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Doctor Who: Missing Adventures #12
Doctor Who: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
‘There’s no such thing as magic,’ the Doctor said.
But the land of Elbyon might just prove him to be wrong. It is a place, populated by creatures of fantasy, where myth and legend rule. Elves and dwarves live in harmony with mankind, wizards wield arcane powers and armoured knights battle monstrous dragons.
Yet is seems that Elbyon has secrets to hide. The TARDIS crew find a relic from the thirtieth century hidden in the woods. Whose sinister manipulations are threatening the stability of a once peaceful lane? And what part does the planet play in a conflict that may save an Empire, yet doom a galaxy?
To solve these puzzles, and save his companions, the Doctor must learn to use the sorcery whose very existence he doubts.
But the land of Elbyon might just prove him to be wrong. It is a place, populated by creatures of fantasy, where myth and legend rule. Elves and dwarves live in harmony with mankind, wizards wield arcane powers and armoured knights battle monstrous dragons.
Yet is seems that Elbyon has secrets to hide. The TARDIS crew find a relic from the thirtieth century hidden in the woods. Whose sinister manipulations are threatening the stability of a once peaceful lane? And what part does the planet play in a conflict that may save an Empire, yet doom a galaxy?
To solve these puzzles, and save his companions, the Doctor must learn to use the sorcery whose very existence he doubts.
296 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1995
10 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Bulis
19 books21 followersChristopher Bulis is a writer best known for his work on various Doctor Who spin-offs. He is one of the most prolific authors to write for the various ranges of spin-offs from the BBC Television series Doctor Who, with twelve novels to his name, and between 1993 and 2000 he had at least one Doctor Who novel published every year.
Bulis' first published work was the New Adventure Shadowmind, published in 1993 by Virgin Publishing. This was the only novel Bulis wrote featuring the Seventh Doctor, and his next five books were all published under Virgin's Missing Adventures range: State of Change (1994), The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1995), The Eye of the Giant (1996), Twilight of the Gods (1996), and A Device of Death (1997).
When Virgin lost their licence to publish novels based on Doctor Who, Bulis repeated this pattern writing novels for the BBC - with one novel written for the current incumbent Doctor as part of BBC Books' Eighth Doctor Adventures range, and then all of his other novels published as part of the Past Doctor Adventures range. Bulis' novels for the BBC were The Ultimate Treasure (1997), Vanderdeken's Children (1998), City at World's End (1999), Imperial Moon (2000) and Palace of the Red Sun (2002).
Bulis also wrote the novel Tempest as part of Virgin's Bernice Summerfield range of novels, and also a short story for Big Finish Productions' Short Trips series.
Bulis' first published work was the New Adventure Shadowmind, published in 1993 by Virgin Publishing. This was the only novel Bulis wrote featuring the Seventh Doctor, and his next five books were all published under Virgin's Missing Adventures range: State of Change (1994), The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1995), The Eye of the Giant (1996), Twilight of the Gods (1996), and A Device of Death (1997).
When Virgin lost their licence to publish novels based on Doctor Who, Bulis repeated this pattern writing novels for the BBC - with one novel written for the current incumbent Doctor as part of BBC Books' Eighth Doctor Adventures range, and then all of his other novels published as part of the Past Doctor Adventures range. Bulis' novels for the BBC were The Ultimate Treasure (1997), Vanderdeken's Children (1998), City at World's End (1999), Imperial Moon (2000) and Palace of the Red Sun (2002).
Bulis also wrote the novel Tempest as part of Virgin's Bernice Summerfield range of novels, and also a short story for Big Finish Productions' Short Trips series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
January 18, 2021
An early adventure for The First Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara.
Arriving on the planet Elbyon, all the magical elements of this planet might not be what they seem.
Doctor Who mets Fantasy.
Arriving on the planet Elbyon, all the magical elements of this planet might not be what they seem.
Doctor Who mets Fantasy.
February 11, 2014
Just a few days ago, I saw someone lamenting about the fact that Doctor Who hasn't met any dragons. Well, guess what? He did! Granted, none of the modern Doctors have met a dragon, but First Doctor does with Susan, Ian, and Barbara in this novel adventure placed between the "Marco Polo" and "The Keys of Marinus" serials.
After leaving Kublai Khan, the TARDIS ends up on a world that looks rather like medieval Earth...except a fire-breathing dragon tries to turn the Doctor and his companions into a meal. They are saved...by a knight. In shining armor. The companions grow more and more wonder-struck as myths and legends come to life before their eyes, but the First Doctor remains skeptical. After all, there's no such thing as magic...
This is the first original Classic Who adventure I've read, and I was really happy with it. The characters are spot-on, to the point where I could see and hear them saying their lines. The plot has some wonderful twists and turns and lavish scenery that would have been impossible to reproduce in the 1960s, but it perfect for a novel format. (It helps that the book itself was written in 1995, so the language is modern.) The beginning of the book was a little confusing because we open with someone wanting to rearrange stars, then we're with the crew of the TARDIS, and then we're with a space crew but aren't sure if they are from the present or the past. It becomes clear as the story progresses, but the numerous characters, names, and uncertain time frame threw me at first. But stick with it and you'll have a fun, interesting adventure. I mean, it's D&D meets Doctor Who...that's a recipe for awesome.
After leaving Kublai Khan, the TARDIS ends up on a world that looks rather like medieval Earth...except a fire-breathing dragon tries to turn the Doctor and his companions into a meal. They are saved...by a knight. In shining armor. The companions grow more and more wonder-struck as myths and legends come to life before their eyes, but the First Doctor remains skeptical. After all, there's no such thing as magic...
This is the first original Classic Who adventure I've read, and I was really happy with it. The characters are spot-on, to the point where I could see and hear them saying their lines. The plot has some wonderful twists and turns and lavish scenery that would have been impossible to reproduce in the 1960s, but it perfect for a novel format. (It helps that the book itself was written in 1995, so the language is modern.) The beginning of the book was a little confusing because we open with someone wanting to rearrange stars, then we're with the crew of the TARDIS, and then we're with a space crew but aren't sure if they are from the present or the past. It becomes clear as the story progresses, but the numerous characters, names, and uncertain time frame threw me at first. But stick with it and you'll have a fun, interesting adventure. I mean, it's D&D meets Doctor Who...that's a recipe for awesome.
February 7, 2024
Having the First Doctor being placed in a traditional fantasy world as a premise is a spark of genius. The First Doctor has always been the most skeptical of the Doctors and the most driven by the search of knowledge. I mean look at his actions in An Unearthly Child and The Daleks where his actions are dictated on exploring the new worlds he has found himself landing in yet never would admit magic is possible. This makes it extremely interesting with today’s novel, taking place immediately after Marco Polo, sees the Doctor, Ian and Barbara landing on the planet Avalon which is every bit the traditional fantasy world with kings, queens, wizards, dwarves and elves all inhabiting the planet which just perplexes the Doctor. The plot of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, really doesn’t matter as it is standard early Hartnell with a companion being captured in Susan who needs to be rescued, but the intrigue comes in how this planet which is in the thirtieth century, has magic which by the Doctor’s reckoning couldn’t actually exist in the story. Christopher Bulis’ third novel while not as good as State of Change is jammed packed with a mystery which knows exactly how to let out its reveals slowly over the course of the novel with plenty of red herrings.
Yes the reveal after reading the novel seems a bit obvious as the show has never really been able to do something like this without it coming to mind, but Bulis succeeds in creating a vivid picture of a world with characters that feel like they came from 1964. This is especially prevalent in the way Bulis writes for the main characters especially the Doctor. The Doctor doesn’t do as much in this story as some other’s but he feels every bit like William Hartnell’s original portrayal and this novel really acts like it’s trying to bridge the character gap between Marco Polo and The Keys of Marinus which really makes the Doctor warm up to the prospect of having companions. While it is Susan who is captured he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Ian or Barbara as he promised to eventually get them home even if there are going to be a lot of detours on the way there. His aristocracy also bleeds through as he acts like his opinion on magic is more important than the evidence in front of his eyes that magic exists on this world and is just natural. The characterization of Susan does not only reflect her portrayal on television, but also amplifies it as even though she is captured by the villain, she tries to get out of it using her mind and finding a way to corrode the bars of her cell which is an extremely clever way. She is paired up with the princess Melissa who is what Susan was on television, the girl who screams and screams. Melissa acts as a great foil for Susan as Melissa is about to get married in a medieval style arranged marriage which much like in Marco Polo, Susan is appalled by. I can just imagine Carol Ann Ford and later William Russell reading these lines in an audio adaptation of this story as there are some things that would give the Big Finish Team a good challenge. On the topic of William Russell, Ian and Barbara are also characterized extremely well, with Barbara getting the better bits as she gets to fly on a broom with a Terry Pratchett style witch straight out of Equal Rites.
The villain of this story is Marton Dhal who is pretty much a mix of Maleficent from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty and the Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. Dhal is just a terrifying villain and it is implied that he would do anything to get what he wants which is power. He isn’t very deep, but he is still an interesting villain to watch as you don’t know what he is going to do next. The novel’s largest problems are the rest of the supporting cast are standard fantasy characters and the subplot with the astronauts landing on Avalon really makes the flow of the story feel really choppy over the course of the 300 page novel.
To summarize, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a novel full of good ideas and some good characterizations, but the story has a lot of flaws and quite a few holes in the plot. The so called plot twists are extremely easy to guess early on and Bulis would have made the pacing a lot tighter if he cut out the astronaut subplot to the bare minimum as a more effective twist that the lights in the sky were crashing spaceships. Still very much worth it for an enjoyable novel. 7.5/10
Yes the reveal after reading the novel seems a bit obvious as the show has never really been able to do something like this without it coming to mind, but Bulis succeeds in creating a vivid picture of a world with characters that feel like they came from 1964. This is especially prevalent in the way Bulis writes for the main characters especially the Doctor. The Doctor doesn’t do as much in this story as some other’s but he feels every bit like William Hartnell’s original portrayal and this novel really acts like it’s trying to bridge the character gap between Marco Polo and The Keys of Marinus which really makes the Doctor warm up to the prospect of having companions. While it is Susan who is captured he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Ian or Barbara as he promised to eventually get them home even if there are going to be a lot of detours on the way there. His aristocracy also bleeds through as he acts like his opinion on magic is more important than the evidence in front of his eyes that magic exists on this world and is just natural. The characterization of Susan does not only reflect her portrayal on television, but also amplifies it as even though she is captured by the villain, she tries to get out of it using her mind and finding a way to corrode the bars of her cell which is an extremely clever way. She is paired up with the princess Melissa who is what Susan was on television, the girl who screams and screams. Melissa acts as a great foil for Susan as Melissa is about to get married in a medieval style arranged marriage which much like in Marco Polo, Susan is appalled by. I can just imagine Carol Ann Ford and later William Russell reading these lines in an audio adaptation of this story as there are some things that would give the Big Finish Team a good challenge. On the topic of William Russell, Ian and Barbara are also characterized extremely well, with Barbara getting the better bits as she gets to fly on a broom with a Terry Pratchett style witch straight out of Equal Rites.
The villain of this story is Marton Dhal who is pretty much a mix of Maleficent from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty and the Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. Dhal is just a terrifying villain and it is implied that he would do anything to get what he wants which is power. He isn’t very deep, but he is still an interesting villain to watch as you don’t know what he is going to do next. The novel’s largest problems are the rest of the supporting cast are standard fantasy characters and the subplot with the astronauts landing on Avalon really makes the flow of the story feel really choppy over the course of the 300 page novel.
To summarize, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a novel full of good ideas and some good characterizations, but the story has a lot of flaws and quite a few holes in the plot. The so called plot twists are extremely easy to guess early on and Bulis would have made the pacing a lot tighter if he cut out the astronaut subplot to the bare minimum as a more effective twist that the lights in the sky were crashing spaceships. Still very much worth it for an enjoyable novel. 7.5/10
May 25, 2024
3.5/5
One of my favorite lines of Doctor Who dialogue ever is spoken by Pertwee’s Doctor in The Daemons:
“Science, not sorcery, Miss Hawthorne.”
