What do you think?
Rate this book
Doctor Who: Missing Adventures #3
Doctor Who: Venusian Lullaby
'You want me to help you eat your children?' Ian said.
Jellenhut's eye-stalks twitched. 'How else would we remember them?'
Venus is dying. When the Doctor, Barbara and Ian arrive they find an ancient and utterly alien civilization on the verge of oblivion. War is brewing between those who are determined to accept death, and those desperate for salvation whatever the cost.
Then a spacefaring race arrives, offering to rescue the Venusians by moving them all to Earth - three billion years before mankind is due to evolve. Are the newcomers’ motives as pure as they appear? And will the Doctor allow them to save his oldest friends by sacrificing the future of humanity?
Jellenhut's eye-stalks twitched. 'How else would we remember them?'
Venus is dying. When the Doctor, Barbara and Ian arrive they find an ancient and utterly alien civilization on the verge of oblivion. War is brewing between those who are determined to accept death, and those desperate for salvation whatever the cost.
Then a spacefaring race arrives, offering to rescue the Venusians by moving them all to Earth - three billion years before mankind is due to evolve. Are the newcomers’ motives as pure as they appear? And will the Doctor allow them to save his oldest friends by sacrificing the future of humanity?
312 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 20, 1994
7 people are currently reading
224 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
February 2, 2014
VENUSIAN LULLABY (VL) by Paul Leonard is everything an MA should be. I cheerfully declare it essential MA/PDA reading. Not only does Leonard bring the Hartnell era to life again (in full technicolor and surround sound, no less), he goes even further by crafting a magical story with imagery, theme, and heart.
VL is set at a turning point in the lives of the TARDIS crew: minutes after Susan's departure to lead her own life in war-torn London. Leonard rises to this challenge by lightly seasoning the story with just enough angst to vividly portray the Doctor as he deals with the changes he must face, and yet not so much as to have the entire book drowning in it. Ian and Barbara are also beginning to realize that while travelling with the Doctor is dangerous, it will also be the most exciting time of their lives.
For me, the most serious problem with the MA's is that they tend to be retreads of a 'typical' television story of the period and the characters are not emotionally involved in the story and remain unchanged when it's over. VL shatters that misconception and demonstrates that real character development is possible even when the action moves at a breakneck speed.
And this one does move fast. The entire story is told in just over one day, Venusian time -- and has what is probably the highest Narrow Escape to Page Number ratio of any Who novel I've read thus far. Leonard does a nice line in action scenes, and more importantly, keeps in mind that what makes these scenes exciting is that the reader is concerned for the characters involved in them. As an aside, Leonard must have taken a few 'character torture' lessons from Kate Orman because Ian and Barbara (especially Barbara) are put through the proverbial wringer by the time it's over. Another surprise is that VL tripped over one of my pet peeves -- separating the TARDIS crew at an early stage and not putting them back together until the end -- and I didn't mind one bit. This being largely because the Venusians were so fascinating.
In a word, the Venusians are triumphant: one of the best-realized alien races in the entire Whoniverse. These people are not cookie-cutter clones of one another; each individual is fully three-dimensional with his own motivations and concerns. The entire Venusian civilization is painted in magical colors, and each new setting increases the reader's understanding of the whole. The prose is rich and possesses a rhythm that evokes a feeling of alienness -- deep and varied, like the Venusians themselves. I have never before been so impressed with the setting of an MA or NA.
But wait, there's more -- Barbara, Ian, and the Doctor also receive star treatment. Leonard effortlessly brings them all to full and vibrant life: Ian's skepticism and resourcefulness, Barbara's quiet strength, and the Doctor's curmudgeonly charm. The Doctor is portrayed with such skill that Hartnell's voice can be heard in each of his lines, and his mannerisms clearly pictured in the mind's eye. The Doctor is not featured as prominently as Barbara or Ian, but the reader is treated to brief yet brilliant flashes of insight into what makes him tick. There is but one scene told from the Doctor's point of view, but that soliloquy serves as the very definition of the post-Susan Doctor.
VL has all this going for it, and also the fortune of being tightly plotted and satisfying in its tying up of loose ends. Being very fond of the first Doctor myself, I cheerfully recommend this book to all Who readers, and declare it required reading for Hartnell fans.
The Good: Venusians! Just enough angst for satisfying depth. Solid all-around science fiction.
The Bad: Mildly gratuitous "we'll be back" scene at the end.
The Ugly: Zip.
VL is set at a turning point in the lives of the TARDIS crew: minutes after Susan's departure to lead her own life in war-torn London. Leonard rises to this challenge by lightly seasoning the story with just enough angst to vividly portray the Doctor as he deals with the changes he must face, and yet not so much as to have the entire book drowning in it. Ian and Barbara are also beginning to realize that while travelling with the Doctor is dangerous, it will also be the most exciting time of their lives.
For me, the most serious problem with the MA's is that they tend to be retreads of a 'typical' television story of the period and the characters are not emotionally involved in the story and remain unchanged when it's over. VL shatters that misconception and demonstrates that real character development is possible even when the action moves at a breakneck speed.
And this one does move fast. The entire story is told in just over one day, Venusian time -- and has what is probably the highest Narrow Escape to Page Number ratio of any Who novel I've read thus far. Leonard does a nice line in action scenes, and more importantly, keeps in mind that what makes these scenes exciting is that the reader is concerned for the characters involved in them. As an aside, Leonard must have taken a few 'character torture' lessons from Kate Orman because Ian and Barbara (especially Barbara) are put through the proverbial wringer by the time it's over. Another surprise is that VL tripped over one of my pet peeves -- separating the TARDIS crew at an early stage and not putting them back together until the end -- and I didn't mind one bit. This being largely because the Venusians were so fascinating.
In a word, the Venusians are triumphant: one of the best-realized alien races in the entire Whoniverse. These people are not cookie-cutter clones of one another; each individual is fully three-dimensional with his own motivations and concerns. The entire Venusian civilization is painted in magical colors, and each new setting increases the reader's understanding of the whole. The prose is rich and possesses a rhythm that evokes a feeling of alienness -- deep and varied, like the Venusians themselves. I have never before been so impressed with the setting of an MA or NA.
But wait, there's more -- Barbara, Ian, and the Doctor also receive star treatment. Leonard effortlessly brings them all to full and vibrant life: Ian's skepticism and resourcefulness, Barbara's quiet strength, and the Doctor's curmudgeonly charm. The Doctor is portrayed with such skill that Hartnell's voice can be heard in each of his lines, and his mannerisms clearly pictured in the mind's eye. The Doctor is not featured as prominently as Barbara or Ian, but the reader is treated to brief yet brilliant flashes of insight into what makes him tick. There is but one scene told from the Doctor's point of view, but that soliloquy serves as the very definition of the post-Susan Doctor.
VL has all this going for it, and also the fortune of being tightly plotted and satisfying in its tying up of loose ends. Being very fond of the first Doctor myself, I cheerfully recommend this book to all Who readers, and declare it required reading for Hartnell fans.
The Good: Venusians! Just enough angst for satisfying depth. Solid all-around science fiction.
The Bad: Mildly gratuitous "we'll be back" scene at the end.
The Ugly: Zip.
March 16, 2010
http://nhw.livejournal.com/1020322.html[return:][return:]I wasn't overwhelmed with the only other Paul Leonard DW book I'd read (Genocide), but I must say this one really grabbed me. Jon Pertwee's Doctor used to tell us that "Klokleda partha menin klatch" meant "Close your eyes, my darling - well, three of them at least". Here Paul Leonard has taken that throwaway line and constructed one of the best alien cultures I've ever read around it; reminiscent a little of both the pentagonal creatures of At the Mountains of Madness (though a lot less evil) and David Brin's Alvin the Hoon, but faced with an imminent world-destroying tragedy - this is Venus of several billion years ago, still habitable though steadily deteriorating. It's set immediately after The Dalek Invasion of Earth and before The Rescue, so the Doctor is here with Ian and Barbara but no younger female companion. Leonard, like most writers, cannot write Hartnell's Doctor especially well, but the story and the setting more than compensate. An unexpected pleasure.
March 14, 2025
August 2020
3.5/5
Definitely does a better job of depicting a completely alien race than The Web Planet, although I found it a bit hard to keep track of the names because they're so alien. I also had a few days where I didn't read much so I found it a bit hard to keep track of the plot. But I mostly enjoyed it!
March 2025
I've had an inkling for a while that I'd like this a lot more if I had a copy of it in my hands, not only because I absorb information better when I'm reading it off a page rather than on a screen, but because this does sort of throw you in the deep end in terms of its aliens, which I appreciate but which can be hard to adjust to. It's still not my favourite Paul Leonard - while Barbara has some character beats I like, she does get massively sidelined in a weird pain machine for the latter part, as though he didn't quite know what to do with her in the climax, and I think that's a shame given how strong a character she can be when a writer does know what to do with her - but I do really like it, and I appreciate that the first Hartnell-era VMA goes with the spirit of that era in taking wild swings as to what Doctor Who can be; some of the best moments here are in Ian and Barbara's struggles to adjust to a wholly alien environment, and how that reflects the uncertainty and destabilisation all three TARDIS travellers feel in the wake of Susan's departure.
3.5/5
Definitely does a better job of depicting a completely alien race than The Web Planet, although I found it a bit hard to keep track of the names because they're so alien. I also had a few days where I didn't read much so I found it a bit hard to keep track of the plot. But I mostly enjoyed it!
March 2025
I've had an inkling for a while that I'd like this a lot more if I had a copy of it in my hands, not only because I absorb information better when I'm reading it off a page rather than on a screen, but because this does sort of throw you in the deep end in terms of its aliens, which I appreciate but which can be hard to adjust to. It's still not my favourite Paul Leonard - while Barbara has some character beats I like, she does get massively sidelined in a weird pain machine for the latter part, as though he didn't quite know what to do with her in the climax, and I think that's a shame given how strong a character she can be when a writer does know what to do with her - but I do really like it, and I appreciate that the first Hartnell-era VMA goes with the spirit of that era in taking wild swings as to what Doctor Who can be; some of the best moments here are in Ian and Barbara's struggles to adjust to a wholly alien environment, and how that reflects the uncertainty and destabilisation all three TARDIS travellers feel in the wake of Susan's departure.
November 7, 2022
This is a very unique book that succeeds in one thing that very many other Doctor Who stories don’t: it creates a world that truly feels alien.
It provides some excellent development for Ian and Barbara and solidifies their relationship with the Doctor in this very transitional point in their overarching story (being set between the “Daleks Invasion of Earth” and “The Rescue”)
Overall a very good book that is worthy of it relatively longer length.
It provides some excellent development for Ian and Barbara and solidifies their relationship with the Doctor in this very transitional point in their overarching story (being set between the “Daleks Invasion of Earth” and “The Rescue”)
Overall a very good book that is worthy of it relatively longer length.
November 4, 2012
the idea was a good one, but with all the alien vocabulary to remember it felt like a chore to finish
April 26, 2018
Liked The Doctors guilt of leaving Susan behind. Really struggled with the rest, the other characters names don't help!
July 10, 2015
Certainly these Venusians can be called alien
28 January 2012
This is, I think, is the second of the Missing Adventures series (though Goodreads says that it is the third). These series of adventures occur between various episodes of the older Doctor Who series and use the original Doctors and respective companions. This one sees us return to the first Doctor and two of his companions: Ian and Barbara (who where two of the three original companions, the third, Susan, having left in The Dalek Invasion of Earth).
The Doctor decides to take Ian and Barbara back in time a very long way to when the Universe was much younger to visit the Venusian people who once inhabited the second planet of our Solar System. However this far back in time things are much different. The sun is smaller and Venus is still habitable, albeit barely. The people of Venus (strange reptilian aliens with multiple legs and tentacles, an image of them is on the front cover) are generally a peaceful people but, as they are facing the disaster of their world being destroyed as the sun heats up, are looking for ways of escape.
The Venusians have a number of options including simply accepting fate and dying. They also propose to move beneath the surface of the planet, erupt volcanoes to send dust into the atmosphere and cool the planet, or migrate to the currently uninhabited third planet. During the adventure some more aliens rock up saying that they will assist the Venusians in their plight. However this is all a deceit and it turns out that they simply wish to use the Venusian's as food.
This is an interesting concept that is raised here, and that is the concept of eating one's dead. It has been explored in Stranger in a Strange Land and is also explored here. The idea is that when one dies, the friends and family then choose to consume the corpse, not out of hunger but rather because by doing so the belief is that their soul is absorbed into those participating in the meal (and there is actually such a ceremony, albeit symbolic, that is practised in one of our world's major religions). In a way it is a means on remembering the fallen. However this is an alien culture (and I am not aware of any peoples practising this ritual on Earth in the 21st century beyond a symbolic form, however that does not mean that it does not happen, nor has it happened) and when we come to alien cultures in a science-fiction setting, the rules change. In fact the rules are limited only by what the author allows them to be. On Venus, when one consumes the dead, as Barbara inadvertently did, they obtain their memories, and to some extent, their gifts as well (such as oratory in Barbara's case). I will not go any further into this concept though because it is not a part of our culture, but we need to be aware that the idea is out there.
The second idea that arises from this book is the idea of desperation. When all seems bleak, we tend to resort to extra-ordinary actions. As the sayings go, 'desperate times call for desperate measures'. However this should not be a justification for anything goes because it can end in disaster. The Venusians have a number of options, but the options that they take involve trusting an alien race that turns out not to have their best interests at heart. Once again we have the concept of food, but it is different in this case because the aliens see the Venusians as not of their kind, therefore okay to eat (however do not understand the nature of what happens when one eats a Venusian). In the end the simpler solution, which gave them another ten thousand years of life, was the better solution (they could have left the planet, but due to their allergy to metal, this was not possible).
Finally, I noticed that in the books, once again, imagination is the only limit. In the original books, the aliens were generally (not always but generally) limited to bipedal humanoid creatures. That is because computer imaging and special effects were very limited and very expensive, and Doctor Who hardly had a huge budget to work with. However in the books it is much easier to be more creative, especially with the creatures, and this is what has happened here. Also, I note that the authors are also beginning to experiment with alien names.
28 January 2012
This is, I think, is the second of the Missing Adventures series (though Goodreads says that it is the third). These series of adventures occur between various episodes of the older Doctor Who series and use the original Doctors and respective companions. This one sees us return to the first Doctor and two of his companions: Ian and Barbara (who where two of the three original companions, the third, Susan, having left in The Dalek Invasion of Earth).
The Doctor decides to take Ian and Barbara back in time a very long way to when the Universe was much younger to visit the Venusian people who once inhabited the second planet of our Solar System. However this far back in time things are much different. The sun is smaller and Venus is still habitable, albeit barely. The people of Venus (strange reptilian aliens with multiple legs and tentacles, an image of them is on the front cover) are generally a peaceful people but, as they are facing the disaster of their world being destroyed as the sun heats up, are looking for ways of escape.
The Venusians have a number of options including simply accepting fate and dying. They also propose to move beneath the surface of the planet, erupt volcanoes to send dust into the atmosphere and cool the planet, or migrate to the currently uninhabited third planet. During the adventure some more aliens rock up saying that they will assist the Venusians in their plight. However this is all a deceit and it turns out that they simply wish to use the Venusian's as food.
This is an interesting concept that is raised here, and that is the concept of eating one's dead. It has been explored in Stranger in a Strange Land and is also explored here. The idea is that when one dies, the friends and family then choose to consume the corpse, not out of hunger but rather because by doing so the belief is that their soul is absorbed into those participating in the meal (and there is actually such a ceremony, albeit symbolic, that is practised in one of our world's major religions). In a way it is a means on remembering the fallen. However this is an alien culture (and I am not aware of any peoples practising this ritual on Earth in the 21st century beyond a symbolic form, however that does not mean that it does not happen, nor has it happened) and when we come to alien cultures in a science-fiction setting, the rules change. In fact the rules are limited only by what the author allows them to be. On Venus, when one consumes the dead, as Barbara inadvertently did, they obtain their memories, and to some extent, their gifts as well (such as oratory in Barbara's case). I will not go any further into this concept though because it is not a part of our culture, but we need to be aware that the idea is out there.
The second idea that arises from this book is the idea of desperation. When all seems bleak, we tend to resort to extra-ordinary actions. As the sayings go, 'desperate times call for desperate measures'. However this should not be a justification for anything goes because it can end in disaster. The Venusians have a number of options, but the options that they take involve trusting an alien race that turns out not to have their best interests at heart. Once again we have the concept of food, but it is different in this case because the aliens see the Venusians as not of their kind, therefore okay to eat (however do not understand the nature of what happens when one eats a Venusian). In the end the simpler solution, which gave them another ten thousand years of life, was the better solution (they could have left the planet, but due to their allergy to metal, this was not possible).
Finally, I noticed that in the books, once again, imagination is the only limit. In the original books, the aliens were generally (not always but generally) limited to bipedal humanoid creatures. That is because computer imaging and special effects were very limited and very expensive, and Doctor Who hardly had a huge budget to work with. However in the books it is much easier to be more creative, especially with the creatures, and this is what has happened here. Also, I note that the authors are also beginning to experiment with alien names.
September 29, 2019
Venusian Lullaby is very much a science fiction book, with a strong feel of new wave science fiction and its interest in other worlds and cultures (and some fun potshots at golden age style conflict resolutions). It starts with an unusual funeral practice and gets weirder from there. The Venusians are carefully described so to be more alien than any species usually is in the show, which in turn makes the Tardis team's humanity shine through.
I'd specially like to point out that the author seemingly refused to let Ian punch his problems away, going so far as to burning both his hands so he couldn't. I agree with this choice, Ian is better when he is thinking than when he is getting into gladiatorial fights in ancient Rome. But I digress.
This book spotlights very well the significant difference in feel and tone to the novels written when the show wasn't actually airing. There is so much tenderness towards the characters, a care for their feelings about each other (and Susan!) that could only come from being a few decades separate from the original stories and missing them, wondering about the private moments between one adventure and another. In short, it is written with a fan's heart. And then there is the daring alien setting, with its detailed culture and society, the different sects, the predator species. It is all wonderfully done and makes for a great book.
I'd specially like to point out that the author seemingly refused to let Ian punch his problems away, going so far as to burning both his hands so he couldn't. I agree with this choice, Ian is better when he is thinking than when he is getting into gladiatorial fights in ancient Rome. But I digress.
This book spotlights very well the significant difference in feel and tone to the novels written when the show wasn't actually airing. There is so much tenderness towards the characters, a care for their feelings about each other (and Susan!) that could only come from being a few decades separate from the original stories and missing them, wondering about the private moments between one adventure and another. In short, it is written with a fan's heart. And then there is the daring alien setting, with its detailed culture and society, the different sects, the predator species. It is all wonderfully done and makes for a great book.
May 11, 2024
Wow. this one took me a long time to get through. Well, at least the first half did.
So this one takes place immediately after they leave susan behind and it's just Ian and Barbara (before they pick up vicki) and the doctor is going to a funeral on venus and so he takes them along. unfortunately the planet is coming to an end and the whole species will die soon.
It's hard to pin this one down because i have mixed feelings on it. So i'll go over the positives and negatives
Positives
I really like the alien designs. if there's one thing paul leonard is good at, it's utilizing the novel format to really create some unique aliens you care about. he did so in this one, dreamstone moon, and even to an extension, genocide. He realizes that when writing a novel, you can make the aliens as wacky and weird as you want them to look. weirdly enough a lot of who authors don't realize that.
The ending. I won't give away too much but i'll say, i was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I was thinking it would end like the Genocide book he wrote but it actually ended up having a nicer ending than that.
Negatives
First off, it gets very violent. Like, there's a LOT of death in this one. never really a fan of that.
The doctor isn't in a LOT of it. this book is definitely an ian and barbara vehicle, and honestly, i think this is the most F'ed up i think i've ever seen these two get. like they get beaten to HELL by adventuring in this one. When the doc was in it, he was fine, but they definitely spread him thin in this one.
The biggest reason it took me so long to read this is this part, the pacing. The first half of this book DRAGS. like a lot. I put this book down for MONTHS just because i was so bored and didn't really want to read anymore. I picked it back up eventually because of my promise to read every single first doctor novel (at this point i'm down to just 2. Byzantium and The Plotters). and once i got past the first half it definitely picked up, but that first half is a hard sell to get to some of the more action packed stuff at the end.
The myriad of characters and points of view. there's a LOT of side characters in this one, and they have really weird names and titles, to the point that by the halfway point, i had no idea who was talking in the scenes that weren't ian, barbara, or the doctor. The only side character i knew and actually really liked was a venusian named Jellenhut. other than that, every other character kind of just blended together.
It gets very repetitive with how many times these guys get captured. i mean, it's normal for doc and his companions to get captured in these novels but HOT DAMN there was a lot of that in this one. if it was a drinking game, you'd have passed out.
This book definitely had some good ideas sprinkled in there. I appreciate Paul creating some truly original aliens and giving life to their society, but the book itself was about 40 pages too long and DRAGGED towards the beginning. Not the worst book i read by far, but also not nearly one of the best.
2.5 out of 5, rounded up to a 3.
So this one takes place immediately after they leave susan behind and it's just Ian and Barbara (before they pick up vicki) and the doctor is going to a funeral on venus and so he takes them along. unfortunately the planet is coming to an end and the whole species will die soon.
It's hard to pin this one down because i have mixed feelings on it. So i'll go over the positives and negatives
Positives
I really like the alien designs. if there's one thing paul leonard is good at, it's utilizing the novel format to really create some unique aliens you care about. he did so in this one, dreamstone moon, and even to an extension, genocide. He realizes that when writing a novel, you can make the aliens as wacky and weird as you want them to look. weirdly enough a lot of who authors don't realize that.
The ending. I won't give away too much but i'll say, i was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I was thinking it would end like the Genocide book he wrote but it actually ended up having a nicer ending than that.
Negatives
First off, it gets very violent. Like, there's a LOT of death in this one. never really a fan of that.
The doctor isn't in a LOT of it. this book is definitely an ian and barbara vehicle, and honestly, i think this is the most F'ed up i think i've ever seen these two get. like they get beaten to HELL by adventuring in this one. When the doc was in it, he was fine, but they definitely spread him thin in this one.
The biggest reason it took me so long to read this is this part, the pacing. The first half of this book DRAGS. like a lot. I put this book down for MONTHS just because i was so bored and didn't really want to read anymore. I picked it back up eventually because of my promise to read every single first doctor novel (at this point i'm down to just 2. Byzantium and The Plotters). and once i got past the first half it definitely picked up, but that first half is a hard sell to get to some of the more action packed stuff at the end.
The myriad of characters and points of view. there's a LOT of side characters in this one, and they have really weird names and titles, to the point that by the halfway point, i had no idea who was talking in the scenes that weren't ian, barbara, or the doctor. The only side character i knew and actually really liked was a venusian named Jellenhut. other than that, every other character kind of just blended together.
It gets very repetitive with how many times these guys get captured. i mean, it's normal for doc and his companions to get captured in these novels but HOT DAMN there was a lot of that in this one. if it was a drinking game, you'd have passed out.
This book definitely had some good ideas sprinkled in there. I appreciate Paul creating some truly original aliens and giving life to their society, but the book itself was about 40 pages too long and DRAGGED towards the beginning. Not the worst book i read by far, but also not nearly one of the best.
2.5 out of 5, rounded up to a 3.
June 18, 2016
I was greatly disappointed with this book, especially after the last one I read in the Doctor Who Missing Adventures line was so good. Paul Leonard attempts to write a solid hard SF novel and drop the First Doctor, Barbara and Ian into his story. Perhaps he would have been better off writing an original novel or series of novels. This book has a series of problems (1) as a reader I spent way too much time trying to figure out what was going on... there simply wasn't enough exposition, (2) The Doctor, Barbara, and Ian should have abruptly turned around and left - the second they realised everyone on the planet (namely Venus) was due to die (3) far too much time is spent "running around" - The Doctor, Barbara, and Ian keep getting separated and as a reader I got frustrated because all I wanted was for them to meet up again and leave, and finally (5) because this is a prehistoric Venus, like three billion years ago or something we know from the beginning that the culture and people of Venus are doomed - this oddly has the dual effect of distancing the reader from the characters and reducing any sense of anxiety, from the beginning we know what will happen.
Any one of those "problems" could have been addressed and written in such a way as to enhance the novel rather than make it worse. After all, a lot of the televised episodes of Doctor Who have ample "running around" or characters being split up, having separate adventures, then joining up again. It can be handled well, or at least better, than in this novel, where it simply doesn't work.
Or, the knowledge that we "know" that Venusians never landed on Earth could have been used to create "anxiety" about their fate, after all, several of the best episodes of Doctor Who involve a known historical fact and the Doctor's role in it. But instead in Vensusian Lullaby plays out like something the reader simply doesn't care about.
Overall, quite a disappointment.
Any one of those "problems" could have been addressed and written in such a way as to enhance the novel rather than make it worse. After all, a lot of the televised episodes of Doctor Who have ample "running around" or characters being split up, having separate adventures, then joining up again. It can be handled well, or at least better, than in this novel, where it simply doesn't work.
Or, the knowledge that we "know" that Venusians never landed on Earth could have been used to create "anxiety" about their fate, after all, several of the best episodes of Doctor Who involve a known historical fact and the Doctor's role in it. But instead in Vensusian Lullaby plays out like something the reader simply doesn't care about.
Overall, quite a disappointment.
June 21, 2014
Having just left Susan behind on Earth, the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara arrive on Venus some 3 billion odd years in the past. The Doctor and his companions have made it just in time for the funeral of one of the Doctor's old acquaintances, a Venusian who is to be eaten by his own kind so that his memory can be transferred to the living. In little time, the group is separated, and each get caught up in the various factions which have formed to help solve the problem of the very imminent death of Venus itself.
Leonard does a surprisingly good job of creating the culture and character of the Venusians, and obviously spent a lot of time devising everything from unique breeding habits and family structures to their own way of telling time. Whats more is that each Venusian has their own personality, and each faction has their own goals and rationalizations. The effort that went into this is something you would not see so much of in the old Hartnell serials (not to mention the action itself would have been impossible with budget and technological limitations). The drawback to this though is that the Doctor and his companions basically take the backseat in the story, while the Venusians and their conflicts are the driving force. This wouldn't be a bad thing, except that the Doctor and his companions really don't do a whole lot of anything, other than get captured by one faction or another in the hopes that they have some sophisticated alien knowledge to impart. This is especially bad with the Doctor himself, who does so little he may as well not even have been in the book at all. Leonard certainly gets points for going so in-depth into the Venusian culture, but he does so at the expense of interacting with those who ought to be the main characters. This, coupled with an awkwardly large cast (made more confusing by the ridiculous Venusian names) and a few plot points that never quit fit together, leaves this an enjoyable but flawed read.
Leonard does a surprisingly good job of creating the culture and character of the Venusians, and obviously spent a lot of time devising everything from unique breeding habits and family structures to their own way of telling time. Whats more is that each Venusian has their own personality, and each faction has their own goals and rationalizations. The effort that went into this is something you would not see so much of in the old Hartnell serials (not to mention the action itself would have been impossible with budget and technological limitations). The drawback to this though is that the Doctor and his companions basically take the backseat in the story, while the Venusians and their conflicts are the driving force. This wouldn't be a bad thing, except that the Doctor and his companions really don't do a whole lot of anything, other than get captured by one faction or another in the hopes that they have some sophisticated alien knowledge to impart. This is especially bad with the Doctor himself, who does so little he may as well not even have been in the book at all. Leonard certainly gets points for going so in-depth into the Venusian culture, but he does so at the expense of interacting with those who ought to be the main characters. This, coupled with an awkwardly large cast (made more confusing by the ridiculous Venusian names) and a few plot points that never quit fit together, leaves this an enjoyable but flawed read.
June 30, 2022
Paul Leonard's first Doctor novel is both exciting and infuriating. Fast-paced, action-packed, and several other hyphenated adjectives, the plot moves at a great clip. There are no clunker lines, and Leonard steers well clear of fan stroking. The greatest strength of the book is Leonard's realization of the Venusian people. He gives them a decidedly alien identity and social structure that makes sense for them. One of the drawbacks is that most of the characters have weird names not conforming to common naming systems, making it very difficult to keep track of characters. The main drawback, and this is probably a matter of personal taste on my part, is how violent and gory this novel is. Leonard devotes almost half the pages, or so it seems, to vivid descriptions murder and death. Barbara and Ian get lacerated, beaten up, punched, kicked, dropped, blown up, and thrown about so badly that their survival feels like the most improbable happenstance in the entire book. And all of it in just one day. In sum: top marks for concept, a few demerits for execution.
February 27, 2022
The subject matter of the dying days of Venus is intriguing. When we see the Venusian spaceship with which they intend to escape to Earth with, it is simultaneously funny and tragic.
The main problem with the book is that the author is trying to be too clever. It's a strange phenomenon where its strength is also its weakness. A well structured society, a real society we're going into, with the Venusians being a well defined alien race.
It's a well written book, with a complex structure, Barbara and Ian are brilliantly written for, and this has the feel of something like that era's TV counterpart such The Web Planet.
I've only ever finished this book once, and this wasn't it. Why not? Very slow paced.
For the society created I'm giving it 3/10.
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent
The main problem with the book is that the author is trying to be too clever. It's a strange phenomenon where its strength is also its weakness. A well structured society, a real society we're going into, with the Venusians being a well defined alien race.
It's a well written book, with a complex structure, Barbara and Ian are brilliantly written for, and this has the feel of something like that era's TV counterpart such The Web Planet.
I've only ever finished this book once, and this wasn't it. Why not? Very slow paced.
For the society created I'm giving it 3/10.
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent
January 14, 2011
I'm not sure that this book was conceived as a Doctor Who adventure. The Doctor and his companions could easily have been any travelers to Venus and they seem poorly used (though I suppose that was a common trait of the classic tv series). The world-building was excellent, but there were too many characters that popped in and out of the story and even the characters we know disappeared for long stretches. The plot jumped regularly and it was difficult to know which characters were involved when.
August 1, 2016
I wanted to justify my 2 Stars a little. This book is wildly ambitious in creating a very different kind of alien society that also feels very familiar and, at the same time, dealing with the emotional aftermath of Dalek Invasion of Earth. This is very successful in doing this and should be applauded.
However, it was not enjoyable to read. It was like wading through treacle and almost relentlessly depressing. I cannot say I liked it even if I appreciate what it is doing
However, it was not enjoyable to read. It was like wading through treacle and almost relentlessly depressing. I cannot say I liked it even if I appreciate what it is doing
March 15, 2014
Really liked the world-building in this. Interesting alien culture and more on the "hard science fiction" side of the spectrum (as opposed to fantastical sci-fi), especially for Doctor Who. A favorite.
July 24, 2016
Absolutely fantastic world-building.
July 19, 2024
I've been looking at the Virgin Missing Adventures for close to a decade - that's ever since I first got into Doctor Who and I scoured the Internet for all the different lines of tie-in novels that had been produced. It wasn't until close to a dozen of them showed up while used bookshopping at a Minnesota bookshop for the first (but hopefully not the last!) that I saw any of these in person. Knowing I'm slow to read tie-ins now that I mostly read "mature SF," I only grabbed three, including this book, which happens to be the first First Doctor novel I've read and the first novel that author Paul Leonard ever published. And besides those accolades, it's actually a bit of an outside-of-the-box Doctor Who story that goes places it usually doesn't, but in a good way, unlike Russel T Davies' new era or his predecessor's...
*Venusian Lullaby* picks up right where the 1964 serial "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" leaves off with Ian and Barbara somewhat stunned and miffed at the Doctor's attitude after leaving Susan on Earth circa 2100. These irked feelings get brushed under the rug when the Doctor decides to finally attend an event he was previously invited to: the funeral of his old Venusian friend Dharkhig. Upon arrival on Venus he quickly introduces his companions as imagos of the "budling" Susan. They're swept away into a series of alien rituals including eating from a stack of spongy, sweet food, which turns out to be parts of Dharkhig's brain. Barbara quickly starts remembering parts of Dharkhig's life, which scares Ian, who refused to eat the food. He gets even more scared and confused when he's kidnapped by a Venusian named Hatveg who represents the Rocketeers, a faction of Venusian who believes that Venus is dying due to the ever-lengthening length of the scorching day and that they must colonize the planet that will be known as Earth to save their people. Through the Doctor and Barbara, who's babysat by one of Dharkhig's "daughters," we learn that their are other factions like the Below the Sun Believers, the Water-Breathers, and the Volcano People who have different plans to save the Venusians. Dharkhig's own teaching was of acceptance of their plight, which is definitely not being followed by the present-day Venusians - not that I blame them. The kidnappings continue until, out of the blue, ...
This provides an interesting wrinkle to the saving of the Venusian race, and Jofghil - Dharkhig's successor - is eager to . I left some stuff out of that summary... a lot happens in this book, doesn't it?
I have some issues with how the plotting is paced, but first, the positive: Leonard does a really good job of fitting this story between two classic ones and adding character depth and evolution that wasn't there before in terms of the triangle between the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara. It starts and ends in defined places which, had this been filmed back in the 1964, would've fit in chronologically. That being said, I haven't watched much of the original run of Doctor Who, and that means I can't attest to if these characters really feel true to their '63 selves, and I've seen reviewers point both ways on that issue. I do feel like some of the Doctor's whimsy was pillaged from post-Hartnell incarnations. On a continuity note, there's a fun part towards the end where a character is told not to leave the TARDIS due to a lack of breathable air, a fact kind of contradicted by the revival television show; I can't remember if the TARDIS' atmosphere providing was touched upon in the original run. Leonard makes the answer look like a negative. But back to characters, while I can't speak for the TARDIS Team's consistency, I can say that the alien characters were interesting, even if their thought processes didn't seem as alien as... other things about them.
Leonard already does a better job of differentiating the aliens from humans than a lot of Doctor Who writers by giving them five eyes, fives sides, five legs, etc, but he makes them more alien still by painting a social structure where they eat each other's brains post-mortem and "bud" from "budlings" in pairs and live in small social structures in ponds akin to our families. I wasn't as weirded out and fascinated by this as some reviewers because I read quite a lot of non-tie-in fiction, but there was still effort put towards distinguishing them from us, which was nice to see. I don't really think that Leonard made them think strangely enough or really made them seem alien in the ways their politics work, but some of the need to do that was taken away by the . That being said, the TARDIS Data Core entry for them (called the ) was pretty helpful in writing this review because, at the end of the day, not as much will stick with me about this book as I'd like it to...
That can probably be credited to this book being chalked full of plot movement and its inability to sit in introspection for more than a page or two. There's always something happening - factions trying to steal prisoners away, future-sight, getting jettisoned out of somewhere with no way to survive, etc - and while it makes for an exciting read, when most of the characters involved have strange names which are harder to remember than usual and you happen to be reading this book when starting a brand-new job, it actually becomes a bit much. I would've liked Leonard to either trim down on a plot thread or two or get a greater word count to flesh out his ideas. I don't usually say this - I like idea-filled books - but Leonard really has to eschew character growth and thoughtfulness for the sake of the plot; luckily for him, the plot is good. Still, the fact that doesn't do much for the plot or internal development than make characters confused and add another layer of cloaking onto an already busy story. All the parts were good and Doctor Who-esque, they just didn't have enough elbow room. I might be able to blame part of that on my reading experience, but in trying to review the book... I think that's just its biggest flaw.
Still, it's a good read, and I definitely recommend it if you're a Doctor Who fan and you're looking for something a bit trippier than the Doctor's usual hijinks. I gave it a 7/10, a good score, and I look forward to reading the other couple Missing Adventures that I picked up at that bookshop. It's not fine literature (Leonard's prose is good, but is rather declarative and indicative of both tie-in writers and debut novelists), but it's good, wholesome, messy fun, as any story about five-sided Venusians should be.
*Venusian Lullaby* picks up right where the 1964 serial "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" leaves off with Ian and Barbara somewhat stunned and miffed at the Doctor's attitude after leaving Susan on Earth circa 2100. These irked feelings get brushed under the rug when the Doctor decides to finally attend an event he was previously invited to: the funeral of his old Venusian friend Dharkhig. Upon arrival on Venus he quickly introduces his companions as imagos of the "budling" Susan. They're swept away into a series of alien rituals including eating from a stack of spongy, sweet food, which turns out to be parts of Dharkhig's brain. Barbara quickly starts remembering parts of Dharkhig's life, which scares Ian, who refused to eat the food. He gets even more scared and confused when he's kidnapped by a Venusian named Hatveg who represents the Rocketeers, a faction of Venusian who believes that Venus is dying due to the ever-lengthening length of the scorching day and that they must colonize the planet that will be known as Earth to save their people. Through the Doctor and Barbara, who's babysat by one of Dharkhig's "daughters," we learn that their are other factions like the Below the Sun Believers, the Water-Breathers, and the Volcano People who have different plans to save the Venusians. Dharkhig's own teaching was of acceptance of their plight, which is definitely not being followed by the present-day Venusians - not that I blame them. The kidnappings continue until, out of the blue, ...
This provides an interesting wrinkle to the saving of the Venusian race, and Jofghil - Dharkhig's successor - is eager to . I left some stuff out of that summary... a lot happens in this book, doesn't it?
I have some issues with how the plotting is paced, but first, the positive: Leonard does a really good job of fitting this story between two classic ones and adding character depth and evolution that wasn't there before in terms of the triangle between the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara. It starts and ends in defined places which, had this been filmed back in the 1964, would've fit in chronologically. That being said, I haven't watched much of the original run of Doctor Who, and that means I can't attest to if these characters really feel true to their '63 selves, and I've seen reviewers point both ways on that issue. I do feel like some of the Doctor's whimsy was pillaged from post-Hartnell incarnations. On a continuity note, there's a fun part towards the end where a character is told not to leave the TARDIS due to a lack of breathable air, a fact kind of contradicted by the revival television show; I can't remember if the TARDIS' atmosphere providing was touched upon in the original run. Leonard makes the answer look like a negative. But back to characters, while I can't speak for the TARDIS Team's consistency, I can say that the alien characters were interesting, even if their thought processes didn't seem as alien as... other things about them.
Leonard already does a better job of differentiating the aliens from humans than a lot of Doctor Who writers by giving them five eyes, fives sides, five legs, etc, but he makes them more alien still by painting a social structure where they eat each other's brains post-mortem and "bud" from "budlings" in pairs and live in small social structures in ponds akin to our families. I wasn't as weirded out and fascinated by this as some reviewers because I read quite a lot of non-tie-in fiction, but there was still effort put towards distinguishing them from us, which was nice to see. I don't really think that Leonard made them think strangely enough or really made them seem alien in the ways their politics work, but some of the need to do that was taken away by the . That being said, the TARDIS Data Core entry for them (called the ) was pretty helpful in writing this review because, at the end of the day, not as much will stick with me about this book as I'd like it to...
That can probably be credited to this book being chalked full of plot movement and its inability to sit in introspection for more than a page or two. There's always something happening - factions trying to steal prisoners away, future-sight, getting jettisoned out of somewhere with no way to survive, etc - and while it makes for an exciting read, when most of the characters involved have strange names which are harder to remember than usual and you happen to be reading this book when starting a brand-new job, it actually becomes a bit much. I would've liked Leonard to either trim down on a plot thread or two or get a greater word count to flesh out his ideas. I don't usually say this - I like idea-filled books - but Leonard really has to eschew character growth and thoughtfulness for the sake of the plot; luckily for him, the plot is good. Still, the fact that doesn't do much for the plot or internal development than make characters confused and add another layer of cloaking onto an already busy story. All the parts were good and Doctor Who-esque, they just didn't have enough elbow room. I might be able to blame part of that on my reading experience, but in trying to review the book... I think that's just its biggest flaw.
Still, it's a good read, and I definitely recommend it if you're a Doctor Who fan and you're looking for something a bit trippier than the Doctor's usual hijinks. I gave it a 7/10, a good score, and I look forward to reading the other couple Missing Adventures that I picked up at that bookshop. It's not fine literature (Leonard's prose is good, but is rather declarative and indicative of both tie-in writers and debut novelists), but it's good, wholesome, messy fun, as any story about five-sided Venusians should be.
March 22, 2017
Still dealing with Susan's departure from the TARDIS, the Doctor decides to accept an invitation to the funeral of an old friend on Venus, millions of years in the past. When they arrive, Ian and Barbara discover a completely alien culture in which the deceased are remembered by survivors eating parts of their bodies and experiencing hallucinogenic memories. But this culture is in decline as the planet will not be able to sustain them much longer and war is brewing between factions with differing ideologies. But when an alien species arrives offering salvation to all through relocation, everything is brought to the surface. And the Doctor's companions aren't sure about the plan to relocate the Venusians to Earth!
I ended up enjoying this novel, despite some effort in pushing through some of the slow parts in the middle. Part of this struggle was caused by the extraordinarily difficulty and lengthy alien names combined with the number of aliens that needed to be kept in mind. It was challenging and initially difficult to keep track of who was who and how they fit into the overall picture. And when you combined it with the equally difficult places, flora and fauna, philosophies and gadgets, it was a bit overwhelming. But honestly, it was worthwhile if you have the patience to fight through it all.
Paul Leonard created a wonderful and detailed world and culture for the Venusians. He crafts so many little details about the world and its people that its pretty staggering! He developed different methods of communication, time keeping, travel, and so much more that is all very interesting and gives the readers real insights into how this whole society operates. You really are immersed in it completely - so reading this book feels like studying abroad in many ways! You need to learn it to enjoy it! I know many readers don't have the patience for this type of world building, but its often very rewarding and really fun to experience something so lovingly crafted. The same can't really be said of the Sou(ou)ishi aliens that arrive about halfway through the book. Their motivations are obvious, but their backgrounds and ultimate goals are mysterious and never fully revealed in this book. Maybe there's another Leonard story out there that completes this - I just don't know.
While the physicalities of the world are completely different, the emotions of the characters are certainly recognizable. The characters have completely understandable desires, hopes and fears that drive them and that's what makes them accessible to readers. Even as the true "villain" of the piece is reveals, you completely understand why that character did what they did and how easy it would be to fall into that trap.
The story itself is winding and convoluted as the characters are separated and have very different adventures as often happens in the Hartnell-era stories. Each also gets to experience different aspects of this society that allows for a lot of the world building to be presented to readers. We do get to see some character insights in our main characters as well. The Doctor is definitely facing difficulties dealing with Susan's departure, and Ian and Barbara are experiencing a growing attraction for each other that we haven't really seen previously. They both feel a degree of stress at the constant travel as well and are really intent on pressuring the Doctor to get them home.
There are also a number of references to other Doctor Who stories - both televised and written - that will make fans smile as they get the "inside" comments. While this provides some fun for long-time fans, it certainly isn't of any concern for new fans who want to pick up this book cold.
Overall, this is a solid First Doctor story that builds an incredibly detailed and beautiful civilization, but you need to have the patience and desire to experience it.
I ended up enjoying this novel, despite some effort in pushing through some of the slow parts in the middle. Part of this struggle was caused by the extraordinarily difficulty and lengthy alien names combined with the number of aliens that needed to be kept in mind. It was challenging and initially difficult to keep track of who was who and how they fit into the overall picture. And when you combined it with the equally difficult places, flora and fauna, philosophies and gadgets, it was a bit overwhelming. But honestly, it was worthwhile if you have the patience to fight through it all.
Paul Leonard created a wonderful and detailed world and culture for the Venusians. He crafts so many little details about the world and its people that its pretty staggering! He developed different methods of communication, time keeping, travel, and so much more that is all very interesting and gives the readers real insights into how this whole society operates. You really are immersed in it completely - so reading this book feels like studying abroad in many ways! You need to learn it to enjoy it! I know many readers don't have the patience for this type of world building, but its often very rewarding and really fun to experience something so lovingly crafted. The same can't really be said of the Sou(ou)ishi aliens that arrive about halfway through the book. Their motivations are obvious, but their backgrounds and ultimate goals are mysterious and never fully revealed in this book. Maybe there's another Leonard story out there that completes this - I just don't know.
While the physicalities of the world are completely different, the emotions of the characters are certainly recognizable. The characters have completely understandable desires, hopes and fears that drive them and that's what makes them accessible to readers. Even as the true "villain" of the piece is reveals, you completely understand why that character did what they did and how easy it would be to fall into that trap.
The story itself is winding and convoluted as the characters are separated and have very different adventures as often happens in the Hartnell-era stories. Each also gets to experience different aspects of this society that allows for a lot of the world building to be presented to readers. We do get to see some character insights in our main characters as well. The Doctor is definitely facing difficulties dealing with Susan's departure, and Ian and Barbara are experiencing a growing attraction for each other that we haven't really seen previously. They both feel a degree of stress at the constant travel as well and are really intent on pressuring the Doctor to get them home.
There are also a number of references to other Doctor Who stories - both televised and written - that will make fans smile as they get the "inside" comments. While this provides some fun for long-time fans, it certainly isn't of any concern for new fans who want to pick up this book cold.
Overall, this is a solid First Doctor story that builds an incredibly detailed and beautiful civilization, but you need to have the patience and desire to experience it.
January 29, 2024
This novel is a great showcase of how Doctor Who can lend itself well to alien life beyond the usual human form. Limited by television budgets and what is possible with the technology of different decades, the show can only do so much and thus relies a lot on humanoid beings and many stories set on Earth.
I am a firm believer that Doctor Who can and should explore life and aspects of the cosmos that are very distant from humanity. Here we are with beings of a similar feel to Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker and other works: they're of a completely different biology, form and evolution, but still very much have the same qualities, both good and bad, that define humans.
The novel explores that deeply and with an intense start by having Barbara immediately understand what the existence of a Venusian is like and it sets the tone for the entire book. The Doctor, is of course, happily acquainted with them and can easily converse with them and participate in their society.
Throughout this introspection into the venusian and human spirits, there is heavy action that doesn't let up. Over the course of a single day, Barbara and Ian are jumping from one life-threatening situation to the other with barely a moment's rest. Out of the frying pan into the fire, over and over while things escalate into unexpected twists that allow the Doctor and company to save people thanks to their intervention.
The three members of the TARDIS crew are portrayed well and while they're mostly separated from each other for a good portion of the book, it gives a nice experience for a team that we never really see on-screen that much. Prior to the events of this, Susan has just departed and Vicki is about to come in. In the show, these stories happen right after the other, and Vicki's debut is a 2-parter so we don't get to see much of just the Doctor, Ian and Barbara as the TARDIS team.
Personally, I though the chemistry of just the three of them was delightful in the Rescue, and here we get the first glimpse of that short-lived era in Doctor Who expanded media. After this, there are a few short stories and an audio, as well as extremely difficult-to-obtain and simplistic comic stories. A novel like this absolutely had to happen for the three of them.
This novel also had to happen for Doctor Who to explore these kinds of alien lifeforms that the wide universe surely must have somewhere, and surely some of them must have met the Doctor and his friends.
Overall, we once again have a First Doctor novel in his early days that captures him and the rest of the cast perfectly, but on top of that it includes an experience into the kind of sci-fi that Doctor Who can never have enough of. I cannot recommend it enough for more of First Doctor and for what makes both science fiction and Doctor Who fantastic.
I am a firm believer that Doctor Who can and should explore life and aspects of the cosmos that are very distant from humanity. Here we are with beings of a similar feel to Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker and other works: they're of a completely different biology, form and evolution, but still very much have the same qualities, both good and bad, that define humans.
The novel explores that deeply and with an intense start by having Barbara immediately understand what the existence of a Venusian is like and it sets the tone for the entire book. The Doctor, is of course, happily acquainted with them and can easily converse with them and participate in their society.
Throughout this introspection into the venusian and human spirits, there is heavy action that doesn't let up. Over the course of a single day, Barbara and Ian are jumping from one life-threatening situation to the other with barely a moment's rest. Out of the frying pan into the fire, over and over while things escalate into unexpected twists that allow the Doctor and company to save people thanks to their intervention.
The three members of the TARDIS crew are portrayed well and while they're mostly separated from each other for a good portion of the book, it gives a nice experience for a team that we never really see on-screen that much. Prior to the events of this, Susan has just departed and Vicki is about to come in. In the show, these stories happen right after the other, and Vicki's debut is a 2-parter so we don't get to see much of just the Doctor, Ian and Barbara as the TARDIS team.
Personally, I though the chemistry of just the three of them was delightful in the Rescue, and here we get the first glimpse of that short-lived era in Doctor Who expanded media. After this, there are a few short stories and an audio, as well as extremely difficult-to-obtain and simplistic comic stories. A novel like this absolutely had to happen for the three of them.
This novel also had to happen for Doctor Who to explore these kinds of alien lifeforms that the wide universe surely must have somewhere, and surely some of them must have met the Doctor and his friends.
Overall, we once again have a First Doctor novel in his early days that captures him and the rest of the cast perfectly, but on top of that it includes an experience into the kind of sci-fi that Doctor Who can never have enough of. I cannot recommend it enough for more of First Doctor and for what makes both science fiction and Doctor Who fantastic.
July 3, 2025
This story overall was great! I loved most of the characters included, the storytelling and environment.
For only 300 pages Paul Leonard really builds up an alien culture that is so vastly different to ours that it is difficult to comprehend. That is both a positive to the book and its Achilles Heel.
On the positive side everything is really fleshed out. The Venusians don’t just feel like a ‘humans but in slightly different makeup’ design Classic Who is known for. Instead they are more giant, hulking beings. They have their own cultures, different cities, political affiliations and more. It is very interesting to learn about these.
On the negative side the Venusians and their culture are so alien it made it really difficult to read at points, mostly before the 40 page mark. The names of the Venusians, whilst unique, did read an awful lot like random typing on a keyboard. After reading a name like ‘Plorsocnolid��� for the 30th time or so it does start to get rather grating.
However that is the only downside to the book. You just have to power through that, which is easier said than done. It is also why this book is not a 5 star read.
The amount of intrigue and plot makes this a perfect read for those equipped to handle the strangeness that science fiction can sometimes offer
For only 300 pages Paul Leonard really builds up an alien culture that is so vastly different to ours that it is difficult to comprehend. That is both a positive to the book and its Achilles Heel.
On the positive side everything is really fleshed out. The Venusians don’t just feel like a ‘humans but in slightly different makeup’ design Classic Who is known for. Instead they are more giant, hulking beings. They have their own cultures, different cities, political affiliations and more. It is very interesting to learn about these.
On the negative side the Venusians and their culture are so alien it made it really difficult to read at points, mostly before the 40 page mark. The names of the Venusians, whilst unique, did read an awful lot like random typing on a keyboard. After reading a name like ‘Plorsocnolid��� for the 30th time or so it does start to get rather grating.
However that is the only downside to the book. You just have to power through that, which is easier said than done. It is also why this book is not a 5 star read.
The amount of intrigue and plot makes this a perfect read for those equipped to handle the strangeness that science fiction can sometimes offer
February 5, 2024
Venusian Lullaby is an unusual story in terms of the detailed worldbuilding. The atmosphere of a civilization on the edge of extinction is impressive and the adventures that Ian, Barbara and the Doctor are going through reminds me a lot the style of the original series.
In general it seemed to me that the Doctor hadn't enough space to manifest in this book, but on the other hand Barbara and Ian were autentic and the continuity after the episode where Susan was left was well done.
In general it seemed to me that the Doctor hadn't enough space to manifest in this book, but on the other hand Barbara and Ian were autentic and the continuity after the episode where Susan was left was well done.
May 5, 2023
This felt epic, and perfect for fans of Ian and Barbara who love to see them get put through the mill and boss it every time. Great effort at creating a completely alien world also. Probably more a 4.5.
October 21, 2024
Shockingly good, offering a deeper exploration of a truly alien culture than the TV series ever managed. Tie-in fiction isn't meant to be this great, according to conventional wisdom. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...
February 18, 2021
A delightfully absurd plot. The aliens are spectacularly alien and I enjoyed hanging with the first Doctor, Barbara and Ian on this adventure.
October 24, 2022
One of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever told in any medium.
August 9, 2023
Gosh, this was a hard read. From all the names and words that were so nonsensical (including ones with parentheses!), to the convoluted plot, I really struggled.
April 24, 2025
creeped me out + made me tear up - FAB
January 16, 2021
Having left Susan on Earth in the 22nd century, the Doctor's other companions, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, insist that the Doctor take them back to their own time. Instead the TARDIS lands on Venus three billion years in the past, a time when the planet was not only habitable but inhabited by sentient life forms. As the Venusians attempt to cope with the impending fate of their world, a massive spaceship arrives bearing aliens promising salvation by transporting them to a prehistoric Earth. But is the offer as genuine as it seems, or do these aliens possess a hidden motive that could lead to the Venusians' extinction?
As the third book published in the Virgin Missing Adventures line of Doctor Who novels, Paul Leonard's novel serves as a model for the series in a number of respects. Foremost among them are the Venusians themselves; with their large quadrupedal forms and multiple eye-stalks, there is no need for the reader to pretend that these aliens aren't just actors in elaborate makeup or cheap costumes as was all too often the case on the show back then. Leonard supplements this by portraying their practices and customs as fundamentally different from those of humans, all without sacrificing any sympathy for his characters. Yet in some respects Leonard succeeds a little too well, as when coupled with his writing style it can be difficult at times to understand exactly what is going on in the narrative. While a little more descriptiveness may have slowed the fast pace Leonard establishes in the book, it would have made for a more comprehensible examination of the truly different world he portrays, one that demonstrates the possibilities available when portraying a Doctor Who adventure on the printed page.
As the third book published in the Virgin Missing Adventures line of Doctor Who novels, Paul Leonard's novel serves as a model for the series in a number of respects. Foremost among them are the Venusians themselves; with their large quadrupedal forms and multiple eye-stalks, there is no need for the reader to pretend that these aliens aren't just actors in elaborate makeup or cheap costumes as was all too often the case on the show back then. Leonard supplements this by portraying their practices and customs as fundamentally different from those of humans, all without sacrificing any sympathy for his characters. Yet in some respects Leonard succeeds a little too well, as when coupled with his writing style it can be difficult at times to understand exactly what is going on in the narrative. While a little more descriptiveness may have slowed the fast pace Leonard establishes in the book, it would have made for a more comprehensible examination of the truly different world he portrays, one that demonstrates the possibilities available when portraying a Doctor Who adventure on the printed page.
January 25, 2011
It's a book that takes world building to the point of obsession...and there's no mistaking that Paul Leonard manages to create a very alien, very potent culture. He also has an excellent grasp of the 1st Doctor, Ian & Barbara...
...but all this attention to detail on the character-and-culture front only lacks a plot to make it all hang together.
...but all this attention to detail on the character-and-culture front only lacks a plot to make it all hang together.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews