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Past Doctor Adventures #16
Doctor Who: Matrix
It is Victorian London and Jack the Ripper is stalking the streets -- or is it the Doctor?
A crystal from the TARDIS' telepathic circuits has a serious effect on the Doctor's mind, and Ace finds herself isolated and in danger.
What part is the Doctor being forced to play? What is the secret of the 12 shadow-TARDISes which eerily wait in silence for events to play out? Only as Ace runs for her life does she realize that the Doctor is at the mercy of a terrifying force from his own future -- one he may be powerless to stop.
280 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 5, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 11, 2021
One of my favourite TARDIS teams, alternative history and a chuck of the story set in Victorian London - I was always going to enjoy this PDA.
Seeing Seven and Ace arrive in an alternate London 1963 was probably my favourite sections of the book.
The Time Lord had planned for his first incarnation to keep his companion safe, but soon learns that somethings not right.
The unnerving feeling is amplified as they meet Ian and Barbara as the school teachers have no knowledge of pupil Susan Foreman.
It's here that The Doctor learns that time has changed with Jack The Ripper.
The parts set during 1888 predominantly feature just Ace alone as she comes to terms with being separated with The Doctor as she navigates the dark and harrowing East End.
Who's suggestion on the identity of the unknown serial killer is perfect, though an understanding of the classic series is vital.
Seeing Seven and Ace arrive in an alternate London 1963 was probably my favourite sections of the book.
The Time Lord had planned for his first incarnation to keep his companion safe, but soon learns that somethings not right.
The unnerving feeling is amplified as they meet Ian and Barbara as the school teachers have no knowledge of pupil Susan Foreman.
It's here that The Doctor learns that time has changed with Jack The Ripper.
The parts set during 1888 predominantly feature just Ace alone as she comes to terms with being separated with The Doctor as she navigates the dark and harrowing East End.
Who's suggestion on the identity of the unknown serial killer is perfect, though an understanding of the classic series is vital.
June 23, 2018
We had Sherlock Holmes back in 1990s now we have Jolly old Jack Both Star Trek & Babylon 5 did this so much better than this who version
This is utter muddle
This is utter muddle
October 9, 2024
Writers Robert Perry and Mike Tucker continue mining the same field of continuity as the New Adventures in their second book together. It has the same sort of weird and moody introspection you’d have got in that earlier range of novels, tossing out violence and nightmares in ways that speak to the Seventh Doctor and Ace specifically. It never gets very deep about all this due to certain choices with the Doctor’s role, and while it’s very exciting to feature *this* villain they are unmasked so late in it that there isn’t time to do much with them.
2.5
2.5
October 24, 2021
When in 1986 a season featured the Doctor being put on trial, his prosecutor the Valeyard turned out to be an amalgamation of the Doctor’s darker nature, promised his future lives. There was a tacit hint in some follow up writing that the time lords might find this darker version more useful.
This was never followed up on tv, but the concept had a fruitful afterlife in print and audio. The new adventures signed the Doctor becoming Times champion, ultimately pulling himself back, forgiving himself, and avoiding the descent into darkness. Here, the Valeyard hides behind a twisted version of Victorian London to drag the Doctor down into becoming evil.
The matrix, repository of time lord minds and memories , as an anything goes virtual reality and altered time lines are both well worn DW tropes. This book is too overstuffed with shifting scenarios, but it is effectively creepy and nicely done .
The Doctor’s darkness would be revisited by the tv series in the war Doctor and the time lord victorious , both effective.
This was never followed up on tv, but the concept had a fruitful afterlife in print and audio. The new adventures signed the Doctor becoming Times champion, ultimately pulling himself back, forgiving himself, and avoiding the descent into darkness. Here, the Valeyard hides behind a twisted version of Victorian London to drag the Doctor down into becoming evil.
The matrix, repository of time lord minds and memories , as an anything goes virtual reality and altered time lines are both well worn DW tropes. This book is too overstuffed with shifting scenarios, but it is effectively creepy and nicely done .
The Doctor’s darkness would be revisited by the tv series in the war Doctor and the time lord victorious , both effective.