It’s a line that has very much defined the series for me as a fan of the show for nearly eighteen years now. It also sums up in a sentence why I’m not a fan of the fantasy genre on the whole. If you’re going to toss a fantasy my way, you better invoke Clarke’s Law or make a very good one. Which intrigued me when I came across this Missing Adventures entry from Christopher Bulis, published by Virgin in 1995. Because if there’s an era of Doctor Who that could do this mix of elements, it would surely be the Hartnell era.
And that’s something that’s by and large true. As penned by Bulis, it’s easy to imagine that The Sorcerer’s Apprentice could have been made on the scale of The Keys of Marinus or The Web Planet. It certainly has the ambition to have been, complete with traditional fantasy elements including dragons and the titular practitioners of magic. As is often the case, however, it is no doubt far better realized in prose (and the reader’s imagination) than it ever would have been in the mid-1960s.
On the characterization front, Bulis clearly got this first TARDIS crew. Perhaps because of their clearly defined roles on-screen, each is given plenty to do here. Even Susan, paired off as she is with a teenage princess, but gets to put that rarely glimpsed psychic gift to use. Hartnell’s Doctor is presented in mid-evolution, as he was where this story was set, starting to show more of his impish nature and wry sense of humor but still with something of a harder, authoritative edge. Ian and Barbara come across well, with Barbara getting a solid subplot in the latter third or so of the novel in particular. It’s a solid recreation of the original 1963-64 TARDIS crew, which helps the novel immensely.
Yet, as was the case when I read the Pertwee era Missing Adventure The Eye of the Giant from Bulis last year, it’s in the ending where The Sorcerer’s Apprentice sinks under its own weight. Something caused in part by how the inevitable intersection between science fiction and fantasy is handled, with an interesting clash between fairly hard science fiction and something that straddles the borders of high and low fantasy. It’s in that clash, reaching an action packed peak in the finale, that Bulis revisits the original villain of the novel. It’s a climax atop a climax and, as was the case with The Eye of the Giant, undermined as well by the characters that it’s centered around and the contrived technobabble to make it possible. It’s a frustrating conclusion, to put it mildly.
Even so, as a mix of science fiction and fantasy, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice works far better than it has any right to do so. One that, in keeping with the range that spawned it, feels very much like a missing adventure from the early Hartnell era. And one that, in its closing scene, still managed to preserve the ethos of science.
Even if it means that Clarke’s Law gets fairly exercised in the process.
One of my favorite lines of Doctor Who dialogue ever is spoken by Pertwee’s Doctor in The Daemons:
“Science, not sorcery, Miss Hawthorne.”
It’s a line that has very much defined the series for me as a fan of the show for nearly eighteen years now. It also sums up in a sentence why I’m not a fan of the fantasy genre on the whole. If you’re going to toss a fantasy my way, you better invoke Clarke’s Law or make a very good one. Which intrigued me when I came across this Missing Adventures entry from Christopher Bulis, published by Virgin in 1995. Because if there’s an era of Doctor Who that could do this mix of elements, it would surely be the Hartnell era.
And that’s something that’s by and large true. As penned by Bulis, it’s easy to imagine that The Sorcerer’s Apprentice could have been made on the scale of The Keys of Marinus or The Web Planet. It certainly has the ambition to have been, complete with traditional fantasy elements including dragons and the titular practitioners of magic. As is often the case, however, it is no doubt far better realized in prose (and the reader’s imagination) than it ever would have been in the mid-1960s.
On the characterization front, Bulis clearly got this first TARDIS crew. Perhaps because of their clearly defined roles on-screen, each is given plenty to do here. Even Susan, paired off as she is with a teenage princess, but gets to put that rarely glimpsed psychic gift to use. Hartnell’s Doctor is presented in mid-evolution, as he was where this story was set, starting to show more of his impish nature and wry sense of humor but still with something of a harder, authoritative edge. Ian and Barbara come across well, with Barbara getting a solid subplot in the latter third or so of the novel in particular. It’s a solid recreation of the original 1963-64 TARDIS crew, which helps the novel immensely.
Yet, as was the case when I read the Pertwee era Missing Adventure The Eye of the Giant from Bulis last year, it’s in the ending where The Sorcerer’s Apprentice sinks under its own weight. Something caused in part by how the inevitable intersection between science fiction and fantasy is handled, with an interesting clash between fairly hard science fiction and something that straddles the borders of high and low fantasy. It’s in that clash, reaching an action packed peak in the finale, that Bulis revisits the original villain of the novel. It’s a climax atop a climax and, as was the case with The Eye of the Giant, undermined as well by the characters that it’s centered around and the contrived technobabble to make it possible. It’s a frustrating conclusion, to put it mildly.
Even so, as a mix of science fiction and fantasy, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice works far better than it has any right to do so. One that, in keeping with the range that spawned it, feels very much like a missing adventure from the early Hartnell era. And one that, in its closing scene, still managed to preserve the ethos of science.
Even if it means that Clarke’s Law gets fairly exercised in the process.
March 31, 2025
Fairly silly, but Bulis nails the regular cast.
February 9, 2019
With reaching the first non-televised based story, it shows you see how Doctor Who can be done on a larger scale. The question is how good was this story?
When I first read it I thought it was okay, probably because I had different exceptions for it. Reading it again I found it to be a very enjoyable tale. The characterizations of the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan match with how this would fall within the television series. The supporting characters are well done as well.
The whole magic vs science is done well. With the world Christopher Bulis creates, it does create a puzzle how the magic is done. When all is revealed at the end, it has a natural flow. Overall an enjoyable read.
When I first read it I thought it was okay, probably because I had different exceptions for it. Reading it again I found it to be a very enjoyable tale. The characterizations of the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan match with how this would fall within the television series. The supporting characters are well done as well.
The whole magic vs science is done well. With the world Christopher Bulis creates, it does create a puzzle how the magic is done. When all is revealed at the end, it has a natural flow. Overall an enjoyable read.
January 22, 2011
One of the most enjoyable 1st Doctor adventures. This is a mix of high fantasy, cliche-busting imagery & SF geekiness that Doctor Who does very well. Add in the Hartnell Doctor at his heroic & irrascible best, and the end result is a VERY fun read.
July 17, 2021
I was really looking forward to this book, which makes it all the sadder that it wasn't very good.
The doctor and fantasy have always been at odds, so i thought it was a really cool idea to put him in a fantasy world, and see how he deals with magic. But man..was this done POORLY.
The biggest issue with this novel, was that it was boring. it was very very boring. The story boiled down to Ian and the Doctor go on a quest to get a macguffin. But the pacing was TERRIBLE.
Not only was the pacing bad, but it switched between points of view so frequently, I was afraid i was going to get whiplashed. The story had 5 main points of view. The doctor/ian, barbara, susan, the army, and the evil dude, and they switched between them so frequently it was ridiculous. within two pages you might have switched points of view five times. In parts of the story they would no joke jump between every paragraph, and that got really confusing.
The random fantasy characters did not help. There were so many i literally lost track. When they mentioned that one died at the end i was like "wait...when did that guy die?" they all kind of blended together. The same can be said with the random spaceship people. they were absolutely pointless and their entire role in the book was pointless and honestly i feel like they were just there to fill up pages. Realistically, i would not have gotten mad at the author if this book was 200 pages instead of 296.
The most egregious problem with this book however, is the fact that well, the doctor wasn't in it a whole lot. For as much as they cut back to ian/hartnell's POV, most of the time it just ended up being the other characters that would talk and the doc would just kind of ....be there.
He did stuff in the beginning and at the end (Yes, the last 20 pages were actually kind of enjoyable even if the magical resolution was kind of expected and lame) but when 220 of your 296 page book is random fantasy/scifi people talking to each other and barbara/susan being pretty useless, it gets very very tiresome. I found my eyes drifting quite a bit.
While "the witch hunters" suffers from being depressing and mean spirited, sorcerer suffers from a loss of potential. this book could have been GREAT. the IDEA for the story was a fantastic one, but in practice, the author was just too meandering and didn't have it live up its potential. I KNOW that bulis gets better because i REALLY liked "City at world's end" which he wrote 5 years later, but you can tell that his writing wasn't quite there at this point.
When all's said and done, just because of the boredom, wasted potential, and lack of the doctor, i really have no choice but to give this book a 2 out of 5. and it PAINS me because Hartnell's my absolute favorite doctor. Ah well, maybe the next hartnell book will be better.
2 out of 5.
The doctor and fantasy have always been at odds, so i thought it was a really cool idea to put him in a fantasy world, and see how he deals with magic. But man..was this done POORLY.
The biggest issue with this novel, was that it was boring. it was very very boring. The story boiled down to Ian and the Doctor go on a quest to get a macguffin. But the pacing was TERRIBLE.
Not only was the pacing bad, but it switched between points of view so frequently, I was afraid i was going to get whiplashed. The story had 5 main points of view. The doctor/ian, barbara, susan, the army, and the evil dude, and they switched between them so frequently it was ridiculous. within two pages you might have switched points of view five times. In parts of the story they would no joke jump between every paragraph, and that got really confusing.
The random fantasy characters did not help. There were so many i literally lost track. When they mentioned that one died at the end i was like "wait...when did that guy die?" they all kind of blended together. The same can be said with the random spaceship people. they were absolutely pointless and their entire role in the book was pointless and honestly i feel like they were just there to fill up pages. Realistically, i would not have gotten mad at the author if this book was 200 pages instead of 296.
The most egregious problem with this book however, is the fact that well, the doctor wasn't in it a whole lot. For as much as they cut back to ian/hartnell's POV, most of the time it just ended up being the other characters that would talk and the doc would just kind of ....be there.
He did stuff in the beginning and at the end (Yes, the last 20 pages were actually kind of enjoyable even if the magical resolution was kind of expected and lame) but when 220 of your 296 page book is random fantasy/scifi people talking to each other and barbara/susan being pretty useless, it gets very very tiresome. I found my eyes drifting quite a bit.
While "the witch hunters" suffers from being depressing and mean spirited, sorcerer suffers from a loss of potential. this book could have been GREAT. the IDEA for the story was a fantastic one, but in practice, the author was just too meandering and didn't have it live up its potential. I KNOW that bulis gets better because i REALLY liked "City at world's end" which he wrote 5 years later, but you can tell that his writing wasn't quite there at this point.
When all's said and done, just because of the boredom, wasted potential, and lack of the doctor, i really have no choice but to give this book a 2 out of 5. and it PAINS me because Hartnell's my absolute favorite doctor. Ah well, maybe the next hartnell book will be better.
2 out of 5.
September 30, 2025
This is the first non-television episode story I've read of Doctor Who; I have read a few of the television novelizations. It is also the second only "media tie-in" story I have read, the only other one being Alan Dean Foster's Splinter in the Mind's Eye (1978), the very first Star Wars novel that is not a novelization. So, forgiveness for my lack of expertise on this "genre".
First of all, I was amazed at how much I enjoyed this. I don't know if this is particular to this exact author (from what I've read about Bulis, and information is scant, he enjoyed stories based around highly complex puzzles, which, natch, is perfect for me) or how much it is that I just enjoy the character of the old Doctor Who. (I should note, I do *enjoy* new Who, but not as much. This is mostly because I enjoy the asexual nature of Old Who, which is also very similar to Sherlock Holmes, another favorite of mine.)
I also of course enjoy fantasy stories, and so having Doctor Who set in a Medieval Fantasy Story along with dwarves, elves and dragons was particularly special. (I won't spoil how they explain this, but see aforementioned Bulis' predeliction for complex puzzles). I also love that the actor who played the Doctor's companion Ian Chesterton, one William Russell, was known before Who as portraying Sir Lancelot in a fairly popular TV series. So that's a nice connection there. I love connections like this.
All this would amount, if the writing is decent enough (it is) to pulpy fun. A three star at best, right? But I dare say there is something more here.
Again, I don't know if this is Bulis or what, but...there is some philosophical heft going on in here. It was 1995. Bulis shows not only adeptness at plot construction and characterization (and his novel puzzles) but also critiques of cultural development. It is sly and uncanny and, I dare say, rather dark, but vaguely compelling? I really enjoyed it!
Who knows if this exists in other authors across the Who "Missing Adventures" spectrum or is unique to Bulis or perhaps this novel. I'm going to try a Second Doctor adventure next that features intergalactic cat people. ;-)
First of all, I was amazed at how much I enjoyed this. I don't know if this is particular to this exact author (from what I've read about Bulis, and information is scant, he enjoyed stories based around highly complex puzzles, which, natch, is perfect for me) or how much it is that I just enjoy the character of the old Doctor Who. (I should note, I do *enjoy* new Who, but not as much. This is mostly because I enjoy the asexual nature of Old Who, which is also very similar to Sherlock Holmes, another favorite of mine.)
I also of course enjoy fantasy stories, and so having Doctor Who set in a Medieval Fantasy Story along with dwarves, elves and dragons was particularly special. (I won't spoil how they explain this, but see aforementioned Bulis' predeliction for complex puzzles). I also love that the actor who played the Doctor's companion Ian Chesterton, one William Russell, was known before Who as portraying Sir Lancelot in a fairly popular TV series. So that's a nice connection there. I love connections like this.
All this would amount, if the writing is decent enough (it is) to pulpy fun. A three star at best, right? But I dare say there is something more here.
Again, I don't know if this is Bulis or what, but...there is some philosophical heft going on in here. It was 1995. Bulis shows not only adeptness at plot construction and characterization (and his novel puzzles) but also critiques of cultural development. It is sly and uncanny and, I dare say, rather dark, but vaguely compelling? I really enjoyed it!
Who knows if this exists in other authors across the Who "Missing Adventures" spectrum or is unique to Bulis or perhaps this novel. I'm going to try a Second Doctor adventure next that features intergalactic cat people. ;-)
July 4, 2022
The TARDIS crew land on Elbyon, a strange world where they see the debris of a 30th century spaceship, and immediately have to fight for their lives against a real fire breathing dragon.
And this premise starts an exciting story in a fantasy world, foreshadowing the science world throughout.
Both the TARDIS crew and this story's characters are well drawn. And there's some wonderful descriptions, such as the starry Veil of Guinevere.
Once the main characters are introduced, we're given the adventure. Susan and the King's daughter are captured by the chief villain. This cleverly mixes the quests of sword and sorcery stories with the quests that were a backbone of early Hartnell era stories. In other words, a perfect marriage of the two genres.
I'm not a fan of Tom Baker's Stones of Blood or Matt Smith's Curse of the Black Spot TV stories as they start of as gothic horror and end up as science fiction stories. As I'm not a sci fi fan, i always feel cheated, as if I've been lured in under false pretences. However, the transformation from sword and sorcery to sci fi in this book is better handled. It's signposted fairly early on and the explanation of the planet's working makes sense.
Despite the world building and convincing weaving of science and magic, the ending is a let down. The author tries to get a sense of excitement for a thrilling ending, but it didn't come off from me.
In terms of scoring it's very hard between a top average (due to the end) or low good (due to the incoming), but I will fall on the side of top average 6/10
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent
And this premise starts an exciting story in a fantasy world, foreshadowing the science world throughout.
Both the TARDIS crew and this story's characters are well drawn. And there's some wonderful descriptions, such as the starry Veil of Guinevere.
Once the main characters are introduced, we're given the adventure. Susan and the King's daughter are captured by the chief villain. This cleverly mixes the quests of sword and sorcery stories with the quests that were a backbone of early Hartnell era stories. In other words, a perfect marriage of the two genres.
I'm not a fan of Tom Baker's Stones of Blood or Matt Smith's Curse of the Black Spot TV stories as they start of as gothic horror and end up as science fiction stories. As I'm not a sci fi fan, i always feel cheated, as if I've been lured in under false pretences. However, the transformation from sword and sorcery to sci fi in this book is better handled. It's signposted fairly early on and the explanation of the planet's working makes sense.
Despite the world building and convincing weaving of science and magic, the ending is a let down. The author tries to get a sense of excitement for a thrilling ending, but it didn't come off from me.
In terms of scoring it's very hard between a top average (due to the end) or low good (due to the incoming), but I will fall on the side of top average 6/10
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent
September 4, 2022
Soooooooo here’s the thing. I’ve said in previous Doctor Who book reviews that my favorite Doctor Who stories are the ones that are really messed up and scary.
This is not that.
I didn’t like it very much. I feel bad cause it really isn’t a badly written book. The author got the character’s voices right. The problem was no matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t summon the energy to care about what was going on.
Essentially the TARDIS crew are on a planet where everything is a DnD campaign, and everything works based on genre cliches. The problem is that they really don’t do anything with that. The Doctor figures it out pretty quickly as did I. And then you just follow a very cliched story all the way through to its predictable conclusion.
Also the reason why magic is real on this planet? Nanobots. This is definitely a personal gripe, I’m sick to death of nanobots. Having the twist in your sci-fi story be “it was nanobots” is like having the twist in your Superman story be “it was Mxyzpitlk”. It’s very lame. Essentially the twist is “oooo you thought it was magic but really it was magic with a sci-fi name put on it.”
Again this isn’t really a badly written book and though the plot is predictable the individual scenes are fun. The wizards duel at the end in particular.
If you like the more swashbuckling style of modern Who you might dig it.
Sorry to be a spoilsport to the many folks who have given this book a positive rating.
This is not that.
I didn’t like it very much. I feel bad cause it really isn’t a badly written book. The author got the character’s voices right. The problem was no matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t summon the energy to care about what was going on.
Essentially the TARDIS crew are on a planet where everything is a DnD campaign, and everything works based on genre cliches. The problem is that they really don’t do anything with that. The Doctor figures it out pretty quickly as did I. And then you just follow a very cliched story all the way through to its predictable conclusion.
Also the reason why magic is real on this planet? Nanobots. This is definitely a personal gripe, I’m sick to death of nanobots. Having the twist in your sci-fi story be “it was nanobots” is like having the twist in your Superman story be “it was Mxyzpitlk”. It’s very lame. Essentially the twist is “oooo you thought it was magic but really it was magic with a sci-fi name put on it.”
Again this isn’t really a badly written book and though the plot is predictable the individual scenes are fun. The wizards duel at the end in particular.
If you like the more swashbuckling style of modern Who you might dig it.
Sorry to be a spoilsport to the many folks who have given this book a positive rating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2019
A nice adventure that captures nicely the tone and voice of the 1st Doctor and his most famous companions.
The author did favor Ian over Barbara and Susan - which were damseled for most of the story, a needless move with which I strongly disagree - but at least he wrote several women into the story, one of which is basically Esme Weatherwax and as such magnificent.
And that character was not the only thing reminiscent of other books, but that was also part of the charm of the story. The fantasy aspects of the story are all borrowed, but there is a science fictional explanation for it and the whole journey to understanding it is very interesting.
All in all a solid adventure, but one that could have been made better by being the tiniest bit less predictable.
The author did favor Ian over Barbara and Susan - which were damseled for most of the story, a needless move with which I strongly disagree - but at least he wrote several women into the story, one of which is basically Esme Weatherwax and as such magnificent.
And that character was not the only thing reminiscent of other books, but that was also part of the charm of the story. The fantasy aspects of the story are all borrowed, but there is a science fictional explanation for it and the whole journey to understanding it is very interesting.
All in all a solid adventure, but one that could have been made better by being the tiniest bit less predictable.
September 3, 2023
Doctor Who doing fantasy, something which the prose makes full use of with scenes that would never be possible on TV.
The 60’s TARDIS crew feel authentic to the era and Bullis gives them all a good deal to do each which makes for easy going reading.
Although our main characters aren’t fleshed out much more than the TV show, Bullis presents some really unique ideas meshing typical sci-fi elements of Doctor Who and fantasy tropes.
Although it can feel padded at times, much like 60’s Who, the ending is crafted incredibly well tying together a myriad of plot points and mysteries throughout the story, making for a very satisfying and enjoyable book, if nothing remarkable.
The 60’s TARDIS crew feel authentic to the era and Bullis gives them all a good deal to do each which makes for easy going reading.
Although our main characters aren’t fleshed out much more than the TV show, Bullis presents some really unique ideas meshing typical sci-fi elements of Doctor Who and fantasy tropes.
Although it can feel padded at times, much like 60’s Who, the ending is crafted incredibly well tying together a myriad of plot points and mysteries throughout the story, making for a very satisfying and enjoyable book, if nothing remarkable.
November 11, 2021
An okay novel from the First Doctor era. It was very well written and the characterisation brilliant, but I felt the mix of science fiction and high fantasy didn't sit well with me personally.
There were some moments I enjoyed, such as the TARDIS team fighting a dragon and Barbara riding a broomstick in the company of a witch.
A brave experiment in mixing genres but sadly it didn't work for me.
There were some moments I enjoyed, such as the TARDIS team fighting a dragon and Barbara riding a broomstick in the company of a witch.
A brave experiment in mixing genres but sadly it didn't work for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2021
This book was a huge influence on my own fantasy writing. It takes the idea that magic is just unexplained science and turns it into an adventure in what appears to be a fantasy realm. But this is Doctor Who, so when the Doctor insists "There's no such thing as magic," you can bet there will be a secret or two to unveil.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2023
I loved this, conceptually, but gosh it got complicated. There were too many characters and settings, and I don't feel like everything really cleaned up well at the end. I still enjoyed it, but I felt like it was missing the spark of really feeling like the companions and the Doctor were jumping off the page, like other stories.
September 3, 2024
This book was really fun! I had a great time! I love the references and ties to Lord of the Rings in here. You can tell the author is a fan. The stakes do keep raising throughout, and it keeps you guessing exactly what's going on. I've been reading a lot of Doctor Who books this year, but this one was really a breath of fresh air!
March 29, 2025
Ingenious and convincing exploration of how Season 1-era Doctor Who would have handled this sort of concept, whilst providing a premise more complex than the simplistic tales of the period. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...
September 8, 2025
An unfortunate side effect of writing a story about tropes and cliches in a genre is it becomes a little tropey in of itself. Anni and Odoyle were definitely bright spots in this book and the tardis team was very well written. Also, probably the fastest I have read a chapter book since middle school. It's amazing what being stuck in a room for 12 hours at a time will do to you
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2017
A true Doctor Who adventure, perfectly matched with the characters from the TV series. The pace in which the history unveils makes the book very enjoyable. This is how the Doctor would fit if he landed on Middle Earth.
May 10, 2021
Reasonably entertaining story, though didn’t really feel like a Who story. While the characters are well
written, the story don���t quite come together in the end, however still worth a read for the avid Who/sci-fi/fantasy fan!
written, the story don���t quite come together in the end, however still worth a read for the avid Who/sci-fi/fantasy fan!
March 4, 2019
Great fun, setting the consummate scientist in a high fantasy setting!
March 18, 2019
There are excellent ways to merge sci-fi and fantasy. This was not it. The plot felt like a middle schooler's fan fiction.
June 26, 2020
A very fun and imaginative First Doctor adventure set between Marco Polo and the Keys of Marinus on a world called Avalon where magic is real
February 20, 2021
Absolutely fantastic. A perfect first Doctor story. The setting, the plot and the characterisations all would have slipped into the original tv series effortlessly.
November 13, 2024
A story that feels like it would be right at home next to the pacing and subject matter of most of Season One, even if the prose often lacks artistry, and the finale is rather bloated.
March 24, 2021
This is a fascinating book set in the Doctor Who universe because of these reasons:
1. It features the First Doctor with Susan, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright in a very early part of their journeys together. This is set to take place between the serials of Marco Polo and the Keys of Marinus. The "original" TARDIS team has barely gotten to know each other as they've only dealt with cavemen early in humanit's history, The Daleks and the Thals, and the aforementioned Marco Polo during his time in Kublai Khan's service (and also, a brief altercation after the TARDIS malfunctions in-between adventures).
2. It presents a pure fantasy setting in the world of Avalon, but the Sci-Fi element is visible from the beginning, as there are troops representing the Human Empire trying to reach the planet. From the very start, this fantasy setting proves to be a refreshing contrast to the usual Doctor Who atmosphere. The First Doctor and his companions don't take too long to fit in. Despite still being so early, the experiences the TARDIS team has gone through have already made them a solid team that can think quickly and take the best course of action together.
After introducing a textbook fantasy world with mysterious inner workings, the story (and the TARDIS team) comfortably continue on, fitting Doctor Who into a fantasy setting like a perfectly-fit glove.
Every character is perfectly accurate to their TV counterparts, making the reader truly feel like it's all in the same continuity. Each of them gets to shine in their own way and eventually contribute to the climax that resolves the plot and solves whatever problems they can solve. The Doctor especially gets to shine with his moments of cleverness and mischief. Christopher Bulis does a great job of showing just how well the Doctor can fit into the role of a wise wizard.
"I hate good wizards in fairy tales; they always turn out to be him."
-River Song
As they always tend to do, the TARDIS team end up getting embroiled in the local events. Their actions to both help the locals and be able to return to the TARDIS, combined with the already-escalating events, lead into a climactic conclusion in which all plot points (the human soldiers from outer-space, the eponymous sorcerer's apprentice, the local politics involving magic) are resolved in dramatic fashion.
Par for the course for Doctor Who.
1. It features the First Doctor with Susan, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright in a very early part of their journeys together. This is set to take place between the serials of Marco Polo and the Keys of Marinus. The "original" TARDIS team has barely gotten to know each other as they've only dealt with cavemen early in humanit's history, The Daleks and the Thals, and the aforementioned Marco Polo during his time in Kublai Khan's service (and also, a brief altercation after the TARDIS malfunctions in-between adventures).
2. It presents a pure fantasy setting in the world of Avalon, but the Sci-Fi element is visible from the beginning, as there are troops representing the Human Empire trying to reach the planet. From the very start, this fantasy setting proves to be a refreshing contrast to the usual Doctor Who atmosphere. The First Doctor and his companions don't take too long to fit in. Despite still being so early, the experiences the TARDIS team has gone through have already made them a solid team that can think quickly and take the best course of action together.
After introducing a textbook fantasy world with mysterious inner workings, the story (and the TARDIS team) comfortably continue on, fitting Doctor Who into a fantasy setting like a perfectly-fit glove.
Every character is perfectly accurate to their TV counterparts, making the reader truly feel like it's all in the same continuity. Each of them gets to shine in their own way and eventually contribute to the climax that resolves the plot and solves whatever problems they can solve. The Doctor especially gets to shine with his moments of cleverness and mischief. Christopher Bulis does a great job of showing just how well the Doctor can fit into the role of a wise wizard.
"I hate good wizards in fairy tales; they always turn out to be him."
-River Song
As they always tend to do, the TARDIS team end up getting embroiled in the local events. Their actions to both help the locals and be able to return to the TARDIS, combined with the already-escalating events, lead into a climactic conclusion in which all plot points (the human soldiers from outer-space, the eponymous sorcerer's apprentice, the local politics involving magic) are resolved in dramatic fashion.
Par for the course for Doctor Who.
June 18, 2016
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is part of Virgin Publishing's
Doctor Who Missing Adventures
. The Missing Adventures were companion books to Virgin Publishing's The New Adventures line. Both series were published following Doctor Who being put on hiatus by the BBC in 1989. The Missing Adventures feature Doctors 1-6, and are independent novels. The New Adventures feature the Seventh Doctor and Ace, and later Bernice, in an inter-connected series.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is great fun and I really enjoyed it, much more than I expected to enjoy it. The First Doctor (William Hartnell), Ian, Barbara, and Susan, set down on what appears to be an idyllic forest glen -- Barbara and Ian even think they may have finally made it home to 1960s England. Well, until they find a body burned to a crisp, and a village with similar burn damage. Ian convinces the Doctor they should head back to the TARDIS at least for the night, because the forest is too dangerous. The Doctor, for once, agrees. But he also decides to take a short cut back to the TARDIS, and they encounter a downed spacecraft that's been over-grown with forest. The Doctor, Susan, and Ian investigate briefly, but soon Ian and Barbara convince the Doctor they can leave the spacecraft alone for now and return to the TARDIS. One the way back, they are attacked by a dragon.
Yes, a dragon. When they reach the TARDIS, it's doors are jammed and they cannot get inside. However, though Barbara is injured, they are rescued by a knight. Before long, the four are involved in the affairs of Albion, literally a fairy-tale world of magic and wonder. On Albion, knights and castles, witches and wizards, fantastic creatures, and magic all exist. Susan and the Princess Mellisa are kidnapped by flying monkeys and taken to the Dark Tower of an evil wizard. Ian, and the Doctor, join a quest of a knight, elf, dwarf, and leprechaun to find the mystical Helm of Merlin to defeat the evil wizard. Barbara, recovering from her dragon injuries, starts to investigate the situation on Albion (or Elbyon as the natives call it) while staying at the castle, but eventually wonders off and into her own adventure. As wild as this description sounds, the story was great fun. There are references to classic fairy tales and fantasy novels, including Baum's Oz, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and CS Lewis's Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The story itself moves quickly, and again, is just fun to read.
