Books Read in December, 2024
Since it is the new month of January (and it's barely a few days old)... As is my standard usage of my blog space at or near the beginning of the month, I present the listing of my December, 2024 reads.
*****
Books Read in December, 2024
Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks
Doctor Who: The Time Meddler by Nigel Robinson
Doctor Who: Galaxy Four by William Emms
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
Doctor Who: The Myth Makers by Donald Cotton
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde (r)
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan Part I: Mission to the Unknown by John Peel
Library of the Sapphire Wind by Megan Lindholm (r)
DW: AiTaS: The Fourth Doctor Sourcebook by Walt Ciechanowski and Andrew Peregrine (RPG) (r?)
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan Part II: The Mutation of Time by John Peel
*****
And that was my reading for December, 2024 and a wrap for the year that was. This was a pretty decent month of book reading for me, given how my health impacted my reading the last few months of 2024, and I'm relatively pleased with how many books I managed to read this past month. It was a slightly above average month of book reads for me, since I tend to read usually 5-7 books per month, in addition to the other stuff, but there was a good chunk of reading some of the William Hartnell Doctor Who television novelisations. Most of the books this month were pretty enjoyable, with quite a few novels and novelisations standing out. Anyway, the books that I enjoyed the most were...
Doctor Who: The Time Meddler by Nigel Robinson
When the TARDIS materialises on an apparently deserted Northumbrian beach, Steven disputes the Doctor's claim that they have travelled back to the Eleventh Century. The discovery of a modern wrist-watch in a nearby forest merely reinforces his opinion. But it is 1066, the most important date in English history, and the Doctor's arrival has not gone unnoticed. Observing the appearance of the TARDIS is a mysterious monk who recognises the time machine for what it is. He also knows that the Doctor poses a serious threat to his master plan - a plan which, if successful, could alter the future of the entire world...
This book is the novelisation of The Time Meddler, the ninth serial of the Second Season of Doctor Who and the seventeenth serial overall, featuring the First Doctor, as portrayed by William Hartnell, and his companions, Vicki and new companion Steven Taylor. This novelisation is penned by Nigel Robinson, based on the television serial (teleplay) by Dennis Spooner. The Time Meddler is likely my favourite of the William Hartnell Doctor Who serials, though it ranks up there with The Aztecs as well. This story is the first of the pseudo-historical adventures in the series, as it has a historical setting but features science fiction elements other than the Doctor, his TARDIS, Vicki and Steven Taylor. This is also the first story that gives the viewer another Time Lord (though not yet named as such) and the Doctor is forced to match wits with him throughout the story. The novelisation of the serial, Doctor Who: The Time Meddler, is penned by Nigel Robinson, who does a stellar job here in terms of both the prose, the characterisations, and the descriptions of the 1066 Northumbria setting in which the Doctor, Vicki and Steven find themselves. A great deal of this book consists of the circular plotting and repetition which the television serials used to pad its run-time; in this instance, involving a lot of going to the monastery, escaping the monastery, going to the Saxon village, returning to the monastery, and so on. While it's fairly tedious in some ways and isn't livened up by the introduction of the Viking scouts, it makes for an entertaining read because of author Robinson's descriptive prose and character inner thoughts during their "travels." That said, the real strengths of this novelisation is the relationship that develops over the course of the story between Vicki and Steven Taylor, the newest companion, and how different it is from that between the departed Barbara and Ian (with Susan and Vicki), as well as the often antagonistic relationship that seems to be developing here between the First Doctor and Steven. Vicki's exasperation with Steven is very palpable in the novelisation, a bit more so than in the serial itself. While some of the historical serials during the Hartnell period had strong, sometimes at odds with the rest of the story, comedic moments, the humour in this serial is subtle and in the novelisation is restricted to the Meddling Monk played by comedic actor Peter Butterworth. Butterworth was an actor and comedian who was perfectly cast in the serial, and the novelisation expands a little bit on the Monk's personality and raison d'être. Unlike the Master, the Meddling Monk is irresponsible, childish, misguided and petulant, but not overtly malevolent. His relationship with the Doctor is much more like two elderly men competing with each other (including some TARDIS envy) rather than the bitter rivalry that the Doctor has with the Master. The differences between the Doctor and the Meddling Monk come across in the novelisation quite well, and their witty banter at times throughout the novelisation (which is also partially found in the serial as well) is on full display here. While the Meddling Monk is played for humour for the most part in the serial and the novelisation, Doctor Who: The Meddling Monk has some dark moments to it, violence and gore (including the implied rape of the Saxon woman who befriends the time travellers, made clearer in the novelisation as compared to the serial), but it's not described too graphically as befits the overall style and feel of the novelisation itself, some for which author Robinson is to be commended. Overall, Doctor Who: The Meddling Monk is a well-written novelisation based on a somewhat mediocre plot with fascinating characters that offers insight into the personality, motivations, and relationships of the various characters (including the Saxons and the Vikings). As mentioned, the story has some quite dark moments and violence that are offset by the Meddling Monk himself who adds a light-hearted nature to the story. It is also a good first serial/story for new companion Steven Taylor as well, showing the initial skepticism that Ian and Barbara also had, but in a different way and with a different feel to it due to Steven's stubborn-mindedness. This is a fun read of good story that is well worth reading for its importance in Doctor Who lore, somewhat lightweight, and a lovely mid-run Hartnell story. I highly recommend this novelisation.
Doctor Who: Galaxy Four by William Emms
Following a skirmish in deep space, two alien spacecraft have crash landed on a barren planet in Galaxy Four. The Drahvins are a race of beautiful females, led by the imperious Maaga. The Rills are hideous, tusked monstrosities, accompanied by their robotic servants, the Chumblies. When the Doctor arrives, he discovers that the planet will explode in two days' time. The Drahvins desperately ask for his help in escaping the planet and the belligerent Rills. But things are not always as they seem...
This book is the novelisation of Galaxy Four, the first serial of the Third Season of Doctor Who and the eighteenth serial overall, featuring the First Doctor, as portrayed by William Hartnell, and his companions, Vicki and Steven Taylor. This novelisation is penned by William Emms, based on the television serial (teleplay) by William Emms. This first serial of the final full season with William Hartnell in the role of the Doctor is one that for the most part gets ignored because of several of the other serials made during this third season of the show (such as The Daleks' Master Plan, The Ark, The Celestial Toymaker, The Savages, and The Gunfighters) for good or ill. However, Galaxy Four is a remarkable story as it is a tale about the nature of survival, the philosophy of species that travel the universe, a tale about the dangers of cloning, and above all a story about good vs. evil, beauty vs. ugliness, and never judging a book by its cover. When discussing Doctor Who: Galaxy Four, I'll start here by saying that one of the things that strikes me about this novelisation is the cover artwork by Andrew Skilleter. The fiery background with the planet about to explode and the aggressive stance of the Drahvins provides for a really evocative feel for the story that's found within this book. It's a great cover. Author William Emms, who wrote the script of the television serial, does a decent job of the prose in the story. The book is divided up into four chapters, titled appropriately for each of the four episodes in the serial. Emms' novelisation highlights the conflict between the Drahvins and the Rills, of course, but takes it to a larger degree in the depiction of the two species and the exterior beauty but internal ugliness of the Drahvins and the opposite with the Rills. In many ways, the novelisation succeeds where the serial itself failed in the rendition of the Chumblies. Their description in the book matches what they looked like in the television serial, but they come across even cuter than they did in the serial, Vicki's thoughts on them being rendered much more adequately in her thoughts about them and her comments on them with the Doctor and Steven. But then again, I love the Chumblies! Add to this the irony that a race of beings such as the Rills who appear so grotesque to humans could create such cute, beautiful creatures, and well... It's interesting to note that the Doctor is mentioned as being a Time Lord (this had not been mention on-screen at this point) and that this novelisation includes the first mention of regeneration. In a story that is pretty much lost, with only one episode remaining of the four, about appearances and things not being what they seem, it makes for a provoking kind of read as the Doctor ponders that his body is starting to wear a bit thin. There are several differences between the television serial and the novelisation. First of all, in the serial when Steven attacks Maaga, she does the Darth Vader move and grabs him by the throat, lifting him off the ground one-handed. It's a case of the viewer seeing just how physically strong the Drahvin leader is, though there's no indication of whether Maaga's soldiers are possessed of the same strength. In the novelisation, however, Steven throws Maaga to the ground and gets her gun away from her. The Rills are physically a lot different in the book than the television serial, but this is likely due to what was available of in terms of special effects and the budget of the television show in the 1960s. It's interesting, however, to see what the author envisioned the Rills to look like, and puts a different take on them completely. Finally, there is also an entire scene in which Steven and the Doctor fall into a pit trap created by the Chumblies that they are then able to escape which isn't in the television serial. Nothing that viewers of Doctor Who haven't seen before or since in the series, but somewhat indicative of what the Chumblies are capable of despite their cute appearance. That said, the best addition to the novelisation is the inclusion of the philosophical thoughts and discussions with the Doctor and the Rills, stuff that was likely part of the television script, but didn't make it into the serial itself. If the book is let down, it is done so by the characterisation of Steven, who comes across less than enlightened compared to how he is portrayed in the rest of his time in the series, and the somewhat repetitious nature of how the Drahvins think and act, with no real payoff for the reader. Overall, Doctor Who: Galaxy Four is a well-written novelisation of the television serial that sheds a bit more light on the Doctor and his two companions, but focuses more on the various aspects of the Drahvins and the Rills in terms of their conflicts and their philosophies that comes together into a novelisation of the serial that is both entertaining and adds to the story as a whole. While not one of the greatest serials or novelisations of the series' stories, this book is a decent, enjoyable read and is well worth the time. Read this book for the Doctor and his companions, but stay for the Chumblies! :)
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
Tesla Crane, a brilliant inventor and an heiress, is on her honeymoon via an interplanetary space liner. Cruising between the Moon and Mars, she's travelling incognito and is revelling in her anonymity. Then someone is murdered and the festering chowderheads who run security have the audacity to arrest her spouse. Armed with banter, martinis, and her small service dog, Tesla is determined to solve the crime so that the newlyweds can get back to canoodling-- And keep the real killer from striking again.
I'm very fond of murder mysteries and I'm also very fond of murder mysteries in space, so when I heard about this novel and read the back cover blurb, I just had to get my hands on this book to read. And I'm really glad that I did, but have mixed feelings about the story. The Spare Man is basically Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man for those who don't know) in space, and offers a story that feels fresh and is a fun read. Author Kowal writes a science fiction mystery that takes place in a quite neat, hopeful future and it's a great backdrop for a familiar mystery that lives somewhere in the space between noir and what is now called cozy fiction. I didn't really have all that much trouble with the logic of the mystery itself and the reveal of various red herrings, and eventually the identity of the actual murderer, but the novel kept me guessing for much of it about whodunnit and was a lot of fun to read. The book is truly a "locked room" mystery, as the action takes place entirely on the luxury space liner ISS Lindgren; the author provides a basic map of the ship at the beginning of the book, and the reader gradually gets a feel for this wonderful ship as the story progresses, though the technology of the ship isn't really dealt with in detail. That said, author Kowal uses some wonderfully innovative technology in the novel, both from the point of view of that used by the murderer and that found on board the vessel and that being used by the security people aboard the ship. The novel is a bit slow in the beginning, but gathers speed and the pace increases quite well as the book goes on, and I loved the interesting (and fitting) use of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink recipes at the start of new chapters. The main issue I have with the book is the main protagonist and point of view character, Tesla Crane. Tesla is a contradiction to read: she has severe PTSD from an accident that resulted in several deaths that left her with constant back pain (but can be controlled with a tech implant, and to be honest, there aren't a lot of consequences in the story for this chronic pain due to the Deep Brain Pain Suppressor (DBPS) almost magical tech that allow her to turn off her pain receptors and pretty much eliminate her problem entirely). She has a service dog (the best dog in the entire universe, Gimlet) to assist her. I will say that her service dog, Gimlet, was interesting to see for the first hundred pages or so, but after that... no, thanks. (And Gimlet does have a key role to play in solving the mystery, but it's not what the reader might think.) On the flip side, she is one of *the* richest people in the galaxy, and as much as she tries to acknowledge she has massive privilege, she wields that privilege when it suits her. Tesla is not a likeable character, to be honest. She's rude, spoiled and imperious. There is a way to write this kind of uber-rich and hyper-privileged protagonist so that they are fun and sympathetic, but Tesla just sounds like a spoiled kid alternatively asking to see the manager and threatening everyone with her lawyer. As for the other characters in the novel... Tesla's new husband, Shal, is a "retired" private detective, though he hasn't let his license expire, and while the author attempts to present their relationship in a manner that makes one think of newlyweds and constantly in a state of coitus interruptus, I didn't really see the chemistry between them though there is a spark of energy throughout the novel. The various other characters that Tesla and Shal meet on board the ISS Lindgren are a mixed batch, with some rather trope-ish security officers who seem incompetent at their job, with the exception of Maria Piper who is the only security officer aboard that gets decent development. The rest of the people aboard the ship are people that the newlyweds must figure out whether they are friend or foe, the actual murderer, or red herrings. Overall, they are colourful enough such that one can see a bit of individuality to them, but are somewhat stereotypical as one might expect. Overall, I thought that The Spare Man is a pretty decent science fiction mystery that offers a somewhat interesting science fictional world that uses technology fitting to the environment and with mystery use applications. Author Kowal provides an Author's Note at the end of the novel discussing the inspiration for some of the technology, including an implant for pain management based on real technology used to treat Parkinson's among others things. There's also a note about the various cocktails found in the book and some interesting aspects of the bartending elements to the story. This is a fun novel, with a decent mystery, the Thin Man vibes I mentioned earlier in this review, but it's not to everyone's taste. That said, it's a good novel to read if one is looking for something different in a science fiction mystery set in space.
Doctor Who: The Myth Makers by Donald Cotton
Long, long ago on the great plains of Asia Minor, two mighty armies faced each other in mortal combat. The armies were the Greeks and the Trojans and the prize they were fighting for was Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. To the Greeks it seemed that the city of Troy was impregnable, and only a miracle could bring them success. And then help comes to them in a most unexpected way as a strange blue box materialises close to their camp, bringing with it the First Doctor, Steven and Vicki, who soon find themselves caught up in the irreversible tide of history and legend...
This book is the novelisation of The Myth Makers, the (fourth or) third serial of the Third Season of Doctor Who and the (twenty-first or) twentieth serial overall, featuring the First Doctor, as portrayed by William Hartnell, and his companions, Vicki and Steven Taylor. This novelisation is penned by Donald Cotton, based on the television serial (teleplay) by Donald Cotton. As noted above, which serial numbering The Myth Makers receives in the official numbering of Doctor Who serials depends on whether one considers Mission to the Unknown a "serial" in and of itself or whether it is merely a prologue or part of the epic The Daleks' Master Plan. (Both those novelisations will be reviewed shortly, but for now...) Regardless, I have already reviewed in October, 2024 Donald Cotton's novelisation of his serial The Romans, which rather than a novelisation of the tv serial proper, was presented as a series of letters regarding the events that befell the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki at Nero's court. Doctor Who: The Myth Makers was written by Cotton some two years earlier, and featured the serial in question as narrated by Homer, who retells the events of the Trojan War involving the Doctor, Steven and Vicki, while introducing Katarina, one of the handmaidens to Cassandra, and featuring the departure of Vicki as she remains behind in Troy. Essentially set concurrently with The Iliad, Doctor Who: The Myth Makers provides a very comedic slant on the Greek classics and mythology, with Homer attempting to set the record straight as to what really happened, a few decades later (more on this shortly). To illustrate the humour in this novelisation, one of the chapters is entitled "Doctor in the Horse"... The reader learns that it was actually Steven in armour who battled Achilles, and that Vicki falls in love with Troilus and stays behind as Cressida... and they're still in love and happily together as Homer's story concludes. This is truly one of the most original and amusing of the historical adventures. This makes for a fascinating novel because it's reformatted from the events of the serial (which no longer exists in visual format, so most readers of the book likely have never seen the television serial) to be a novel, largely following the Doctor for the first half, Vicki only briefly whenever it's important to establish the relationship between her and Troilus, and Steven in the second half. Whether it's due to how Homer presents the tale of what occurred, there is something heightened about the characterisation, especially of Cassandra, in an attempt to somehow outdo the camp of the television story, as well as make the Trojan characters fulfill the camp sensibility that the story entertains. The Doctor is also perfectly characterised and just as stubborn as he is during the series, but if there is one point where this novelisation fails, it would be with Steven and Vicki in the first half. In the second half of the novelisation, Vicki actually gets some focus with Troilus actually providing true romantic interest instead of the last-minute relationship that I recall from the serial; having Homer speculate on her inner life means there is at least some justification. However, author Cotton decides that Steven and Vicki are both characters from modern day Earth, instead of the future. Steven Taylor suffers in particular because author Cotton doesn't have access to any novelisations featuring the character as this would be the first; Vicki at least had Doctor Who and the Zarbi and Doctor Who and the Crusaders, but Steven is just a generic male companion, which brings down an otherwise decent novelisation. If the novel grated on this reader, it's the manner in which Homer is portrayed. Not only does Homer, as a witness to the events, have to dash back and forth between the Greek camp and the city of Troy in order to be present at the scenes involving the main characters, but he also displays the truly bizarre habit of using anachronistic expressions from the modern era, such as "Flying Dutchman" (which has its origins no earlier than the 17th century); at the same time, he does not know, for example, what London is. Homer states that he has met the Doctor "several times since" [the events depicted here], so he's clearly picked up some knowledge from the Doctor, but then surely he'd be far more likely to know about London than La Vie Parisienne? In the final chapter of the book, an elderly Homer meets the Doctor again. Homer refers to bumping into the Doctor in Carthage and during the burning of the Library of Alexandria. Yet Carthage did not exist during the probable time of the Trojan War, while Alexandria was founded centuries after The Iliad was first written down and the library, rather than being burned, gradually declined from the 2nd Century BC onwards. How has Homer visited these different time periods? Did the author even think this through? Overall, the story in Doctor Who: The Myth Makers is a lot stronger then the previous comedy of Doctor Who: The Romans because there is only one internal narrator vs. the various ones in the previous novelisation. The humour is a bit more understated, but stronger for it in this novel, since it turns the traditional view of the Trojan War and its main characters on its head, but this is in contrast with the final, dark events of the book in which Troy is sacked and the bloodshed is evident; one has to wonder how gory Ian Marter would have made this sequence if he'd written the book. Sadly, because of the third party viewpoint, the reader does not see Vicki's departure as it likely appeared on screen, and the reader also does not see the events leading up to Steven's serious injury at the end, which will flow directly into the next, epic story. I recommend this novelisation as it is the only form in which The Myth Makers exists, but also because it is an entertaining, offbeat read as well.
