In 1973, Ellison was conned into developing a science fiction television series titled "The Starlost" for 20th Century Fox and Canadian TV. The creative talent behind the show was immense, including Ben Bova (acclaimed science fiction author and, at the time, editor of Analog magazine), Douglas Trumbull (the special effects wizard behind "2001: A Space Odyssey" and, later, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind") and Keir Dullea (David Bowman in "2001").
By the time the studio hacks got through with it, Ellison's marginally inventive premise (by his own admission) had been turned into a mindless video turd. Ellison quit, taking his name with him (the credits read "Created by Cordwainer Bird"). Then he turned his original script over to writer Edward Bryant, who fashioned it into this novel.
It's an entertaining if not particularly profound or memorable tale. It probably would have been a pretty good TV series. "The Starlost" in its brainless video form was canceled after just 16 episodes and has rarely, if ever, shown up in syndication. Let us give thanks.
The original shooting script for Phoenix Without Ashes has made but a single book appearance: in the 1976 anthology Faster Than Light, edited by Jack Dann and George Zebrowski, and including production visualizations by Tim Kirk.
More information about "The Starlost" TV series is available on a personal Web site.
