Avon: A Terrible Aspect
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Avon: A Terrible Aspect is a science fiction novel by Paul Darrow set in the fictional Blake's 7 universe. It was Darrow's debut novel, first published hardcover in 1989, with copyright shared between Darrow and Terry Nation, the original creator of the Blake's 7 universe. The novel can be regarded as a prequel to the Blake's 7 storyline, recounting the life story of Kerr Avon, whom Darrow played in the TV show, from shortly before his conception to moments before his first meeting with Roj Blake and his co-conspirators.
In the Blake's 7 series, Avon's first name is usually given as Kerr, with a double r. However, in the novel it is consistently spelled Ker with a single r. This is explained as a short form of his full name Kerguelen, said to mean desolation. The latter is either a misunderstanding or poetic licence on Darrow's part, probably based on the Kerguelen Islands in the southern Indian Ocean, which are sometimes known as "Desolation Islands." The name Kerguelen is, however, not a direct translation of "desolation", but a reference to the discoverer of the archipelago.[1] Since the novel consistently uses Ker, this form is preferred for use in this article.