MacGyver on Ice [Paperback]

"MacGyver on Ice" was written by Mark Daniel in 1986. It was published by Armada in the United Kingdom. To the best of my knowledge, it is the only original MacGyver book that has been written. Though this story was written in 1986, it could possibly be set long after the 7th. season and the tv-movies. It's more likely that it took place between the first and second seasons, during the time that Pete moved from the DXS to the Phoenix Foundation. MacGyver might have retired from the DXS and Pete gets him to join with the Phoenix Foundation or maybe back with the DXS. Anyway, the book has MacGyver living by himself in Alaska, retired from working for the government. Pete Thornton comes to visit him to talk him into helping them stop a deadly threat- Abe Roscow. In the Alaskan wastelands, Roscow, a crazy general, has developed a bacterial time-bomb which threatens to wipe out the neighbouring Russian population. Only one man can break through Roscow's ingenious security defences and abort his deadly plan- MacGyver, the fast thinking loner who combines a brilliant mind with formidable physical strength.
(Some of the above is taken from the back cover of the book) The book is pretty good. It is reminiscent of a first season episode. It is packed with action and MacGyverisms. MacGyver does curse more than usual, but since the author had probably only seen the first season of the show, he probably based this on that and we know that MacGyver did curse occasionally in the first season. And of course, he almost never curses after that. We also find out a lot about MacGyver's history and his background. The book does not have any chapters but has 126 pages. MacGyver seems more like the MacGyver of the first season. He's younger with a shorter haircut and he's more brash. He's still the same loving and caring MacGyver but also a little more stubborn. I totally enjoyed. [..]

Doreen and I have always been big fans of ice-dancing and there are few shows that live in our memory as vividly as 'Macgyver on Ice'. One has to admit that the highly-publicised withdrawal of Richard Dean Anderson from the main role had been a big blow and we didn't initially hope for much. It was reported on BBC's 'Nine o'clock News' that after three weeks of intensive rehearsal (during which the only manoeuvers he proved capable of executing were un-choreographed forward rolls) he was given his marching orders. Fortunately, when all looked lost, Robin Cousins (an obsessive Macgyver fan) leapt up as his replacement and set the show alight! The triple-lutz that he performed during the title theme was almost certainly the equal of anything that Richard Dean Anderson could have offered. Possibly the most memorable though, was the elaborate routine that he performed while assembling a nuclear warhead from everyday items (in a collapsed mine-shaft). Still, the critics were unimpressed. Will Self described it as follows:

"'Macgyver on Ice' spews forth symbolically elusive streams of tepid discontinuity from each and every capacious orifice (...) My ears still ring from the sheer tintinnabulation of vernacular disenchantment (...) It was an unmitigated disarray of anthropomorphical, pseudo-scientific anachronism."

Needless to say, after the initial tour, the show never resurfaced and its memory soon faded into obscurity. This rare souvenir is a marvellous trip down memory lane for those who lucky enough to have attended.

(Apparently Richard Dean Anderson has put some real effort into refining his skills, recently, so don't rule out the possibility of 'Stargate on Ice' in the near future).