Peril from the Stars

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Why fight when I can look at the camera and stand sharp!
"Peril from the Stars"
Publisher	Corgi Books
Imprint	Young Corgi Adventure/Adventure Game Books
First published	1985
Writers	Dave Morris
Illustrator	Bob Harvey (interior pencils and cover painting)
ISBN	ISBN 0-552-523151 ISBN 9780552523158
Page count	71

You help Jazz save an observatory—and possibly the world!

Synopsis

Visiting your Uncle Jack and Aunt Sue at the secluded Los Palmos observatory, you find that you have arrived in the middle of some very unusual activity. Unbeknownst to you, the evil Decepticon Starscream and the nefarious Insecticon Bombshell have hjacked the observatory to track a supply pod containing weapons that was launched from Cybertron when it passed close to Earth's orbit and are planning to bring it down to Earth. To this end, they have placed null-fields around the site's perimeter that will disable any vehicle that approaches.

As you and your uncle stop off at Olaf's petrol station on your way back to the observatory you see a bright red light in the sky and soon afterwards, you encounter the Autobot Jazz. With his assistance you approach the observatory only to discover that it is too late—Starscream has already found the stray weapons pod and has set it to home in on a beacon at the observatory. Triumphantly, the Decepticon transforms into jet mode and flies into the air.

Endings

As a multipath adventure, there are a number of ways in which this story can end for you:

• You persuade Jazz (stuck in car mode) to try to outrun Bombshell (in aerial insect mode). He can't, and Bombshell destroys you with an explosive shell.
• You take the homing beacon and put it in your pocket. When Jazz is searching for something you keep quiet, the weapons pod homes in on you and everyone at the observatory is blown to bits when it lands.
• You take the homing beacon and put it in your pocket. When Jazz is searching for something you give it to him and he destroys it. The weapons pod sails harmlessly overhead to crash into the Pacific ocean.
• You take the homing beacon and throw it at Starscream where it lodges in his jet. The weapons pod smashes through his wing but he manages to get away.

Featured characters

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans
Jazz	Bombshell Starscream	You Jack Richards Sue Richards Olaf

The order in which the characters appear depends on the path you take through the book.

Notes

• All Transformers' names are printed in CAPITAL LETTERS.
• Your path through the book can change other plot points too: if you arrive early at the observatory with your uncle you find that your aunt is being controlled by one of Bombshell's cerebro-shells, but if you go it alone with Jazz and arrive later, your uncle and aunt are being held captive by the Decepticons and both call out your name when they see you.
• Bombshell can also have his wing casing (his leg in robot mode) injured by Jazz in two different ways.
• Bombshell doesn't shrink when he transforms.
• If you choose the ending where you throw the homing beacon at Starscream, there is no mention of the weapons pod after it smashes through his wing though presumably it must have come down nearby; likewise if the pod crashes into the Pacific no mention is made of an attempt to retrieve or secure it. In both cases you, your aunt and your uncle stay up all night listening to Jazz's stories and no-one seems particularly concerned about the location of the deadly arsenal that was the point of Starscream's plan in the first place.

Errors

• Starscream appears to be missing a hand on page 31.
  • And an arm on page 49.
• Despite them being described as such, Bombshell's wing casings are never drawn open when he is flying.
• If you throw the homing beacon at Starscream on page 44, you are described as being "too insignificant to matter" and so he fails to notice you. However on page 39, when you throw a cerebro-shell at Bombshell, Starscream sees you immediately and warns the Insecticon.

Advertisements

• Inside the front cover is an advert for the UK comic, using a piece of artwork that depicts Jetfire's unused character model fighting Megatron.
• At the end of the story are adverts for other Young Corgi books "Dinobot War" and "T.R.Bear: Enter T.R." by Terrance Dicks.

External links

• Peril from the Stars at Steve-o Stonebraker's site.