Lethbridge-Stewart: Night of the Intelligence cover releasedBookmark and Share

Sunday, 5 March 2017 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Lethbridge-Stewart: Night of the Intelligence (Credit: Candy Jar Books)Candy Jar Books have released the cover for Night of the the Intelligence, the first book in the new series of adventures for Lethbridge-Stewart.

The cover has been designed by Colin Howard, who said:
I was thrilled to find out my next cover was to feature Professor Travers, in a tribute to Chris Achilleos’ original Three Doctors Target novelisation. I decided to put Jack Watling as the professor on the cover in his ‘possessed by the Intelligence’ state from The Web of Fear. I screen-grabbed a reference from the platform scene with Victoria, and painted his portrait on my WACOM Intuos Pro at around 2-300 x magnification, colouring as I went, with the shading from the screen-shot as reference. The visualisation of the Intelligence was a greater challenge, with the brief stating an ‘ethereal old man-like figure’ in the Omega pose. So, to give the impression of the burning Intelligence within, I opted for a glow from the eyes and mouth, stopping short at having the energy crack the parchment-like figure’s skin.

With Owen, there was a modern reference picture of Ryan Jaymes (a friend of Andy’s, who ‘modelled’ for us) from which to base the character on. It was just a matter of late-’60s/early-’70s hair needing to be applied, as well as clothing based on Adrian Salmon’s character guide art. I thought it would also be nice to add some sympathetic lighting, picked from colours in the background and reflected on the face/hair (including a Shaggy from Scooby Doo style Beard!).

Thonmi was slightly more challenging, as it had to be the same actor who portrayed him in The Abominable Snowmen, David Spenser, but aged somewhat. So the relevant robes and head-dress were required. Luckily with the assistance of Andy, I managed to find a reference online of the actor in later days so was able to incorporate this into the visualisation of Thonmi you see now on the cover.


Night of the Intelligence is released in May, and is by range editor and author Andy Frankham-Allen. The book is released alongside the novella Day of the Intelligence, with both delving into different aspects of the Intelligence’s origin story. Andy said:
Day began as a series of interludes set within the framework of Night, but when we considered the eventual word count of Night (which is deliberately set out to be the longest novel in the range thus far) we decided to make Day a novella in its own right. Although both books are connected, in so much as they both explore the origins of the Intelligence, they are still written in such a way that you don’t necessarily need to read one to understand the other. Although, of course, if you have both, then you will get a fuller and more enriching experience.

The range will continue in June with The Daughters of Earth by Sarah Groenewegen, which sees Lethbridge-Stewart’s fiancee, Sally, take a more central role in the story - in what will prove to be something of a game-changer for the series as a whole. Andy continues:
The relationship between Lethbridge-Stewart and Sally has been simmering away in the background of the series so far, ten novels in total. The Daughters of Earth has been set up very deliberately to put Sally in a position that makes her look at her engagement in a very different way.

The third in the series, The Dreamer’s Lament is by Benjamin Buford-Jones and released in July; this novel will see the return of Harold Chorley, last seen in the novel The Grandfather Infestation. Head of Publishing Shaun Russell said:
Readers adored the team-up of Lethbridge-Stewart and Chorley in 2015’s Mutually Assured Domination, so it was only a matter of time before we paired them together once again, removing them from all familiar surroundings, leaving them with no choice but to work together. With, no doubt, hilarious results.

Shaun concluded:
We’re very excited about our latest series of novels, which not only begins our 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Great Intelligence, but also brings two new authors to the novel range.


Night of the Intelligence is now available for pre-order, with options to purchase the book individually, part of the bundle of books for this series, or as part of a yearly subscription offer - full details are available via the Candy Jar website.





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