Richard Thomas, a young journalist from South Wales, has just published his own book on Kindle showcasing some of his best essays and interviews from the magazine ‘Sci-Fi Worlds’. It’s called ‘Sci-Fi World – Doctor Who, Doomwatch, Battlestar Galactica and Other Cult TV Shows’.
In ‘Sci-Fi Worlds’ Richard discusses subject matters like the many changing faces and enemies of the good Doctor and writes critical reviews of the work of Nigel Kneale and Ridley Scott among other science fiction luminaries. He also interviews several writers and researchers well-known in the even more esoteric world of the paranormal, ufology and cryptozoology. They include ‘Real Man in Black’ Nick Pope, Richard Freeman of the Centre For Fortean Zoologist, the prolific author Nick Redfern and even me on the central issue of how Britain’s most successful TV series ever (so there!) influenced our future work and interests.
Only Mr Redfern is a less than overtly enthusiastic about ‘Who’, although he – like almost everyone else in the UK – watched it as a child. But me, Richard and the other Nick are big fans. I won’t give away any spoilers, suffice to say that Mr Freeman may not have gone monster hunting without the inspiration of such as the Sea Devils, Mr Pope may not have become so intrigued by UFOs and alien life without watching numerous invasions on the small screen and I know Mr Holland wouldn’t have become so fascinated with folklore and general weirdness if he hadn’t spent a great part of his formative years peeping out between cushions and a flickering black-and-white cosmos of Docs and Monsters.
‘Sci-Fi Worlds’ is geeky fun not just for fans of science fiction TV and film but also for Forteans in general. I wonder how many of the new generation of ‘Doctor Who’ fans will grow up to be as weird as us?
‘Sci-Fi Worlds’ by Richard Thomas is available from the Kindle store at: http://is.gd/nB3k06
