Book Review
We are the Martians:
the Legacy of Nigel Kneale
Edited by Neil
Snowdon
By Damian Magee
The works of Nigel Kneale has been talked and written about
around the world, his influence on writers, directors and film and TV buffs. Here is a collection of essays about his
legacy and influence by well-known writers and critics; such as Kim Newman,
Johnathan Rigby, Tim Lucas and many others, with three great conversations
pieces by Neil Snowdon with Judith Kerr (wife of late Nigel Kneale), Joe Dante and
Mark Gatiss, and with an interview of Nigel Kneale by David Sutton.
Each of the twenty-four contributors has given us how they first
encounter by Kneale and his legacy. Each essay topic is broken down into
different aspects of kneale’s work. In
the book you will find excellent essays by; Stephen Bissette, David Pirie, John
Llewllyn Probert, Jez Winship on the Quatermass legacy. On Kneale’s film
screenplays his adaptations of John Osborne play ‘Look Back in Anger, which
gave to birth of the British kitchen sink films, of H.G.Wells ‘First Men in the
Moon’ and Hammer films; ‘The Witches’ and ‘Qutermass and the Pit’. His literary works can all be found here. Even
essays examining and analysing different plays like ‘The Stone Tape,’’ The Year
of the Sex Olympics’, ITV’s version of ‘Woman in Black’ or series ‘Beasts’.
You could start from beginning of the book and work your way
down, about life of Kneale by Mark Chadbourne under the title ‘The King of
Hauntology’ ending with ‘On wishing for a Nigel Kneale Childhood’ by an American writer, Lynda E. Rucker about not
growing up with the works of Kneale in America.
As for myself, I decided first to read the three
conversations pieces by Neil Snowdon, which I found all informative and light
hearted that helps us by getting to know who was Nigel Kneale through his wife
Judith Kerr and the influence he had on the minds of Joe Dante and Mark Gatiss,
following on with an Interview of Kneale by David Sutton.
I followed with Tim Lucas’s ‘The Literary Kneale’ about
Kneale’s collection of short stories entitled
‘Tomato Cain and other stories’, which I had little knowledge of. Tim
Lucas gives us a great detail what each story is about in the collection, and
how the British and American edition has different stories. Such a pity it is
out of print, it does make you want to look for the collection. Also there is an account on Kneale’s other
printed works; like his Television screenplays and the novel based on his 1979
Quatermass serials.
And continue with Johnathan Rigby's essay about the lost
masterpiece of television ‘The Road’, called ‘The Promised End’. Here Johnathan
discuss in detail about this importance of the play,
and of ghosts of distance future creeping into late 18th century. The lost play due to BBC policy of destroying programmes, as tapes were expensive to keep. And there is Kim Newman’s three part essay entitled ‘Creeping Unknown’ about Kneale’s other works for television; ‘The Crunch’,’ Kinvig’ and his adaptions of ‘Wuthering Heights’, ‘1984’ and ‘Sharpe’s gold’.
I enjoyed reading the book. Neil Snowdon has brought
together the most interesting collections of writers with their criticisms,
examining and analysing of Nigel Kneale’s writing and why we do admire it.
Nigel Kneale is the man who foretold the coming of reality shows, the man who
brought us the sights and sounds of horror, a warning to mankind in his
storytelling. If you only had little knowledge of Kneale, this is the book to
buy after you reading the essays, those plays and films exist seek them
out. This made me think, how I first
encounter Kneale’s works, aged 12 on television with, the Year of the Sex
Olympics (1968) and The Stone Tape (1972), two of the scariest pieces for the
small screen, and later Hammer’s films of the Qutermass trilogy.
Neil Snowdon has only touched the surface of Kneale’s work
in ‘We are the Martians: the Legacy of Nigel Kneale.’ I’m sure other writers will
add their voices and examination of Kneale’s work. The book is out already; you
can order the book direct from PS Publishing here http://www.pspublishing.co.uk/we-are-the-martians-the-legacy-of-nigel-kneale-hardcover-edited-by-neil-snowdon-4286-p.asp Also comes with a bonus script for THE BIG
BIG GIGGLE, which was never made by BBC.
It will also be available via Amazon and all the usual
online places, as well as to order from most bookshops, an ebook edition will follow
(date tbc) and a paperback in approximately 6-8 months.
Those readers who ordered deluxe version will be signed and
with a slipcase.
