The Novel That Became “The Thing:” “Who Goes There”

John W. Campbell’s Science Fiction Masterpiece, “Who Goes There?”, Basis of Two Major Motion Pictures, Comes Alive in Audio for the First Time, from Rocket Ride Books.

Rocket Ride Books has released the first-ever audio version of John W. Campbell’s classic science fiction story, “Who Goes There?”, also known by movie-goers as “The Thing”. Available in MP3 audio as a direct download from the publisher’s website, http://rocketridebooks.com, the program features a dramatic reading of Campbell’s acclaimed tale about antarctic researchers who discover the ancient, frozen body of a crash-landed alien. The researchers thaw the creature with terrifying consequences as it revives and shape-shifts to assume the form of animal and man, alike. Paranoia ensues as the band of frightened men struggle to discern friend from foe and destroy the creature before it challenges all of humanity!

The new edition features an all-new Introduction by William F. Nolan, legendary science fiction author of “Logan’s Run.” The print edition, also from Rocket Ride Books, includes Mr. Nolan’s never-before-published screen treatment, written for Universal Studios in 1978. Nolan’s version ( written prior to John Carpenter’s famous involvement with “The Thing” ) provides readers a scary, suspenseful, alternate take on Campbell’s story.

John W. Campbell, hailed by Isaac Asimov as “the most powerful force in science fiction ever,” made an indellible mark on the field, first as a writer, later as editor of Astounding magazine, grooming the genre’s leading talents — writers Isaac Asimov, Theodore Sturgeon, and Robert A. Heinlein, among others. “Who Goes There?” remains his most famous story — first published in 1938, it was later adapted into the Howard Hawks’ 1951 film, “The Thing From Another World”, and in 1982, “John Carpenter’s The Thing”.

“Who Goes There?, the novella that formed the basis of The Thing”, is Rocket Ride Books’ flagship offering. It is available for purchase in print and MP3 audio. A CD version of the audio program is also planned.