UFO S.H.A.D.O. Technical Operations Manual

The year is 1980 and Earth's population is being targeted by covert incursions by an alien race visiting from a dying planet. They are secretly abducting humans to harvest their organs to replenish their decaying alien bodies and doing reconnaissance for an intergalactic invasion of the planet. These cosmic interlopers have been discovered though and a secret, high-technology international military agency called SHADO (an acronym for Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) has been established by the governments of the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, France and Germany to defend Earth and humanity against the mysterious foes while at the same time keeping the threat of an alien invasion hidden from the public.

This is the premise of Gerry Anderson’s 1970 British cult sci-fi series UFO which will explode to life again with the November 14, 2022, release of the UFO: S.H.A.D.O. Technical Operations Manual. Written by Chris Thompson and Andrew Clements, and published by Anderson Entertainment, the UFO: S.H.A.D.O. Technical Operations Manual immerses readers in the Sci-Fi classic show. Across the oversized (11.8" x 9" x 1") and lavishly illustrated (150+ brand-new illustrations) hardcover book’s 208 pages, Thompson and Clements explore S.H.A.D.O.’s history, introduce readers to the show’s inventive vehicles and equipment via illustrations and blueprints, and share an overview of everything known about the dangerous unidentified aliens.

I know they are based on fantasy, but I love flipping through the pages of technical manuals that delve into the worlds of science fiction stories learning about equipment, weapons and vehicles as if they were real. My library includes a number of these type of books referencing Star Trek and Star Wars technology and I'd be geeked to add this UFO: S.H.A.D.O. Technical Operations Manual to my collection. For more information on how to purchase this upcoming book, head over to gerryanderson.com

Not only does this book provide some interesting Sci-Fi content, but I also find it interesting as a history geek to be able to look back into the 1970s perspective of how it was envisioned the world would be like a decade later now that we in a point in time where we've leaped into a new century and the 1980s seem to have been a long time ago. We are in a time where the original viewers of UFO would have considered a distant future. What do you think people fifty years from now will think of today's science fiction movies and television shows?