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Doctor Who: Virgin New Adventures #56
Doctor Who: So Vile a Sin
"If you step into history," said the Doctor, "I won't be able to protect you."
"This isn't history," said Roz. "This is family."
The Earth Empire — the Imperium Humanum, upon which a thousand suns never set — is dying.
The Great Houses of the Empire manoeuvre and scheme for advantage; alliances are made; and knives flash in the shadows. Out among the moons of Jupiter, another battle is just beginning, as an ancient brotherhood seeks limitless power and long-overdue revenge.
The Doctor returns to the thirtieth century, searching for the source of a terrifying weapon. He fears a nightmare from his own past may be about to destroy the future. Nothing must be allowed to get in his way.
But the Doctor has reckoned without the power of history — which has its own plans for the wayward daughter of the House of Forrester.
"This isn't history," said Roz. "This is family."
The Earth Empire — the Imperium Humanum, upon which a thousand suns never set — is dying.
The Great Houses of the Empire manoeuvre and scheme for advantage; alliances are made; and knives flash in the shadows. Out among the moons of Jupiter, another battle is just beginning, as an ancient brotherhood seeks limitless power and long-overdue revenge.
The Doctor returns to the thirtieth century, searching for the source of a terrifying weapon. He fears a nightmare from his own past may be about to destroy the future. Nothing must be allowed to get in his way.
But the Doctor has reckoned without the power of history — which has its own plans for the wayward daughter of the House of Forrester.
400 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1997
357 people want to read
About the author
Ben Aaronovitch
160 books13.5k followersBen Aaronovitch's career started with a bang writing for Doctor Who, subsided in the middle and then, as is traditional, a third act resurgence with the bestselling Rivers of London series.
Born and raised in London he says that he'll leave his home when they prise his city out of his cold dead fingers.
Born and raised in London he says that he'll leave his home when they prise his city out of his cold dead fingers.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 2, 2020
There was almost something surreal about reading this book, finally. It’s part of the (un)holy trinity with Lungbarrow and The Dying Days for being hell to get a physical copy of, so to be putting it down after reaching the final page kind of feels strange. (I might just be overly romanticising here but I’m a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to preferring physical books to e-books.)
But moving on... despite knowing some of what happens going in, it still manages a good few gut punches, right from the first page. It’s a heavy start too, and all in all it’s a pretty heavy book - there’s a lot to do!
We’re back in the thirtieth century for the first time since Chris and Roz joined the Doctor and Benny back in Original Sin, so it’s obvious there’s going to be unfinished business, and there’s a lot! On top of that, threads are pulling together from across the rest of the recent run of New Adventures, with the psi-powers, the Brotherhood, and the N-Forms all playing their part in what I’m inclined to say could be Doctor Who’s best ever space opera.
Character-wise, the Doctor, Chris, and Roz all get time to shine. The Doctor’s out of his depth, possibly more than we’ve seen him in a long time, Chris is - as always - just trying to do his best, and Roz is faced with situations that could effect not just her, but her friends, her family, and the entire Empire. It’s not been so long since Original Sin, but it really does feel like Roz has developed a lot over that time, and the sequences of her on Fury, and a few moments she shares with the Doctor in the latter part of the story display this brilliantly.
It’s hard to predict where exactly things will go from here as the New Adventures heads towards the end. This definitely does feel like a significant step in that ‘beginning of the end’ narratively (as well as, y’know, being the last published Who NA because of a hard drive crash), but this isn’t how the story ends!
But moving on... despite knowing some of what happens going in, it still manages a good few gut punches, right from the first page. It’s a heavy start too, and all in all it’s a pretty heavy book - there’s a lot to do!
We’re back in the thirtieth century for the first time since Chris and Roz joined the Doctor and Benny back in Original Sin, so it’s obvious there’s going to be unfinished business, and there’s a lot! On top of that, threads are pulling together from across the rest of the recent run of New Adventures, with the psi-powers, the Brotherhood, and the N-Forms all playing their part in what I’m inclined to say could be Doctor Who’s best ever space opera.
Character-wise, the Doctor, Chris, and Roz all get time to shine. The Doctor’s out of his depth, possibly more than we’ve seen him in a long time, Chris is - as always - just trying to do his best, and Roz is faced with situations that could effect not just her, but her friends, her family, and the entire Empire. It’s not been so long since Original Sin, but it really does feel like Roz has developed a lot over that time, and the sequences of her on Fury, and a few moments she shares with the Doctor in the latter part of the story display this brilliantly.
It’s hard to predict where exactly things will go from here as the New Adventures heads towards the end. This definitely does feel like a significant step in that ‘beginning of the end’ narratively (as well as, y’know, being the last published Who NA because of a hard drive crash), but this isn’t how the story ends!
September 21, 2023
"I don' sell gun. I sell frock only."
There's surely no denying So Vile a Sin is a messy novel.
Famously, this book was the victim of circumstances. The NAs was a monthly series, so when Ben Aaronovitch's hard drive crashed, this book missed its slot in November 1996. Which was unfortunate because this novel not only wraps up a storyline that had run for several volumes, but farewells a major character and leaves a stain that will be dealt with by the characters for the next few books.
Still, these things happen, and Aaronovitch tried to continue his work, but ultimately a mix of what seems to have been writer's block and the challenges of plotting it meant that he simply couldn't complete it in a timely manner. Which was becoming a problem. The BBC had not renewed Virgin Publishing's license for Doctor Who fiction, so this novel had to come out by the end of May 1997 or it wouldn't come out at all. Kate Orman, whose other novels for the range were among its highlights, was given Aaronovitch's half-complete draft files, combined with some printed pages of what had gone before, and had all of two months to complete a novel for publication.
"I'm proficient in hand-to-hand combat, blades, custard pies, and the Bohemian teaspoon."
Generally, So Vile a Sin still works, but it's absolutely a mess. Kate and Ben call back to much of the latter half of the NAs (since Chris and Roz joined the cast) and do justice to the rich 30th century world that has been conjured up. There are some strong character moments, action sequences, and tonal shifts, with my favourite being the Lewis Carroll-esque trial of the Doctor for regicide. Yet ultimately the character arcs are all over the place, especially for Roz, and the novel has the feel of a lengthy television script, cutting too often between locations, creating a story that is full of ideas and political intrigue but hasn't been properly cooked. It's a shame, but under the circumstances no-one can really complain.
There's surely no denying So Vile a Sin is a messy novel.
Famously, this book was the victim of circumstances. The NAs was a monthly series, so when Ben Aaronovitch's hard drive crashed, this book missed its slot in November 1996. Which was unfortunate because this novel not only wraps up a storyline that had run for several volumes, but farewells a major character and leaves a stain that will be dealt with by the characters for the next few books.
Still, these things happen, and Aaronovitch tried to continue his work, but ultimately a mix of what seems to have been writer's block and the challenges of plotting it meant that he simply couldn't complete it in a timely manner. Which was becoming a problem. The BBC had not renewed Virgin Publishing's license for Doctor Who fiction, so this novel had to come out by the end of May 1997 or it wouldn't come out at all. Kate Orman, whose other novels for the range were among its highlights, was given Aaronovitch's half-complete draft files, combined with some printed pages of what had gone before, and had all of two months to complete a novel for publication.
"I'm proficient in hand-to-hand combat, blades, custard pies, and the Bohemian teaspoon."
Generally, So Vile a Sin still works, but it's absolutely a mess. Kate and Ben call back to much of the latter half of the NAs (since Chris and Roz joined the cast) and do justice to the rich 30th century world that has been conjured up. There are some strong character moments, action sequences, and tonal shifts, with my favourite being the Lewis Carroll-esque trial of the Doctor for regicide. Yet ultimately the character arcs are all over the place, especially for Roz, and the novel has the feel of a lengthy television script, cutting too often between locations, creating a story that is full of ideas and political intrigue but hasn't been properly cooked. It's a shame, but under the circumstances no-one can really complain.
May 9, 2017
I've been rereading my way through some of the latter Virgin New Adventures along with a podcast I listen to (The Oncoming Storm).
I enjoyed the reread a lot (a little more than the podcast presenters did I think, but I always liked Kate Orman's writing, back in the long ago). This is not a book to jump into a read, but it was a good conclusion to a lot of ongoing arcs for the long term reader, which I was at the time.
I haven't decided if I'm going to reread the next one or not. I have a month, so I'll decide in a few weeks.
I enjoyed the reread a lot (a little more than the podcast presenters did I think, but I always liked Kate Orman's writing, back in the long ago). This is not a book to jump into a read, but it was a good conclusion to a lot of ongoing arcs for the long term reader, which I was at the time.
I haven't decided if I'm going to reread the next one or not. I have a month, so I'll decide in a few weeks.
March 17, 2014
One of the functions of the New Adventures as a project was to assert that history hadn't ended. In 1996, this built to a climax in So Vile A Sin, a novel that tried to weave together various long-running threads about Ancient Gallifrey, the Gods of Gallifrey, psi powers, and future history.
The prototype for this monster is obviously Frontier in Space/Planet of the Daleks, turned inside out. The TARDIS crew's chase after the Brotherhood and ancient Time Lord technology draws them into a bigger story about individual choice, material forces, decolonisation, and the bathos of death.
This is an epic story, taking place across two star systems and over the course of a year, but it was clearly always intended to a different epic story than the one an arc-hungry reader expected. This isn't the Tragedy of Roslyn Forrester or the Psi Apocalypse of Reality, it's aiming to be much more nuanced than that, to honour a different kind of adventure — that of the little people who stay behind to fight tyranny at home.
Despite its fraught production, the novel reads smoothly. Unfortunately, there's little of the usually crammed prose styles of either Aaronovitch or Orman. The writing here is unpacked in the leisurely fashion of more commercial fiction, and the novel reads like a fairly straightforward adventure story.
But Roz's death still makes me cry, and Thandiwe's tribulations make me laugh.
The prototype for this monster is obviously Frontier in Space/Planet of the Daleks, turned inside out. The TARDIS crew's chase after the Brotherhood and ancient Time Lord technology draws them into a bigger story about individual choice, material forces, decolonisation, and the bathos of death.
This is an epic story, taking place across two star systems and over the course of a year, but it was clearly always intended to a different epic story than the one an arc-hungry reader expected. This isn't the Tragedy of Roslyn Forrester or the Psi Apocalypse of Reality, it's aiming to be much more nuanced than that, to honour a different kind of adventure — that of the little people who stay behind to fight tyranny at home.
Despite its fraught production, the novel reads smoothly. Unfortunately, there's little of the usually crammed prose styles of either Aaronovitch or Orman. The writing here is unpacked in the leisurely fashion of more commercial fiction, and the novel reads like a fairly straightforward adventure story.
But Roz's death still makes me cry, and Thandiwe's tribulations make me laugh.
August 4, 2024
This is a book that seems to be a bit to clever for its own good. The quiet character moments are excellent, in particular the Forrester domestic scenes. However, the actual main story with the brotherhood and psy-arc do not really work and are solved by a largely ridiculous contrivance.
Edit:
Reading again in order, I think the book is trying to do too much. It wants to:
1. Conclude the recent psi-powers arc
2. Tie-up plot points from the whole of the Virgin range
3. Form a somewhat coherent history of the Whoniverse future
4. Provide an exit for a major character
5. Be a political thriller set in the year 3000
6. Explore the idea of multiple timelines happening at once
Even with this being longer than the average Virgin novel, this is widely ambitious. As such it isn't really satisfying in any of these areas. It is at its best in the quieter character moments but I am not convinced by the broader choices.
Edit:
Reading again in order, I think the book is trying to do too much. It wants to:
1. Conclude the recent psi-powers arc
2. Tie-up plot points from the whole of the Virgin range
3. Form a somewhat coherent history of the Whoniverse future
4. Provide an exit for a major character
5. Be a political thriller set in the year 3000
6. Explore the idea of multiple timelines happening at once
Even with this being longer than the average Virgin novel, this is widely ambitious. As such it isn't really satisfying in any of these areas. It is at its best in the quieter character moments but I am not convinced by the broader choices.
December 17, 2015
So, what happens when a combination of eccentric literary brilliance mixes with writer's block & a hard drive crash? You call in a reliable and lyrically brilliant second author to finish a delayed book that was supposed to conclude a huge sequence of plot events, begun in previous novels. "So Vile a Sin" is a mess...but it's a beautiful mess. It lurches between chapters & passages that meander and ramble...and chapters & passages that are nothing short of brilliant. Had this been either an Aaronovitch novel or an Orman novel, the result would have been a triumph. The existing marriage of convenience is a victim of circumstances beyond its control...but it's one hell of a roller-coaster ride.
August 24, 2014
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2327116.html[return][return]So, poor old Roz, eh? Having done due service to the Seventh Doctor for 18 books, she dies in battle defending her high-powered family, one of whom is an even closer relative than she first seems, against a peculiar shape-shifting alien threat. I'm afraid the plot rambled a bit too much for me, but I did like the lifting of the veil to Roz's background - rather as we were told about Turlough back in 1984, only done better this time. Not one of the great New Adventures unfortunately, but an important building block of the (soon to be completed) series.
March 16, 2016
Honestly, it probably shouldn't pass a three star rating, except; some of the prose is perfect, the characters positively scream off the page at you in all their verisimilitude, it is truly a beautiful farewell to a beloved companion, and it makes you *feel* incredibly deeply.
That said; ooooooooof does it show that one - albeit very talented - author took over from another - very talented- author! The plot is just about coherent, but there are moments where it hangs on by little more than a thread.
Do not read if you're not reading all of them; if you are, then do so.
That said; ooooooooof does it show that one - albeit very talented - author took over from another - very talented- author! The plot is just about coherent, but there are moments where it hangs on by little more than a thread.
Do not read if you're not reading all of them; if you are, then do so.
January 24, 2015
Product Description
The longest wunning science fiction TV series, Dr. Who has delighted fans on both sides of the Atlantic since 1963. Now, the New Adventures series, original, full-length novels which continue the Doctor's travels in time, presents So Vile a Sin, which culminates in the final confrontation between Dr. Who and the psi-powered Brotherhood, and marks the departure of the Doctor's companion, Roz Forrester.
June 25, 2023
Various other commitments of mine meant that this is the longest it's ever taken me to read a VNA, so my impression of the overall plot is a bit spotty BUT I liked it enough that I definitely want to return to it at some point in the far flung future, when I'm feeling nostalgic enough about the Virgin era to return to its greatest hits. The ending definitely made me cry HARD, so on that level at least it was very successful.
July 25, 2014
A bit of a mish-mash; the book is far from the best work by either author. As long as you can stumble through the odd disconnects, it's an interesting book with an epic feel and lots of interesting ideas. Roz and Chris both really get a chance to shine and the epilogue is a killer. Overall, it's a strong New Adventure, but it could have been so much more.
September 4, 2024
Randomly pick read on my Kobo.
I didn't understand much of anything that was happening. Then when I did, I wasn't impressed. Fragmented, no explanations or background material (probably assumed you read the other books), so you don't have any motivations or sympathies for anyone. It even took me forever to figure out that it was the 7th doctor (I think, still not 100% sure).
Avoid unless you have read and like the previous books in the series.
I didn't understand much of anything that was happening. Then when I did, I wasn't impressed. Fragmented, no explanations or background material (probably assumed you read the other books), so you don't have any motivations or sympathies for anyone. It even took me forever to figure out that it was the 7th doctor (I think, still not 100% sure).
Avoid unless you have read and like the previous books in the series.
August 25, 2023
Снова отличная книга в New Adventures, что вообще происходит. В противоположном от Damaged Goods смысле, более хай-концепт: древнее оружие тайм-лордов, ломающее таймлайны, и война за судьбу космической империи. Но еще и по-настоящему тяжелая, эмоциональная смерть. Идеальная пара авторов для такого задания.
Плюс, неожиданное камео Восьмого Доктора.
Плюс, неожиданное камео Восьмого Доктора.
October 15, 2023
Production problems pushed this title to be published out of sequence, which was frustrating to all concerned, not least fans who were eagerly awaiting it.
It was worth the wait and is one of the best books in the series.
It was worth the wait and is one of the best books in the series.
February 5, 2024
Lost the thread a little. Need to read it again someday....
August 9, 2025
I cried 😢 brilliant
January 30, 2026
Really quite surprisingly good given the shaky circumstances of its writing. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews