What do you think?
Rate this book
Strontium Dog novels #1
Strontium Dog #1: Bad Timing
Johnny Alpha, a mutant thanks to strontium rain, and a mismatched band of fellow strontium mutants, are hired by Don "Chick" Delater, a mutant crime boss and psychopath, to track down his former partner and, to ensure their success, implants micro bombs within each of the bounty hunters. Original.
- GenresFictionScience Fiction
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Rebecca Levene
60 books79 followersBritish author, editor and tv storyliner.
Educated at Clare College, Cambridge.
She has written books for Virgin's Doctor Who line, Abbadon books and Black Flame.
She also writes for Doctor Who Magazine and SFX.
Educated at Clare College, Cambridge.
She has written books for Virgin's Doctor Who line, Abbadon books and Black Flame.
She also writes for Doctor Who Magazine and SFX.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 5, 2021
Not a great book, by any stretch of the imagination, and the plot doesn't make much sense even on it's own turns.
It's a quick and easy read, though, and gets an extra star for nostalgia value.
It's a quick and easy read, though, and gets an extra star for nostalgia value.
June 14, 2019
If you are a 12 year old boy then this is for you.
If you are a 54 year old man that still thinks he's twelve and loved this character as a boy then you will be really, really disappointed.
The whole story/plot just felt and read really child-like, that perhaps someone had to do this for homework and had only flicked a casual eye over the source material.
2000AD was the best comic at the time and was full of innovative characters and ideas, ok Dredd has hogged the limelight for decades but Johnny Alpha, ABC Warriors, Robo-Hunter, Slaine, Nemesis and Rogue Trooper plus many, many more just as worthy to have stories written for them.
This author has phoned this story in whilst off with flu, cos it is bad to awful.
Don't buy it, if you can get it for free then read it, but you will feel cheated if you spend on it.
If you are a 54 year old man that still thinks he's twelve and loved this character as a boy then you will be really, really disappointed.
The whole story/plot just felt and read really child-like, that perhaps someone had to do this for homework and had only flicked a casual eye over the source material.
2000AD was the best comic at the time and was full of innovative characters and ideas, ok Dredd has hogged the limelight for decades but Johnny Alpha, ABC Warriors, Robo-Hunter, Slaine, Nemesis and Rogue Trooper plus many, many more just as worthy to have stories written for them.
This author has phoned this story in whilst off with flu, cos it is bad to awful.
Don't buy it, if you can get it for free then read it, but you will feel cheated if you spend on it.
August 1, 2017
Ugh, not good. Not the worst book I've ever read but near the bottom. Excessive attention to detail while forgetting that the large plot structure doesn't really make sense.
I like the Durham Red series but I think its down to Peter Evans being a better author. In both cases the time shifting stuff is the weakest part of each series and as this book relies heavily on it the book is inherently weak.
Don't pay a lot of money for this book, if you can get it free or cheap its worth reading, otherwise pass.
I like the Durham Red series but I think its down to Peter Evans being a better author. In both cases the time shifting stuff is the weakest part of each series and as this book relies heavily on it the book is inherently weak.
Don't pay a lot of money for this book, if you can get it free or cheap its worth reading, otherwise pass.
March 9, 2024
An excellent Strontium Dog tall tale!
This is a really good book. The story has all the ingredients of a decent sci-fi yarn...a motley crew of very distinctive Strontium Dogs, uneasily allied towards a common purpose; a lethally hostile environment on the planet Speed, where time itself runs at 400x normal; a twisty tale with plenty of action, peril and uncertainty for the heroes; and of course a powerful enemy who holds all the cards.
The writing is fun, the dialogue crackles with humour and snark alike, and the visual descriptions conjure up images worthy of Simon Harrison's maddest artwork in the original comics.
Will definitely be picking up the others in this series, Rebecca Levene has really kicked this off with a satisfying start.
This is a really good book. The story has all the ingredients of a decent sci-fi yarn...a motley crew of very distinctive Strontium Dogs, uneasily allied towards a common purpose; a lethally hostile environment on the planet Speed, where time itself runs at 400x normal; a twisty tale with plenty of action, peril and uncertainty for the heroes; and of course a powerful enemy who holds all the cards.
The writing is fun, the dialogue crackles with humour and snark alike, and the visual descriptions conjure up images worthy of Simon Harrison's maddest artwork in the original comics.
Will definitely be picking up the others in this series, Rebecca Levene has really kicked this off with a satisfying start.
April 10, 2025
Great read interesting stories
Like the title says. Great characters. Interesting subject matter. A nice change if you are a 2000ad fan but fancy something other than Judge Dredd. Not that it's a bad thing.😁👍
Like the title says. Great characters. Interesting subject matter. A nice change if you are a 2000ad fan but fancy something other than Judge Dredd. Not that it's a bad thing.😁👍
Read
October 21, 2007http://nhw.livejournal.com/194474.html[return][return]A novel about Johnny Alpha, hero of the Strontium Dog series, being sent on a quest by sinister criminals who have fallen out with each other, with a bunch of other mutants. It reads in style very much like a Doctor Who novel (Levene used to edit the New Adventures series) but of course with much more freedom to experiment with the setting. Good characterisation, with means and motivation of each of the characters individually entirely consistent with the setting (rare in books of this genre). Good fun as well, and not too demanding; perhaps I'll look out for more Strontium Dog next time I'm in the comics shop. I'll certainly look out for more Rebecca Levene.
February 8, 2013
This is a fun book even people unfamiliar with the Strontium Dogs can enjoy. Johnny Alpha and Middenface McMulty are as great as ever. The planet Speed is a great setting and the time story is well told. The ending is appropriate and satisfying. If the rest of the Strontium Dog print books are as good as this one I'll be a happy man!
January 21, 2015
Enjoyable
A good read, at least if you like the stories you typically find in 2000AD. Not as good as the original comic but that is just my opinion.
If you are unfamiliar with the original, be sure to check it out.
A good read, at least if you like the stories you typically find in 2000AD. Not as good as the original comic but that is just my opinion.
If you are unfamiliar with the original, be sure to check it out.
May 3, 2014
Enjoyable but i felt that the person who wrote this hadnt read the comics. Theres no aliens and the time bombs are called time grenades
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews