Perry Rhodan Infotransmitter

January - April 2005

A minor jubilee for the PERRY RHODAN-FanZentrale

January 7, 2005 – The  PERRY RHODAN-FanZentrale has been publishing the “ Fan-Edition” since 1999. Following a hiatus, the series now saw the release of volume 9, “ Der Ring der Sternenwale” [The Ring of Stellar Whales], by Jörg Isenberg and volume 10, “ Tatort Imperium Alpha” [Crime Scene Imperium Alpha] by  Joachim Stahl. Both novels are self-contained and don’t require any specific background knowledge.

“ Der Ring der Sternenwale” goes back to the year 2915 C.E., six years after the Second Genesis Crisis. The action involves an insurrection in the Comminianis-Pour star sector: In the course of a spectacular series of events, Ras Tschubai’s cell activator is stolen. A race against time ensues to save the life of Ras Tschubai, a special officer and member of the Mutant Corps.

Set in the year 3440, “ Tatort Imperium Alpha” is a crime novel with a special touch. In Hong Kong, Louis Remlow, a Terran, is sentenced to personality erasure for six murders. Just as the sentence is about to be carried out, however, the Swarm arrives in the  Milky Way, causing stultification throughout the galaxy. The invasion by the lizard people gives him the opportunity to escape. He alone is able to recognize lizards disguised as humans…

With “ Tatort Imperium Alpha” the  PERRY RHODAN-FanZentrale’s  Fan-Edition is celebrating a minor jubilee: this is the 10^th volume in this series of novels written by fans. Therefore, in the time-honored tradition of jubilee volumes, it comes with a two-page cover image, created by artist Franz Miklis who also designed several cards for the Perry Rhodan trading cards game. A special thanks goes to Between the Stars GmbH for providing the artwork.

Both volumes can be ordered through the PRFZ’s “ Spaceshop” for 3.50 Euros each (plus shipping).

Perry Rhodan featured in quiz show

January 18, 2005 – Monday night at “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” Andrea from Nuremberg is called to center stage in the studio. She confidently works her way past the 64,000 Euros question. Then comes the 125,000 Euros question. She’s at a loss. She uses the lifeline, calls her boyfriend…

The question: “Which science fiction hero had his first adventure in 1961 with Enterprise Stardust?”

The choices include: Flash Gordon, Superman, Captain Future, and—at this point, any one of us would have been 125,000 Euros richer, right?

And indeed, Andrea made it. Her boyfriend knew the answer without hesitation. We congratulate you, Andrea!

An updated introductory pamphlet

January 19, 2005 – Our PDF introduction to “Die Welt des Perry Rhodan” [The World of Perry Rhodan] has been updated and can be downloaded free of charge right  here. The file is just over 2 megabytes in size.

“Der erste Unsterbliche” now in the stores

January 24, 2005 – Almost a tradition now, the volume 4 of the  Lemuria paperback series reached the bookstores a few days prior to the official publication date. Titled “ Der erste Unsterbliche” [The First Immortal], it was written by  Leo Lukas and is a gripping, thrilling…Stop! Let’s just see what the readers have to say. Click  here to find out what folks who have already read the novel think about it.

Meanwhile, speaking for us editors: Great job, Leo!

Web site of the “Perry Rhodan” role-playing game revised!

February 10, 2005 – Things are rolling along with the “Perry Rhodan” role-playing game. Not only is the first volume of adventures about to be released, but the web site for the game was recently revised as well. The URL of course is still the same:  www.dorifer.com.

And another tip for gamers: The discussion forum at perry-rhodan.net includes an area that’s specifically devoted to the game. You can find it  here.

Perry Rhodan for the PC and game consoles

February 14, 2005 – Attention gamers! The wait for a new “Perry Rhodan” computer game is nearing its end. The Wiesbaden-based games and “edutainment” publisher  BrainGame has signed a contract for the development of a 3D adventure game based on the series.

“Both fans and all those who are not yet familiar with Perry Rhodan alike will be gripped by the intricate storyline and state-of-the-art 3D rendering,” promised  BrainGame managing director Axel Ruske. “We will be bringing the incredible realm of the imagination embodied by the world and characters of ‘Perry Rhodan’ to life.”

The game is expected to be released by the end of 2006. Until then, we will of course keep you posted.

A tribute to the space hero

February 15, 2005 – One thing is quite clear: Among all space adventure heroes, there isn’t one who comes even close to holding a candle to our good old Perry. High time, then, to honor our space traveler in style!

That’s exactly what’s happened now. Based on the classic profile by  Johnny Bruck, the Würzburg-based designer Klaus Meyer has created a  Perry Rhodan figurine. Each copy comes with a certificate that shows the manufacturing number and the date on which the copy was packaged. The manufacturing number also appears at the base of the figurine.

The figurines are made out of GiluForm, a ceramic-like hard plaster. Each copy is molded, assembled, painted, and numbered individually and by hand. The first 25 copies were personally signed by Klaus Meyer. The entire run is strictly limited to 1000 copies worldwide.

The figurine is available now for the introductory price of 69.00 euros (plus packaging and shipping). For more information and to place orders, visit  www.StardustMiniatures.com.

February 25, 2005 – A new package of “Perry Rhodan” e-books was released today by Mobipocket. A subscription to the e-book versions of “Perry Rhodan” booklets  2271 through 2299 costs 36.90 euros, which amounts to roughly 1.27 euros per volume.

As always, the new subscription can be ordered at  www.mobipocket.com. Enjoy!

Change in publication dates

March 2, 2005 – Due to both the excellent rate of advance orders by book retailers and to the wishes expressed by fans, the publication dates for the book edition of the “ Der Schwarm” [The Swarm] story cycle has been revised as follows:

Volumes 4, “Die Gelben Eroberer” [The Yellow Conquerors], and 5, “Herrscher des Schwarms” [Rule of the Swarm]: September 2005

Volumes 6, “Die Cynos” [The Cynos], and 7, “Terra im Brennpunkt” [Focal Point Terra]: November 2005

Volumes 8, “Götzendämmerung” [Twilight of the Idols], and 9, “Das Tabora” [The Tabora]: March 2006.

Of course, we’ve also revised the Swarm wallpaper accordingly, which you can download  here.

A new round of awards for the best sf short stories

March 8, 2005 – Before passing away much too soon in 1984,  William Voltz shaped the “Perry Rhodan” series more than anyone else. To commemorate him and to promote new generations of writers, a matter of great importance to  William Voltz, the Voltz family last year launched the web site  www.williamvoltz.de and offered the William Voltz Award for the best sf short story. With good reason: Voltz himself took his first steps as a writer with short stories and he remained highly committed to this narrative form for the rest of his life.

Now the second round of William Voltz Awards has been launched. As before, the call goes out for genre-based short stories, but this time with the following condition: Entries should deal with “robots,” a subject matter that  William Voltz contemplated repeatedly in his stories.

Entries may be submitted by July 31, 2005. The prize money will be awarded to the three best ones. All further details can be found at  www.williamvoltz.de.

P.S. A visit to the web site is worth it just for the comprehensive  William Voltz biography alone that is being published there. Parts 5 and 6 of the extended biography have now been released by Voltz’s widow Inge Mahn.

An Editor’s Log Entry

By Frank Borsch

March 7, 2005 – Having time to lead more than just one life—we’ve all had that wish. Being able to create duplicates of oneself in order to accommodate all external demands. To meet one’s own expectations, and to fully develop all of one’s own potential.

I admit that this desire has run through my head more than once in recent times. To be exact, since last summer, when my son Tim was born. Since then, nothing has been the same as before (anyone who has children knows what I’m talking about, and everyone else can probably imagine it…), and as much as my joy at Tim has increased, my sleep allotment has decreased in reverse proportion. Not, however, my workload. There’s  Frank Borsch the “Perry Rhodan” editor, the writer, the translator, the partner, the private person…and also the dad. And taken together, it’s all just a bit too much for just one person.

Something had to give. During the last few months, it was Frank Borsch the writer. No further “Perry Rhodan” volume of mine has been released since  2253—most of which I had written before Tim’s birth. And that’s where things would have remained for a long time—if I hadn’t reached a decision. Which is, to focus on the kind of work that means the most to me: writing.

Starting in March, I’ll be on parental leave and reducing my editing responsibilities to a few hours. This will free up more time for  Frank Borsch the writer. Along these lines: see you in the Perryverse!

“Perry Rhodan” silver volume 89 published!

March 9, 2005 –  Perry Rhodan is using all available means to liberate the  Milky Way from Laren rule. This approach inevitably brings him into conflict with  Atlan, his former comrade. Bastions that had already seemed secure come under threat, and when  Atlan’s secret weapon is destroyed in short order, the resulting whirl of events threatens to bring down both men. The  Arkonide believes he knows the guilty party:  Perry Rhodan.  Atlan surrounds Rhodan’s ship, the  Sol, with his battle force. Fratricidal war between the two immortals appears inevitable…

The volume comprises 448 pages and comes with a cutaway drawing of a fleet tender of the Termite class. “Sie suchen Menschen” [In Search of Humans] is priced at 15.80 euros.

The date of first sale is moved up!

March 14, 2005 – Subscribers of the “Perry Rhodan” e-books are enjoying a special treat thanks to  MobiPocket. Unlike the print edition, e-book subscribers will now be receiving their copies on Thursdays and thus will know one day in advance about the latest developments in the Perryverse.

An extensive Johnny Bruck exhibit

March 15, 2005 – Today’s imaginations are tomorrow’s realities. Such products of the mind also always required visual impulses. Folks such as the author Jules Verne or the painter  Johnny Bruck are among those dreamers who have depicted robots, spaceships, and alien worlds with such detail and vitality as if they had experienced all this themselves.

From March 18, 2005, to April 24, 2005, the Mystery Park will be presenting an extensive exhibit of almost 100 original paintings by “Perry Rhodan” artist  Johnny Bruck for the first time in Switzerland. Ingrid Bruck,  Arndt Ellmer, and  Swen Papenbrock are expected for the official opening starting around noon on March 18.

Next to the Bruck exhibit, the reproduction of a painter’s studio, and materials concerning “Perry Rhodan,” the large scale model “Festung der Inquisition” [Fortress of the Inquisition] by Raimund Peter will also be on display.

For further information:  www.Mystery-Park.ch.

An Editor’s Log Entry

By Klaus N. Frick

April 1, 2005 – While my colleague  Sabine Kropp is in her office engrossed in the drafts of the next three “Atlan” issues—more on that shortly!—I’d like to say a few words about the upcoming “Atlan” miniseries. After all, it will be launched on April 8, and I already have the first volume in front of me in final form.

“Das Ewige Leben der Garbyor” [The Everlasting Life of the Garbyorans] was written by  Hans Kneifel, the absolute doyen on matters concerning  Atlan, having written more stories about the immortal  Arkonide than any other author. Both  Atlan himself and the Vargan woman Kythara are at the center of the action in this 25^th volume of the “new” ongoing “Atlan” series, which is also the first volume of the new “Dunkelstern” [Dark Star] story cycle.

In that regard, the two characters, each of whom has already had a long past, find themselves in the Dwingeloo galaxy. Their stated objective is to learn more about the mysterious “lord judges” and to find out how the Cappins are connected with the events. In Dwingeloo, a planetless bluish white sun of immense proportions turns out to represent a mystery of the highest order. Hyperenergetic discharges are permeating the emanations of the so-called Dark Star. They are causing structural disturbances that threaten space travel in this region of the universe.

Dwingeloo is a comparatively small galaxy about 16.28 million light-years away from the  Milky Way. Approximately 10 billion stars are distributed across this spiral galaxy roughly 35,000 light-years in diameter. Incidentally, the galaxy actually exists “in real life.” It is located within the Cassiopeia constellation. As this is pretty much on the same level as the main plain of our galaxy, gas, dust, and the stars of the  Milky Way make direct observation difficult.

The scientifically correct data on the galaxy have been adapted a bit for the “Atlan” series. In that regard, storyline developer  Uwe Anton and co-author  Rainer Castor have yet again done a great job. Such cosmic objects as supernovas, planetary clouds, and neutron pulsars will all be playing a role as the story cycle continues.

Of course that galaxy is also inhabited by various beings, some humanoid, others completely alien.  Atlan and Kythara meet descendants of the Vargans—and I hope I haven’t already revealed too much,—and they will encounter the mysterious Togrons, who have secrets of their own.

As with the previous miniseries, editor  Sabine Kropp has recruited a number of writers next to the team of storyline developers, including  Hans Kneifel for the very first volume and  Horst Hoffmann, who is already known to both longtime “Atlan” fans and “Perry Rhodan” readers and who will be contributing “Atlan” issue 27 titled “Im Zeichen des Bösen” [Under the Sign of Evil], the third volume of the miniseries.

With “Der letzte Kampf der ERYSGAN” [The Erysgan’s Final Battle], volume 26 of the new Atlan series (and at the same time volume 2 of the “Dunkelstern” storyline),  Christian Montillon, whom readers already know, demonstrates that hardly anyone is more capable than him of writing action-packed science fiction novels. Incidentally, volume 28 (i.e., volume 4 of “Dunkelstern”) is coming from a newcomer to booklet novellas: “Kontakt auf Alarna” [Contact on Alarna] was written by  Joachim Stahl, who was a popular fan writer in the 1980’s and has been making a living as a comic book editor for the past 15 years.

Additional writers who have been recruited for “Dunkelstern” include the already familiar  Arndt Ellmer and  Michael Marcus Thurner plus  Bernhard Kempen and  Michael H. Buchholz. For the cover artwork,  Sabine Kropp is emphasizing space art of the highest order:  Arndt Drechsler has created the first four covers, while  Dirk Schulz has designed the second quartet of covers.

In short: I’m already very much looking forward to the new “Atlan” cycle, more than half of which has already been written. Anyone who enjoys gripping space adventures and likes to see our good old  Arkonide go on missions will get their money’s worth here. A small sample can be downloaded here.

An Editor’s Log Entry

By Frank Borsch

[IMAGE: FB] April 4, 2005 – The  “Lemuria” miniseries has now concluded with  Hubert Haensel’s volume  “Die längste Nacht” [The Longest Night]. Time to take stock.

My own personal reaction can be stated in one word: Wow!  “Lemuria” was an ambitious concept for a paperback miniseries, a time travel story across tens of thousands of years, revealed in carefully planned stages.

I still remember well how  Hubert Haensel and I were developing the concept for  “Lemuria” in the course of a long, arduous, yet productive, day in Rastatt (which included long walks through the neighboring woods…). We were throwing ideas at each other until our heads were spinning. By evening we took our leave, exhausted but very happy with the results.

Except: Good ideas mean nothing unless they’re implemented.

A year later, all I can say is that we succeeded. You had a lot of fun with  “Lemuria”. This is evident from your letters and e-mails as well as your exchanges in various online forums, your speculations, and last but not least, the sales figures.

As contributing authors,  Hans Kneifel, Andreas Brandhorst,  Leo Lukas,  Thomas Ziegler (who passed away a few days after completing his manuscript),  Hubert Haensel, and yours truly all did their best. And rarely have I enjoyed the role of editor as much as here. What resulted are original novels, each different in a wonderful way, which even more wonderfully join together into an integrated whole.

But of course we’re not content with that. Work on a new series has begun behind the scenes. It will be published this fall, again by Heyne. But I don’t want to reveal anything further about that for now. Well, perhaps just this morsel: “Nine.” Speculate among yourselves.

P.S. I’d like to say a special thanks to  Oliver Scholl, who designed the covers for both  “Lemuria” and the previous paperback series. THANKS, Oli! We wouldn’t be where we are now without your great covers!

A report by Robert Vogel

April 5, 2005 – Friday, March 18, 2005: While the Perry Rhodan editors are attending the book fair in Leipzig, I am traveling in Switzerland with Swen and Marion Papenbrock. Our goal is the Perry Rhodan exhibit at  Mystery Park in Interlaken.

 Mystery Park was started by Swiss author Erich von Däniken, who since the 1960’s has been proposing the idea that ancient gods were space travelers from other worlds. The park itself has now been around for almost two years, and its management has come up with something special for 2005: a “Science Fiction Event Trilogy” that is to start with an art exhibits featuring works by Perry Rhodan cover artist  Johnny Bruck as well as an acknowledgement of Jules Verne on the occasion of the 100^th anniversary of his death.

Interlaken is not as far away as one might expect. Located about two hours by car from Basel in a picturesque landscape not far from Bern, Interlaken is known mainly as a paradise for skiing. This is not a surprise, considering that it lies directly at the foot of the Alps between two large lakes. The town also ought to mean something to James Bond fans. The big showdown for Blofeld’s mountain fortress in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was shot quite nearby on the Piz Gloria. Tthis is still mentioned in brochures promoting the area even today.

Resembling a grounded ring-like space station, the  Mystery Park can be clearly recognized even from a distance. The Perry Rhodan connection is obvious as well: the spacesphere that has landed at the center of the installation makes a clear statement.

The park’s management has chosen a special day for the opening of the exhibit because a shareholders’ meeting has been scheduled for today in conjunction with a big reception for the media. I take a look around while the park’s staff completes the final preparations. Viewing  Johnny Bruck’s works without all the titles and logos is indeed quite an experience. Moreover, a masterpiece of Perry Rhodan model-making can be seen in one corner, separated by glass: the Fortress of the Inquisition. This large-scale model with its own interior lighting appears especially impressive in the dimmed lighting within the gallery and gives the whole exhibit a special touch. Of course, Raimund Peter, who created the model, is there as well.

Following Erich von Däniken’s opening remarks,  Swen Papenbrock draws a science fiction motive featuring the writer’s likeness which is to be presented to him on his 70^th birthday. Meanwhile, Perry Rhodan writer  Arndt Ellmer has also arrived with his family to attend the opening.

During the rest of the day and the following morning I’m able to visit practically all the remaining attractions.  Mystery Park clearly isn’t for people keen on freefall towers and roller coaster thrills, but it should not be missed by anyone looking for a sense of wonder, which is precisely what this park is all about.

Click  here for further images from the exhibit. The Perry Rhodan exhibit will be on display through April 24, 2005.

An Editor’s Log Entry

By Klaus N. Frick.

April 7, 2005 – During the past few days, excitement was in the air as advance copies of the first three “Swarm” volumes arrived at our offices from the printer. “Advance copy” means that the books won’t be in the stores before May, the month for which their release was announced, and the printer was kind enough to send us some copies ahead of time. They now have a place of honor in our offices, as to be expected.

The general consensus is that the books look really great!  Dirk Schulz as the artist, the  Animagic agency as designer, and  Klaus Bollhöfener on our end as editor have collaborated very well and come up with three beautiful paperbacks that are bound to draw attention anywhere in the bookstores with their cover art and modern design. The image formed by the spines, which ought to thrill any collector, can already be discerned, and it will look great in its entirety.