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan, Part I: Mission to the Unknown by John Peel
Stranded in the jungles of Kembel, the most hostile planet in the Galaxy, Space Security agent Marc Cory has stumbled across the most deadly plot ever hatched - the Daleks are about to invade and destroy the Universe. Cory has to get a warning back to Earth before it's too late - but the Daleks find him first. Months later the First Doctor and his companions arrive on Kembel and find Cory's message. But it may already be too late for Earth - the Daleks’ Masterplan has already begun...
This book is the novelisation of Mission to the Unknown, the second serial (though actually just a single episode) of the Third Season of Doctor Who and the nineteenth serial/episode overall, featuring the First Doctor, as portrayed by William Hartnell, and his companions, Vicki and Steven Taylor. Well, actually it doesn't have the First Doctor and his companions at all. It is also unique in that it features the novelisation of the first six episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan, the fourth serial of the Third Season of Doctor Who and the twenty-first serial overall, featuring the First Doctor and his companion, Steven Taylor, and also involved potential companions Katarina and Sara Kingdom. This novelisation is penned by John Peel, based on the television serial (teleplay) by Terry Nation and Dennis Spooner. If the reader of this review is confused by the above section, let me just say that The Daleks' Master Plan was the most ambitious Doctor Who serial ever produced at twelve (or thirteen) episodes, rivalled only by the Patrick Troughton ten-part serial The War Games. A single, cutaway episode, Mission to the Unknown, the only episode of the series to not feature the Doctor or his companion(s), was shown prior to the Doctor, Steven and Vicki visiting ancient Greece during the Trojan War in The Myth Makers (the novelisation of which I have reviewed immediately above). As a result, The Daleks' Master Plan was going to be a very difficult tale to novelise, aside from the fact that the rights to Terry Nation's Dalek stories were in limbo for novelisation purposes, something that was only cleared up when John Peel befriended Nation and secured the rights to adapt the three remaining Nation-penned Dalek stories. Peel was given 180 pages for each part of the novelization, and chose to adapt Mission to the Unknown along with the first six episodes of The Daleks’ Master Plan under the title Doctor Who: The Daleks’ Master Plan Part I: Mission to the Unknown (hereafter abbreviated as Doctor Who: Mission to the Unknown. While I was very fond of Peel's novelisation of Doctor Who: The Chase (reviewed here last month), Doctor Who: Mission to the Unknown features what is probably his best prose. The novel is wonderfully evocative at creating the sense of danger from the first page, but Peel takes an interesting approach to matters here. The book starts with a short chapter that summarises the events of The Myth Makers, detailing the serious wound suffered by Steven during the sacking of Troy, how Vicki decided to remain in Troy and flee with the survivors with Troilus under the guise of her new name Cressida, and the perilous trip back to the TARDIS the First Doctor and Katarina make with the wounded Steven. The TARDIS dematerialises, the Doctor intent on finding somewhere, somewhen, where they can find aid for the mortally wounded astronaut. Peel added this chapter to the book as the novelisation of Doctor Who: The Myth Makers by Donald Cotton is written in a somewhat unorthodox manner, being told from the viewpoint of Homer, and Katarina plays very little role in said novel. Given the events in the first six parts of The Daleks' Master Plan, and the role that Katarina plays, it was a good choice on Peel's part and makes the events that unfold all the sadder. The next two chapters of Doctor Who: Mission to the Unknown portray the events of the seemingly stand-alone episode Mission to the Unknown. While these two chapters lay out the danger of the Daleks, provide an inkling of what they are plotting, and play up the body horror of the Varga plants as well as the lethality of the planet Kembel, this story also sheds light on Space Security Service agent Marc Cory and the mettle of the man, while also giving a glimpse of the horror of what happens to his civilian pilot, Lowery. Author Peel does a terrific job of making the reader feel terrified, haunted, hopeless, and powerless on Kembel, and sets things up for what is to come. And then the reader gets the first six episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan... What can I really say here? To start with, the connection to the events at the end of The Myth Makers comes into full focus, as the TARDIS lands on Kembel some time after the events of Mission to the Unknown. The characterisation of the Doctor feels very active in the novelisation, though the actions and deeds of the character aren't necessarily different from the television serial itself. Author Peel very clearly had access to the original camera scripts (and possibly some of Terry Nation's original scripts before being edited by Donald Tosh), and seems to have attempted to capture Douglas Camfield's action-oriented directorial style. Furthermore, Katarina is given some sequences from her perspective that allow more characterisation than perhaps the script provide, and she becomes a living, breathing character because of this. Her death roughly two-thirds of the way through the novelisation feels far more dangerous and real, but this may be due to the author's heightening of the violence. That works well here, and author Peel makes it explicit that Katarina’s death was a noble sacrifice, and not someone from the past misunderstanding how a spaceship airlock functions. Author Peel manages to convey Katarina's complete inexperience with futuristic technology and spaceships without making her come across as unintelligent or incompetent. The reaction of the Doctor and Steven to Katarina's sacrifice makes the final third of the novel feel as if both are in...for lack of a better term, fugue states, and they are only shocked out of it when they are betrayed and Sara Kingdom is introduced in the story. Bret Vyon (Nicholas Courtney's first appearance in Doctor Who) is handled quite well. He comes across with the steadfastness and duty-bound nature to find out what happened to Marc Cory, but when his loyalties are tested he finds himself siding with Earth and a desire to keep Mavic Chen's plotting and the Daleks' plans from coming to fruition. Bret's characterisation is well-handled by author Peel, and he becomes nicely three-dimensional before he is killed by Sara Kingdom. His death seems to play out closely to that in the television serial, but this is likely due to the fact that the episode in which it occurs is one of the three surviving episodes (two at the time of the novelisation). Sara Kingdom, his sister, appears in the final third of the novel only, and while her characterisation revolves around obeying orders (notably Mavic Chen's, to recover the Taranium core stolen by the Doctor, and to kill her supposedly treacherous brother), learning the truth of the situation and her vow to kill Chen, and the guilt she feels at having wrongfully killed Bret, but the second part of the story will see her evolve and grow a little bit. Mavic Chen, the Guardian of the Solar System, is the villain of the piece in many way, but in this first part of The Daleks' Master Plan comes across secondary to the nastiness of the Daleks. He and the delegates from the outer galaxies are simplified in their portrayal, the Daleks getting the lion's share of the evil personalities and author Peel excels at writing them. Overall, Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan Part I: Mission to the Uknown is a novelisation that is really all set-up for a Doctor Who story that was far too large and complicated to be written as a single novel. Even though the story here is only really half the tale, it is epic and full of the promise of what is to come. Given that the serial itself is almost non-existent on video, with only three of the twelve episodes surviving, this is a remarkably told, readable, highly enjoyable book that provides the reader with a glimpse of how intricate, complicated, and epic this story truly is/was. Highly recommended.
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan, Part II: The Mutation of Time by John Peel
The Daleks' Masterplan is well under way. With the Time Destructor, the most deadly machine ever devised, they will conquer the Universe. Only one person stands in their way - the First Doctor. For he has stolen the precious Taranium core which is vital to activate the machine. Travelling through Time and Space, the Doctor and his companions are forever on the move in case the Daleks track them down. But after several months, to their horror, the TARDIS indicates that they are being followed...
