Plan 9 From Outer Space The Novelization, by Bret Nelson

THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE FACES DESTRUCTION!

So say the alien invaders. Are they here to save us or is this a ruse to CONQUER EARTH?! The dead rise! Our weapons are useless! What is their plan?

In 1957, Ed Wood gathered a cast made up of the once-famous, the once-living, and the altogether unknown. Dime-store flying saucers invaded a surreal patchwork of small sets, found props, and stock footage. The remarkable results did not see a general release until two years later, when Plan Nine from Outer Space finally made it into theaters.

Author Bret Nelson (Manborg, The Part Mart) has penned this startling adaptation. Facts... shocking facts include:

• A real life scientific explanation of Solaronite!

• All Plan 9 plot holes patched with meticulously crafted connective tissue.

• Finally revealed: THE OTHER PLANS! (Spoiler alert: there were actually 10 plans! How is that possible, you ask? You’ll have to read to find out!)

Encyclopocalypse Publications are continuing their Important Work of novelizing some of the cheesiest B-movies ever (am I being too generous there?) and charging them with Frankensteinian new life!

If you’ve not seen the original ‘Plan 9’, you may well have seen Tim Burton’s ‘Ed Wood’, about the production challenges of this enduring cinematic masterpiece. And if you understand my little wink in that sentence, you’ll enjoy this book.

As with his previous (also hugely fun) adaptation ‘ManBorg’, Bret Nelson has captured the spirit of both the movie and the creator behind it. Told entirely straight, I could imagine Ed avidly turning the pages, caught up in his own story and reaching new levels of enthusiasm with this exciting tale of sci-fi action, horror and romance!

Understanding the passion behind the final product makes this novel seem like a DVD Special Feature. It adds to what’s there without taking anything away. Characters are given depth (although a certain Hungarian Actor’s part still has no name), the mystical narrator seems entirely appropriate, and what could be simultaneously over-dramatic and under-performed just somehow fits together. Also the off-screen action and special effects are much better here... ;)

I’m not sure that this is the movie Ed would have made if he’d had more budget, but it’s a skilful writer stitching together a flawed original to make it better, while retaining the nonsensical magic that’s made it such a cult hit over the decades.

If you don’t ‘get’ the original, I’m not sure that this will change your mind. But reading this made me smile. I was thoroughly entertained. That made it a win for me.