Bird), and Ben Bova was so angry at being involved he wrote a rare comedic novel The Starcrossed.
The future of TV is 3-D. Recycling an idea they couldn't sell, a new 3-D TV show based on an outer space Romeo and Juliet ius developed. To save money Titanic Productions decides to film in Canada, as it's even easier than Mexico. The producer's latest girlfriend is hired as the starlet and a Canadian hockey star is signed to play Romeo, never mind he has a thick French accent and can barely read. The scripts are written by high school students in a contest. Before they start filming, the studio sees it will be a flop and bets all the production money on a football game. The crew is left to put together some kind of show, which gets released to scathing reviews.
Pretty funny scenarios and crazy characters. If you know the history that came before The Starcrossed novel it's even funnier. This was a light, so-bad-it's-good diversion.
January 25, 2018
I placed this on my SF-F "shelf," but it is not, in and of itself, science fiction.
It is, instead, a fictionalized account of the author's experiences in the making of a troubled and short-lived science fiction television show.
The Starlost is the show - award winning pilot script, great and grand ideas that ought to be redone, but with a larger budget and more patience.
The Starcrossed is by turns funny and maddening, but I don't know how it would play to somebody unfamiliar with the show and some of the backstory.
It is, instead, a fictionalized account of the author's experiences in the making of a troubled and short-lived science fiction television show.
The Starlost is the show - award winning pilot script, great and grand ideas that ought to be redone, but with a larger budget and more patience.
The Starcrossed is by turns funny and maddening, but I don't know how it would play to somebody unfamiliar with the show and some of the backstory.
December 11, 2007
I don't even know where to start, I can't believe Ben Bova actually wrote this book. If you are Bova fan, ignore this book. Book is based on a entertainment industry, it seems Bova was somehow involved with Entertainment industry and came up with this story where group of people are trying to create a new show and everything is just going wrong. After reading this book, i asked myself, wish i had read the reviews prior to reading this.
February 21, 2017
This is a very, very funny novelization of the real-life events around the production of a very, very bad cable sf series from the 1970's, The Starlost. It was created by Harlan Ellison, and Bova served as a consultant. Ellison wrote a very good script (which was novelized by Edward Bryant as Phoenix Without Ashes), but the producers did things their way and the result was a failure. I'd recommend it to anyone who ever wondered why good books can turn out to be such poor films.
February 9, 2021
A pompous but idealistic writer is offered a job creating a new science fiction TV show, only to find his control of the project leeched away by others.
Although this is a very funny story, it is based on Harlan Ellison's work on the aborted series 'The Star Lost'.
Although this is a very funny story, it is based on Harlan Ellison's work on the aborted series 'The Star Lost'.
February 20, 2010
Shows the TV industry just like his Cyberbooks shows the publishing industry. A total mess.
Classic punchline ending for the book.
Classic punchline ending for the book.
May 27, 2021
I've had this on the shelf for a long time and decided I needed a treat. This 1975 novel -- packaged at the time as cheap SF -- is a thinly disguised fictional account of the disasterous TV series "The StarLost," created by one of my favorite authors, Harlan Ellison. For maximum fun, read the novelization of the pilot episode by Edward Bryant (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...), which includes Ellison's essay about the ill-fated show's creation and demise (which is also published in one of Ellison's books). Bova includes some clever near-future advances but focuses on how the show went awry and lots of in-jokes, especially about Ellison (named "Ron Gabriel" in this novel.) Bova, a respected SF author, was the science consultant on The StarLost, which is hilarious when we learn early on that The Starcrossed's science guy is the brilliant yet geeky romantic lead! It's broad, silly, dated . . . and a hoot.
July 2, 2018
This is a hilariously slightly fictionalized account of one of the most frustrating episodes of Ben Bova and Harlan Ellison's lives -- their involvement with a Canadian production called "The Starlost" that lasted one very forgettable season before disappearing forever. If you encountered that show before -- and as a viewer of anything even remotely science fictional during the 1970's, I did -- this is a hilarious tale of just how it got to be so bad, complete with wooden acting, ridiculous scripts, and really bad special effects. If you never heard of "The Starlost", well, get lost -- this probably isn't the book for you. But for those of us who were subjected to that terrible show back in the day, this book will have you howling as you connect the dots to just how something that bad could actually make it onto network television.
June 3, 2023
The backstory on this novel is that it's ostensibly Bova's sour grapes about being hired as technical advisor to the cheesy, low budget 1973 TV series "The Starlost". Having watched the series (and it's not atypically for low-budget 70s sci-fi) the best way to enjoy the book is actually to just accept it as a biting satire and absurdist story about TV production of its era. In that light, it's quite amusing, with a cast of goofy and sex-obsessed characters (almost none of whom ever actually seem to get lucky). It's certainly a different side of Bova too. Very amusing, very forgettable.
July 28, 2023
Not typical for Ben Bova, broadly comedic The Starcrossed is another in the rather long line of books, movies, etc. in which writers vent their bile regarding the clearly anti-writer movie/TV business. This one was obviously inspired by Harlan Ellison’s nightmare experience with The Starlost. Particularly relevant reading it during the current writers strike. Sad how little has changed in that world since the mid-70s.
September 10, 2021
Sort of amusing. . .
A fictionalized view of an actual event with
Ben Bova and Harlan Ellison. . .
A "clef a Roman". . .
It's all a weird setup for a punchline at the end of
the novel. . .
ha!
A fictionalized view of an actual event with
Ben Bova and Harlan Ellison. . .
A "clef a Roman". . .
It's all a weird setup for a punchline at the end of
the novel. . .
ha!
October 19, 2018
Wonderful book. Hysterical!
September 27, 2020
Very witty and humorous!
July 25, 2021
Enjoyed this book and the humour at which the Author weaves the narrative.
September 6, 2022
Classic sci-fi!
November 26, 2012
Bova's failure of imagination trips him up - there's this weird thread through the whole thing where all the characters constantly reference classic movies and actors. I see this kind of move in sci-fi a lot, I guess it's supposed to make it sound Hollywood-ish, but instead it makes the characters seem way more knowledgeable and less self-centered then he wants us to see them. It also dates the book more than the inaccurate predictions, because at least those are done with eyes forward.
It is amazing, though, how well it anticipated the problems and benefits of 3D, and even though the story behind the book is more interesting than the book itself, it has a kind of silly charm at times.
It is amazing, though, how well it anticipated the problems and benefits of 3D, and even though the story behind the book is more interesting than the book itself, it has a kind of silly charm at times.
July 10, 2016
All in all, it's a pretty meh book. A bunch of futuristic ideas, but not a lot of action. I really expect more from Bova. The main theme is the future of television production with a new 3D TV process and the evolution of a new show property to display it called "The Starcrossed," a TV show set in the future based on the Romeo/Juliet motif. There are some weak twists and turns and Bova seems to leave out 1/2 of the explanations on hidden story plot points that he lost interest in. Nevertheless, I've read worse. Would probably make an interesting movie, but as a book it's mediocre at best.
August 13, 2016
I really wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I've been a huge fan of Ellison's for 30+ years and had read several of his diatribes concerning the Starlost, and I wanted to see what someone who was involved in the project but maybe not quite as, emotional is the best way to put it, I guess. Unfortunately, sans the vitriol, it comes across as rather bland. I guess this is why Bova made his living as a writer of hard SF and not as a satirist. It's not that it's a bad book, but it's really not just that good of a book, either...
August 1, 2008
This is Bova's fictionalized version of what actually went on on the set Of The Starlost(Ellison had brought him aboard as science consultant before things started to go bad).
A good reason why the money people, if they had good sense, should just put up the money and get out of the way of people who actually know what they're doing. They would get a product much superior to what usually comes out of such collaborations.
A good reason why the money people, if they had good sense, should just put up the money and get out of the way of people who actually know what they're doing. They would get a product much superior to what usually comes out of such collaborations.
July 16, 2012
An amusing tale of the crazy mid-1970s television industry. It's told as a science fiction story, but isn't really necessary. It's based on the adventures of Ben Bova and Harlan Ellison in the making of The Starlost, a pathetic 1973 science fiction show. I'm sure there are lots of inside jokes for those who know the backstory, but it's not necessary to appreciate the antics of these outrageous characters and their scheming. I laughed out loud a couple times during this fast read.
December 28, 2010
This book was a disappointment. Based on Bova's experiences with Harlan Ellison in producing a television series, the story comes across as an extended inside joke. I missed most of it, never having heard of the program previously.
November 13, 2016
I'm not familiar with the television series, although this book was a very enjoyable read. The humorous quality of the characters within seemed to pull me along for the ride. Great writing by Mr Ben Bova.
December 24, 2012
If you know that this is an inside joke about the time he spent working in Hollywood for the show Starlost then you might enjoy the book. Otherwise it is a "pass".
February 18, 2014
awesome :))))
January 17, 2011
I only have the book data listed in my notebook.
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