February 1, 2017
Sci-fi loves messing around with Jack the Ripper, and "Doctor Who" seems to be no exception to this rule. That said, while I think the use of the Ripper in this novel is far superior to both the efforts of "Star Trek" and "Babylon 5", I do have a hard time wrapping my head around the plot machinations and reasoning...never mind the massive fanwank involved at its core. What manages to salvage these mind-bending games with evil incarnate is the amount of atmosphere on display: a dark, terrifying Victorian world of madness & murder, far from the usual genteel aspects that "Doctor Who" tends to explore. It certainly suckers you in, and covers up many of the questions one might have about the plot with a pure adrenaline rush. Decent content, but magnificent style.
July 25, 2011
Considering the fact that the seventh Doctor and his companion Ace (though to a lesser extant) were the stars of sixty different novels as part of the Virgin New Adventures range, it would be hard to believe that there was much else to be said about these two characters. Yet as this BBC Past Doctor Adventure (PDA) by Robert Perry and Mike Tucker from 1998 shows us that is most definitely not the case. Like the best books from the New Adventures range, Matrix pushes its main characters to their limits while all then while adding a new dimension to the Doctor Who mythology. The result is a page turning Doctor Who story.
It all begins with the main characters. Perry and Tucker know their lead characters of the seventh Doctor and Ace well (having written for them previously in the PDA Illegal Alien) and the novel is without a doubt their story. In fact this perhaps more of a story for Ace then it is for the Doctor as he seemingly disappears during the middle part of the book. The result is that, in the middle at least, Ace is left fending for herself in 1888 London which is perhaps more alien to her then any place she had visited in the TARDIS. This gives the reader a great insight into Ace as a character as she tries just to survive throughout without the Doctor or really anyone else to help. But when the Doctor is around, it is clear he is a man at war with himself as his darker side threatens to unleash itself (and apparently does so at the end of Part Two, making it one of the most shocking pieces of Who writing I've ever read). Somehow it seems appropriate that the seventh Doctor, known for his darkness, should be the one who ends up doing battle with his dark side once and for all. The result is that these two characters are pushed to their very limits and the reader is there with them on one heck of an emotional roller coaster.
There's an interesting cast of supporting characters as well. There's Joseph Liebermann as a strange seemingly immortal Jew who becomes involved with a strange man named Johnny, thought to be the Ripper, who floats in and out of the novel's 1888 sections. There's Malacroix, the owner of a circus freak show, who plays a sizable role during Ace's time away from the Doctor and becomes the victim of a wonderful piece of irony. There's also some wonderful characterization of characters like the deaf mute Jed and the various members of Malacroix's circus. Perhaps the highlights of the supporting characters are three from the show's past: Barbara Wright, Ian Chesterton and the novel's villain. The writers handle all three of these characters well and even though the first two are alternate versions of the familiar TV characters, are both recognizable and yet more then flimsy cardboard copies of the TV versions. The novel's villain, who will undoubtedly become obvious as the novel goes on, makes a very effective appearance here nonetheless and makes for some dramatic sequences as well. Plus there's the climatic confrontation between villain and the Doctor is one of the most exciting pieces of Who prose you're ever likely to read. All together the supporting characters help to make this story all the more interesting.
Matrix is a considerable page turner which helps as well. From the opening pages, it's clear that what is about to follow is a dark but fast-paced novel and Matrix never in those regards. The novel is undoubtedly one of the darkest Who stories of all time with some dark looks at not only the seventh Doctor and Ace but at Victorian society throughout. This is due mainly to the inclusion of Jack the Ripper and his influence on events both in the alternate timeline seen in the novel's second part and the sections set in Victorian London. This darkness is peppered with several different action pieces including chases, fights and the aforementioned climatic confrontation. The novel does contain quite a few references to the show's mythology as well besides the sue of the three characters mentioned above including references to events throughout the seventh Doctor's TV reign and stories such as Genesis of the Daleks and The Caves of Androzani (which really is a section that needs to be read to be believed). Thankfully the references aren't too heavy and in fact seem to almost grow organically out of the story which makes them not only palatable but even welcomed. The result of all this is one of the best paced Who novels out there.
All in all, Matrix is a winner. From its excellent characterization of the TV leads, the supporting characters and the writing itself this is a novel that takes the Doctor Who universe and pushes its boundaries considerably. Perhaps more importantly then all that...it succeeds with flying colors in all those areas. While it may not be on the level of say Paul Cornell's Human Nature this is still a fine Who novel nonetheless.
It all begins with the main characters. Perry and Tucker know their lead characters of the seventh Doctor and Ace well (having written for them previously in the PDA Illegal Alien) and the novel is without a doubt their story. In fact this perhaps more of a story for Ace then it is for the Doctor as he seemingly disappears during the middle part of the book. The result is that, in the middle at least, Ace is left fending for herself in 1888 London which is perhaps more alien to her then any place she had visited in the TARDIS. This gives the reader a great insight into Ace as a character as she tries just to survive throughout without the Doctor or really anyone else to help. But when the Doctor is around, it is clear he is a man at war with himself as his darker side threatens to unleash itself (and apparently does so at the end of Part Two, making it one of the most shocking pieces of Who writing I've ever read). Somehow it seems appropriate that the seventh Doctor, known for his darkness, should be the one who ends up doing battle with his dark side once and for all. The result is that these two characters are pushed to their very limits and the reader is there with them on one heck of an emotional roller coaster.
There's an interesting cast of supporting characters as well. There's Joseph Liebermann as a strange seemingly immortal Jew who becomes involved with a strange man named Johnny, thought to be the Ripper, who floats in and out of the novel's 1888 sections. There's Malacroix, the owner of a circus freak show, who plays a sizable role during Ace's time away from the Doctor and becomes the victim of a wonderful piece of irony. There's also some wonderful characterization of characters like the deaf mute Jed and the various members of Malacroix's circus. Perhaps the highlights of the supporting characters are three from the show's past: Barbara Wright, Ian Chesterton and the novel's villain. The writers handle all three of these characters well and even though the first two are alternate versions of the familiar TV characters, are both recognizable and yet more then flimsy cardboard copies of the TV versions. The novel's villain, who will undoubtedly become obvious as the novel goes on, makes a very effective appearance here nonetheless and makes for some dramatic sequences as well. Plus there's the climatic confrontation between villain and the Doctor is one of the most exciting pieces of Who prose you're ever likely to read. All together the supporting characters help to make this story all the more interesting.
Matrix is a considerable page turner which helps as well. From the opening pages, it's clear that what is about to follow is a dark but fast-paced novel and Matrix never in those regards. The novel is undoubtedly one of the darkest Who stories of all time with some dark looks at not only the seventh Doctor and Ace but at Victorian society throughout. This is due mainly to the inclusion of Jack the Ripper and his influence on events both in the alternate timeline seen in the novel's second part and the sections set in Victorian London. This darkness is peppered with several different action pieces including chases, fights and the aforementioned climatic confrontation. The novel does contain quite a few references to the show's mythology as well besides the sue of the three characters mentioned above including references to events throughout the seventh Doctor's TV reign and stories such as Genesis of the Daleks and The Caves of Androzani (which really is a section that needs to be read to be believed). Thankfully the references aren't too heavy and in fact seem to almost grow organically out of the story which makes them not only palatable but even welcomed. The result of all this is one of the best paced Who novels out there.
All in all, Matrix is a winner. From its excellent characterization of the TV leads, the supporting characters and the writing itself this is a novel that takes the Doctor Who universe and pushes its boundaries considerably. Perhaps more importantly then all that...it succeeds with flying colors in all those areas. While it may not be on the level of say Paul Cornell's Human Nature this is still a fine Who novel nonetheless.
October 1, 2012
An orignal Doctor Who novel, featuring the Seventh Doctor and Ace, this is a dark, dark tale of the Galifreyan wanderer, well-written but troubling. It is a fitting sequel to one of the most controversial chapters in the original run of "Doctor Who" and lays open the possibilities of the shadowside of Time Lord technology. Published in 1998, "Matrix" gives us a prescient glimpse into what may have overcome the Time Lords during what we now know as the Time War, forcing the Doctor into his apocalyptic acts in that conflict and prompting his Tenth incarnation to return them to their fate.
I started reading this on a night when I was looking for light entertainment, which it most definitely is not. I set it aside until a time when the "shadows" around me were less intense and I could enjoy it properly. I recommend a warm, bright day! There are dragons here and demons and Saucy Jack and any number of other nightmares. The Doctor, Ace and the TARDIS itself are threatened with a possession that will cause them to lose their very selves. Beware, reader!
But be comforted as well. "The light shone in the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it..."
I started reading this on a night when I was looking for light entertainment, which it most definitely is not. I set it aside until a time when the "shadows" around me were less intense and I could enjoy it properly. I recommend a warm, bright day! There are dragons here and demons and Saucy Jack and any number of other nightmares. The Doctor, Ace and the TARDIS itself are threatened with a possession that will cause them to lose their very selves. Beware, reader!
But be comforted as well. "The light shone in the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it..."
August 9, 2021
Everything about "Matrix" is "not quite." The story, such as it is, follows what happens when some mysterious magician type uses the TARDIS telepathic circuit to take over The Doctor's mind and turn him into a savage murderer. The magician uses something like golems, but mainly just to chase people and destroy things. Eventually, the magician gets The Doctor to land the TARDIS in late 19th-century London, and to turn him into Jack the Ripper. The magician also tries to get Ace to become the Cheetah person lurking around in her mind. Out of desperation, The Doctor removes the telepathic circuit from the TARDIS, throws most of his consciousness into it, then hurls it into the Thames before running off not knowing who he is. Oh, and somehow The Doctor is partly saved by The Wandering Jew. There are plenty of other bits to this, including an abused mentally retarded young man, a circus run by a criminal mastermind, and a harsh, unforgiving vicar. These elements do not quite come together. One of the key problems is that for over 100 pages the story keeps ticking along without providing any clues as to what is driving all this, who the evil magician is, why The Doctor is in such a terrified frenzy about it all, and so on. Things happen, but no information emerges from them. The ending is a big show down in which The Doctor does something, we are never told quite what he does, to resolve the situation. And what about The Wandering Jew? Why is this character even in this story? I think that, for this novel, Perry and Tucker had an idea of what they wanted to happen at the end, but not a clear sense of how they were going to get there.
March 13, 2024
Book 235 - Robert Perry & Mike Tucker - Doctor Who : Matrix
Many moons ago when there was a pause in Doctor Who activity…post 1989 Classic Series…post 1996 Paul McGann false dawn one off movie and before its triumphant return in 2005 NuWho…the BBC allowed for some original Doctor Who novels to be written. This was one of those…one of a series written by this pairing and set as an almost Series 27 continuation of the classic series.
The novels are more adult in nature with definitive adult themes and a smattering of bad language. I haven’t lifted this in 25 years…but knew there must be a reason for keeping it…there was…it is brilliant…terrifying but wonderfully crafted.
It begins with the Doctor and Ace having just escaped WW2 and a battle with the Cybermen….a story that was almost made for the classic series…I digress again…can’t promise it won’t be the last.
The Doctor and Ace are contemplating life on a sea shore when they come under attack from an enemy the Doctor seems to recognise. They escape and decide to regroup in Nov 1963…the Doctor plans on leaving Ace in the protection of his 1st incarnation…unfortunately the 1963 they land in, isn’t one they recognise…Britain is now a US state and the land cowers in fear …of…something. On meeting 2 wonderful old friends they discover that history pivoted around a death just over 60 years earlier….one that shouldn’t have taken place…the only way to fix the timeline and hopefully defeat their faceless enemy is to go back to London and stop the 6th killing that shouldn’t have happened…and stop the monster that terrifies this alternative world…the monster still known …as Jack the Ripper.
Terrifying.
Many moons ago when there was a pause in Doctor Who activity…post 1989 Classic Series…post 1996 Paul McGann false dawn one off movie and before its triumphant return in 2005 NuWho…the BBC allowed for some original Doctor Who novels to be written. This was one of those…one of a series written by this pairing and set as an almost Series 27 continuation of the classic series.
The novels are more adult in nature with definitive adult themes and a smattering of bad language. I haven’t lifted this in 25 years…but knew there must be a reason for keeping it…there was…it is brilliant…terrifying but wonderfully crafted.
It begins with the Doctor and Ace having just escaped WW2 and a battle with the Cybermen….a story that was almost made for the classic series…I digress again…can’t promise it won’t be the last.
The Doctor and Ace are contemplating life on a sea shore when they come under attack from an enemy the Doctor seems to recognise. They escape and decide to regroup in Nov 1963…the Doctor plans on leaving Ace in the protection of his 1st incarnation…unfortunately the 1963 they land in, isn’t one they recognise…Britain is now a US state and the land cowers in fear …of…something. On meeting 2 wonderful old friends they discover that history pivoted around a death just over 60 years earlier….one that shouldn’t have taken place…the only way to fix the timeline and hopefully defeat their faceless enemy is to go back to London and stop the 6th killing that shouldn’t have happened…and stop the monster that terrifies this alternative world…the monster still known …as Jack the Ripper.
Terrifying.
December 5, 2024
I guess I'm done with this one. Frustrating, because all the synopses and reviews I've seen made it seem so very interesting, and I've enjoyed most of the Perry/Tucker stuff I've read, but ... man. This just dragged and dragged and dragged for me. I made it about halfway, and just found it annoying. Nothing pulled me in. I just wanted the cool stuff to happen.
I assume it eventually did, but *shrug*
I assume it eventually did, but *shrug*
November 5, 2022
If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be: muddled. I think the authors had a lot of good ideas, but the problem is they had probably three or four too many. There were too many plot points, too many characters, and layer upon layer of story. I was just so disappointed because the 7th Doctor and Ace are two of my faves.
March 13, 2020
A good story with good characterisation.
May 15, 2009
Challenged by a mysterious enemy the Doctor decides to Journey back to 1963 to leave Ace with his first incarnation. Instead they arrive in a London that bears little resemblance to what it should be and the Doctor seems never to have existed. The sense of doom and wrongness is reinforced by an encounter with Ian and Barbara who apparently never taught a Susan Foreman nor met the First Doctor as they should have.
The dark tone of the book is unrelenting as Ace ends up abandoned on the unforgiving streets of London in 1888. Much of the focus of the book centres on Ace as she tries to come to terms with being homeless and destitute in Victorian England with little hope of seeing the Tardis again. Ace's infection by the Cheetah People has been touched on before in the Virgin New Adventures but never explored to such a degree as it is here.
All the characterizations are well constructed and the plot is never predictable, without the reams of incomprehensible psycho/techno-babble that other writers seem to resort to.
Another excellent addition to the series by a writing partnership who know what they do best: Ace and the Seventh Doctor.
The dark tone of the book is unrelenting as Ace ends up abandoned on the unforgiving streets of London in 1888. Much of the focus of the book centres on Ace as she tries to come to terms with being homeless and destitute in Victorian England with little hope of seeing the Tardis again. Ace's infection by the Cheetah People has been touched on before in the Virgin New Adventures but never explored to such a degree as it is here.
All the characterizations are well constructed and the plot is never predictable, without the reams of incomprehensible psycho/techno-babble that other writers seem to resort to.
Another excellent addition to the series by a writing partnership who know what they do best: Ace and the Seventh Doctor.
March 19, 2011
Matrix is a Seventh Doctor / Ace Past Doctors Adventure, set not long after Survival, which couldn't really have been done as a New Adventure because by the time the series had matured to the stage where a story like this could have fitted, Ace's continuity had moved on. It has a remarkable section featuring an alternate Ian Chester and Barbara Wright in whose world the UK has been annexed by the USA, and also manages to breathe fresh life into the Sixth Doctor's trial and the Cheetah Planet, neither of which is normally my favourite bit of continuity, with Jack the Ripper and the Wandering Jew thrown in. Perry and Tucker keep it remarkably well disciplined. I couldn't recommend it unless you are familiar both with the Trial of a Time Lord season and Survival, but if you are, it is well worth reading.
January 14, 2014
The Doctor and Ace land in a London where the Americans rule. Something is attacking the Doctor's psyche, making him change who he is. They end up in a Victorian setting that is well done, and incredibly creepy. Ace struggling to survive without the Doctor takes up most of the book, but the story is tat involving you don't actually mind. There's a number of surprising plot twists and the end is satisfying. A very good read.
September 27, 2012
Has a nice sense of horror and also does a good job of both addressing loose ends from the original series and respecting the continuity of the show.
July 24, 2021
Very dark novel. The Seventh Doctor was great at being a manipulator, a clown and a very troubled man. Highly recommended
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews