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Lethbridge-Stewart #1.4
Mutually Assured Domination: From the Classic Era of Doctor Who
The Dominators, the Masters of the Ten Galaxies, have come to Earth, and brought with them their deadly robotic weapons, the Quarks! It s the summer of '69. Flower power is at its height, and nuclear power is in its infancy. Journalist Harold Chorley is out of work, and Colonel Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart is out of sorts. Dominex Industries are on the up, promising cheap energy for all. But people have started going missing near their plant on Dartmoor. Coincidence, or are sinister forces at work? Join Lethbridge-Stewart and uneasy ally Harold Chorley as they delve into the secrets behind Dominex, and uncover a plan that could bring about the end of the world. The fourth book in the hugely popular Lethbridge-Stewart series. These novels, set just after the Doctor Who serial The Web of Fear, feature the characters and concepts created by Mervyn Haisman & Henry Lincoln.
206 pages, Hardcover
First published November 20, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 9, 2018
Another great Lethbridge-Stewart novel, as we follow the events between he’s two encounters with The Second Doctor.
This instalment features The Dominators, they are pretending to be business men capable of solving earths nuclear waste problem.
I loved how cleverly two different aspects of the Troughton era fitted together so seamlessly.
The Quarks are a perfect inclusion, they’re given a real sense of menace.
This series just goes from strength to strength, the author really captures that era of the show. These really essential reading for Classic Who fans.
This instalment features The Dominators, they are pretending to be business men capable of solving earths nuclear waste problem.
I loved how cleverly two different aspects of the Troughton era fitted together so seamlessly.
The Quarks are a perfect inclusion, they’re given a real sense of menace.
This series just goes from strength to strength, the author really captures that era of the show. These really essential reading for Classic Who fans.
January 23, 2016
The Dominators would hardly be described as one of the better 60s Doctor Who stories yet it is still well liked, largely because of the brilliant little robots the Quarks. In this book the Dominators and the Quarks are back and this time they have come to Earth.
Journalist Harold Chorley (from The Web of Fear) stumbles onto mysterious goings-on at Dominex Industries, a plant on Dartmoor where no-one really knows what they are doing. Chorley and Lethbridge-Stewart investigate and soon discover that Dominex aren't all they seem. But with the whole thing sanctioned by the government, Lethbridge-Stewart doesn't have the back-up he would like.
In many ways this is better than the original TV story. The Quarks are given an upgrade, as seen on the cover, which manages to keep in with the TV story yet make the robots more of a threat. The Dominators here also come across as proper individual characters and their plan is more developed.
I felt this was one of the better books of the series so far. By having Lethbridge-Stewart effectively working against the government he is working only with a few people at a time. I think these books shouldn't feel too much like UNIT stories and this one certainly didn't. I also felt that this was the first book that really made use of the time of its setting, with the hippie movement and worries over nuclear power.
Another great edition to a high-quality series.
Journalist Harold Chorley (from The Web of Fear) stumbles onto mysterious goings-on at Dominex Industries, a plant on Dartmoor where no-one really knows what they are doing. Chorley and Lethbridge-Stewart investigate and soon discover that Dominex aren't all they seem. But with the whole thing sanctioned by the government, Lethbridge-Stewart doesn't have the back-up he would like.
In many ways this is better than the original TV story. The Quarks are given an upgrade, as seen on the cover, which manages to keep in with the TV story yet make the robots more of a threat. The Dominators here also come across as proper individual characters and their plan is more developed.
I felt this was one of the better books of the series so far. By having Lethbridge-Stewart effectively working against the government he is working only with a few people at a time. I think these books shouldn't feel too much like UNIT stories and this one certainly didn't. I also felt that this was the first book that really made use of the time of its setting, with the hippie movement and worries over nuclear power.
Another great edition to a high-quality series.
