Kangazang!
Encyclopedia
Kangazang! is a humorous science fiction novel by Terry Cooper.
This is the 2nd 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.
Potential other titles were:
"Jeff Spooner and The Man From Kangazang"
"Jeff Spooner and the Universal Remote"
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.
Barbaray Sprambladack Fasstalon-Scump (Ray)→ A humanoid alien barber that just wants to get home.
Queen Shelley Bakerloo → Evil ruler of the planet Profania Alpha.
Sarah Wood → Heart breaking hussy. 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.
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.
Second edition - *2010, UK, Candy Jar Books ISBN (TBA), Pub date 01 Aug 2010, Paperback
Audio Book - 4 disc set. Narrated/performed by Actor Colin Baker
(Sixth Doctor
), and featuring additional voices by actress Claire Cage (Torchwood
, Life Bites
, Wire In The Blood
) and author Terry Cooper. Disc 4 contains exclusive interviews with Colin Baker covering his career, his love of Sci-Fi and his time as Doctor Who. Produced and Directed by Shaun Russell.
), a friend of the author.
"An intelligent, yet casual approach to the genre which hasn't been seen since Douglas Adams." Tonya Kay
, "Who wants to be a Superhero" Contestant.
"KANGAZANG ... was a delight. I found it funny and sly and at times laugh out loud funny."
Philip Palmer
(Writer, The Bill, Rebus, author of RED CLAW and DEBATABLE SPACE)
"Kangazang! is inventive, intriguing and truly comic. As a first novel, it is a remarkable piece of work." Neil Kinnock
, House of Lords.
This is the 2nd 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"
"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 beerBarbaray Sprambladack Fasstalon-Scump (Ray)→ A humanoid alien barber that just wants to get home.
Queen Shelley Bakerloo → Evil ruler of the planet Profania Alpha.
Sarah Wood → Heart breaking hussy. 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
Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...
(Black Books
Black Books
Black Books is a British sitcom television series created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan and produced by Nira Park, first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2004...
, Spaced
Spaced
Spaced is a British television sitcom written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright. It is noted for its rapid-fire editing, frequent pop culture references and jokes, eclectic music, and occasional displays of surrealism and non-sequitur humour...
) - Ray Scump.
Marc Warren
Marc Warren
Marc Warren is an English actor, known for his British television roles as Danny Blue in Hustle, Dougie Raymond in The Vice and Dominic Foy in State of Play.-Career:...
(Wanted, Hustle
Hustle (TV series)
Hustle is a British television drama series made by Kudos Film and Television for BBC One in the United Kingdom. Created by Tony Jordan and first broadcast in 2004, the series follows a group of con artists who specialise in "long cons" – extended deceptions which require greater commitment, but...
) - Jeff Spooner.
Mark Heap
Mark Heap
Mark Heap is an English actor. He began his acting career in the 1980s as a member of the Medieval Players, a touring company performing medieval and early modern theatre, and featuring stilt-walking, juggling and puppetry...
(Spaced, Green Wing
Green Wing
Green Wing is a British sitcom set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital. It was created by the same team behind the sketch show Smack the Pony, led by Victoria Pile, and stars Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt....
) - Overlord Kelvin.
Bill Nighy
Bill Nighy
William Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
(Shaun Of The Dead
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a man attempting to get some kind of focus in his life as he deals with his girlfriend, his mother and stepfather...
, Love, Actually) - Lord Rancydd.
Publication history
First edition - *2008, UK, Screaming Dreams ISBN 978-0-9555185-6-0, Pub date 25 Jun 2008, PaperbackSecond edition - *2010, UK, Candy Jar Books ISBN (TBA), Pub date 01 Aug 2010, Paperback
Audio Book - 4 disc set. Narrated/performed by Actor Colin Baker
Colin Baker
Colin Baker is a British actor who is known for playing Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 to 1976 and as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, from 1984 to 1986.- Background:Colin Baker was born in London, but moved north to...
(Sixth Doctor
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
), and featuring additional voices by actress Claire Cage (Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, Life Bites
Life Bites
Life Bites is a British adaptation of the Disney Channel Italy Original Series Life Bites - Pillole di Vita on Disney Channel Italy. It premiered on 6 September 2008. The show series looks at the everyday adventures of Chloe and Harvey, who are brother and sister and their relationships with family...
, Wire In The Blood
Wire in the Blood
Wire in the Blood was a British crime drama television series, devised and produced by Coastal Productions for the ITV network that ran from 2002 to 2009. The series is based on characters created by Val McDermid; a university clinical psychologist, Dr Anthony "Tony" Valentine Hill , is teamed with...
) and author Terry Cooper. Disc 4 contains exclusive interviews with Colin Baker covering his career, his love of Sci-Fi and his time as Doctor Who. Produced and Directed by Shaun Russell.
- →One of the main aims with this audio version is a possible serialisation on BBC Radio 7.
Upcoming publications
KANGAZANG! 2 has 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. Estimated release : late 2011.Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
KANGAZANG! The movie, is currently in script development. Covering the events of the first book, it is being discussed with the Film Agency For Wales, and some valuable advice has been provided by Welsh director Justin Kerrigan (Human TrafficHuman Traffic
Human Traffic is a British independent film written and directed by Welsh filmmaker Justin Kerrigan. The film explores themes of coming of age, drug and club cultures, as well as relationships. It includes scenes provoking social commentary and the use of archive footage to provide political...
), a friend of the author.
Sources, references, external links, quotations
"It's a laugh-a-minute intergalactic road trip with a large dose of 80s nostalgia. It taps into the current thirst for British sci-fi like Doctor Who and pushes the boundaries forward. Terry really captures the unique humour that made Douglas Adam's books so popular." Steve Upham, Screaming Dreams."An intelligent, yet casual approach to the genre which hasn't been seen since Douglas Adams." Tonya Kay
Tonya Kay
Tonya Kay is an American actress, television personality, and performance artist appearing in independent films and episodic television. Her background includes performing stunts and what she refers to as "danger arts", which consist of knife throwing and whip cracking...
, "Who wants to be a Superhero" Contestant.
"KANGAZANG ... was a delight. I found it funny and sly and at times laugh out loud funny."
Philip Palmer
Philip Palmer
Philip Palmer is a British novelist and screenwriter. He studied English at Jesus College, Oxford, matriculating in 1979.-Writing career:His first novel was Debatable Space, published in January 2008 by Orbit Books in the United Kingdom and the USA. Philip Palmer describes himself as "...a...
(Writer, The Bill, Rebus, author of RED CLAW and DEBATABLE SPACE)
"Kangazang! is inventive, intriguing and truly comic. As a first novel, it is a remarkable piece of work." Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
, House of Lords.