Wesley Britton's Blog - Posts Tagged "philip-margo"

While this is a story that goes back a few years, I thought readers might like to know how a doo-wop group called The Tokens became connected with some fantastic sci fi.

Back in 1961, The Tokens took the world by storm with their Number One hit, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” They had other hits as well including “Tonight I Fell in Love” and “Portrait of My Love” before several members, including singer and drummer Philip Margo, went on to become producers for groups like The Chiffons, The Happenings, and Tony Orlando & Dawn.

In 2011, I had the opportunity to interview Phil for online radio’s “Dave White Presents” where we discussed The Tokens, the group’s involvement with Neil Sedaka, the fascinating history of “Lion,” and his time as a pop producer. He had been involved in the George Harrison “My Sweet Lord” plagiarism suit. Phil was still angrily convinced Harrison had ripped off The Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine” in the melody of “My Sweet Lord.” He pointed out Phil Spector had been involved with both recordings.

Phil had agreed to do this interview as he was plugging his then-new sci fi opus, Null Quotient. If you missed the novel when it came out in 2010, well, it’s the sort of book that hasn’t lost its impact or appeal. If you haven’t experienced The Null Quotient, well, here’s my old review to whet your appetite:

The Null Quotient is an imaginative, thought-provoking Sci-Fi novel by an author with an interesting pedigree. Back in the ‘60s, Philip Margo was a founding member of The Tokens, the doo-wop singing group with such hits as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” While The Null Quotient may be a long way from intricate vocal harmonies, the book does have a layered approach to story telling that’s as engaging and entertaining as any Top 10 musical chart topper.

First, the story opens with skilled pilot Ahneevah in battle witnessing the apocalyptic end of her world. A million millennia later, she’s discovered in her spacecraft by archeologist Zack Carver and his former student, attorney Leslee Myles. In short order, Ahneevah and her ship demonstrate extraordinary abilities, and they’re needed. For one matter, bio-terrorists are out to destroy humanity, a rogue administration is trying to take over the U.S., and para-military operatives are trying to seek out and destroy the super-human woman they think is an alien from another planet. Then there’s sociopathic Dax Wolf who’s looking for the secrets behind the remarkable alien ship. Most fearsome of all are “The Custodians,” a group of “Supreme Beings” who’ve destroyed civilizations on earth 28 times before as previous life forms here had reached their doom point. Humanity in the 21st Century, the 29th Configuration of life on earth, is reaching that point as well—unless the ancient being named Ahneevah and her two human friends can find a way to convince the “Custodians” that humanity has enough merit to warrant a second chance.

What drives this tale is the apparent considerable scientific research Margo must have conducted to give all these matters credibility. At times, the narrative perhaps bogs down as nearly every question a reader might ask is answered in very detailed conversations between the characters. How do you account for a being and her craft surviving for so long, repair themselves so quickly, not to mention heal mere mortals with but a touch? Margo doesn’t play mystical slight-of-hand—he provides plausible reasons for how it’s all done.

One novel game Margo plays is the use of classic Sci-Fi movie, film, and book titles in the titles for each episode—Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Stranger in a Strange Land. At the end of the book, Margo explains these are nods to projects that have inspired him, although there are no direct connections between any of these classic endeavors and the story he’s telling. These titles simply give the reader something else to think about as they move through time, across dimensions, and into a future we can hope won’t happen.

The Null Quotient is Sci-Fi for intelligent readers who like action-adventure, good character development, a fresh approach, strong female leads, and surprises on nearly every page.

This review first appeared at:
http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitep...

To order The Null Quotient:

http://www.amazon.com/Null-Quotient-P...

After a three-year hiatus, author Preston Fleming is excited to announce that his
new novel, MAID OF BAIKAL, will be released via Amazon.com on October 15.

Promotional material for the book has already gone live on Amazon, at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075RRR682/

Preston considers MAID OF BAIKAL his best work yet and hopes you will give some thought to pre-ordering the eBook on Amazon for delivery to your computer, tablet or eReader.

KIRKUS REVIEWS calls MAID OF BAIKAL: "A Russian war story that lives and breathes from a writer at the peak of his powers.”

Here is what MAID OF BAIKAL is all about:

What if a Siberian Joan of Arc had rescued the White Armies at a critical point of the Russian Civil War in 1919?
MAID OF BAIKAL offers an alternative outcome to that war through the intervention of Zhanna Dorokhina, a young woman from the shores of Siberia’s Lake Baikal.
Like the historical Maid of Orleans in medieval France, better known as Joan of Arc, Zhanna displays a charisma and military prowess that win her command of a Siberian army to defend her homeland against the Bolshevik Terror.
MAID OF BAIKAL is a richly imagined speculation on the Russian Civil War that vividly portrays its violence, bitterness, and hardship, while telling the inspirational story of a determined young woman who perseveres in the face of overwhelming obstacles and who dies for her beliefs, not knowing whether her dreams will ever be realized.