June 18, 2016
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Another in the very enjoyable series of books about the career of Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart between the events of The Invasion and Spearhead from Space, this actually manages to tell a good story about the Dominators taking over part of Dartmoor for their own nefarious purposes, bringing in Harold Chorley and other figures from the relevant era of Doctor Who. I realise to my annoyance that I'm now out of sequence - I should have read Beast of Fang Rock before this - but it's great fun, Lethbridge-Stewart forced to go rogue and ally with hippies at one point, and sinister insights into what the Estabishment is Really Up To. It doesn't especially break new ground, but it's another nice block in the secret history of how UNIT came to be.
Another in the very enjoyable series of books about the career of Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart between the events of The Invasion and Spearhead from Space, this actually manages to tell a good story about the Dominators taking over part of Dartmoor for their own nefarious purposes, bringing in Harold Chorley and other figures from the relevant era of Doctor Who. I realise to my annoyance that I'm now out of sequence - I should have read Beast of Fang Rock before this - but it's great fun, Lethbridge-Stewart forced to go rogue and ally with hippies at one point, and sinister insights into what the Estabishment is Really Up To. It doesn't especially break new ground, but it's another nice block in the secret history of how UNIT came to be.
April 21, 2020
This was the fourth of the Lethbridge-Stewart stories. Again, it was very enjoyable. A sixties decade spin-off from UNIT/Doctor Who. Prior to the days of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart when he is still a colonel in the regular army of Scots Guards.
He is passionately trying to bring about support for a special army unit to be set up for 'what will be' UNIT. Since his experience with the Yeti and Great Intelligence in the London Underground, Lethbridge-Stewart has had further conflicts with more Yetis, a parallel world, and a Rutan on Fang Rock in 1969 and 1822.
In this story, Lethbridge-Stewart confronts the Dominators and their little droids called Quarks at a secretive nuclear base on a moor in Devon. It starts off with a journalist from The Web of Fear. A character called Chorley who learns a few diabolical things concerning the remote nuclear waste accepting complex.
If you like those good old nostalgic UNIT conflicts when the soldiers do their UNIT thing etc, you will enjoy this little echo down memory lane. A spin-off pulp-style penny dreadful that is fabulous SciFi fun all the way.
He is passionately trying to bring about support for a special army unit to be set up for 'what will be' UNIT. Since his experience with the Yeti and Great Intelligence in the London Underground, Lethbridge-Stewart has had further conflicts with more Yetis, a parallel world, and a Rutan on Fang Rock in 1969 and 1822.
In this story, Lethbridge-Stewart confronts the Dominators and their little droids called Quarks at a secretive nuclear base on a moor in Devon. It starts off with a journalist from The Web of Fear. A character called Chorley who learns a few diabolical things concerning the remote nuclear waste accepting complex.
If you like those good old nostalgic UNIT conflicts when the soldiers do their UNIT thing etc, you will enjoy this little echo down memory lane. A spin-off pulp-style penny dreadful that is fabulous SciFi fun all the way.
November 14, 2017
The Dominators are pretending to be businessmen who can solve the problem of nuclear energy waste. The government is keen to protect them, but people are dying near their factory. Lethbridge Stewart is determined to find out whats going on and stop it. This is a fun story that shows how determined the Colonel is, that he doesn't need the Doctor to solve problems. The plot is quick moving and is a page-turner. A good read.
September 23, 2018
Ich muss sagen, dass mir dieses Buch wirklich unerwartet gut gefallen hat. Vor allem hat es einen sehr schönen Schreibstil und fängt die Endsechzigeratmosphäre so gut ein wie bisher kein anderes Buch der Reihe. Die Story ist zwar nicht die innovativste aber das wird durch viel Drumherum eigentlich sehr gut wettgemacht. Nick Walters darf ruhig noch weitere Bücher schreiben. ;)
March 18, 2017
Easily the fastest I've read a Lethbridge-Stewart novel - this one trucked along nicely and kept my attention throughout. This one reminded the most of Classic Doctor Who stories - things like Inferno and Earthshock - that I just adore.
September 20, 2017
Not a bad book but not quite sure how the alien Dominators ended up on Earth.
November 27, 2024
Starts reasonably, ends abominably. It’s like the writer gave up halfway through.
October 11, 2025
Terrific fun and really well written.
February 5, 2021
Thanks to Shaun, Will and Keren at Candy Jar for a review copy.
Mutually Assured Domination is the fourth and final novel in the first season of original Lethbridge-Stewart novels from Candy Jar. The Dominators may not seem, at first sight, like the most likely villains from Dr Who to make a comeback but they are used well here and are, arguably, much better served than their on-screen counterparts. Even the Quarks, robotic servants of the Dominators, are much more imposing and scary than they were when seen in the television story. Nick Walters deftly uses the Dominators constant energy shortage to explain why the Quarks usually appear as short almost comical machines, but are able to unfold and enlarge themselves to towering denizens of destruction when needed.
Walters also expands considerably on Dominator society and fleshes them out into believable aliens with understandable motivations for their actions. There are three Dominators in the story rather than two, the bloodthirsty probationer who is an almost carbon copy of his truculent counterpart from the TV story. We also have a navigator (who is not too dissimilar to the TV version) and a more senior figure who is in charge of the Dominators’ evil plans. This latter character is passing himself off as human without difficulty which nicely uses the Dominators’ remarkable similarity to ourselves to good effect.
Harold Chorley, the journalist from ‘The Web of Fear’ who has been mentioned though not seen in the novels so far is a key player in this story and Walters manages to portray him as a much more sympathetic figure than the unpleasant oily man he was on TV. He is really put through the wringer during this adventure and I look forward to seeing more of him in the future.
And what of the Colonel himself? Well, he is, as ever portrayed as a wise and brave man though his role in this tale sees him more as a James Bond character undertaking some very unofficial ‘off the books’ work to ensure that the Dominators’ plans are exposed. It is clear that he is in contact with Gilmore of the Counter Measures Team and that they are working closely together. Anne Travers, although not a major player here, is also involved as the mystery of who really runs the Vault deepens.
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected as, having recently re-watched ‘The Dominators’ on TV I remained as underwhelmed by them and the comical Quarks as ever. Walters though, makes them into an interesting race and even manages to inject some humour, at the expense of the TV story admittedly, by explaining that Dominator engineers have never managed to remove the ridiculous arm waving that the Quarks do when they recharge. The ‘Dulkis Incident’ i.e., the TV story is also referenced as a matter which the Dominators always consider with a shudder and try to ignore!
As always with these novels there are mentions of the previous stories in the series and a continuous steady build up of recurring characters and themes which in itself makes this tale required reading for those working through the Lethbridge-Stewart canon.
I promised in my review of ‘The Forgotten Son’ that I would suggest essential Dr Who stories for readers who want to enjoy the Lethbridge-Stewart books with some minimal reference to their parent series. For this novel the only essential story is ‘The Dominators’ featuring Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor and which is available in full on DVD. Alternatively the story was novelised in the Target range by Ian Marter; second-hand paperback versions of this can be found easily or there is also an audiobook read by the Michael Troughton. I would suggest anyone unfamiliar with the story view (or read) it before this Lethbridge-Stewart novel as many of the references in the novel will make no sense otherwise.
Mutually Assured Domination is the fourth and final novel in the first season of original Lethbridge-Stewart novels from Candy Jar. The Dominators may not seem, at first sight, like the most likely villains from Dr Who to make a comeback but they are used well here and are, arguably, much better served than their on-screen counterparts. Even the Quarks, robotic servants of the Dominators, are much more imposing and scary than they were when seen in the television story. Nick Walters deftly uses the Dominators constant energy shortage to explain why the Quarks usually appear as short almost comical machines, but are able to unfold and enlarge themselves to towering denizens of destruction when needed.
Walters also expands considerably on Dominator society and fleshes them out into believable aliens with understandable motivations for their actions. There are three Dominators in the story rather than two, the bloodthirsty probationer who is an almost carbon copy of his truculent counterpart from the TV story. We also have a navigator (who is not too dissimilar to the TV version) and a more senior figure who is in charge of the Dominators’ evil plans. This latter character is passing himself off as human without difficulty which nicely uses the Dominators’ remarkable similarity to ourselves to good effect.
Harold Chorley, the journalist from ‘The Web of Fear’ who has been mentioned though not seen in the novels so far is a key player in this story and Walters manages to portray him as a much more sympathetic figure than the unpleasant oily man he was on TV. He is really put through the wringer during this adventure and I look forward to seeing more of him in the future.
And what of the Colonel himself? Well, he is, as ever portrayed as a wise and brave man though his role in this tale sees him more as a James Bond character undertaking some very unofficial ‘off the books’ work to ensure that the Dominators’ plans are exposed. It is clear that he is in contact with Gilmore of the Counter Measures Team and that they are working closely together. Anne Travers, although not a major player here, is also involved as the mystery of who really runs the Vault deepens.
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected as, having recently re-watched ‘The Dominators’ on TV I remained as underwhelmed by them and the comical Quarks as ever. Walters though, makes them into an interesting race and even manages to inject some humour, at the expense of the TV story admittedly, by explaining that Dominator engineers have never managed to remove the ridiculous arm waving that the Quarks do when they recharge. The ‘Dulkis Incident’ i.e., the TV story is also referenced as a matter which the Dominators always consider with a shudder and try to ignore!
As always with these novels there are mentions of the previous stories in the series and a continuous steady build up of recurring characters and themes which in itself makes this tale required reading for those working through the Lethbridge-Stewart canon.
I promised in my review of ‘The Forgotten Son’ that I would suggest essential Dr Who stories for readers who want to enjoy the Lethbridge-Stewart books with some minimal reference to their parent series. For this novel the only essential story is ‘The Dominators’ featuring Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor and which is available in full on DVD. Alternatively the story was novelised in the Target range by Ian Marter; second-hand paperback versions of this can be found easily or there is also an audiobook read by the Michael Troughton. I would suggest anyone unfamiliar with the story view (or read) it before this Lethbridge-Stewart novel as many of the references in the novel will make no sense otherwise.
July 9, 2016
There were, I think, some editing errors in the Kindle edition that I read, particularly concerning the Dominators' ranks; at one point the Navigator is demoted to Probationer, then he goes back up to Navigator a few paragraphs later! Still this is a good, fun read. The Quarks are much scarier than they were on TV, and the Brigadier's escape from the "safe house" is worthy of James Bond. A must-read for anyone who likes the Brig.
January 18, 2016
MAD
Another in the series of novels based on Lethbridge-Stewart's adventures pre U.N.I.T. As ever it is a cracking adventure in the style of original Who, this time battling a foe of the Second Doctor's the Dominators. Again this story hits the mark and is a must for fans of the Brigadier
Another in the series of novels based on Lethbridge-Stewart's adventures pre U.N.I.T. As ever it is a cracking adventure in the style of original Who, this time battling a foe of the Second Doctor's the Dominators. Again this story hits the mark and is a must for fans of the Brigadier
April 18, 2016
Sensational. A sequel to one of the traditionally less-admired 2nd Doctor stories, the author really manages to bring the Dominators and Quarks to life. Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart is provided with a worthy advisory to fight as well as solving many conspiracies along the way. Another classic in this new range of novels.
March 19, 2016
This was really fun. Did exactly what you'd want for this type of book - tightly-plotted, shows the right balance of affection and ridicule for the original Dominators serial and gives a nice spread of character perspectives. Best of the Lethbridge-Stewart novels by a country mile.
December 15, 2015
Overall, I liked it. I don't think it's as strong of a story as the previous entries, but it's still a solid read. I did like the mention that the Dominators had conquered the Tivolians. (Who hasn't?)
The preview of the next book sounds really interesting.
The preview of the next book sounds really interesting.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews