'You’re about as low-profile as a lighthouse,' said Jo and the Doctor looked hurt.

Sep 09, 2021 22:27

The Third Doctor and Jo deal with colonialism, revolution, and paternalism. In space. Set just before The Green Death.

Some really interesting ideas -- I appreciate that the Doctor repeatedly points out to the revolutionaries that actually it would probably be for the best if all the non-natives, including said revolutionaries, fucked off and left the People alone. Said revolutionaries don't listen (they're different! they're doing this for the People's own good!) which is incredibly realistic. The backstory is fascinating as well, with the reason why the People have ended up enslaved by humans actually legitimately heartbreaking and not as clear a parallel with human history as it originally seems. (That said, there are plenty of parallels with human history that Dicks doesn't hesitate to engage with, going so far as to have an extended Casablanca homage. This isn't the first or the last time shitty people capitalize off other people's suffering.) The drug trafficking subplot was a little predictable (hands up if you figured out Alanna was an addict the first time she got "tired"! how Jo didn't see it I have no idea) and the Doctor's case of mistaken identity was amusing but occasionally beaten into the ground, but I'm nitpicking here; the pros vastly outweigh the cons here. It's a very strong novel.

My one real objection is that I didn't like the repeated use of sexual violence against the two major female characters (Jo is threatened with rape early on, although she escapes it, and Alanna is extorted into sex with her drug dealer). That really wasn't necessary. The stakes were high enough without it, and it's notably not something that's threatened against any of the male characters.

On a lighter note, Jo and the Doctor have a great dynamic throughout, both with each other and with the other characters (they spend a considerable chunk of the story split up). A favorite passage:

'You know, Doctor,' said Jo thoughtfully, 'I very much approve of vegetarianism.'

The Doctor nodded. 'There’s a lot to be said for it.'

'As a matter of fact, I've often thought of becoming one.'

'You could do worse.'

'Only -'

'Only what?'

'Only right now I'd kill for a plateful of sausages and mash down the UNIT canteen,' said Jo. 'And a mug of Sergeant Benton's army tea to wash it all down with.'

The Doctor looked shocked. 'Really, Jo. How can you think of such mundane matters at a time like this? I take you to exotic planets, show you the wonders of the galaxy, and all you can think of are sausages and mash!'

Jo hung her head. 'I know...I suppose you never think of things like that?'

'Of course not,' said the Doctor loftily. 'My mind is far above such things as sausages and mash. No, what I've been thinking about is a large char-grilled steak, new potatoes and green peas, with a bottle of really good claret!'

And on a completely different note, we have the Sixth Doctor and Frobisher staging an interplanetary heist with Sabalom Glitz and Dibber, set between the comic strips War Games and Funhouse.

Much like The Face Of The Enemy, Mission: Impractical leans heavily on the side of 'fanwank'. It's the first novel featuring Frobisher (♥), who originated in the DWM comics, and McIntee clearly enjoys writing him; he's often the POV character and much use is made of his shape-shifting abilities, although for a key moment in the heist Frobisher is unavailable and a holosuit is used instead. The book starts with the Doctor and Frobisher going to see Star Wars and the Doctor making a comment about Tarkin looking familiar -- "I think I met his granddaughter once..." Everyone namedrops all over the place.

It's superfun. A wild ride from start to finish. The moment I realized what the point of the holosuit was for was when I realized just how complicated this heist was, and how certain I was that Mandell would not get out of it intact. Frobisher disguising himself as the bread in Glitz's soup was a highlight. We get another Casablanca reference in Jack's Cafe Terrestrial, manned by holographic PAs, including Ingrid Bergman.

With Glitz featuring heavily, McIntee also takes it upon himself to handle Dibber's death, thus explaining the latter's absence in Dragonfire, and it's a genuinely moving moment. Glitz tries to play it off but you can tell how much he's affected, which makes it hit harder than if he'd been outwardly devastated.

But for me, honestly, the best part of this was Frobisher's narration and the glimpses inside his head.

"I'm on vacation," Frobisher answered hurriedly. "I haven't even been back to my office in a year." Frobisher was somewhat surprised to hear his own real name again. It was impossible, of course, but it was almost as if he had forgotten it. In those days he had spent less time as Avan Tarklu than as a series of other beings or objects.

At least Frobisher was a constant. When he was Frobisher, he was Frobisher, and that was that. He suppressed an urge to shiver. There was something in that idea which he didn't want to examine too closely.

Both books highly recommended, for very different reasons.

books, fandom, doctor who

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