The Nameless City

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #2

by Michael Scott

Eleven Doctors, eleven months, eleven stories: a year-long celebration of Doctor Who! The most exciting names in children's fiction each create their own unique adventure about the time-travelling Time Lord.

When Jamie McCrimmon brings the Second Doctor a mysterious book, little does he realise the danger contained within its pages. The book transports the TARDIS to a terrifying glass city on a distant world, where the Archons are intent on getting revenge on the Time Lord for an ancient grudge.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Time Travel, Ebooks

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 23, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second short story of the 50th Anniversary e-book event where there are 11 stories, portraiting one different doctor and one different companion per book. Here, as you can guess, it's with the Second Doctor. His companion is Jamie McCrimmon.

The Good

Everything! No, really, this short story is really good. I enjoyed it a lot and I had the time of my life reading it.

New villains: The Archons. I don't know if it will be a rule for this short story series to introduce new villains on each book. However, the Archons are marvellous enemies, with a formidable and really interesting past. Without a doubt, a great addition to the Doctor Who's Rogues Gallery.

Also, there are some interesting references to Star Trek, Star Wars (kinda) and a very known saga of horror books by a quite well known author but I won't spoil.

The Bad

Nothing! No, really, the only bad here was when the story ended since it was a wonderful reading.

The Odd

It's difficult to situate where this particular adventure may happened since the Second Doctor is travelling only with Jamie as companion and nobody else. However, in the period shown on the TV series, the Second Doctor never was only with Jamie, always there was at least one other companion. My best guess? The short story must be set in the famous "lost years" of the Second Doctor. It's a common theory between fans that the Second Doctor did some secret mission ordered by the Time Lords after being submitted on a trial by them and found him guilty. His companions at the moment, Jamie and Zoe, were sent to their proper times and got erased their memories while travelling with the Second Doctor. Meanwhile, the proper Second Doctor is exiled to Earth and the Time Lord imposed a regeneration on him, BUT the audience never got to watch the moment of the regeneration. So, it's pretty common the theory that the punishments weren't executed right away, so the Time Lords may employ the Second Doctor as a "secret agent" for some missions on behalf of them. This short story doesn't give any hint of that, even the TARDIS is damaged and the Second Doctor and Jamie are "stuck" in some time period and if they would be forced agents of the Time Lords, it could be really odd that they wouldn't help them to have an operational TARDIS. Anyway, the point is that it's impossible to have a certainty of when this tale may happened in the "timeline" of the series.

Another odd thing is the use of known villain (I won't spoil) as a minor factor to develop the main plot, but due it's a Second Doctor tale, it was an odd choice of villain.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Scott's short story features the Second Doctor & Jamie in a fast paced, fun adventure. The story takes us from London's Charing Cross Road in the 1960s to a distant alien planet. Jamie gets to play the bagpipes & the Doctor says "Oh my giddy aunt." What's not to love ?!

[Alissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this man's writing!! I need to get my hands on The Thirteen Hallows ASAP!

[Richard Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

After last month's appalling attempt to rewrite the First Doctor as a superhero cyborg, I was rather put off this series of short ebooks. That book seemed less concerned with celebrating the history of the character and introducing his previous iterations to a new generation readers than it was with scrapping everything and starting from scratch. Thankfully, Michael Scott appears not only to know the Second Doctor, but also to like him. This is a short, sweet novelette, accessible to kids without being childish. This is what I thought such a series should be - finding out how other Doctors would have worked in the fast-paced forty-five minute format we know today. And it works brilliantly. The Second Doctor here is Troughton through and through, the scruffy cosmic hobo, and his highlander companion Jamie McCrimmon is easily recognisable. There's a guest slot from an unnamed foe who fans will recognise and newer readers will be able to take a fair guess at the identity of, and a huge dose of Lovecraftian homage as the Doctor and Jamie are thrown against an ancient enemy. The cosmic horror this suggests is toned down, but the tropes are well used, and the tentacled, clawed THINGS of Lovecraft's fictional universe suit the Second Doctor's era very well. Scott zips the reader through the adventure, plucking out the best loved elements of Troughton's era on the show, and makes excellent use of them. For older fans, this is a welcome return for the Second Doctor and Jamie, and younger readers are going to love them.

[F.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, The Doctor and Jamie McCrimmon slaloming through space and time. Even though this particular chapter of the Doctor’s adventures was broadcast years before I was born, there is something about Patrick Troughton's Doctor Who which just captivates me so much.

A review I read elsewhere of the previous story (‘A Big Hand for the Doctor’) offered the fair criticism that it was trying turn the first Doctor into The Terminator. It just didn’t feel very Hartnell. This month’s story is also a literary mash-up, but instead of Peter Pan (with J.M.Barrie witnessing the events and thus being inspired) we have the fantastic imagination of H.P.Lovecraft.

Lovecraftian lore is a fertile hunting ground for Dr Who, dealing as it does with ancient and unspeakable evils which must be stopped. Jamie has a sinister book pressed upon him by an old man (Lovecroft fans will guess which book) and adventure and horror and ancient far away worlds are soon entwined. This feels a lot more like 1960’s Dr Who than the previous tale and captures Troughton incredibly well. As a consequence I read it with a big smile on my face. Indeed delight bubbled within me that bagpipes and the recorder formed a key part of the tale.

I really like Jon Pertwee too, so am now impatiently counting down to the next tale.

[B Schrodinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a pleasant relief this book was after the first dismal volume. I have no doubt that this author has actually seen an episode of Doctor Who, as opposed to Colfer.
What do we get for the Second Doctor? A fun little romp on Earth and then an alien world. Yes it may have tried a little too hard to connect to Gallifreyan mythology and the addition of a character before thier time was a bit grating, but this little bit of fluff looks like a diamond compared to "A Big Hand For the Doctor".
The aspect that the writer nailed was the characterisation and voice of the Second Doctor and Jamie. Bravo on that.

[Brooklyn Tayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this re-read. I'm definitely eager to read more books by this wonderful author; but he captured the Second Doctor and Jamie's character really well :)

[Kribu · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I didn't expect much of this, based on not having thought much of the Alchemyst, but I have to say The Nameless City worked a whole lot better for me than A Big Hand for the Doctor.

It's obvious that Scott knows the Second Doctor's character well, and his companion Jamie, and the era; there was no attempt to "reimagine" it all here in order to make it more palatable for the younger/newer readers - it was just a straightforward, fun adventure with a bit of horror.

Nothing too deep or brilliant - I don't think the short story format really lends itself to in-depth characterisation or multilayered plots - but it had a very "authentic" Second Doctor era feel. Unlike with the first short story where the First Doctor's physical description was about the only thing about him that I recognised, here it was very clear this was Two we were dealing with (behaviour, speech patterns, etc).

[Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!
I haven't watched any of the episodes of the Second Doctor, so I didn't know what to expect but I really liked him.

As I have no knowledge of this Doctor I cannot say if book!Doctor was true to TV!Doctor but I thought Scott's narration was very engaging and he included several phrases that I'm sure must have been typical of this Doctor.

Speaking of Scott, I really appreciate how he wrote the different scenes as if it was an episode of the show. We follow what the Doctor and Jamie are doing as well as what is happening elsewhere and will eventually have an effect on the characters.

I really really enjoyed the dynamic between the Doctor and Jamie. I loved that he was a Scottsman (how can I resist?) and more importantly, that the companion was not, in some level or another, in love with the Doctor.

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this second in the series of e-shorts a big improvement on the first book and well deserving of its 5-stars. Michael Scott seemed a lot more confident with his Doctor and also with companion Jamie. I'd been disappointed with Scott's 'Alchemyst' but now I'm thinking I may have misjudged him .

While Book 1 drew on 'Peter Pan', here it is H.P. Lovecraft's mythos that is featured though still pitched in a way that isn't too disturbing for younger readers (the series if produced by Puffin after all).

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thankfully this was a huge improvement on the first book in this new series. Scott actually seems to know the character of the second Doctor and his little idiosyncrasies, and the adventure itself is a fun one. Nice to see Jamie 'again' as well. Do we think Sarah Jane will be in #3 or #4? (or both?)

Things are looking up...

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the disappointment of "A Big Hand for the Doctor," this is a marked improvement for this 50th Anniversary celebratory range. From characterization and story - I can find nothing to be critical about and everything to love. I could easily imagine the characters from the TV show performing this story as I read the book, which is high praise for a TV-tie-in novel.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining story that makes me want to watch the episodes featuring Jamie - he sounded like a fun and honorable companion. The setting and villain were interesting and I loved the solution playing the bagpipes.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Who the Nameless City is the second book in the Twelve Doctors 50th Anniversary boxed set of 12 mini-books. It features the Second Doctor, as played by Patrick Troughton on the BBC Television series Doctor Who and his companion Jaime, the Scottish Highlander. Polly is mentioned but not present and no mention is made of Zoë or Victoria (or even Ben), which made me wonder when the story was meant to be set in the Second Doctor Era.
In the story, a disguised Master manipulates Jaime into taking a dangerous book as a reward and giving that book to the Doctor. The Doctor, meanwhile, is attempting to fix his TARDIS but needs gold, mercury, and Zeiton-7 - three substances it's difficult to get in Victorian London. However, when Jaime gives the Doctor the book, it turns out to be the Necronomicon. The Necronomicon, or Book of Dead Names, was written by an ancient (even more ancient than the Time Lords) and mostly dead race known as the Archons. And the Archons have a grudge against the Time Lords. The book possesses the TARDIS and brings it to the Archon homeworld, just outside the Nameless City.
There, the Doctor, the TARDIS, and Jaime are transported to the city by ape-like robots. The Archons make threats, including wanting to use the TARDIS to change history so they were never defeated. They therefore, conveniently, fix the TARDIS, with pools of gold, mercury, and Zeiton-7 - which are all plentiful on their world. Their city is also made from glass and exists in multiple dimensions.
Needless to say, after the TARDIS is fixed - the Doctor and Jaime manage to escape in a rather clever way.
I enjoyed this - whereas the first book in this series of basically short stories was filled with references to Peter Pan; this one is full of references to H.P. Lovecraft - including the Necronomicon, the dangerous book of arcane magicks. The Nameless City itself is very awesome and cool, though it also brings to mind Lovecraft's use of strange and odd descriptions that make a place seem very off-center.
I don't want to spoil how the Doctor and Jaime escape because it was novel - and a highlight of the story. But this was also a case where the Master, in his plot, actually helped the Doctor. If the TARDIS had remained in Victorian London, the Doctor would never have been able to get a "ton of gold" (literally). He might have been able to get the mercury - depending on how much he needed. But he would have had a very hard time getting the alien component Zeiton-7 needed to repair the TARDIS (in a process that's also way cool so I won't spoil it). But by sending the TARDIS to a planet where these components are as ubiquitous as salt water - the TARDIS can be repaired easily. You have to wonder if the Master ever really thinks his plots through. Anyway, this is an enjoyable mini-book. Recommended.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puffin continued its year-long celebration of Doctor Who earlier this year with the release of The Nameless City, a short story featuring the Second Doctor as portrayed by Patrick Troughton. Since I came to the show via the Ninth Doctor, I've never really had the opportunity -- or, frankly, the curiosity -- to learn more about his earlier incarnations until this year, when celebrations surrounding the show's fiftieth anniversary have led to the release of specials, short stories, and novels featuring the first eight Doctors. Prior to the release of this short story, I'd never heard of author Michael Scott -- but after reading his contribution to the 50th Anniversary celebrations, I'm thoroughly impressed with his style and imagination.

Referred to as the "cosmic hobo," here the Second Doctor appears to be more whimsical than his predecessor, very suggestive of the childlike wonder Matt Smith is capable of bringing to the role as Eleven. Within the pages of Scott's story the Second Doctor is joined by long-time companion Jamie McCrimmon (played by Frazer Hines on-screen), an eighteenth-century Scotsman and one of the Doctor's longest-serving companions, appearing in well over one hundred episodes. I LOVE the idea of the Doctor having a long-term companion from a historical time period relative to whenever the show aired. The creative possibilities for introducing an eighteenth- or nineteenth-century native to not only future worlds but the twenty-first century and its people and technology are endless! It's an avenue I dearly hope the showrunners for New-Who consider, as I think it could breathe fresh life into this dearly-loved series.

More so than in the case of Colfer's First Doctor story, I feel as though Scott has succeeded in writing a story that hits the right balance of appealing to New-Who fans while avoiding the temptation to project the show's later mythology onto one of the Doctor's first incarnations. This story very much feels as though it could be an episode of the show, different enough in tone and style to distinguish it from the reigns of Nine, Ten, and Eleven whom I know fairly well. *wink* The Archons were suitably creepy villains, and I loved the glimpse of the unnamed Master, operating in the shadows. If the Doctor and Jamie's on-screen relationship is half as interesting as I found it play out in this story, I definitely need to make time to become better acquainted with Patrick Troughton's Doctor. Very enjoyable!

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is much better than the First e-short, A Big Hand For The Doctor. When Jamie brings the Second Doctor a book, he doesn't realise it will lead to terrible danger as the TARDIS is dragged to a glass city where the Archons want to get revenge on the Time Lords.

It's a great adventure which feels very much like it belongs in the Second Doctor era. Jamie is characterised well, and Scott uses the medium to share some of his thoughts and they feel right. The moment the Second Doctor arrives it feels just like Troughton is on screen.Scott is clearly a big fan of the era.

Scott does mess with a few things though, some of which is good and some not so good. The archons claim to be behind Time Travel which perhaps conflicts a little with "The Three Doctors" but is sort of acceptable. There's an appearance from the Master who of course never actually met the Second Doctor but only Jamie meets him here so it works rather well. Something that doesn't work so well is the TARDIS speaking records. The TARDIS has never ever done this and it doesn't fit very well in the book. There is also a link to the new series with there being a mention of a swimming pool somewhere in the TARDIS.

All in all a great adventure for the Second Doctor and Jamie, a little rushed perhaps but on the whole a great short read.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that's more like it. I had the same problem with this one that I had with the last one (A Big Hand For the Doctor), in that I'm not really all that familiar with the Second Doctor, but in terms of the actual story itself (the villains, the plot, the writing, the atmosphere, etc), Michael Scott's venture into the world of Doctor Who seems to me to be the superior offering. He also seems to have gotten his version of the Doctor's world to a more consistent place than Colfer did, what with Colfer's strange references to Harry Potter and such (yes, technically the First Doctor would have known about it, but it didn't feel true to the spirit of that version of the character).

This one brings back The Master (in disguise as Professor Thascalos) and the Archons, who I'm hoping will eventually make an appearance in the new series one of these days. I also really liked Jamie as the Doctor's companion. Refreshing to have a dude after so many of New Who's young nubiles (not that I'm complaining, because I love Rose and Martha and Amy and Rory, but Donna is my favorite companion and she can't really be considered young or nubile, and Jack and Wilf were great, too).

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Nameless City begins with Jamie on an errand for the Doctor, after the TARDIS breaks down for some unspecified reason (not at all unlike episode one of Vengeance on Varos) and traps the Doctor and Jamie in 1960’s London.

Whilst on this errand Jamie comes across a man who appears to being mugged by a thug, and who hands him a book as thanks for helping him. Jamie takes the book back to the TARDIS and all hell breaks loose, almost literally.

This is a much better story than the first Doctor story, and is a lot more enjoyable and in keeping with the era that it was set in and in the characterisation of the regular characters. I found the Doctor in this to be pretty much like the second Doctor should be and you could pretty much imagine this story to actually be a proper second Doctor story.

Gallifrey and the Time Lords are mentioned in this story which is a little bit out of keeping with the original era this is set much earlier than the first mention of the Doctor's race, and of their home planet, in the canon, but other than that I really enjoyed this little foray into sixties Who, and the little cameo of a future nemesis of the Doctor!

[Gary Roskell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Scott's either a fan, or has done his homework. The Doctor and Jamie are pitch-perfect. The interplay between them feels straight out of a classic episode.

Jamie once again gets them into trouble, but only because of his big heart and Highlander sense of honour. The underplayed appearance of Thascalos (Google it if you're not quite sure... ) is a great foreshadowing of things to come. The story could never have been realised on restricted 60s technology and budgets, but the tone is spot on.

I would have liked to have seen one of the Second Doctor's female companions - the story could have done with a bit of a woman's touch, with male characters dominating - and you get the feeling this could have been a great start to a much bigger story, but I guess they're limitations of the format.

After Eoin Colfer's lazy and unlovable opening instalment in this 50th anniversary series I can imagine readers not progressing further. Thankfully this contribution raises the bar considerably, and leaves you wanting more...

[Polly Batchelor · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Doctor gasped in horror 'Oh my giddy aunt. Oh crumbs!"

Narrated by Frazer Hines

The Doctor and Jamie land in 60's London, when the TARDIS suffers a malfunction. The Doctor tries to fix the problem, while Jamie decides to wonder. He gets gifted a book and when he returns to the TARDIS the book has other intentions and sent the TARDIS to the furthest reaches of the universe.

i enjoyed the story. It was a big step up from the 1st Doctor one. By Scott being a fan and loved the Troughton era, you felt like you were reading a 2nd Doctor and Jamie adventure.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of the 2nd Doctor, the Nameless City, the origins of the TARDIS and I wanted to shout "show don't tell" at least 57 times during this book. Still, it was fun, entertaining, not great, but good.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid short story that was enjoyable to read!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, after finally (re)reading Eoin Colfer's 'A Big Hand for the Doctor', it was time to face the sequel - the Second Doctor's Nameless City. This is the book that drew me back to this series, on realising it was a crossover between Doctor Who and some Elder Gods / Cthulhu / Lovecraft-vibes.

That's certainly true - and there's some very eldritch monster goings-on here - and some interesting references to the Necronomicon. Beyond that, this still feels a little... un-Doctor Who? It's not that these stories have to feel like they're from their own eras - and modern interpretations of those eras can work so well - but I don't know if that's the case here? It's enjoyable, but there's something missing. Maybe the sci-fi is a little too broad, maybe the story is, maybe it could just feel a bit more like Doctor Who? But the point of this series is for these authors to put their spin on the series, and it's definitely ticking that box.

[Kylle · Rating 4 out of 5]

See, now THAT'S a 45-minute episode. It makes you ease your way into the story and hits you with all-too-familiar quips like the Doctor's ironic, almost absolute lack of concern for time when his companions are screaming for him to hurry up. Towards the end, I was transported back to a screen: shaking my head to the Doctor's rash decisions only to be made sense of as the action moved forward, imagining what his companion's face must have looked like every time he seemed valued the TARDIS' life over them (which is, as you can guess, a lot of the time), et cetera.

It was definitely a step forward from the previous one that felt like it could be summed up in a 5-minute BBC special. I hope the rest follow suit!

[Andrew Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A vast improvement on the first issue in this series, ‘The Nameless City’ fully captures the cheeky wit and impish personality of Patrick Troughton’s Second Doctor. As you may expect, the companion in this story is Jamie McCrimmond and the relationship that we all know and love is on full display here. You can visualise Jamie’s smirks and digs and the Doctors’s exaggerated woundedness very well. I like the framing of how the story began and how the action unfolded and I very much liked the villains. I only wish that the page count had been longer so we really could have delved into these great new additions to the pantheon of enemies the Doctor happens across.

I’d read this one again for use. I can’t say the same of ‘A Big Hand for the Doctor’.

[Eduardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

O Segundo Doutor com um toque de terror.

Tive que pesquisar um pouco sobre o segundo Doutor, pois sabia muito pouco sobre ele, e praticamente tudo o que encontrei vi retratado neste conto. Diferenças de personalidade em relação ao primeiro Doutor, um dos companheiros e até sua flauta estão aqui presentes. Embora inferior ao primeiro conto, o autor utiliza algumas marcas encontradas no anterior e que também funcionam bem, que é relacionar o Doutor com alguma outra literatura clássica, neste caso, com a obra de H.P. Lovecraft. Achei muito interessante como a mistura funcionou.

[Phil Voelker · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a Doctor Who fan, this is a good hour long listen about the second doctor and his companion, Jamie McCrimmon. It’s from the 50th Anniversary Doctor Who short story series: 11 doctors in 11 books.

“The Nameless City" is a popular short story written by H. P. Lovecraft in 1921. There are weird creatures in that story, but that’s probably the only similarity.

I listened to the audio version and really enjoyed it. I’m going to see if any of the others in the series are available.

[Nayeli · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an interesting story but I must admit I got lost at times, maybe because I’m not very familiar with the Second Doctor and some references to Gallifreyan “history” might have been lost on me. Also I’ve never read H.P. Lovecraft but I know he wrote a story with the same title which also featured the Necronomicon. I had a hard time picturing a lot of the scenes, it might just be that my imagination isn’t working 100% today.

[Tia Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this short. Unlike the first Doctor’s short, this felt more like an adventure the Doctor would have had. Although, I have not seen the Classic Doctor Who episodes, I felt this short was true to his earlier mannerisms, outlook, and interactions with his companions. Jaime’s character was great. Eventually, I will watch all of the Classic episodes available.

[Charles Frierman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Doctor and Jamie must face an ancient evil from a distant realm because they were set up by one of the Doctors rivals. This short book get right to the action and is fun all the way through.

Beware of books you can't read .

Love the second Doctor and Jamie!!!

Favorite characters: the Doctor and Jamie, of course.

Favorite moment: When Jamie wants to chase down the guy who set them up and the Doctor says, "We don't go chasing trouble, Jamie."

Rating: 9/10