No Future by Paul Cornell
In Brief: The Doctor confronts the villain responsible for changing history while the author shows off an in-depth knowledge of his Doctor Who video collection.
*spoiler*
It turns out that it was The Meddling Monk (1966's The Time Meddler) using a captured Chronovore (1972's The Time Monster) who was altering the past. His final trap was to allow The Vardans (1978's The Invasion of Time) to conquer the Earth during a televised charity concert in 1976. The Brigadier, Sergeant Benton and Mike Yates (various stories 1968-1975) are involved. As is Mandrell-blood (1979's Nighmare of Eden).
Amongst others.
/spoilers
Paul Cornell has used up a lot of the goodwill left after his excellent earlier books (Timewyrm: Revelation and Love and War) in writing No Future. The big/huge/massive/all-encompassing problem is the overuse of past-elements of Doctor Who. Although I guess in retrospect this is the pinnacle of the trend in retreading the past that I've seen over the past several books. Back in 1993/94, with Doctor Who going through it's 30th anniversary, what was old was new again since with no new show on TV fans were buying and over-analysing the VHS releases of 60s & 70s stories.
Not that I've ever been guilty of such a thing.
So it makes sense that as a wrap-up to the story of the last few past-conscious novels would draw in many elements from the show's history. Unfortunately while I'm sure it was fun for Cornell to try to weave so many strands together from what I suspect is his favourite part of the show's history (The Jon Pertwee years) he forgot to include an engaging story in his tapestry. However thankfully his skill with prose does keep the book from being a disaster of Shadowmind proportions. He does wonders with Ace in finally having her get over her issues by the book's end and decide to enjoy travelling through time & space again and Benny is as ever the star of the show.
Although I can't quite buy her going undercover as the lead singer of a Punk band.
I just wish there could have been a little more to No Future than it being a 200+ page game of "spot the reference".
But at the same time the book was a fun read, although probably not one recommended to someone who has only seen post-2005 Who. The closest parallel I can think of would be to show someone who's never seen the show before either "The Stolen Earth" or "The End of Time". They'd sort of be able to figure out what was happening, but wouldn't really understand a lot of the detail.
And that probably explains why I find both of those episodes somewhat unsatisfying, Doctor Who does have a tendency at times of going up its own arse and the result is never pretty.
It's disappointing that what has been a very strong run of books falters just as many plot-lines are wrapped up. While it doesn't wreck everything that's happened since Blood Heat it's not the climax that we should have gotten. I guess my biggest complaint is that No Future feels like the least "New" Adventure so far since it's so backwards-looking. Doctor Who nostalgia is best used as an occasional spice, not as a main course.
And with that the metaphors do end.
Conundrum by Steve Lyons
In Brief: A town which doesn't exist is being threatened by a vampiric literary red-herring. Benny befriends a retired and depressed ex-Superhero, Ace is menaced by a collection of Doctor Who books and the narrator is frustrated that he can't describe the Doctor's thoughts.
It's all very meta.
These books are definitely the now-slightly-forgotten bridge between 1989 and 2005 (aka "the no-show zone"). Rather than just trying to ape the original show (as with other book tie-in series out there) the series isn't afraid to try new things constantly, for better or worse.
Anyone who's watched more than one story from 1963-1989 would be very aware of how different the show could be from one year to the next. Even the supposed "classic" Tom Baker years ranged from horror-pastiche (The Ark in Space, Pyramids of Mars) to social satire (The Sunmakers) to hard science-fiction (Warriors' Gate). You'd be hard-pressed to really define a formula for a typical Doctor Who story, as various authors constantly try new things regardless of the medium involved.
So with this in mind we have Conundrum which is a book which completely breaks down the "fourth wall" of literature. It's a book which is written as if by an author who is aware he is controlling all in the novel except for the regular characters.
The same force which has been altering time over the past few novels brings back the Land of Fiction (from 1968's The Mind Robber) to try to trap the Doctor & Co. As such the book is "written" by the master of the land, who creates an entire false reality. I'd be tempted to say that all of this is spoilery, but considering that we're aware of the fact from page 1 it's hardly a surprise. What was a surprise was that what could have been an up-its-arse aren't-I-clever mess turned out to be very good.
What helps is that Lyons turns out to be a very good writer. It's impressive that despite a few mis-steps the publishers continued to get new authors involved in the series with almost every novel, rather than just relying on a few regulars. While it may be frustrating for some that the tone and style of the series is constantly changing I find it to be keeping my interest high as I go through all of the novels. Much like the show itself what I love is the fact that you never know what is coming next (and also that if I hit a bad book it's more than likely the next one will be better).
But again I realise I'm more discussing context rather than the book itself (I over-analyse, I know). Since the book is set in a land where all of the characters except for the regulars are slightly vague archetypes (as they're fictional constructs). What's interesting though is how all of the types clash together while interacting with the well-defined regulars, with characters from a domestic sitcom interacting with those of a comic book. Even a piss-take of The Famous Five/Hardy Boys pop up in the form of (deliberately) cloying The Adventure Kids (who meet a fate that would otherwise never happen). This all fits together since with the book being "written" by a 90s teenager it includes a lot of his interests, in fitting with how "The Mind Robber" included 19th/early-20th century characters beloved by the "master" of the land at that time.
Also good is Lyons' use of Ace, as he gets around some of the more annoying traits of the character recently by having her actually criticised by the "writer" as being a character past-her-prime and annoying to the reader (again, it's meta on the meta). But we also finally get her opening up again somewhat and explaining why she still travels with the Doctor despite being so angry with him. It all leads to a completely dysfunctional crew (even worse than 1983's Tegan/Turlough pairing) but then I guess looking back to 1994 we were still in the era before the companion's family/fiancée turned up constantly to give them depth.
I'm finding it difficult to actually discuss the plot that much since at the end everything is turned on its head as the Doctor refuses to participate in the story since to do so would mean they would remain trapped. However the end isn't a cop-out since it's all makes sense in retrospect. I'd say the only thing that is a little disappointing (although it's on purpose) is that since all of the new characters we met didn't turn out to exist it means that I felt a little unsatisfied since many of the minor plot-threads were forgotten as the Doctor takes control of the novel. But then again since that's the point I can't really criticise since it all works in context.
I guess that's the sign that Conundrum works magnificently well since even the "bad" parts turn out to be on purpose for the greater good of the novel. Hugely clever stuff.
The Left-Handed Hummingbird by Kate Orman
In Brief: To defeat a malevolent psychic-force/Aztec God the Tardis-crew travel to Mexico in 1994 and 1487, London in 1968, New York in 1980 and finally boards the RMS Titanic. On the way the Doctor does a lot of magic mushrooms and LSD, Ace gets possessed and ends up in in a stabby mood and Bernice does some unfortunate things with a frying-pan.
And despite the cover the baddie is not bested through interpretive dance.
Again I have to start off by saying that there is no way that this book would have been published under the "Doctor Who" umbrella at any point after the 2005 "family audience" relaunch. Something this mature/adult would I imagine cause some major concerns. It goes to show how by the mid-90s the franchise was really being aimed at the older fans with an assumption that younger people wouldn't be interested. Here is a story where the Doctor truly suffers both physically and psychologically in battling his enemy.
All of the characters go through the ringer in this book. Kate Orman's interest in getting into the psychology of the characters (both new and old) means that we really get a view into what is happening below the surface. The Doctor in fighting the incorporeal "Blue" is forced to almost be mentally consumed by the being and we really understand what is at stake. Orman is even successful in making Ace functional and understandable. Rather than other authors who just see her as a toughened bitch we get the sense that she's the same character as before her "hiatus" from the Doctor, but has receded into an emotional shell (as represented by her continuing to wear her futuristic (skin-tight) body-armour whenever possible). Her love/hate relationship with the Doctor is also delved into, as she feels a responsibility and almost familial love for him, but is still hurt by his manipulations. This is a far cry from the Ripley/Sarah Connor wannabe we've seen in the past.
Bernice ends up being the middle-ground between the two. While not really able to get along with Ace she's aware that her presence at least calms the situation enough to allow the team to function. More and more she'd coming to the forefront as the main character of the series.
And what of the story itself? Orman's use of the narrative possibilities of time is the best so far seen in the series (and her writing style is fantastic, really using all of the possibilities of narrative fiction). We have a plot where the Doctor and co. meet the main characters after the later events of the book have already taken place (as in the book starts in 1994 but later they go back to 1968). The helps keep the main antagonist of "the Blue" feeling very much a threat, a presence that can suddenly appear and try to kill the regulars (or succeed with a selection of minor characters). It's also interesting (and very proto-River Song) having the Doctor encounter characters who in their time-stream have met him in his future (if that makes sense). Again it's something which is surprising to have never popped up in the original show, although I guess when the show was constrained to 25 minutes a week it was difficult to have massively complicated plotting.
Well until 1989: The Year That Confused Everyone that is. Although it's not like one would really ever feel challenged in watching modern fare such as "CSI: Whatever" or "House".
Another thing which the author does well is use Orman's thorough research and knowledge but in such a way to really add to the book (rather than other cases where it just seems to be there to show off). As with the (superb) 1964 story The Aztec society is one which in its reality is more alien than anything "seen" on other worlds. I couldn't imagine anyone, after reading the section set in pre-conquest Mexico, *not* going and at least researching the truly fascinating mythology and beliefs of that dead civilization. It's notable that while being very forward-looking Orman has picked up on Doctor Who's original partly-educational intent (this is before the Daleks appeared and got huge ratings).
So overall I have to say VERY GOOD BOOK IS VERY GOOD. It's definitely up in the Top 5 of what I've read so far in the New Adventures series and has I'd say has potentially been influential to all of Doctor Who since publication in 1993. Considering Kate Orman's writing ability I suspect that it's only her living in Australia which has kept her from penning a TV-episode.
And it'd be nice to have a female writer involved in the post-2005 series who *isn't* responsible for "Daleks in Manhattan".
The Dimension Riders by Daniel Blythe
In Brief: Odd events happening in 1993 Oxford and a 24th-century space-station are somehow linked. It's up to the Doctor, Benny and Ace to stop the Evil from the Dawn of Time™ that's to blame.
The Dimension Riders is about 3/4ths of the way towards being a good book. Unfortunately the rest torpedoes things and is also the final quarter of the book so leaves a bad taste in one's (literary) mouth. Events kick off with the regulars visiting an old friend of the Doctor's at Oxford University. Soon the Doctor detects a strange signal from the Tardis which leads him and Ace to travel forward in time to investigate, leaving Benny to stay in Oxford (and find that some of the university staff are in fact Time Lords in disguise). Meanwhile the 24th-century finds a destroyed space-station and the trigger-happy crew of a passing survey-craft. Laser-battles ensue.
Anyone who knows their Who will recognise that Blythe is stealing (sorry, I mean "echoing") a great deal of 1979's Cambridge-set almost-story "Shada" (or "SHAAAAAAADAAAAAAA!!!!!" for anyone who's seen Tom Baker's introduction to the video).
I'm starting to lose count now of how many books I've basically said the exact same thing about the apparent inspiration for a lot of these books. I guess with 1993 having been the show's 30th-anniversary many of the authors were looking to the past and saying "Hey! I'd like a bit of that!".
If the normal trend of anniversary years ending up being incredibly fanwanky I expect that 2013 will being us a story centred around Captain Jack being in a LTR with Adric. Plus of course my long dreamed-of Zarbi vs. Nimon BATTLE TO THE DEATH! story.
So again an author has taken some of their favourite bits from a few stories and mixed them together in a different way (and if you're going to rip someone else off you could do worse than Douglas Adams). The parts of the book set in "the present" are actually rather good, with sexy androids, time-travelling cars and renegade Time Lords (thankfully *not* the Master) clashing with a rather mundane backdrop. The problem is that Blythe *also* seems to want to evoke stories such as "Resurrection of the Daleks" and "Earthshock" (for a post-2005 audience think "42", "Dalek" or other equal butch and guns-filled action-fests) and this is where the book falls a bit flat. However at first with having both time periods' events happening concurrently keeps the interest high as the reader tries to piece together exactly what is going on.
Unfortunately it's when the plot-strands come together and "big bad" of The Garvond appears that all falls apart. The big problem is that as a villain the Garvond is just a bog-standard BWAHAHAHA I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!!1-spewer. Also the later parts of the book are almost completely set in the (somewhat dull) 24th-century space-ship which means that one's interest starts to wane. The Doctor's eventual dispatch of the baddie doesn't really make a lot of sense either, and is rather poorly written (he traps it in a book, or a fountain, or in the Tardis, or something). I suspect that may be on purpose since in fitting with the plot-thread starting in Blood Heat the reason that the Garvond appears in the first place is due to some unknown force meddling (*hint* *hint*) with time, so the Doctor solves everything by using the Tardis to sort everything out (again).
Another issue is that "New" Ace continues to aggravate/annoy. Ever since re-joining the Doctor and Bernice she's been a bitchy angst-ridden little troll with severe trust issues (although that still makes her more pleasant than Tegan, but not by much). I *guess* that at the time the thought was this was creating character-depth or something but it just makes Ace seem to be incredibly unpleasant and worthy of being left on a barren asteroid somewhere. As well it means that a small portion of almost every book since Deceit has had some mention of her "issues" and the Doctor's guilt for having manipulated her in the past. Really I just wish all involved would get over it and start having some fun travelling through time & space again.
But thankfully it's a minor point that can for the most part be ignored.
Overall I'd call The Dimension Riders as being somewhat mid-range in terms of quality. The writing's good, the characters are ok (as in I could remember who everyone was, not always possible in some of The New Adventures) and the use of two time-periods concurrently is interesting (I can only think of "Mawdryn Undead" in terms of televised stories that have tried the same thing. Strange that in a series about time-travel). So I'll say that the book is good but unspectacular and has a few too many problems to really be recommendable.
But at least the cover's cool.
