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Virgin Decalog #5
Decalog 5 - Wonders
Ten stories, a billion years, an infinite universe. The "Decalog" series was initially an experiment in Doctor Who fiction. "Decalog 4" moved beyond the world of Doctor Who and towards new realms of imaginative fiction. This fifth showcase of new and established writing talent continues that tradition.
313 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 1997
62 people want to read
About the author
Paul Leonard
74 books8 followersPaul J. Leonard Hinder, better known by his pseudonym of Paul Leonard and also originally published as PJL Hinder, is an author best known for his work on various spin-off fiction based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.
Leonard has acknowledged a debt to his friend and fellow Doctor Who author Jim Mortimore in his writing career, having turned to Mortimore for help and advice at the start of it. This advice led to his first novel, Venusian Lullaby being published as part of Virgin Publishing's Missing Adventures range in 1994. Virgin published three more of his novels before losing their licence to publish Doctor Who fiction: Dancing the Code (1995); Speed of Flight (1996) and (as part of their New Adventures range) Toy Soldiers (1995). Following the loss of their licence, Virgin also published the novel Dry Pilgrimage (co-written with Nick Walters) in 1998 as part of their Bernice Summerfield range of novels.
Leonard also wrote for the fourth volume of Virgin's Decalog short story collections. Following this, he was asked to co-edit the fifth volume of the collection with mentor Jim Mortimore.
Leonard's experience in writing for Doctor Who led to him being asked to write one of the first novels in BBC Books Eighth Doctor Adventures series, the novel Genocide. This led to four further novels for the range, of which The Turing Test received particular acclaim for its evocative use of real-life historical characters and first person narrative.
Leonard has also written short stories for the BBC Short Trips and Big Finish Short Trips collections.
Leonard has acknowledged a debt to his friend and fellow Doctor Who author Jim Mortimore in his writing career, having turned to Mortimore for help and advice at the start of it. This advice led to his first novel, Venusian Lullaby being published as part of Virgin Publishing's Missing Adventures range in 1994. Virgin published three more of his novels before losing their licence to publish Doctor Who fiction: Dancing the Code (1995); Speed of Flight (1996) and (as part of their New Adventures range) Toy Soldiers (1995). Following the loss of their licence, Virgin also published the novel Dry Pilgrimage (co-written with Nick Walters) in 1998 as part of their Bernice Summerfield range of novels.
Leonard also wrote for the fourth volume of Virgin's Decalog short story collections. Following this, he was asked to co-edit the fifth volume of the collection with mentor Jim Mortimore.
Leonard's experience in writing for Doctor Who led to him being asked to write one of the first novels in BBC Books Eighth Doctor Adventures series, the novel Genocide. This led to four further novels for the range, of which The Turing Test received particular acclaim for its evocative use of real-life historical characters and first person narrative.
Leonard has also written short stories for the BBC Short Trips and Big Finish Short Trips collections.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 28, 2021
Long-long ago, when frequent travel as a Probationer kept a tight leash on my baggage while Kindle was unheard of, I used to get hold of a lot of "read-and-throw" paperbacks. This book had ended up in my possession somewhere in Maharashtra— either Amaravati or Nasik. Who had got such a book there would remain a major question. But apart from providing me (and obviously the previous owner) few hours of entertainment, it didn’t have much to talk about.
But there were three stories that had created lasting if not permanent impressions. They were:
1. Lawrence Miles' "The Judgment of Solomon"— an intriguing and haunting story having tangential connection with the Doctor Who Universe;
2. Liz Sourbut's "The Milk of Human Kindness"— a chilling, nerve-racking tale that gave dystopia a new meaning;
3. Stephen Marley's "Bibliophage"— a raucously funny take on Xenophobia and memory.
I am still looking for single-author collections from these authors.
Someday there may actually be such collections. Until then... there is nothing actually. I had misplaced the book many years ago. But I remember those three. And I would remember them.
But there were three stories that had created lasting if not permanent impressions. They were:
1. Lawrence Miles' "The Judgment of Solomon"— an intriguing and haunting story having tangential connection with the Doctor Who Universe;
2. Liz Sourbut's "The Milk of Human Kindness"— a chilling, nerve-racking tale that gave dystopia a new meaning;
3. Stephen Marley's "Bibliophage"— a raucously funny take on Xenophobia and memory.
I am still looking for single-author collections from these authors.
Someday there may actually be such collections. Until then... there is nothing actually. I had misplaced the book many years ago. But I remember those three. And I would remember them.
May 13, 2023
The final Decalog, aka short story collection from Virgin Publishing, is the furthest you can get from Doctor Who (as by this point they had long since lost the license). The only recognisable element is Bernice Summerfield, and she only appears in one story, the (not coincidentally) excellent The Judgement of Solomon.
The rest is a mixed bag, certainly. The Decalogs have always struggled with linking themes and this one (“Wonders”) leaves its authors with a blank slate. So we’ve got stories set in a recognisable present (The Milk of Human Kindness - a darkly unusual pandemic), some in the past (Poyekhali 3201 - a tale of Yuri Gagarin’s space flight), some in space (Bibliophage - a smart, funny, Doctor Who-ish race against time), some in the distant future (Waters-Of-Starlight), some suitable for younger readers (I would argue Judgement of Solomon), some bursting at the seams to be edgy (Painting In The Age With The Beauty Of Our Days) and some being honest to god straight science fiction (King’s Chamber and Negative Space).
Something for everyone? It’s hard to say, but on average these are good, with a few (Solomon, Milk, Bibliophage, Negative Space) probably competing with the bigger hits in the earlier Decalog books. It rarely strikes out altogether (the Painting story is far too eager to displease) but it also never quite coheres into a collection with a point. I still wish they’d done more, especially reaching out to new authors as this one seemed to - including a couple of women, if you can imagine such a thing.
3.5
The rest is a mixed bag, certainly. The Decalogs have always struggled with linking themes and this one (“Wonders”) leaves its authors with a blank slate. So we’ve got stories set in a recognisable present (The Milk of Human Kindness - a darkly unusual pandemic), some in the past (Poyekhali 3201 - a tale of Yuri Gagarin’s space flight), some in space (Bibliophage - a smart, funny, Doctor Who-ish race against time), some in the distant future (Waters-Of-Starlight), some suitable for younger readers (I would argue Judgement of Solomon), some bursting at the seams to be edgy (Painting In The Age With The Beauty Of Our Days) and some being honest to god straight science fiction (King’s Chamber and Negative Space).
Something for everyone? It’s hard to say, but on average these are good, with a few (Solomon, Milk, Bibliophage, Negative Space) probably competing with the bigger hits in the earlier Decalog books. It rarely strikes out altogether (the Painting story is far too eager to displease) but it also never quite coheres into a collection with a point. I still wish they’d done more, especially reaching out to new authors as this one seemed to - including a couple of women, if you can imagine such a thing.
3.5
December 23, 2020
Poyekhali 3201 - an interesting story about the first cosmonaut, with a fun, but hardly life-changing, twist near the end 3/5
King's Chamber - An engaging story, probably one of the most out there stories 3/5
City of Hammers - Beautiful story of a former couple coming back together due to one's illness, with an interesting science-fiction wonder to suit 4/5
Painting the Age with the Beauty of Our Days - A nice title wasted on an "edgy" and unenjoyable story 2/5
The Judgement of Solomon - Probably the most fun story, and a nice tie-in to the DWU. 4/5
The Milk of Human Kindness - Quite a chilling story, and one of the best in the collection. 5/5
Bibliophage - probably the most interesting sci-fi concept, in a fun and fast paced story. 4/5
Negative Space - Slow getting into it, but nail-biting by the end 5/5
Dome of Whispers - An enjoyable story, but not ground breaking 3/5
The Waters of Starlight - a beautiful way to end the anthology 3/5
Overall, a good anthology with an enjoyable range of stories, but little in the way of ground breaking material
King's Chamber - An engaging story, probably one of the most out there stories 3/5
City of Hammers - Beautiful story of a former couple coming back together due to one's illness, with an interesting science-fiction wonder to suit 4/5
Painting the Age with the Beauty of Our Days - A nice title wasted on an "edgy" and unenjoyable story 2/5
The Judgement of Solomon - Probably the most fun story, and a nice tie-in to the DWU. 4/5
The Milk of Human Kindness - Quite a chilling story, and one of the best in the collection. 5/5
Bibliophage - probably the most interesting sci-fi concept, in a fun and fast paced story. 4/5
Negative Space - Slow getting into it, but nail-biting by the end 5/5
Dome of Whispers - An enjoyable story, but not ground breaking 3/5
The Waters of Starlight - a beautiful way to end the anthology 3/5
Overall, a good anthology with an enjoyable range of stories, but little in the way of ground breaking material
Want to read
June 12, 2024Another one where I may never read all of the stories in it, but I will review at least some of them.
The Place of All Places "Based on an idea by Nakula Somana", possibly written by the editors (my money's on Jim Mortimore)
Boy listens, the song's ignorant prisoner; he listens but does not understand. The harijans sing of Desert's stories as if they were real. But the stories aren't real, are they? Boy stays among the palm trees and considers this until the sun stands high upon Oasis and the yellow land has turned salt-white, but cannot conceive an answer to the question.
A very poetical prologue and epilogue to this volume, very slim as well.
Poyekhali 3201 by Stephen Baxter
Everywhere, stars were green. The nearby stars, for instance: Alpha Centauri and Sirius and Procyon and Tau Ceti, names from science fiction, the homes of mankind in the ages to come. Green as blades of grass! He tipped his head this way and that. Everywhere he looked it was the same: stars everywhere had turned to chlorophyll green.
A rather decent short story, though I feel that I am missing out on some context from Baxter's other works.
The Judgment of Solomon by Lawrence Miles
But Solomon frowned upon such things, for he knew them to go against the wishes of the One True God, in whose divine name did Solomon rule. With only his Word as his tool, the King proved that carpets could not move; and so they did not move. He proved that horses could not fly, and could not be made from wood; so they did not, and were not. He told his people that dreams were nothing more than fancy and illusion, that they were shallow, trivial things; his people believed him. The King rejected the crafts and sciences of the sorcerers, and so the sorcerers were banished from his kingdom, until there was nothing but the Word of Solomon in the cities of the near west. And Solomon knew the people would thank him for this, for they had no need of flying carpets or enchanted trinkets. Such things, he knew, only bred doubt and fruitless fantasy.
Though it is largely forgotten, this is one of the most intriguing short stories written by Lozza. It has a lot to say - both about the lore that Miles was crafting and society as a whole. Also features one of the better "performaces" of Bernice Summerfield.
The Place of All Places "Based on an idea by Nakula Somana", possibly written by the editors (my money's on Jim Mortimore)
Boy listens, the song's ignorant prisoner; he listens but does not understand. The harijans sing of Desert's stories as if they were real. But the stories aren't real, are they? Boy stays among the palm trees and considers this until the sun stands high upon Oasis and the yellow land has turned salt-white, but cannot conceive an answer to the question.
A very poetical prologue and epilogue to this volume, very slim as well.
Poyekhali 3201 by Stephen Baxter
Everywhere, stars were green. The nearby stars, for instance: Alpha Centauri and Sirius and Procyon and Tau Ceti, names from science fiction, the homes of mankind in the ages to come. Green as blades of grass! He tipped his head this way and that. Everywhere he looked it was the same: stars everywhere had turned to chlorophyll green.
A rather decent short story, though I feel that I am missing out on some context from Baxter's other works.
The Judgment of Solomon by Lawrence Miles
But Solomon frowned upon such things, for he knew them to go against the wishes of the One True God, in whose divine name did Solomon rule. With only his Word as his tool, the King proved that carpets could not move; and so they did not move. He proved that horses could not fly, and could not be made from wood; so they did not, and were not. He told his people that dreams were nothing more than fancy and illusion, that they were shallow, trivial things; his people believed him. The King rejected the crafts and sciences of the sorcerers, and so the sorcerers were banished from his kingdom, until there was nothing but the Word of Solomon in the cities of the near west. And Solomon knew the people would thank him for this, for they had no need of flying carpets or enchanted trinkets. Such things, he knew, only bred doubt and fruitless fantasy.
Though it is largely forgotten, this is one of the most intriguing short stories written by Lozza. It has a lot to say - both about the lore that Miles was crafting and society as a whole. Also features one of the better "performaces" of Bernice Summerfield.
Read
October 21, 2007http://nhw.livejournal.com/115492.html[return][return]With one dull exception ("Negative Space" by Jeanne Cavelos) this collection of ten sf short stories ranges from competent to very good. I bought it because my friend from college Dominic Green contributed one of the better ones, "King's Chamber". I'm not quite sure of the linkage between the stories and the Doctor Who universe - one of the stories features the unofficial companion Bernice Summerfield, heroine of the "Doctor Who without the Doctor" books produced by another old friend from college, Rebecca Levene - and I didn't really feel there was much of an overall unifying theme, but no real complaints on that score. I can't remember where I bought it but it was certainly cheap and good value.
June 10, 2014
This is part of the Decalog Anthology series published in the UK by Virgin Books.
The first three Decalog anthologies were all Doctor Who short stories.
Decalog 4 showcased the family saga of the Seventh Doctor's companion, Roz Forrester.
Decalog 5 is not connected with the WHO series in any way---just published by the same company. As with any group of stories written by a group of people, the stories vary in quality. I found most of the stories quite interesting---this book would be worth reading by any SF fan.
Recommended for SF fans who like short stories and interesting ideas.
Read before I joined GR so dates are unknown.
The first three Decalog anthologies were all Doctor Who short stories.
Decalog 4 showcased the family saga of the Seventh Doctor's companion, Roz Forrester.
Decalog 5 is not connected with the WHO series in any way---just published by the same company. As with any group of stories written by a group of people, the stories vary in quality. I found most of the stories quite interesting---this book would be worth reading by any SF fan.
Recommended for SF fans who like short stories and interesting ideas.
Read before I joined GR so dates are unknown.
March 7, 2010
This is a collection of ten SF stories loosely linked with the theme of the wonders of the universe. To be honest, it wasn't hugely memorable, with only one or two leaving any lasting impression.
September 12, 2015
Like many, I bought this thinking it was like Decalogs 1-4, a Doctor Who anthology but it isn't. The Bernice Summerfield story by Lawrence Miles was pretty great, the rest a mixed bag.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews