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Lethbridge-Stewart #2.1
Lethbridge-Stewart: Moon Blink
The Brigadier, from BBC TV's Doctor Who, is called in to investigate a dangerous drug from outer space!
July 1969, and mankind is on the Moon. Both the United States and Soviet Russia have lunar bases, and both are in trouble.
Back on Earth, Anne Travers has learned she is about to be visited by an old friend from America, Doctor Patricia Richards. Lance Corporal Bill Bishop is aware of the visit, and is on hand to meet Richards.
She brings with her a surprise, one which the Americans and Russians wish to get their hands on. But the only man who can truly help Anne, Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, is away in Scotland.
It’s a game of cat and mouse, as Anne and Bishop seek to protect the life of an innocent baby – one that holds the secrets to life on the Moon.
A series of novels from the classic era of Doctor Who, starring Anne Travers and Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, based on the characters and concepts created by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln.
July 1969, and mankind is on the Moon. Both the United States and Soviet Russia have lunar bases, and both are in trouble.
Back on Earth, Anne Travers has learned she is about to be visited by an old friend from America, Doctor Patricia Richards. Lance Corporal Bill Bishop is aware of the visit, and is on hand to meet Richards.
She brings with her a surprise, one which the Americans and Russians wish to get their hands on. But the only man who can truly help Anne, Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, is away in Scotland.
It’s a game of cat and mouse, as Anne and Bishop seek to protect the life of an innocent baby – one that holds the secrets to life on the Moon.
A series of novels from the classic era of Doctor Who, starring Anne Travers and Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, based on the characters and concepts created by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln.
248 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2016
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37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 30, 2018
An enjoyable entry in the series, I like that this range is bold enough to sideline the main character who is the main focal point of the series.
Instead Anne Travers takes centre stage again.
I liked how her story continued on after the events of the third book.
I wasn’t aware that Sadie Miller is Elisabeth Sladen (played Sarah Jane in the show) daughter until reading the foreword.
It’s nice that this series is giving different writers a chance to expand on a much loved era.
Instead Anne Travers takes centre stage again.
I liked how her story continued on after the events of the third book.
I wasn’t aware that Sadie Miller is Elisabeth Sladen (played Sarah Jane in the show) daughter until reading the foreword.
It’s nice that this series is giving different writers a chance to expand on a much loved era.
October 19, 2016
So here’s an oddity – a novel from a TV show (part of a series of novels, no less) centring on a character who was last a regular over forty years ago. Once again, we’re in the strange world of Doctor Who spin off fiction.
Nobody is going to make the case for brilliance in this tale of the pre-UNIT, non-Doctor adventures of Colonel Lethbridge Stewart (later, of course, The Brigadier) but it knows what it wants to do and is effective doing it. The plot, involving as it does, moon people, is on the fantastical side, but is put across with such a resolute stiff upper lip that it’s hard not to go with it. That tone means the whole thing has the air of a derring-do adventure tale – Richard Hannay with spacesuits – which suits it perfectly.
Sadie Miller (who I didn’t realise until I read the introduction, is the daughter of Elizabeth Sladen – Sarah-Jane Smith, herself) writes in an unfussy prose style which puts plot before everything. But in a book with Lethbridge-Stewart’s name in the title, it’s another refugee from the TV show – Ann Travers – who the author is most interested in, making this a distinctly, and refreshingly, female led story. As I say, it’s not brilliant, but it would be impossible to actually dislike and is comfort food for us long-term fans.
Nobody is going to make the case for brilliance in this tale of the pre-UNIT, non-Doctor adventures of Colonel Lethbridge Stewart (later, of course, The Brigadier) but it knows what it wants to do and is effective doing it. The plot, involving as it does, moon people, is on the fantastical side, but is put across with such a resolute stiff upper lip that it’s hard not to go with it. That tone means the whole thing has the air of a derring-do adventure tale – Richard Hannay with spacesuits – which suits it perfectly.
Sadie Miller (who I didn’t realise until I read the introduction, is the daughter of Elizabeth Sladen – Sarah-Jane Smith, herself) writes in an unfussy prose style which puts plot before everything. But in a book with Lethbridge-Stewart’s name in the title, it’s another refugee from the TV show – Ann Travers – who the author is most interested in, making this a distinctly, and refreshingly, female led story. As I say, it’s not brilliant, but it would be impossible to actually dislike and is comfort food for us long-term fans.
July 3, 2016
This is the first book in Season Two of the Lethbridge-Stewart series. After the events of the previous books Lethbridge-Stewart is becoming more experienced in dealing with alien threats and has a strong team to help him. Here he heads up to Edinburgh to prepare to lead a new unit, the Fifth Operational Corps (a prototype UNIT).
In London, Anne Travers gets a visit from an old friend who announces she has an alien baby from the moon in tow. Lethbridge-Stewart discovers there is a new drug on the streets called Moon Blink which seems to have actually come from the Moon. It's up to Anne, Bill Bishop and Lethbridge-Stewart if they can ever contact him, to protect the alien baby from being used and abused by both the US and the Soviets.
I had my concerns about the publisher choosing Sadie Miller as the author of this book. She is the daughter of Elisabeth Sladen, who played Doctor Who's most popular companion Sarah-Jane Smith. But it turns out that Sadie Miller is a fantastic author, perhaps the best this series has seen so far. I liked her style of writing and she manages to some fantastic details. This book really fits into the series excellently with references back to previous books and indeed into the Doctor Who universe- there are references to everything from The Ambassadors of Death right through to Victory of the Daleks.
I really liked the plot here as it manages to be original and very different from the previous books. Here we have good aliens and it's humans that are the villains. There's a fantastic section where Anne considers that this is more scary which I thought was one of the best moments of any Doctor Who novel I've ever read.
There are a few minor quibbles though. Even more so than some of the previous books, this focuses more on Anne than the title character. It worked well here though and I can totally understand why an author would choose to do this- Anne is more of an interesting character. The ending here is what let the story down a little- it got very exciting and then suddenly fizzled out.
I thought this was probably the best book of the series so far and a strong start to the second series. I hope Sadie Miller writes more books because with this as a debut I can only imagine how fantastic her later books might be.
In London, Anne Travers gets a visit from an old friend who announces she has an alien baby from the moon in tow. Lethbridge-Stewart discovers there is a new drug on the streets called Moon Blink which seems to have actually come from the Moon. It's up to Anne, Bill Bishop and Lethbridge-Stewart if they can ever contact him, to protect the alien baby from being used and abused by both the US and the Soviets.
I had my concerns about the publisher choosing Sadie Miller as the author of this book. She is the daughter of Elisabeth Sladen, who played Doctor Who's most popular companion Sarah-Jane Smith. But it turns out that Sadie Miller is a fantastic author, perhaps the best this series has seen so far. I liked her style of writing and she manages to some fantastic details. This book really fits into the series excellently with references back to previous books and indeed into the Doctor Who universe- there are references to everything from The Ambassadors of Death right through to Victory of the Daleks.
I really liked the plot here as it manages to be original and very different from the previous books. Here we have good aliens and it's humans that are the villains. There's a fantastic section where Anne considers that this is more scary which I thought was one of the best moments of any Doctor Who novel I've ever read.
There are a few minor quibbles though. Even more so than some of the previous books, this focuses more on Anne than the title character. It worked well here though and I can totally understand why an author would choose to do this- Anne is more of an interesting character. The ending here is what let the story down a little- it got very exciting and then suddenly fizzled out.
I thought this was probably the best book of the series so far and a strong start to the second series. I hope Sadie Miller writes more books because with this as a debut I can only imagine how fantastic her later books might be.
May 23, 2016
I was disappointed that Lethbridge-Stewart is relegated to a fairly minor character and that the book is in dire need of proof-reading.
February 5, 2021
Thanks to Shaun, Will and Keren at Candy Jar for a review copy.
‘Moon Blink’ is the first novel in the second season of Lethbridge-Stewart novels. The action picks up almost immediately after the events of season one with Lethbridge-Stewart in Edinburgh to oversee the commissioning of the Dolerite Base beneath the Castle. Meanwhile Anne Travers is still working at the Vault though she is becoming increasingly uncomfortable in her role there as General Hamilton’s insider. The mysterious General in charge of the Vault is referenced and, though we have yet to meet him, the impression certainly seems to be that he is not a very nice man.
This book is much more character based than the novels of season one yet I couldn’t escape from the feeling that it could, and should, have been so much more. The story seemed to need something more about it to repay the reader’s time and investment in its twists and turns. With the exception of the recurring characters I found myself not really being concerned about the fate of any of the others. I kept waiting for some grand revelation to come but there was nothing. The only thing which I assume was meant to be surprise (i.e. the origin of the Moon Blink drug) was so obvious, to me at any rate, that it hardly seemed to need pointing out., Having grown up with Sarah Jane Smith on TV I wanted to wax lyrical about Elizabeth Sladen’s daughter’s debut novel but my enthusiasm waned very quickly (sorry!)
As far as I could see, the starting point for the story seemed to have been invented to offer an explanation for the fact that the UK had an active space programme long before it was ever admitted by the government. In order for that to be credible then the superpowers of the time would obviously also have had to be much further advanced in space exploration than the public were aware of and so the tale begins. There is so much scope in this scenario and Sadie Miller has invented a great basis to jump off and tell her tale, but instead what we get is an unpleasant American and an equally unpleasant Russian chasing around London trying to get their hands on an alien baby in order to perform some experiments on it. Given that both sides have already experimented on adult aliens quite why this should be necessary is never fully explained; rather we get a sort of semi Avengers-esque extended chase sequence until Lethbridge-Stewart arrives to save the day, it almost feels like it should end with them all going home for tea.
Whether this novel sets up some ongoing storylines for season two remains to be seen. If so then reading it may feel more worthwhile but for now I am sad to say that I would have been happy to be told that the Dolerite Base was coming along nicely and that Anne Travers had been seconded there from the Vault.
There are no Doctor Who stories which are so tied into this novel that they are essential for the casual reader. ‘The Ambassadors of Death’ starring Jon Pertwee is deeply involved with the British Space Programme referenced here and the spin off show ‘K9 and Company – A Girl’s Best Friend’ starring Elizabeth Sladen gives us a glimpse into the later life of Brendan but neither are needed to experience all ‘Moon Blink’ has to offer.
‘Moon Blink’ is the first novel in the second season of Lethbridge-Stewart novels. The action picks up almost immediately after the events of season one with Lethbridge-Stewart in Edinburgh to oversee the commissioning of the Dolerite Base beneath the Castle. Meanwhile Anne Travers is still working at the Vault though she is becoming increasingly uncomfortable in her role there as General Hamilton’s insider. The mysterious General in charge of the Vault is referenced and, though we have yet to meet him, the impression certainly seems to be that he is not a very nice man.
This book is much more character based than the novels of season one yet I couldn’t escape from the feeling that it could, and should, have been so much more. The story seemed to need something more about it to repay the reader’s time and investment in its twists and turns. With the exception of the recurring characters I found myself not really being concerned about the fate of any of the others. I kept waiting for some grand revelation to come but there was nothing. The only thing which I assume was meant to be surprise (i.e. the origin of the Moon Blink drug) was so obvious, to me at any rate, that it hardly seemed to need pointing out., Having grown up with Sarah Jane Smith on TV I wanted to wax lyrical about Elizabeth Sladen’s daughter’s debut novel but my enthusiasm waned very quickly (sorry!)
As far as I could see, the starting point for the story seemed to have been invented to offer an explanation for the fact that the UK had an active space programme long before it was ever admitted by the government. In order for that to be credible then the superpowers of the time would obviously also have had to be much further advanced in space exploration than the public were aware of and so the tale begins. There is so much scope in this scenario and Sadie Miller has invented a great basis to jump off and tell her tale, but instead what we get is an unpleasant American and an equally unpleasant Russian chasing around London trying to get their hands on an alien baby in order to perform some experiments on it. Given that both sides have already experimented on adult aliens quite why this should be necessary is never fully explained; rather we get a sort of semi Avengers-esque extended chase sequence until Lethbridge-Stewart arrives to save the day, it almost feels like it should end with them all going home for tea.
Whether this novel sets up some ongoing storylines for season two remains to be seen. If so then reading it may feel more worthwhile but for now I am sad to say that I would have been happy to be told that the Dolerite Base was coming along nicely and that Anne Travers had been seconded there from the Vault.
There are no Doctor Who stories which are so tied into this novel that they are essential for the casual reader. ‘The Ambassadors of Death’ starring Jon Pertwee is deeply involved with the British Space Programme referenced here and the spin off show ‘K9 and Company – A Girl’s Best Friend’ starring Elizabeth Sladen gives us a glimpse into the later life of Brendan but neither are needed to experience all ‘Moon Blink’ has to offer.
September 23, 2018
Moon Blink ist eine einzige Frechheit. Miese Dialoge, inhaltliche und logische Fehler zu Hauf, absolut unnötige Nebencharaktere und kein ausgelassenes Klischee. Man weiß gar nicht wo man anfangen soll mit dem Meckern. Wie Andy Franham-Allan als Verantwortlicher für die Reihe das Buch zum Druck freigeben konnte ist mir ein Rätsel. Ich habe schlechte Fanfiction gelesen die besser war als dieser Mist. Das einzige positive das mir zu diesem Buch einfällt ist, dass das Elend nicht all zu lange dauert.
July 27, 2019
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3228250.html
This is a decent first novel. There's lots of Whovian fan-service, including to the Sarah Jane universe (a very peculiar origin story for Brendan Richards of K9 and Company); but the focus is on Anne Travers much more than Lethbridge-Stewart himself (which is refreshing). All the bits are there - moon-landings, drugs, babies - and they combine pleasantly enough. I hope Miller keeps on writing.
This is a decent first novel. There's lots of Whovian fan-service, including to the Sarah Jane universe (a very peculiar origin story for Brendan Richards of K9 and Company); but the focus is on Anne Travers much more than Lethbridge-Stewart himself (which is refreshing). All the bits are there - moon-landings, drugs, babies - and they combine pleasantly enough. I hope Miller keeps on writing.
November 5, 2016
I enjoyed this one well-enough. Maybe not quite as much as the others, but the premise is fun. There might have been a few too many characters for me to keep track of, so that's probably why I struggled a bit to get through it. But a solid story.
September 20, 2017
I was really impressed with this first time novel from Sadie Miller. Enjoyed book immensely, probably the best of the series so far.
January 3, 2024
A rather good thriller novel and introduction to the Lethbridge-Stewart series.
June 22, 2016
It's hard to rate this one. I wanted to give it 3 1/2 stars, because the story IS good, it just sort of falls apart in the end.
The build up of the BIG villain falters with a switcheroo, bringing in a second baddie and leaving behind all the fantastic development of the first. Also, there is a character that is explored, but later feels like nothing real significant is done with him. Hopefully, there are plans for him further down the line.
I must say, Sadie Miller has a real familiarity and grasp of the characters. And at it's base there is a pretty good tale happening, it's just a bit loose in the delivery.
In all, it IS a pretty good start to the second series of books releasing this year.
For a more in-depth review, listen to what we thought on out podcast found at www.travelingthevortex.com.
The build up of the BIG villain falters with a switcheroo, bringing in a second baddie and leaving behind all the fantastic development of the first. Also, there is a character that is explored, but later feels like nothing real significant is done with him. Hopefully, there are plans for him further down the line.
I must say, Sadie Miller has a real familiarity and grasp of the characters. And at it's base there is a pretty good tale happening, it's just a bit loose in the delivery.
In all, it IS a pretty good start to the second series of books releasing this year.
For a more in-depth review, listen to what we thought on out podcast found at www.travelingthevortex.com.
June 21, 2016
Moon Blink is a great start to the new "season" of LS books. There are some great ideas in here, and a few truly golden nugget scenes. Unfortunately, the book doesn't coalesce quite as well as it should, particularly when it reaches the final act. The villain (and thus the climax) never reach full potency after a great set up, which was frustrating.
Once again, Anne Travers takes the lead in the proceedings while Lethbridge-Stewart is relegated to the background, but for this story, that dynamic not only made sense, but was essential. Sadie Miller exhibits a natural knack for writing these characters, and has a strong voice with which to do it.
It may only be a three an a half star book, but because it was so enjoyable to read I have it the benefit of the extra star. Can't wait to read more!
For more detailed thoughts, you can listen to our full review at www.travelingthevortex.com
Once again, Anne Travers takes the lead in the proceedings while Lethbridge-Stewart is relegated to the background, but for this story, that dynamic not only made sense, but was essential. Sadie Miller exhibits a natural knack for writing these characters, and has a strong voice with which to do it.
It may only be a three an a half star book, but because it was so enjoyable to read I have it the benefit of the extra star. Can't wait to read more!
For more detailed thoughts, you can listen to our full review at www.travelingthevortex.com
June 18, 2016
Decent story with a few cool ideas.
And I won't hold the lack of a good editor against it but a few things jarred:
Astrology is not a science and you mustn't confuse it with astronomy. Doing it (at least) twice shows intend.
Viewing DNA strands in a microscope is not possible and neither is deducing the class of animal from it.
Bits like this make me jump out of the story as it's just too unbelievable. I realise that might sound silly for sci-fi stories but I'm willing to believe there are aliens on the moon (or that it is an egg) as this is coherent within the narrative universe.
And I won't hold the lack of a good editor against it but a few things jarred:
Astrology is not a science and you mustn't confuse it with astronomy. Doing it (at least) twice shows intend.
Viewing DNA strands in a microscope is not possible and neither is deducing the class of animal from it.
Bits like this make me jump out of the story as it's just too unbelievable. I realise that might sound silly for sci-fi stories but I'm willing to believe there are aliens on the moon (or that it is an egg) as this is coherent within the narrative universe.
July 5, 2016
A new drug may have links with an alien race seeking refuge on Earth, as Lethbridge -Stewart and Dr Travers move their Base to Edinburgh Castle.
Some good ties into the Dr Who mythos, but the story gets muddled too easily and leaves readers struggling to follow the narrative.
Some good ties into the Dr Who mythos, but the story gets muddled too easily and leaves readers struggling to follow the narrative.
March 24, 2017
A fun read that really allows the character of Anne Travers to flourish in a story of her own. The Brig has less to do in this story, but it still is an engaging and entertaining tale. Plus there are some lovely tie-ins the wider Doctor Who cosmos. A successful entry from the daughter of Elisabeth Sladen, Sarah-Jane Smith herself.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews