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olegx's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lesserjoke's review
4.0
This novel was written as part of an ongoing series back when Doctor Who was off the air in 1996, and is probably best read within that context. Readers picking up the book in isolation, as I did, will still get a great story but won’t fully understand the tragedy from the previous novel that haunts the Seventh Doctor and his companion throughout their current adventure.
Nevertheless, there's a lot to draw an interested Whovian to this title in particular within the New Adventures series. Author Matthew Jones would later go on to write the TV double-feature "The Impossible Planet" / "The Satan Pit" (as well as the Torchwood episode "Dead Man Walking"), and an early exploration of similar themes can be found here. Jones also uses the opportunity of his first full-length Whoniverse story to bring back classic companion Peri Brown, whose narrative arc was never really resolved when she left the show in 1986. For any fan of the character, it's a thrill to see her interacting with Seven, especially when she confronts him for the way his earlier selves have treated her in the past.
The story itself is also a fine one. During the so-called 'wilderness years' when Doctor Who was kept alive through novels like this, writers had free range to take the franchise in a more mature direction than the family television program could allow. There's frank confrontation of racism and homophobia, adult relationships (including several healthy gay romances), and a nuanced take on grief and trauma. Wrap all that in an alien invasion with compassion for refugees, and it's no wonder that fans stayed hooked.
Nevertheless, there's a lot to draw an interested Whovian to this title in particular within the New Adventures series. Author Matthew Jones would later go on to write the TV double-feature "The Impossible Planet" / "The Satan Pit" (as well as the Torchwood episode "Dead Man Walking"), and an early exploration of similar themes can be found here. Jones also uses the opportunity of his first full-length Whoniverse story to bring back classic companion Peri Brown, whose narrative arc was never really resolved when she left the show in 1986. For any fan of the character, it's a thrill to see her interacting with Seven, especially when she confronts him for the way his earlier selves have treated her in the past.
The story itself is also a fine one. During the so-called 'wilderness years' when Doctor Who was kept alive through novels like this, writers had free range to take the franchise in a more mature direction than the family television program could allow. There's frank confrontation of racism and homophobia, adult relationships (including several healthy gay romances), and a nuanced take on grief and trauma. Wrap all that in an alien invasion with compassion for refugees, and it's no wonder that fans stayed hooked.
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