This book is the novelisation of the final six episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan, the fourth serial of the Third Season of Doctor Who and the twenty-first serial overall, featuring the First Doctor, as portrayed by William Hartnell, and his companion, Stephen Taylor, and also involved potential companion Sara Kingdom. This novelisation is penned by John Peel, based on the television serial (teleplay) by Dennis Spooner and Terry Nation. Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan, Part II: The Mutation of Time (hereafter referred to as Doctor Who: The Mutation of Time is the second half of the television serial The Daleks' Master Plan, and covers the final six episodes of this twelve-episode serial. One of the things of note is that this book offers a pretty faithful retelling of the Episodes 7 through 12 of the story, and since pretty much all of these episodes were wiped by the BBC, they can still be enjoyed through a few reconstructions and John Peel's novelisations of them. One caveat needs to be mentioned here: Doctor Who: The Mutation of Time completes the "Master Plan saga begun in the previous volume, Doctor Who: Mission to the Unknown (reviewed also this month), continuing from where that story ended, so it is not recommended reading if you are unfamiliar with the story and haven't read Part One. All of that said... Doctor Who: The Mutation of Time takes its title from one of Terry Nation’s working titles for the serial, and John Peel really makes the shifting time aspect of the serial brought out to the forefront. While the televised episodes would keep Mavic Chen and the Dalek alliance throughout the serial, this back half cuts back to them and their developments far more than the televised story ever did. This is perhaps because they provide the dramatic weight of the serial as the episodes immediately penned by Spooner on television go to the comedic side. The Meddling Monk re-appears on this set of episodes, brought in as a tertiary antagonist, and in the novelisation of the episodes in which he appears, the comedy of Peter Butterworth's performance is greatly muted. The story in this novelisation picks up a couple of months after the previous book. It's an interesting approach in that the way author Peel has set this up there is room for additional stories with Sara Kingdom in the TARDIS crew between the events of the two novelisations (and presumably the serial episodes themselves). Doctor Who fans must have been thrilled with this, although I'm not sure whether this is true for the aired episodes. Along this vein, the first chapter of this continuing novelisation is a set of expanded dialogue between the Doctor and Sara Kingdom that did not appear in the original broadcast. It is a touching, but heartbreaking, moment that really sheds some light into Sara's inner pain hidden beneath her stony exterior, and also sheds some light on the Doctor's philosophies that keep him mentally sane despite all he has seen and experienced. "There are no happy endings," the First Doctor says, "because nothing ever lasts forever after," followed by his lamenting the loss of his granddaughter and long observations of the transient nature of time, the inevitability of change, and how all things come to some sort of end. For long-time Doctor Who fans and readers, this is likely to send a chill up one's spine as this touches on the very essence of the show itself, the "regeneration" that keeps the show fresh as subsequent cast, crew, and generations of viewers come and go. And, if truth be told, the essential nature of change to the show is here and almost everywhere in Classic Who and is done with much more class and grace than seen in more recent ham-fisted attempts to quickly bash the concept into the audience. But I digress... The second and third chapters might bore readers unfamiliar with the story, as they have little to do with Daleks or their Master Plan. These chapters cover the comic relief elements of the first Doctor Who what might be called a "Christmas Special" known as "The Feast of Steven" (which was originally meant to be a crossover with another popular British program called Z-Cars), which also contained a tribute/satire of 1920s Hollywood complete with title cards and piano music as though the episode were made in the silent film era. The TARDIS's disruption of a cricket test match at the Oval between England and Australia is a joy to read, bringing a prime example of British stiff upper lip to the humourous proceedings of what's going on. The Keystone Kops sequence (reminiscent of later Benny Hill skits) is quite enjoyable and lends an air of silliness to the story before the coming storm as the Master Plan continues on. I will say that I was glad that Peel dropped the Doctor's Christmas wishes to the audience (breaking the Fourth Wall), instead toasting Steven and Sara before things get serious again. This unique, unusual episode is thought permanently lost, but is preserved in this book largely extant with some minor artistic liberties. For example, the Doctor is credited with inventing the first-ever filmed "pie fight" gag, as he instigates a giant food fight on the stage of a comedy film by shoving a custard cream into his companion Steven's face. These kinds of slapstick antics seem out of place for the serious tone of the rest of the story and make for a rather childish few opening chapters. But since the book is not really meant to be a stand-alone entry, the comedy does provide a bit of a welcome break before "The Nightmare Continues." It is also meant to illustrate that Sara Kingdom spent some considerable time with the Doctor and Steven on several travels after their initial escape from the Daleks in the first half of the story, making her a real part of the TARDIS crew - and her arc in the latter half of the story all the more poignant. However, as soon as the Daleks, Mavic Chen and their alien allies are back in the narrative, the jokes are gone and the fear returns. This is especially apparent when the TARDIS materialises on a cricket pitch (mentioned above), but the sequence in Ancient Egypt with the Meddling Monk is particularly less comedic, the potential of the TARDIS being sealed in the Great Pyramid is played as the most dangerous thing that could happen, while the action is heightened with danger. The Dalek hierarchy is also explored in an additive fashion in the story as well, adding to the tensions and the manner in which the Dalek alliance is starting to implode. The story gravitates towards the climax, the Time Destructor being activated, and the Doctor has Steven return to the TARDIS for safety. Sara, of course, refuses and stays with the Doctor to assist him with the device, knowing full well that her time has come, having witnessed the extermination of Mavic Chen by the Daleks. The earlier sequence between the Doctor and Sarah in the first chapter is brought full circle, offering Sara some closure, but she is guided into death by the image of Bret [Vyon], which feels somewhat out of place, but this reader understood what author Peel was trying to accomplish here. Overall, Doctor Who: The Mutation of Time is not as good as the first volume in some ways. It starts off strong, then engages in humourous moments that almost divorce the reader from and overshadow the Dalek plot, before racing towards the rather dark, somewhat depressing climax. When the story is great, it's utterly brilliant, in parts even better than the first half of the story, but in between those moments the pace slows down. Some would even argue that when the comedy is transformed back into serious, deadly events, the book is held back in the potential of what it might have been. The book has a very good, somewhat bleak ending, to the story and I highly recommend this volume insofar as it tells the story of a television serial that is mostly lost. But the reader really must read both volumes of this twelve-part story to get the full impact.
Library of the Sapphire Wind by Jane Lindskold
Instead of mentors, they got monsters...
That's what Xerak, Vereez, and Grunwold think when three strange creatures shimmer into being within the circle of Hettua Shrine. And why shouldn't they? After all, they've never seen humans before. Margaret Blake, Peg Gallegos, and Tessa Brown - more usually known as Meg, Peg, and Teg - are equally astonished - but also, oddly enough, better prepared. A widely varied course of reading material has intellectually primed them for the idea that other worlds, even worlds where people with traits more commonly ascribed to "animals," may exist. Yet there is one overriding mystery nobody yet can answer: the meaning of the enigmatic verse that Teg speaks as they arrive - words that indicate the Shrine is responding to a request made of it, a request crucial to the survival of Xerak, Vereez, and Grunwold's world.
This novel is the first book in the Over Where series, and is a rather remarkable book. Author Jane Lindskold definitely has a handle on how to write fantasy and how to tell fantasy tales. In this novel, she blends traditional fantasy tropes while at the same time twisting some of the tropes to make the story seem fresh, yet familiar. In stories such as this, traditionally it is young teenagers who get whisked off on an adventure into a magical world (such as The Chronicles of Narnia, the Harry Potter books and so forth). In Library of the Sapphire Wind, however, it is three women who are...let's just say "older". Tessa Brown ("Teg") is a working professor somewhere in her 50s. Margaret Blake ("Meg") and Peg Gallegos ("Peg") are seemingly in their 60s or 70s. Meg is a librarian, Teg is a field archaeologist, and Peg has the most experience raising children. Furthermore, one has never married, one is divorced, and one is a widow. (And I'll not reveal more about the three women here!) Not your typical fantasy novel characters, and this creates a very unique dynamic, making these older women the protagonists of the story. On the other side of the coin, there are Xerak, Vereez and Grunwold, all teenagers in the magical world (though truthfully they are all more of what we would call college age) they inhabit, and thus the reader encounters a truly clever reversal of the classic fantasy tropes. The world that Meg, Peg and Teg find themselves in ("Over Where") is one where the inhabitants are beings with bodies that are mostly human in form, but have the heads of animals. [As a side note, I believe that the author has one of the Human ladies call the parallel world "Over Where" as an homage to the World War I anthem "Over There," where the Yankees were coming to aid the French to repay the latter country for crucial help to win the American Revolution]. Xerak, Vereez and Grunwold have gone to Hettua Shrine to summon help through a spell/ritual, but what the three "Inquisitors" have gotten are the three women. The author does away with language problems and issues by having the spell/ritual allowing the Humans to understand and speak the language of the "Inquisitors" and vice versa, and Meg, Peg and Teg learn that Xerak, Vereez and Grunwold are looking for help getting answers to various problems that they each are dealing with. While the characters of the youngsters and their world may remind readers of stories such as Disney's animated Robin Hood movie or Brian Jacques's Redwall series of books, nothing could be further from the truth. This is a novel that is more mature in the telling, the world building and style of writing, and while it does feature a "coming of age" series of tropes in the story, there is more of an emphasis on Meg, Peg and Teg that will really appeal to older fantasy readers. What starts out as a relatively simple plot, searching for the fabled Library of the Sapphire Wind that was destroyed earlier but may have answers to their questions, turns into something completely different, but familiar, to fantasy readers and was a joy to witness through the eyes of the Humans who become mentors to the youngsters. One thing I will say here is that author Lindskold does a terrific job of balancing the character development, the plot and the action sequences in the book. She also does a wonderful job of throwing in references to classic fantasy and coming of age stories that readers will appreciate (especially those who are fans of Narnia). The world building in the book is excellent as well, as we see the world of Over Where through the eyes of Meg, Peg and Teg, with the three "Inquisitors" teaching the Humans about their world and its history as well. Over Where is a rich world setting, and the reader will find lots of elements that are similar, yet different, from those in our own world. My biggest disappointment about this novel is that it ended where it did! The ending seemed so abrupt, not natural, and I really wanted it to continue at that point. Fortunately, the publishing time on the second novel in the series was quite short, so I've got the second (and third) books in the series to look forward to! I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fantasy fiction involving quests, but set in another world that has surprising similarities to our own, but is clearly not our world, and featuring three older (women) protagonists. Highly recommended!
Overall, I managed to read 9 novels, 1 RPG and RPG products, 0 magazines, 0 comics, and 0 graphic novels in December. This brings the 2024 year end totals up to the following: 76 books, 15 RPGs and RPG products, 16 magazines, 65 comics, and 0 graphic novels. I read 3 books more this past year than I did in 2023, and I'm kind of surprised by that, to be honest, but glad that I broke the 70 book mark. So it wasn't a shabby year's total, to be honest, and that's a good thing.
That said, I'm looking forward to what 2025 brings in my book, roleplaying game, and comics reading!
*****
Books Read in December, 2024
Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks
Doctor Who: The Time Meddler by Nigel Robinson
Doctor Who: Galaxy Four by William Emms
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
Doctor Who: The Myth Makers by Donald Cotton
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde (r)
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan Part I: Mission to the Unknown by John Peel
Library of the Sapphire Wind by Megan Lindholm (r)
DW: AiTaS: The Fourth Doctor Sourcebook by Walt Ciechanowski and Andrew Peregrine (RPG) (r?)
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan Part II: The Mutation of Time by John Peel
*****
And that was my reading for December, 2024 and a wrap for the year that was. This was a pretty decent month of book reading for me, given how my health impacted my reading the last few months of 2024, and I'm relatively pleased with how many books I managed to read this past month. It was a slightly above average month of book reads for me, since I tend to read usually 5-7 books per month, in addition to the other stuff, but there was a good chunk of reading some of the William Hartnell Doctor Who television novelisations. Most of the books this month were pretty enjoyable, with quite a few novels and novelisations standing out. Anyway, the books that I enjoyed the most were...
Doctor Who: The Time Meddler by Nigel Robinson
When the TARDIS materialises on an apparently deserted Northumbrian beach, Steven disputes the Doctor's claim that they have travelled back to the Eleventh Century. The discovery of a modern wrist-watch in a nearby forest merely reinforces his opinion. But it is 1066, the most important date in English history, and the Doctor's arrival has not gone unnoticed. Observing the appearance of the TARDIS is a mysterious monk who recognises the time machine for what it is. He also knows that the Doctor poses a serious threat to his master plan - a plan which, if successful, could alter the future of the entire world...
This book is the novelisation of The Time Meddler, the ninth serial of the Second Season of Doctor Who and the seventeenth serial overall, featuring the First Doctor, as portrayed by William Hartnell, and his companions, Vicki and new companion Steven Taylor. This novelisation is penned by Nigel Robinson, based on the television serial (teleplay) by Dennis Spooner. The Time Meddler is likely my favourite of the William Hartnell Doctor Who serials, though it ranks up there with The Aztecs as well. This story is the first of the pseudo-historical adventures in the series, as it has a historical setting but features science fiction elements other than the Doctor, his TARDIS, Vicki and Steven Taylor. This is also the first story that gives the viewer another Time Lord (though not yet named as such) and the Doctor is forced to match wits with him throughout the story. The novelisation of the serial, Doctor Who: The Time Meddler, is penned by Nigel Robinson, who does a stellar job here in terms of both the prose, the characterisations, and the descriptions of the 1066 Northumbria setting in which the Doctor, Vicki and Steven find themselves. A great deal of this book consists of the circular plotting and repetition which the television serials used to pad its run-time; in this instance, involving a lot of going to the monastery, escaping the monastery, going to the Saxon village, returning to the monastery, and so on. While it's fairly tedious in some ways and isn't livened up by the introduction of the Viking scouts, it makes for an entertaining read because of author Robinson's descriptive prose and character inner thoughts during their "travels." That said, the real strengths of this novelisation is the relationship that develops over the course of the story between Vicki and Steven Taylor, the newest companion, and how different it is from that between the departed Barbara and Ian (with Susan and Vicki), as well as the often antagonistic relationship that seems to be developing here between the First Doctor and Steven. Vicki's exasperation with Steven is very palpable in the novelisation, a bit more so than in the serial itself. While some of the historical serials during the Hartnell period had strong, sometimes at odds with the rest of the story, comedic moments, the humour in this serial is subtle and in the novelisation is restricted to the Meddling Monk played by comedic actor Peter Butterworth. Butterworth was an actor and comedian who was perfectly cast in the serial, and the novelisation expands a little bit on the Monk's personality and raison d'être. Unlike the Master, the Meddling Monk is irresponsible, childish, misguided and petulant, but not overtly malevolent. His relationship with the Doctor is much more like two elderly men competing with each other (including some TARDIS envy) rather than the bitter rivalry that the Doctor has with the Master. The differences between the Doctor and the Meddling Monk come across in the novelisation quite well, and their witty banter at times throughout the novelisation (which is also partially found in the serial as well) is on full display here. While the Meddling Monk is played for humour for the most part in the serial and the novelisation, Doctor Who: The Meddling Monk has some dark moments to it, violence and gore (including the implied rape of the Saxon woman who befriends the time travellers, made clearer in the novelisation as compared to the serial), but it's not described too graphically as befits the overall style and feel of the novelisation itself, some for which author Robinson is to be commended. Overall, Doctor Who: The Meddling Monk is a well-written novelisation based on a somewhat mediocre plot with fascinating characters that offers insight into the personality, motivations, and relationships of the various characters (including the Saxons and the Vikings). As mentioned, the story has some quite dark moments and violence that are offset by the Meddling Monk himself who adds a light-hearted nature to the story. It is also a good first serial/story for new companion Steven Taylor as well, showing the initial skepticism that Ian and Barbara also had, but in a different way and with a different feel to it due to Steven's stubborn-mindedness. This is a fun read of good story that is well worth reading for its importance in Doctor Who lore, somewhat lightweight, and a lovely mid-run Hartnell story. I highly recommend this novelisation.
Doctor Who: Galaxy Four by William Emms
Following a skirmish in deep space, two alien spacecraft have crash landed on a barren planet in Galaxy Four. The Drahvins are a race of beautiful females, led by the imperious Maaga. The Rills are hideous, tusked monstrosities, accompanied by their robotic servants, the Chumblies. When the Doctor arrives, he discovers that the planet will explode in two days' time. The Drahvins desperately ask for his help in escaping the planet and the belligerent Rills. But things are not always as they seem...
This book is the novelisation of Galaxy Four, the first serial of the Third Season of Doctor Who and the eighteenth serial overall, featuring the First Doctor, as portrayed by William Hartnell, and his companions, Vicki and Steven Taylor. This novelisation is penned by William Emms, based on the television serial (teleplay) by William Emms. This first serial of the final full season with William Hartnell in the role of the Doctor is one that for the most part gets ignored because of several of the other serials made during this third season of the show (such as The Daleks' Master Plan, The Ark, The Celestial Toymaker, The Savages, and The Gunfighters) for good or ill. However, Galaxy Four is a remarkable story as it is a tale about the nature of survival, the philosophy of species that travel the universe, a tale about the dangers of cloning, and above all a story about good vs. evil, beauty vs. ugliness, and never judging a book by its cover. When discussing Doctor Who: Galaxy Four, I'll start here by saying that one of the things that strikes me about this novelisation is the cover artwork by Andrew Skilleter. The fiery background with the planet about to explode and the aggressive stance of the Drahvins provides for a really evocative feel for the story that's found within this book. It's a great cover. Author William Emms, who wrote the script of the television serial, does a decent job of the prose in the story. The book is divided up into four chapters, titled appropriately for each of the four episodes in the serial. Emms' novelisation highlights the conflict between the Drahvins and the Rills, of course, but takes it to a larger degree in the depiction of the two species and the exterior beauty but internal ugliness of the Drahvins and the opposite with the Rills. In many ways, the novelisation succeeds where the serial itself failed in the rendition of the Chumblies. Their description in the book matches what they looked like in the television serial, but they come across even cuter than they did in the serial, Vicki's thoughts on them being rendered much more adequately in her thoughts about them and her comments on them with the Doctor and Steven. But then again, I love the Chumblies! Add to this the irony that a race of beings such as the Rills who appear so grotesque to humans could create such cute, beautiful creatures, and well... It's interesting to note that the Doctor is mentioned as being a Time Lord (this had not been mention on-screen at this point) and that this novelisation includes the first mention of regeneration. In a story that is pretty much lost, with only one episode remaining of the four, about appearances and things not being what they seem, it makes for a provoking kind of read as the Doctor ponders that his body is starting to wear a bit thin. There are several differences between the television serial and the novelisation. First of all, in the serial when Steven attacks Maaga, she does the Darth Vader move and grabs him by the throat, lifting him off the ground one-handed. It's a case of the viewer seeing just how physically strong the Drahvin leader is, though there's no indication of whether Maaga's soldiers are possessed of the same strength. In the novelisation, however, Steven throws Maaga to the ground and gets her gun away from her. The Rills are physically a lot different in the book than the television serial, but this is likely due to what was available of in terms of special effects and the budget of the television show in the 1960s. It's interesting, however, to see what the author envisioned the Rills to look like, and puts a different take on them completely. Finally, there is also an entire scene in which Steven and the Doctor fall into a pit trap created by the Chumblies that they are then able to escape which isn't in the television serial. Nothing that viewers of Doctor Who haven't seen before or since in the series, but somewhat indicative of what the Chumblies are capable of despite their cute appearance. That said, the best addition to the novelisation is the inclusion of the philosophical thoughts and discussions with the Doctor and the Rills, stuff that was likely part of the television script, but didn't make it into the serial itself. If the book is let down, it is done so by the characterisation of Steven, who comes across less than enlightened compared to how he is portrayed in the rest of his time in the series, and the somewhat repetitious nature of how the Drahvins think and act, with no real payoff for the reader. Overall, Doctor Who: Galaxy Four is a well-written novelisation of the television serial that sheds a bit more light on the Doctor and his two companions, but focuses more on the various aspects of the Drahvins and the Rills in terms of their conflicts and their philosophies that comes together into a novelisation of the serial that is both entertaining and adds to the story as a whole. While not one of the greatest serials or novelisations of the series' stories, this book is a decent, enjoyable read and is well worth the time. Read this book for the Doctor and his companions, but stay for the Chumblies! :)
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
Tesla Crane, a brilliant inventor and an heiress, is on her honeymoon via an interplanetary space liner. Cruising between the Moon and Mars, she's travelling incognito and is revelling in her anonymity. Then someone is murdered and the festering chowderheads who run security have the audacity to arrest her spouse. Armed with banter, martinis, and her small service dog, Tesla is determined to solve the crime so that the newlyweds can get back to canoodling-- And keep the real killer from striking again.
I'm very fond of murder mysteries and I'm also very fond of murder mysteries in space, so when I heard about this novel and read the back cover blurb, I just had to get my hands on this book to read. And I'm really glad that I did, but have mixed feelings about the story. The Spare Man is basically Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man for those who don't know) in space, and offers a story that feels fresh and is a fun read. Author Kowal writes a science fiction mystery that takes place in a quite neat, hopeful future and it's a great backdrop for a familiar mystery that lives somewhere in the space between noir and what is now called cozy fiction. I didn't really have all that much trouble with the logic of the mystery itself and the reveal of various red herrings, and eventually the identity of the actual murderer, but the novel kept me guessing for much of it about whodunnit and was a lot of fun to read. The book is truly a "locked room" mystery, as the action takes place entirely on the luxury space liner ISS Lindgren; the author provides a basic map of the ship at the beginning of the book, and the reader gradually gets a feel for this wonderful ship as the story progresses, though the technology of the ship isn't really dealt with in detail. That said, author Kowal uses some wonderfully innovative technology in the novel, both from the point of view of that used by the murderer and that found on board the vessel and that being used by the security people aboard the ship. The novel is a bit slow in the beginning, but gathers speed and the pace increases quite well as the book goes on, and I loved the interesting (and fitting) use of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink recipes at the start of new chapters. The main issue I have with the book is the main protagonist and point of view character, Tesla Crane. Tesla is a contradiction to read: she has severe PTSD from an accident that resulted in several deaths that left her with constant back pain (but can be controlled with a tech implant, and to be honest, there aren't a lot of consequences in the story for this chronic pain due to the Deep Brain Pain Suppressor (DBPS) almost magical tech that allow her to turn off her pain receptors and pretty much eliminate her problem entirely). She has a service dog (the best dog in the entire universe, Gimlet) to assist her. I will say that her service dog, Gimlet, was interesting to see for the first hundred pages or so, but after that... no, thanks. (And Gimlet does have a key role to play in solving the mystery, but it's not what the reader might think.) On the flip side, she is one of *the* richest people in the galaxy, and as much as she tries to acknowledge she has massive privilege, she wields that privilege when it suits her. Tesla is not a likeable character, to be honest. She's rude, spoiled and imperious. There is a way to write this kind of uber-rich and hyper-privileged protagonist so that they are fun and sympathetic, but Tesla just sounds like a spoiled kid alternatively asking to see the manager and threatening everyone with her lawyer. As for the other characters in the novel... Tesla's new husband, Shal, is a "retired" private detective, though he hasn't let his license expire, and while the author attempts to present their relationship in a manner that makes one think of newlyweds and constantly in a state of coitus interruptus, I didn't really see the chemistry between them though there is a spark of energy throughout the novel. The various other characters that Tesla and Shal meet on board the ISS Lindgren are a mixed batch, with some rather trope-ish security officers who seem incompetent at their job, with the exception of Maria Piper who is the only security officer aboard that gets decent development. The rest of the people aboard the ship are people that the newlyweds must figure out whether they are friend or foe, the actual murderer, or red herrings. Overall, they are colourful enough such that one can see a bit of individuality to them, but are somewhat stereotypical as one might expect. Overall, I thought that The Spare Man is a pretty decent science fiction mystery that offers a somewhat interesting science fictional world that uses technology fitting to the environment and with mystery use applications. Author Kowal provides an Author's Note at the end of the novel discussing the inspiration for some of the technology, including an implant for pain management based on real technology used to treat Parkinson's among others things. There's also a note about the various cocktails found in the book and some interesting aspects of the bartending elements to the story. This is a fun novel, with a decent mystery, the Thin Man vibes I mentioned earlier in this review, but it's not to everyone's taste. That said, it's a good novel to read if one is looking for something different in a science fiction mystery set in space.
Doctor Who: The Myth Makers by Donald Cotton
Long, long ago on the great plains of Asia Minor, two mighty armies faced each other in mortal combat. The armies were the Greeks and the Trojans and the prize they were fighting for was Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. To the Greeks it seemed that the city of Troy was impregnable, and only a miracle could bring them success. And then help comes to them in a most unexpected way as a strange blue box materialises close to their camp, bringing with it the First Doctor, Steven and Vicki, who soon find themselves caught up in the irreversible tide of history and legend...
This book is the novelisation of The Myth Makers, the (fourth or) third serial of the Third Season of Doctor Who and the (twenty-first or) twentieth serial overall, featuring the First Doctor, as portrayed by William Hartnell, and his companions, Vicki and Steven Taylor. This novelisation is penned by Donald Cotton, based on the television serial (teleplay) by Donald Cotton. As noted above, which serial numbering The Myth Makers receives in the official numbering of Doctor Who serials depends on whether one considers Mission to the Unknown a "serial" in and of itself or whether it is merely a prologue or part of the epic The Daleks' Master Plan. (Both those novelisations will be reviewed shortly, but for now...) Regardless, I have already reviewed in October, 2024 Donald Cotton's novelisation of his serial The Romans, which rather than a novelisation of the tv serial proper, was presented as a series of letters regarding the events that befell the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki at Nero's court. Doctor Who: The Myth Makers was written by Cotton some two years earlier, and featured the serial in question as narrated by Homer, who retells the events of the Trojan War involving the Doctor, Steven and Vicki, while introducing Katarina, one of the handmaidens to Cassandra, and featuring the departure of Vicki as she remains behind in Troy. Essentially set concurrently with The Iliad, Doctor Who: The Myth Makers provides a very comedic slant on the Greek classics and mythology, with Homer attempting to set the record straight as to what really happened, a few decades later (more on this shortly). To illustrate the humour in this novelisation, one of the chapters is entitled "Doctor in the Horse"... The reader learns that it was actually Steven in armour who battled Achilles, and that Vicki falls in love with Troilus and stays behind as Cressida... and they're still in love and happily together as Homer's story concludes. This is truly one of the most original and amusing of the historical adventures. This makes for a fascinating novel because it's reformatted from the events of the serial (which no longer exists in visual format, so most readers of the book likely have never seen the television serial) to be a novel, largely following the Doctor for the first half, Vicki only briefly whenever it's important to establish the relationship between her and Troilus, and Steven in the second half. Whether it's due to how Homer presents the tale of what occurred, there is something heightened about the characterisation, especially of Cassandra, in an attempt to somehow outdo the camp of the television story, as well as make the Trojan characters fulfill the camp sensibility that the story entertains. The Doctor is also perfectly characterised and just as stubborn as he is during the series, but if there is one point where this novelisation fails, it would be with Steven and Vicki in the first half. In the second half of the novelisation, Vicki actually gets some focus with Troilus actually providing true romantic interest instead of the last-minute relationship that I recall from the serial; having Homer speculate on her inner life means there is at least some justification. However, author Cotton decides that Steven and Vicki are both characters from modern day Earth, instead of the future. Steven Taylor suffers in particular because author Cotton doesn't have access to any novelisations featuring the character as this would be the first; Vicki at least had Doctor Who and the Zarbi and Doctor Who and the Crusaders, but Steven is just a generic male companion, which brings down an otherwise decent novelisation. If the novel grated on this reader, it's the manner in which Homer is portrayed. Not only does Homer, as a witness to the events, have to dash back and forth between the Greek camp and the city of Troy in order to be present at the scenes involving the main characters, but he also displays the truly bizarre habit of using anachronistic expressions from the modern era, such as "Flying Dutchman" (which has its origins no earlier than the 17th century); at the same time, he does not know, for example, what London is. Homer states that he has met the Doctor "several times since" [the events depicted here], so he's clearly picked up some knowledge from the Doctor, but then surely he'd be far more likely to know about London than La Vie Parisienne? In the final chapter of the book, an elderly Homer meets the Doctor again. Homer refers to bumping into the Doctor in Carthage and during the burning of the Library of Alexandria. Yet Carthage did not exist during the probable time of the Trojan War, while Alexandria was founded centuries after The Iliad was first written down and the library, rather than being burned, gradually declined from the 2nd Century BC onwards. How has Homer visited these different time periods? Did the author even think this through? Overall, the story in Doctor Who: The Myth Makers is a lot stronger then the previous comedy of Doctor Who: The Romans because there is only one internal narrator vs. the various ones in the previous novelisation. The humour is a bit more understated, but stronger for it in this novel, since it turns the traditional view of the Trojan War and its main characters on its head, but this is in contrast with the final, dark events of the book in which Troy is sacked and the bloodshed is evident; one has to wonder how gory Ian Marter would have made this sequence if he'd written the book. Sadly, because of the third party viewpoint, the reader does not see Vicki's departure as it likely appeared on screen, and the reader also does not see the events leading up to Steven's serious injury at the end, which will flow directly into the next, epic story. I recommend this novelisation as it is the only form in which The Myth Makers exists, but also because it is an entertaining, offbeat read as well.
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan, Part I: Mission to the Unknown by John Peel
Stranded in the jungles of Kembel, the most hostile planet in the Galaxy, Space Security agent Marc Cory has stumbled across the most deadly plot ever hatched - the Daleks are about to invade and destroy the Universe. Cory has to get a warning back to Earth before it's too late - but the Daleks find him first. Months later the First Doctor and his companions arrive on Kembel and find Cory's message. But it may already be too late for Earth - the Daleks’ Masterplan has already begun...
This book is the novelisation of Mission to the Unknown, the second serial (though actually just a single episode) of the Third Season of Doctor Who and the nineteenth serial/episode overall, featuring the First Doctor, as portrayed by William Hartnell, and his companions, Vicki and Steven Taylor. Well, actually it doesn't have the First Doctor and his companions at all. It is also unique in that it features the novelisation of the first six episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan, the fourth serial of the Third Season of Doctor Who and the twenty-first serial overall, featuring the First Doctor and his companion, Steven Taylor, and also involved potential companions Katarina and Sara Kingdom. This novelisation is penned by John Peel, based on the television serial (teleplay) by Terry Nation and Dennis Spooner. If the reader of this review is confused by the above section, let me just say that The Daleks' Master Plan was the most ambitious Doctor Who serial ever produced at twelve (or thirteen) episodes, rivalled only by the Patrick Troughton ten-part serial The War Games. A single, cutaway episode, Mission to the Unknown, the only episode of the series to not feature the Doctor or his companion(s), was shown prior to the Doctor, Steven and Vicki visiting ancient Greece during the Trojan War in The Myth Makers (the novelisation of which I have reviewed immediately above). As a result, The Daleks' Master Plan was going to be a very difficult tale to novelise, aside from the fact that the rights to Terry Nation's Dalek stories were in limbo for novelisation purposes, something that was only cleared up when John Peel befriended Nation and secured the rights to adapt the three remaining Nation-penned Dalek stories. Peel was given 180 pages for each part of the novelization, and chose to adapt Mission to the Unknown along with the first six episodes of The Daleks’ Master Plan under the title Doctor Who: The Daleks’ Master Plan Part I: Mission to the Unknown (hereafter abbreviated as Doctor Who: Mission to the Unknown. While I was very fond of Peel's novelisation of Doctor Who: The Chase (reviewed here last month), Doctor Who: Mission to the Unknown features what is probably his best prose. The novel is wonderfully evocative at creating the sense of danger from the first page, but Peel takes an interesting approach to matters here. The book starts with a short chapter that summarises the events of The Myth Makers, detailing the serious wound suffered by Steven during the sacking of Troy, how Vicki decided to remain in Troy and flee with the survivors with Troilus under the guise of her new name Cressida, and the perilous trip back to the TARDIS the First Doctor and Katarina make with the wounded Steven. The TARDIS dematerialises, the Doctor intent on finding somewhere, somewhen, where they can find aid for the mortally wounded astronaut. Peel added this chapter to the book as the novelisation of Doctor Who: The Myth Makers by Donald Cotton is written in a somewhat unorthodox manner, being told from the viewpoint of Homer, and Katarina plays very little role in said novel. Given the events in the first six parts of The Daleks' Master Plan, and the role that Katarina plays, it was a good choice on Peel's part and makes the events that unfold all the sadder. The next two chapters of Doctor Who: Mission to the Unknown portray the events of the seemingly stand-alone episode Mission to the Unknown. While these two chapters lay out the danger of the Daleks, provide an inkling of what they are plotting, and play up the body horror of the Varga plants as well as the lethality of the planet Kembel, this story also sheds light on Space Security Service agent Marc Cory and the mettle of the man, while also giving a glimpse of the horror of what happens to his civilian pilot, Lowery. Author Peel does a terrific job of making the reader feel terrified, haunted, hopeless, and powerless on Kembel, and sets things up for what is to come. And then the reader gets the first six episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan... What can I really say here? To start with, the connection to the events at the end of The Myth Makers comes into full focus, as the TARDIS lands on Kembel some time after the events of Mission to the Unknown. The characterisation of the Doctor feels very active in the novelisation, though the actions and deeds of the character aren't necessarily different from the television serial itself. Author Peel very clearly had access to the original camera scripts (and possibly some of Terry Nation's original scripts before being edited by Donald Tosh), and seems to have attempted to capture Douglas Camfield's action-oriented directorial style. Furthermore, Katarina is given some sequences from her perspective that allow more characterisation than perhaps the script provide, and she becomes a living, breathing character because of this. Her death roughly two-thirds of the way through the novelisation feels far more dangerous and real, but this may be due to the author's heightening of the violence. That works well here, and author Peel makes it explicit that Katarina’s death was a noble sacrifice, and not someone from the past misunderstanding how a spaceship airlock functions. Author Peel manages to convey Katarina's complete inexperience with futuristic technology and spaceships without making her come across as unintelligent or incompetent. The reaction of the Doctor and Steven to Katarina's sacrifice makes the final third of the novel feel as if both are in...for lack of a better term, fugue states, and they are only shocked out of it when they are betrayed and Sara Kingdom is introduced in the story. Bret Vyon (Nicholas Courtney's first appearance in Doctor Who) is handled quite well. He comes across with the steadfastness and duty-bound nature to find out what happened to Marc Cory, but when his loyalties are tested he finds himself siding with Earth and a desire to keep Mavic Chen's plotting and the Daleks' plans from coming to fruition. Bret's characterisation is well-handled by author Peel, and he becomes nicely three-dimensional before he is killed by Sara Kingdom. His death seems to play out closely to that in the television serial, but this is likely due to the fact that the episode in which it occurs is one of the three surviving episodes (two at the time of the novelisation). Sara Kingdom, his sister, appears in the final third of the novel only, and while her characterisation revolves around obeying orders (notably Mavic Chen's, to recover the Taranium core stolen by the Doctor, and to kill her supposedly treacherous brother), learning the truth of the situation and her vow to kill Chen, and the guilt she feels at having wrongfully killed Bret, but the second part of the story will see her evolve and grow a little bit. Mavic Chen, the Guardian of the Solar System, is the villain of the piece in many way, but in this first part of The Daleks' Master Plan comes across secondary to the nastiness of the Daleks. He and the delegates from the outer galaxies are simplified in their portrayal, the Daleks getting the lion's share of the evil personalities and author Peel excels at writing them. Overall, Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan Part I: Mission to the Uknown is a novelisation that is really all set-up for a Doctor Who story that was far too large and complicated to be written as a single novel. Even though the story here is only really half the tale, it is epic and full of the promise of what is to come. Given that the serial itself is almost non-existent on video, with only three of the twelve episodes surviving, this is a remarkably told, readable, highly enjoyable book that provides the reader with a glimpse of how intricate, complicated, and epic this story truly is/was. Highly recommended.
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan, Part II: The Mutation of Time by John Peel
The Daleks' Masterplan is well under way. With the Time Destructor, the most deadly machine ever devised, they will conquer the Universe. Only one person stands in their way - the First Doctor. For he has stolen the precious Taranium core which is vital to activate the machine. Travelling through Time and Space, the Doctor and his companions are forever on the move in case the Daleks track them down. But after several months, to their horror, the TARDIS indicates that they are being followed...
This book is the novelisation of the final six episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan, the fourth serial of the Third Season of Doctor Who and the twenty-first serial overall, featuring the First Doctor, as portrayed by William Hartnell, and his companion, Stephen Taylor, and also involved potential companion Sara Kingdom. This novelisation is penned by John Peel, based on the television serial (teleplay) by Dennis Spooner and Terry Nation. Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan, Part II: The Mutation of Time (hereafter referred to as Doctor Who: The Mutation of Time is the second half of the television serial The Daleks' Master Plan, and covers the final six episodes of this twelve-episode serial. One of the things of note is that this book offers a pretty faithful retelling of the Episodes 7 through 12 of the story, and since pretty much all of these episodes were wiped by the BBC, they can still be enjoyed through a few reconstructions and John Peel's novelisations of them. One caveat needs to be mentioned here: Doctor Who: The Mutation of Time completes the "Master Plan saga begun in the previous volume, Doctor Who: Mission to the Unknown (reviewed also this month), continuing from where that story ended, so it is not recommended reading if you are unfamiliar with the story and haven't read Part One. All of that said... Doctor Who: The Mutation of Time takes its title from one of Terry Nation’s working titles for the serial, and John Peel really makes the shifting time aspect of the serial brought out to the forefront. While the televised episodes would keep Mavic Chen and the Dalek alliance throughout the serial, this back half cuts back to them and their developments far more than the televised story ever did. This is perhaps because they provide the dramatic weight of the serial as the episodes immediately penned by Spooner on television go to the comedic side. The Meddling Monk re-appears on this set of episodes, brought in as a tertiary antagonist, and in the novelisation of the episodes in which he appears, the comedy of Peter Butterworth's performance is greatly muted. The story in this novelisation picks up a couple of months after the previous book. It's an interesting approach in that the way author Peel has set this up there is room for additional stories with Sara Kingdom in the TARDIS crew between the events of the two novelisations (and presumably the serial episodes themselves). Doctor Who fans must have been thrilled with this, although I'm not sure whether this is true for the aired episodes. Along this vein, the first chapter of this continuing novelisation is a set of expanded dialogue between the Doctor and Sara Kingdom that did not appear in the original broadcast. It is a touching, but heartbreaking, moment that really sheds some light into Sara's inner pain hidden beneath her stony exterior, and also sheds some light on the Doctor's philosophies that keep him mentally sane despite all he has seen and experienced. "There are no happy endings," the First Doctor says, "because nothing ever lasts forever after," followed by his lamenting the loss of his granddaughter and long observations of the transient nature of time, the inevitability of change, and how all things come to some sort of end. For long-time Doctor Who fans and readers, this is likely to send a chill up one's spine as this touches on the very essence of the show itself, the "regeneration" that keeps the show fresh as subsequent cast, crew, and generations of viewers come and go. And, if truth be told, the essential nature of change to the show is here and almost everywhere in Classic Who and is done with much more class and grace than seen in more recent ham-fisted attempts to quickly bash the concept into the audience. But I digress... The second and third chapters might bore readers unfamiliar with the story, as they have little to do with Daleks or their Master Plan. These chapters cover the comic relief elements of the first Doctor Who what might be called a "Christmas Special" known as "The Feast of Steven" (which was originally meant to be a crossover with another popular British program called Z-Cars), which also contained a tribute/satire of 1920s Hollywood complete with title cards and piano music as though the episode were made in the silent film era. The TARDIS's disruption of a cricket test match at the Oval between England and Australia is a joy to read, bringing a prime example of British stiff upper lip to the humourous proceedings of what's going on. The Keystone Kops sequence (reminiscent of later Benny Hill skits) is quite enjoyable and lends an air of silliness to the story before the coming storm as the Master Plan continues on. I will say that I was glad that Peel dropped the Doctor's Christmas wishes to the audience (breaking the Fourth Wall), instead toasting Steven and Sara before things get serious again. This unique, unusual episode is thought permanently lost, but is preserved in this book largely extant with some minor artistic liberties. For example, the Doctor is credited with inventing the first-ever filmed "pie fight" gag, as he instigates a giant food fight on the stage of a comedy film by shoving a custard cream into his companion Steven's face. These kinds of slapstick antics seem out of place for the serious tone of the rest of the story and make for a rather childish few opening chapters. But since the book is not really meant to be a stand-alone entry, the comedy does provide a bit of a welcome break before "The Nightmare Continues." It is also meant to illustrate that Sara Kingdom spent some considerable time with the Doctor and Steven on several travels after their initial escape from the Daleks in the first half of the story, making her a real part of the TARDIS crew - and her arc in the latter half of the story all the more poignant. However, as soon as the Daleks, Mavic Chen and their alien allies are back in the narrative, the jokes are gone and the fear returns. This is especially apparent when the TARDIS materialises on a cricket pitch (mentioned above), but the sequence in Ancient Egypt with the Meddling Monk is particularly less comedic, the potential of the TARDIS being sealed in the Great Pyramid is played as the most dangerous thing that could happen, while the action is heightened with danger. The Dalek hierarchy is also explored in an additive fashion in the story as well, adding to the tensions and the manner in which the Dalek alliance is starting to implode. The story gravitates towards the climax, the Time Destructor being activated, and the Doctor has Steven return to the TARDIS for safety. Sara, of course, refuses and stays with the Doctor to assist him with the device, knowing full well that her time has come, having witnessed the extermination of Mavic Chen by the Daleks. The earlier sequence between the Doctor and Sarah in the first chapter is brought full circle, offering Sara some closure, but she is guided into death by the image of Bret [Vyon], which feels somewhat out of place, but this reader understood what author Peel was trying to accomplish here. Overall, Doctor Who: The Mutation of Time is not as good as the first volume in some ways. It starts off strong, then engages in humourous moments that almost divorce the reader from and overshadow the Dalek plot, before racing towards the rather dark, somewhat depressing climax. When the story is great, it's utterly brilliant, in parts even better than the first half of the story, but in between those moments the pace slows down. Some would even argue that when the comedy is transformed back into serious, deadly events, the book is held back in the potential of what it might have been. The book has a very good, somewhat bleak ending, to the story and I highly recommend this volume insofar as it tells the story of a television serial that is mostly lost. But the reader really must read both volumes of this twelve-part story to get the full impact.
Library of the Sapphire Wind by Jane Lindskold
Instead of mentors, they got monsters...
That's what Xerak, Vereez, and Grunwold think when three strange creatures shimmer into being within the circle of Hettua Shrine. And why shouldn't they? After all, they've never seen humans before. Margaret Blake, Peg Gallegos, and Tessa Brown - more usually known as Meg, Peg, and Teg - are equally astonished - but also, oddly enough, better prepared. A widely varied course of reading material has intellectually primed them for the idea that other worlds, even worlds where people with traits more commonly ascribed to "animals," may exist. Yet there is one overriding mystery nobody yet can answer: the meaning of the enigmatic verse that Teg speaks as they arrive - words that indicate the Shrine is responding to a request made of it, a request crucial to the survival of Xerak, Vereez, and Grunwold's world.
This novel is the first book in the Over Where series, and is a rather remarkable book. Author Jane Lindskold definitely has a handle on how to write fantasy and how to tell fantasy tales. In this novel, she blends traditional fantasy tropes while at the same time twisting some of the tropes to make the story seem fresh, yet familiar. In stories such as this, traditionally it is young teenagers who get whisked off on an adventure into a magical world (such as The Chronicles of Narnia, the Harry Potter books and so forth). In Library of the Sapphire Wind, however, it is three women who are...let's just say "older". Tessa Brown ("Teg") is a working professor somewhere in her 50s. Margaret Blake ("Meg") and Peg Gallegos ("Peg") are seemingly in their 60s or 70s. Meg is a librarian, Teg is a field archaeologist, and Peg has the most experience raising children. Furthermore, one has never married, one is divorced, and one is a widow. (And I'll not reveal more about the three women here!) Not your typical fantasy novel characters, and this creates a very unique dynamic, making these older women the protagonists of the story. On the other side of the coin, there are Xerak, Vereez and Grunwold, all teenagers in the magical world (though truthfully they are all more of what we would call college age) they inhabit, and thus the reader encounters a truly clever reversal of the classic fantasy tropes. The world that Meg, Peg and Teg find themselves in ("Over Where") is one where the inhabitants are beings with bodies that are mostly human in form, but have the heads of animals. [As a side note, I believe that the author has one of the Human ladies call the parallel world "Over Where" as an homage to the World War I anthem "Over There," where the Yankees were coming to aid the French to repay the latter country for crucial help to win the American Revolution]. Xerak, Vereez and Grunwold have gone to Hettua Shrine to summon help through a spell/ritual, but what the three "Inquisitors" have gotten are the three women. The author does away with language problems and issues by having the spell/ritual allowing the Humans to understand and speak the language of the "Inquisitors" and vice versa, and Meg, Peg and Teg learn that Xerak, Vereez and Grunwold are looking for help getting answers to various problems that they each are dealing with. While the characters of the youngsters and their world may remind readers of stories such as Disney's animated Robin Hood movie or Brian Jacques's Redwall series of books, nothing could be further from the truth. This is a novel that is more mature in the telling, the world building and style of writing, and while it does feature a "coming of age" series of tropes in the story, there is more of an emphasis on Meg, Peg and Teg that will really appeal to older fantasy readers. What starts out as a relatively simple plot, searching for the fabled Library of the Sapphire Wind that was destroyed earlier but may have answers to their questions, turns into something completely different, but familiar, to fantasy readers and was a joy to witness through the eyes of the Humans who become mentors to the youngsters. One thing I will say here is that author Lindskold does a terrific job of balancing the character development, the plot and the action sequences in the book. She also does a wonderful job of throwing in references to classic fantasy and coming of age stories that readers will appreciate (especially those who are fans of Narnia). The world building in the book is excellent as well, as we see the world of Over Where through the eyes of Meg, Peg and Teg, with the three "Inquisitors" teaching the Humans about their world and its history as well. Over Where is a rich world setting, and the reader will find lots of elements that are similar, yet different, from those in our own world. My biggest disappointment about this novel is that it ended where it did! The ending seemed so abrupt, not natural, and I really wanted it to continue at that point. Fortunately, the publishing time on the second novel in the series was quite short, so I've got the second (and third) books in the series to look forward to! I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fantasy fiction involving quests, but set in another world that has surprising similarities to our own, but is clearly not our world, and featuring three older (women) protagonists. Highly recommended!
Overall, I managed to read 9 novels, 1 RPG and RPG products, 0 magazines, 0 comics, and 0 graphic novels in December. This brings the 2024 year end totals up to the following: 76 books, 15 RPGs and RPG products, 16 magazines, 65 comics, and 0 graphic novels. I read 3 books more this past year than I did in 2023, and I'm kind of surprised by that, to be honest, but glad that I broke the 70 book mark. So it wasn't a shabby year's total, to be honest, and that's a good thing.
That said, I'm looking forward to what 2025 brings in my book, roleplaying game, and comics reading!