Recently it’s been announced that Peacock has begun casting for a new horror series called Teacup, a horror thriller from Executive Producer James Wan. Yvonne Strahovski, of The Handmaids Tale and Chuck fame, will lead a cast including Kathy Baker, Scott Speedman, Chaske Spencer and the always intense Boris McGiver (House of Cards, The Wire.) I gave very little attention to this announcement, until I noticed it was based on the novel Stinger by Robert R. McCammon.
As a young teenager, 80s era horror novels were my thing. I tore through every Stephen King novel I could get my hands on at the public library. After getting my first job at 15, I took a few bucks from my first paycheck and headed over to Walden Books, and purchased my first adult novel, The Bad Place by Dean Koontz. The Stand by Stephen King was my favorite book of all time. A friend of mine told me if I liked The Stand I should check out a book called Swan Song. This was my introduction to Robert R. McCammon. After devouring Swan Song, I quickly checked out A Boys Life, They Thirst, Baal and Mine, along with a brilliant short story collection Blue World. Along the way I read Stinger, but to be honest, I barely remembered the book when I read this notice about the upcoming adaptation. So I thought, why not revisit this novel. So, I jumped onto Audible, and purchased the audio version, read by a narrator I was quite familiar with, Nick Sullivan.
Stinger takes place in the dying Texas town of inferno, where things are so bleak, they are closing the local high school. One day, a small space craft crashes near the town, ejecting a small black orb. This orb contains an alien presence, who calls itself Dolphin. This presence takes over the body of the daughter of a local veterinarian, revealing that she is on the run from an intergalactic bounty hunter and must find a way to leave earth before the creature she calls Stinger finds out wear she is. Yet, before she can find a way off the planet, a large black pyramid lands and encapsulates the town of Inferno, holding the colorful citizens of inferno as hostages until they turn over Dolphin.
So yeah, Stinger is cheesy scifi horror, but at least it’s fun cheesy scifi horror, full of adventure, and stereotypical, but memorable characters. McCammon throws a lot at this story including a strained father son relationship, rival gangs, working class angst, and bioengineering but doesn’t let it get too bogged down in minutia. His action scenes and quick and simple, and the interpersonal conflict never feels forced. Nick Sullivan’s skills as a narrator helps, giving each character a distinct feel.
So the big question is, could this work as a TV series? My take: absolutely. Stinger sets up could be the perfect playground for a group of ambitious TV writers looking to fill the gap of light science fiction adventures like La Brea and Manifest. The book has some very unique action elements and, while “Invasion” tales are nothing new, the Stinger character can give it an element we haven’t seen before. While the book ties up nicely, there are enough questions left, giving them plenty of options to continue the tale in further seasons while still staying true to the original source material.
