James Swallow Exposes Thunderbirds: Hidden Dangers: International Rescues

Thunderbirds: Hidden Dangers is go! Our forthcoming multimedia series tells brand new adventures of the daring heroes of International Rescue, told across comics, novels, audios and more. These officially produced stories promise all of the life-saving adventure and heroism Thunderbirds is famed for, while also being purposefully designed to sit within the retrofuture world of the classic series.

Thunderbirds has enjoyed extended adventures in novels and short story form since the series' blast-off in 1965 - now, a brand new anthology of enthralling stories, International Rescues, will mark the debut of Thunderbirds: Hidden Dangers. James Swallow, the anthology's editor and best-selling author, reveals all about this authentically produced short story collection of brand new Thunderbirds adventures!

Fred McNamara: What is Thunderbirds: Hidden Dangers - International Rescues all about?

James Swallow: It’s something that we’ve never seen before in all the history of the Thunderbirds franchise, an all-original collection of ten short stories set in, around and connected to the events of the classic TV series. The book is inspired in part by the 1960’s Armada paperbacks written by John Theydon and illustrated by James Watson.

McNamara: Can you give us a rundown of who the authors are in this collection?

Swallow: We’ve got some really terrific creatives working on International Rescues, if I do say so myself! I’m co-editing the project with Andrew “A.C.” Clements, and I can’t lie, I used my editorial authority to commission both of us to also write stories for the collection – the opportunity was simply unmissable! But we also threw open the search to look for talented folks from all over, some of whom may be familiar to Anderson fans, some new. Bob Ayres and Chris Dale (who previously wrote Stingray prose fiction) join us, along with M.G. Harris (whom readers may recall from the Gemini Force One novel series), David Hirsch (known for his writing about Space: 1999 in Maybe There), Andrew Lane (writer of Young Sherlock Holmes and Big Finish’s audio re-imagining of UFO), Karen McCreedy (author of the amazing Unreachable Skies), Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell and voice actress Genevieve Gaunt, one of the writers who adapted Thunderbirds comic strips into audio dramas and she also played Lady Penelope!

Along with our authors, we also have a foreword by Jamie Anderson and an afterword by Babylon 5 and Sense8 creator J. Michael Straczynski, and some fantastic art by Sean Longmore and Lee Sullivan. It’s a well-stacked collection! 

I have a “bucket list” of things I’d love to do in my writing career, and editing an anthology was high up there. I mentioned that to Jamie in passing, so when the idea for the Hidden Dangers project took shape, he thought of me for this part of it. I was excited to take on the job, and I’ve had an absolute blast doing it, it’s been immense fun – in large part because it gave me a chance to add something to the world of Thunderbirds, a series that I have a lot of affection for.

As for my personal connection to the show – I came to it in the 1970s with Pit of Peril, the episode that features the iconic Sidewinder, and I was hooked... There’s something quite unique about this crazy little show featuring amazing machines and heroic first-responders that makes it timeless and immense fun!

McNamara: Hidden Dangers takes place within the original canon of Thunderbirds; how does International Rescues specifically slot within the classic TV series?

Swallow: The International Rescues anthology brings readers new adventures of the Tracy family and their friends set in, around and connected to episodes of the TV series, revealing new facets to familiar characters and events, and building new stories that dovetail with the Thunderbirds we know and love.

McNamara: What kinds of danger zones can we expect to see in International Rescues and which classic TV episodes might they tie into?

Swallow: Many of our stories build on or link to episodes of Thunderbirds, so expect to see nods to Move – And You’re Dead, Desperate Intruder, Sun Probe, Danger at Ocean Deep, The Duchess Assignment, Trapped in the Sky, Operation Crash-Dive and others.

As for locations? The abyssal depths of the ocean; the desolate surface of the Moon; the frozen wasteland of the polar ice cap; a high-speed race circuit in the African desert; an ancient Aztec ziggurat; not to mention thrilling locations such as Paris, the Italian Alps, and the rogue nation of Bereznik…

McNamara: Thunderbirds is famed for its explosive, disaster-driven adventure, but it also combines comedy, drama, terror, mystery and more. What styles of stories would you say are at work throughout International Rescues?

Swallow: We’ve got all those things and more! High jeopardy and dramatic disaster are at the core of every great Thunderbirds story, but readers can expect fast-paced thrills, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and taut tension – and also some laughs and no-so-serious storylines. We’ve tried our best to mirror the thematic range of the original show.

McNamara: Our multi-media narratives are tailor-made made so that these brand-new storylines can easily exist alongside the classic story material of the 1960s. How important would you say it was to maintain that authenticity of Thunderbirds for this collection?

Swallow: Extremely important. While stories like the ones we present in the International Rescues anthology do break some new ground and build on the existing Thunderbirds lore, we’re also striving in each tale to make sure they feel as if they could be missing episode of the show. Maintaining the essential “Thunderbirds-ness” of the source material is the key to writing a great tie-in.

McNamara: What's been the most rewarding experience in bringing this all-new collection of Thunderbirds short stories together?

Swallow: As someone who has been a Thunderbirds fan since they were a kid, just getting the chance to play in that world and write those characters was a real joy; and with my professional hat on, I have so say how much fun I had teaming up with this group of talented creatives, seeing their work come in and watching the anthology take shape. If our readers enjoy International Rescues half as much as I’ve enjoyed working on it, I’ll be very happy!

Get ready for Thunderbirds: Hidden Dangers: International Rescues! The short story anthology will be available to order from September 18th. Stand by on this frequency for a thrilling new era of Thunderbirds adventures!

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