“Old” and “new” have been carefully combined for the interior: The first three “Swarm” books are based on the typesetting for original Perry Rhodan book volumes 55, 56, and 57, though adapted to make it more suitable for the new large paperback format. New editorial content has been added as well so that readers won’t notice that different sources were used.

The content of the books will be familiar to many regular readers of the booklet series: In the year 3438, the  Milky Way experiences the arrival of the Swarm, a structure of enormous proportions consisting of thousands of suns and planets. The so-called Manips are flying ahead of the Swarm, causing a wave of stultification with their technology: all intelligent beings within the  Milky Way are thrown back to mental level of small children—with a few exceptions: the so-called immunes, which include all cell activator bearers and mentally stabilized individuals, as well as the Cynos who appear later as the rulers of the Secret Empire.

How the Terrans manage to fight the Swarm and solve its million year old secrets is an exciting story that rightfully belongs among the highlights of Perry Rhodan. No wonder, then, that the writers of the current first edition reach back to the Swarm again and again to pick up on various mysteries surrounding the Swarm that have not been resolved to this day.

When the “Swarm” cycle first appeared in the 1970’s in booklet form, it marked a turning point for the Perry Rhodan series. It’s reappearance in book form in the Eighties brought the classic stories to book buyers in a contemporary format. And now the paperbacks are making the booklet novellas from the 1970’s available again. I’m sure that they will appeal to book buyers who so far have only paid no or only little attention to Perry Rhodan.

These first three trade paperback volumes will be concurrently released in May:  Volume 1 as the “red volume” titled “Der Schwarm” [The Swarm],  volume 2 as the “blue volume” titled “Kampf der Immunen” [Struggle of the Immunes], and  volume 3 featuring a green design and titled “Das heimliche Imperium” [The Secret Empire]. To complete the series, the remaining volumes will be published two at a time at the same time as the new Perry Rhodan silver volumes: September 2005, November 2005, and March 2006.

An Editor’s Log Entry

By Klaus N. Frick

April 13, 2005 – Piling up on the desk this morning hot off the presses (no, it didn’t smell of printer’s ink anymore), the  26^th volume of the Atlan book series is a novel that reminded me yet again why I always enjoyed reading Atlan.

By the way, “novel” is exactly the right term, because as the editor of the series,  Rainer Castor again managed to combine five booklets that were published many years ago into a cohesive, gripping tale. After all, the writers of the classic Atlan issues 187 to 191 were very different from each other:  Harvey Patton and  Conrad Sheperd, Dirk Hess and  Peter Terrid—each had his own style and expression in portraying  Atlan. At the same time, they all shared their enthusiasm for the Atlan series and their joy in the colorful tales involving the young Crystal Prince.

 Atlan was indeed young during the time in which these stories are set—the Crystal Prince was not even quite twenty years old, which  Arndt Drechsler also reflected in the cover image in his own way: The cover shows a youthful  Atlan gazing somewhat defiantly at a symbolic depiction of outer space.

Clearly, such a youthful character is predestined in this novel for adventures that are quite extreme. At the core of the volume is a booklet double issue by  Conrad Sheperd about  Atlan’s first adventure in a microcosm. Critical readers may object that the laws of physics are being interpreted very oddly here, but what nevertheless remains is a variation of the type of adventurous science fiction to which the Atlan series has always belonged.

In volume  26,  “Im Mikrokosmos” [In the Microcosm], the Vargans are featured even more prominently as a mysterious component of the classic Atlan series, raising even more questions about the secrets of this ancient race. Incidentally, this fits well with the just launched “Dunkelstern” [Dark Star] cycle of the current Atlan booklet series!

Anyone interested in Arkon and the  Milky Way’s past will also get their money’s worth: a second narrative strand concerns the flight of the young  Arkonide woman Crysalgira, starting at Arkon’s court and leading out into the galaxy’s jungle of stars.

In short: Excellent reading material for the friends of  Atlan the  Arkonide, in the stores as of April 25, 2005.