Avon: A Terrible Aspect

Avon: A Terrible Aspect is a Blake's 7 sort-of tie-in novel by Paul Darrow, the actor who played Kerr Avon in the original show.
Darrow finished the first draft of this book in September 1987. as per comments in his speech at Star Con Denver the end of September 1987 
It was published in hardcover in 1989, with copyright shared between Darrow and Terry Nation, the creator of the Blake's 7 universe.
In very early 1988, some fans had heard of the book by the title: "Avon: The Distorted Image." as per a comment in Tarriel Cell #1 
 
==The Possible Sort-Of Sequel==
A follow-up book, one that continued the series, was planned but never completed. 
In fall 1989, fans were informed: "Since Terry Nation is writing a 5th Season story, Paul has put plans for his sequel to Avon: ATA on the back burner." from Aspects #5 
In early 1990, Janet Lees Price (Darrow's wife) confirmed this cancellation with the editors of Aspects: 
But Darrow HAD been working on another book, albeit an unfinished one. Darrow talked about it in an interview conducted at the convention, ORBIT: 
From the Winter 1991 issue of Aspects: 
In the end, the mini-zine, nor the twelve chapters, were never shared or distributed in any way.
==Promotion of the Work in Fannish Spaces ==
In September 1987, Darrow talked about this book at Starcon: 
In early 1988, Janet Lees Price (Paul Darrow's wife) told fans about the upcoming book:
In November 1988, a fan talked about Paul Darrow's appearance at a Creation Con and Darrow's description of "A Terrible Aspect": 
==Expectations==
Fans expecting poignant insight into the character of Avon, and/or good writing, were almost universally disappointed; the novel is widely known as "Avon: A Terrible Novel" due to its often outlandish revelations, and ironically, out-of-character presentations. It is rarely incorporated as backstory for Avon in fanfiction by other writers, with the possible exception of the zine, Fatal Collision.
While the novel is not usually regarded as canonical, Terry Nation apparently liked the way it explained "why Avon was the way he was."Cover blurb
One interesting thing to note is the tone and content of the fan reviews: the early ones printed in Horizon Newsletter (a publication Paul Darrow and other TPTB regularly read) were more upbeat and congratulatory with the self-censored knowledge they had the creators' ear. These early reviews were also on the cusp of The Blake's 7 Wars, something that also affected fans' comments.
==Summary==
The novel recounts the life story of Kerr Avon from shortly before his conception to moments before his first meeting with Roj Blake. It includes the characters of Anna Grant, Del Grant, and Tynus, who appeared in the show. Notably it also invents the characters of Rogue Avon (Avon's father) and Axel Reiss (Avon's uncle), both of whom share numerous character traits with Kerr (or in this novel, Ker) Avon. Darrow explains that Avon's first name is a short form of the name "Kerguelen", said to mean "desolation".
From the dust jacket:
==Covers==
The cover of both the hardback (1989) and the paperback (1991) edition feature art by Karen River, a well-known fanartist. The artwork of Kerr Avon was first used as the cover of the fanzine Shadowplay in 1988.
File:avonterriblehb.jpg
File:avonterriblepb.jpg
File:Shadowplay.jpg|the zine, Shadowplay, where the back cover of "Avon: A Terrible Aspect's" back cover first appeared
==Twisting the Title==
==Other Blake's 7 Novels by Paul Darrow==
In the 2010s, Big Finish, who were also publishing B7 audio plays starring the original cast, published a series of Post Gauda Prime novels by Darrow.
* Lucifer
* Lucifer: Revelation
* Lucifer: Genesis
These were also available as audiobooks, read by the author.
Fan reaction to the novels has, in general, been more positive than the reaction to "Avon: a Terrible Aspect," although it is worth noting that the fanbase is now much less active. Like "Avon: a Terrible Aspect," these novels do not seem to have influenced fanfiction by other writers.
==Other Pro Books Written by the Actors About the Characters They Portrayed==
* A Stitch in Time (2000) - a Star Trek: DS9 pro novel by Andrew J. Robinson, the actor who portrayed Elim Garak
==Reactions and Reviews==
 
As well as the reviews preserved online, Avon: a Terrible Aspect was reviewed in numerous fanzines, including The Avon Club (issues #36 and #37) and the Horizon newsletter (issue #22). It is also "adroitly speared several times, and even has a quiz devoted to it." Zine Review by Lorna B. on Lysator dated Oct 25, 1993. in the comedy fanzine Ten-Credit Touch.
As with all reviews and fan comments, the place and time is important to note. The six reviews in Horizon Newsletter #22 are worthy of some critical reading for at least two reasons; they appeared just as the Blake's 7 War was whipping up, and they were printed in a publication that Paul Darrow was very likely going to read. One review in "Horizon Newsletter" #22 accentuates this conflict of interest by ending with "Love ya, Paul!"
A fan in 2015 posted: 
 
 
 File:TenCreditTouchquiz.jpg| part of a quiz poking fun at "Avon: A Terrible Aspect," printed in Ten Credit Touch 
 File:TenCreditTouchquiz-2.jpg| part of a quiz poking fun at "Avon: A Terrible Aspect," printed in Ten Credit Touch 
===Unknown Date===
===1989===
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==Notes==
==References==
Category:Blake's 7 Fanfiction
Category:1989 Fanfiction‎
Category:1991 Fanfiction‎
Category:2019 Featured Articles