First Ark to Alpha Centauri in the International Media
Latest News
"To Boldly Go Where No Muslim Has Gone Before..." article from the Luton News - September 2006. Read excerpts here.
Abdul Ahad declared "sci-fi hero" by Bedfordshire newspapers on account of his outstanding achievements. His first book sold a record number of copies in his local Ottakars/Waterstones book store, exceeding prior averages for a locally published author of any genre.
First Ark to Alpha Centauri was featured in the Brit Bangla book success celebrations held in London on April 30th, 2006 and profiled as a best-selling success story in Integria's Headstart incubation project.
Abdul Ahad received a certificate of exceptional achievement at the Luton Assembly's "Best of Luton Awards 2006" event celebrated March 30th, 2006 in his home town of Luton, UK.
Above image is courtesy of Luton Borough Council.
Based on Amazon sales ranks in the UK, France and Germany, First Ark to Alpha Centauri has had a best-seller status consistently within its subject genre ever since the book's launch back in October 2005.
Abdul Ahad won a Community Award on Channel S television, for his book achieving best-seller status on Amazon.co.uk and also in recognition of his astronomical discoveries. The award was presented by His Excellency, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh on a live show in London, aired worldwide 2030 GMT on February 21st, 2006.
Radio
The author was live on air with DJ John Pilgrim of BBC Three Counties Radio on Friday September 23rd, 2005, at between 4:35 and 4:45 pm (BST), to talk about First Ark to Alpha Centauri. A digital audio file (Winamp, 'WAV' format) of that interview is here. (Allow a few moments for the author's speaking slot to appear.)
Television
The author was live on Bangla TV for 45 minutes on the "Shubo Shokal" morning show on Sunday October 9th, 2005 from 10:30 am BST. Bangla TV broadcasts live from studios in London via cable/satellite to thousands of homes across the UK, mainland Europe, the United States and also parts of Canada.
Further recorded interviews with the author regarding his book and scientific works were circulated via Channel S television news (UK) and NTV International Television Channel (broadcasting worldwide).
In each of the above TV programs, Abdul Ahad was acknowledged as the first Bangladeshi-born author to successfully publish a mainstream fantasy novel into the worldwide arena via a United States publisher.
Newspapers
First Ark to Alpha Centauri was featured in the UK's national Guardian newspaper for December 17th and was covered by Bedfordshire newspapers for week commencing October 9th. Further articles relating to the author's scientific works and his first published novel were translated into Bengali (his native language) and reported in Bengali newspapers Janomot (London issue: Sep 30-Oct 06, 2005, page 19) and Potrika, both with a combined weekly circulation of 100,000 + copies across Western Europe.
A full-length review article of First Ark to Alpha Centauri is viewable here.
That review was later featured in the popular UK publication Muslim Weekly following an interview with Emdad Rahman. The article was also publicised in EuroBangla and Bangla Mirror newspapers.
Luton Herald & Post Full Page Article - August 2005
