A massive nuclear explosion blasts the Moon out of Earth orbit, sending Moonbase Alpha's 311 inhabitants on an uncontrollable odyssey through deep space. Now, Destination: Moonbase Alpha takes you back to a future billed as "the most spectacular space science fiction series ever produced for television..."

Telos has been publishing brilliant unofficial guides to some of the greatest cult shows for some years now, so it is with no surprise that they have finally published Destination: Moonbase Alpha: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Space 1999, written by Robert E. Wood, with a forward by Zienia Merton and a afterword by Barry Morse.

The show told the story of a group of humans who find themselves trapped on the moon when it leaves earth orbit following a nuclear accident.

The book covers all 48 episodes as well as the Message from Moonbase Alpha short film and much, much more; there are contributions from a wide range of the cast and crew. One of the nice things about the book is the honesty with which everyone recalls the show, from the expected praise to the unexpected criticism.

Each show comes with a rundown of the story, commentary and insight from the actors and crew, all this in 489 pages. The comprehensive nature of the book means that this is an essential buy for fans of the show and a great book to dip in and out of for the casual reader.

There are some colour plates, but overall there is a lack of pictures which I presume was due to both copyright issues and the doorstop of a book that this would have created. So if you recall the show with any affection, break your penny jar and go and get a copy.

8

Charles Packer