Kangazang!
 The front cover of the second edition of Kangazang! | |
| Author | Terry Cooper |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Terry Cooper |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Comedy, Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Candy Jar Books |
Publication date | 1 August 2010 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 220 |
| ISBN | 978-0-9566826-0-4 |
Kangazang! is a humorous science fiction novel by Terry Cooper. This is the second edition of the Kangazang book which is sub-titled, Remote Possibilities. It has been revised and expanded, featuring much more information about the universe in which it is set, and clues to the content of the book's sequel.
Plot introduction
Troubled Earthman and Kebab-lover Jeff Spooner is having a bad time. His fiance found love in the arms of the local vicar, and she dumped him. Plus she wants the £50 he owes her back. And to make matters worse, he seems to be mocked by the sounds of 'I Should Be So Lucky' and 'Don't Worry, Be Happy'. Fortunately, help and hope comes in the guise of Ray, Jeff's eccentric but likeable barber. A man with a plan. A man hard to understand. A man from Kangazang! Together, this unlikely pair of heroes set off to see the sights, find a decent pub, and more importantly, save the entire universe, aided by a tribe of warrior spacehoppers, in a spacecraft made of human hair.
Explanation of the novel's title
Kangazang! is the name of the home planet of barber and space-faring alien Ray. Potential other titles were Jeff Spooner and The Man From Kangazang and "Jeff Spooner and the Universal Remote.
Plot summary
After Jeff's break up with his fiancee he embarks on a journey with Ray, his barber- an alien that has been stranded on Earth and finally repaired his spacecraft, the 'Marshmallow Penguin', to leave the planet. The journey leads Jeff and Ray to a planet of amazonian women, simple minded men and living space hoppers where they are tasked with retrieving the 'Universal Remote', a device for altering the very fabric of the universe.
Characters in "Kangazang!"
- Jeff Spooner → A human from Earth lost in a tale of space, evil rulers and the search for a beer
- Barbaray Sprambladack Fasstalon-Scump (Ray)→ A humanoid alien barber that just wants to get back home to Kangazang.
- Queen Shelley Bakerloo → Evil ruler of the planet Profania Alpha.
- Sarah Wood → Heart breaking hussy. Ex-fiancee to Jeff.
- Pon-Pon → Big hearted female spacehopper creature from the wastelands of Profania Alpha.
- Lord Rancydd of Skragg → Tyrannical dictator of The Skraggi empire.
- Overlord Kelvin → Son and successor to Lord Rancydd.
- Barvlefrog & Blutekablab → philosophising immortals from Methuselah.
- M4 (Gridlock) & M25 (Tailback)→ Robot (Orbot) companions to Jeff and Ray from the planet Orbitron.
Real-life inspiration
The author admits to basing most of the book's characters on real life actors or people he knows. A few of these are:
- Bill Bailey (Black Books, Spaced) - Ray Scump.
- Marc Warren (Wanted, Hustle) - Jeff Spooner.
- Mark Heap (Spaced, Green Wing) - Overlord Kelvin.
- Bill Nighy (Shaun Of The Dead, Love, Actually) - Lord Rancydd.
Publication history
- First edition - *2008, UK, Screaming Dreams ISBN 978-0-9555185-6-0, Pub date 25 June 2008, Paperback
- Second edition - *2010, UK, Candy Jar Books ISBN (TBA), Pub date 1 August 2010, Paperback
- Audio Book - 4 disc set. Narrated/performed by actor Colin Baker, and featuring additional voices by actress Claire Cage and author Terry Cooper. Disc 4 contains exclusive interviews with Colin Baker covering his career, his love of science fiction and his time on Doctor Who. Produced and directed by Shaun Russell, one of the main aims with this audio version is a possible serialisation on radio. Published by Candy Jar Ltd.
Upcoming publications
KANGAZANG! 2 is entitled KANGAZANG!: Star Stuff. (It had a working title of Blame The Parents), and continues where the first book left off, covering more about life on Kangazang, Ray's parents and Jeff's relationship with his robotic girlfriend.
It was made available for advance preorder copies on 25 February 2012, at the Cardiff International Comics and Animation Expo (CICAE 2012) in hardback format only. It has an official release date of 16 June 2012.
The third and final part of the trilogy has the title, KANGAZANG : Small Cosmos, and is being written as of December 2012. It concludes the series, and introduces a number of new characters, such as 'Special Agent Marta Vina', 'Nivid Cleggeron' and 'Herman the German Merman'. It has a tentative release date of Late 2013.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
none to date