Of course, the Doctor, manages to figure out what's going on for real, which I'm not going to spoil. However, this novel does, even with the fantastic settings, by it's end, fit into the Doctor Who universe. Highly, highly recommended.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is great fun and I really enjoyed it, much more than I expected to enjoy it. The First Doctor (William Hartnell), Ian, Barbara, and Susan, set down on what appears to be an idyllic forest glen -- Barbara and Ian even think they may have finally made it home to 1960s England. Well, until they find a body burned to a crisp, and a village with similar burn damage. Ian convinces the Doctor they should head back to the TARDIS at least for the night, because the forest is too dangerous. The Doctor, for once, agrees. But he also decides to take a short cut back to the TARDIS, and they encounter a downed spacecraft that's been over-grown with forest. The Doctor, Susan, and Ian investigate briefly, but soon Ian and Barbara convince the Doctor they can leave the spacecraft alone for now and return to the TARDIS. One the way back, they are attacked by a dragon.
Yes, a dragon. When they reach the TARDIS, it's doors are jammed and they cannot get inside. However, though Barbara is injured, they are rescued by a knight. Before long, the four are involved in the affairs of Albion, literally a fairy-tale world of magic and wonder. On Albion, knights and castles, witches and wizards, fantastic creatures, and magic all exist. Susan and the Princess Mellisa are kidnapped by flying monkeys and taken to the Dark Tower of an evil wizard. Ian, and the Doctor, join a quest of a knight, elf, dwarf, and leprechaun to find the mystical Helm of Merlin to defeat the evil wizard. Barbara, recovering from her dragon injuries, starts to investigate the situation on Albion (or Elbyon as the natives call it) while staying at the castle, but eventually wonders off and into her own adventure. As wild as this description sounds, the story was great fun. There are references to classic fairy tales and fantasy novels, including Baum's Oz, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and CS Lewis's Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The story itself moves quickly, and again, is just fun to read.
Of course, the Doctor, manages to figure out what's going on for real, which I'm not going to spoil. However, this novel does, even with the fantastic settings, by it's end, fit into the Doctor Who universe. Highly, highly recommended.
January 7, 2017
This book was a wonderful addition to the Doctor Who universe! Absolutely loved it! The characters are written perfectly throughout!
This novel by Christopher Bulis is set between the tv stories "Marco Polo" and "The Keys of Marinus". The tardis crew, The Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan, arrive in a forest where they soon encounter a dragon and many other mythical creatures. They must stop an evil sorcerer and figure out why there is magic there.
So, this is one of two novels by Bulis that I have read, and it is definitely the better of the two. City At World's End is a later book that was vastly lacking. This one, however was exceptional. The plot includes a merge of medieval fantasy and space military, but in a good way.
Characters:
The Doctor- The William Hartnell Doctor of the early to mid 60s is one of my favourites to watch, read, and listen (although in audio not actually him) to. He is mysterious but with a twinkle. That is why I hate when authors mess him up. Here, he is captured perfectly with every demeanor I would expect from his character, especially at this stage in the tv narrative.
Ian Chesterton- Heroic as ever, Ian is one of the ones to go on the quest featured in the novel. His character is also portrayed quite well, and the interaction between him, Sir Bron, and Sir Leon is just what I would expect.
Barbara Wright- Similar to City At World's End (another novel by Bulis), I am afraid her character is sort of left out quite a lot. Bulis doesn't quite know what to do with her. She is written well, but is not involved in a lot of the main plot, with her leg being hurt and staying in the castle a lot of the time. Eventually, she is used more, but initially does not have much to do.
Susan- Susan is another highlight of this novel. As with many other expanded universe pieces, her character is able to be strengthened some from that screamy tv persona that is so often seen. With her trying to escape her capture by the sorcerer and encouraging her fellow captive, the princess Melissa.
Bulis does a good job introducing other original characters also. The knights, Sir Bron and Sir Leon are a fun set of knights for the medieval setting and the leprechaun is fun as well.
Bulis does a good job of explaining everything by the end and how the magic works. Truly a great read!
5/5 stars
This novel by Christopher Bulis is set between the tv stories "Marco Polo" and "The Keys of Marinus". The tardis crew, The Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan, arrive in a forest where they soon encounter a dragon and many other mythical creatures. They must stop an evil sorcerer and figure out why there is magic there.
So, this is one of two novels by Bulis that I have read, and it is definitely the better of the two. City At World's End is a later book that was vastly lacking. This one, however was exceptional. The plot includes a merge of medieval fantasy and space military, but in a good way.
Characters:
The Doctor- The William Hartnell Doctor of the early to mid 60s is one of my favourites to watch, read, and listen (although in audio not actually him) to. He is mysterious but with a twinkle. That is why I hate when authors mess him up. Here, he is captured perfectly with every demeanor I would expect from his character, especially at this stage in the tv narrative.
Ian Chesterton- Heroic as ever, Ian is one of the ones to go on the quest featured in the novel. His character is also portrayed quite well, and the interaction between him, Sir Bron, and Sir Leon is just what I would expect.
Barbara Wright- Similar to City At World's End (another novel by Bulis), I am afraid her character is sort of left out quite a lot. Bulis doesn't quite know what to do with her. She is written well, but is not involved in a lot of the main plot, with her leg being hurt and staying in the castle a lot of the time. Eventually, she is used more, but initially does not have much to do.
Susan- Susan is another highlight of this novel. As with many other expanded universe pieces, her character is able to be strengthened some from that screamy tv persona that is so often seen. With her trying to escape her capture by the sorcerer and encouraging her fellow captive, the princess Melissa.
Bulis does a good job introducing other original characters also. The knights, Sir Bron and Sir Leon are a fun set of knights for the medieval setting and the leprechaun is fun as well.
Bulis does a good job of explaining everything by the end and how the magic works. Truly a great read!
5/5 stars
January 17, 2016
This Missing Adventure takes place very early in the Doctor's adventures - during the first season of the TV show immediately after the TARDIS crew spent time with Marco Polo. The style of the story and the characterizations are right on for this period in time and makes the story fit seamlessly into the timeline.
The Doctor and his companions discover a world right out of Tolkien or Dungeons and Dragons, with varied races, monsters and even magic! Trapped on the world by a defensive TARDIS, the crew gets involved in a quest for a powerful magic item that will be key in defeating a mighty wizard! Meanwhile, ships for the Earth Empire orbit the planet seeking a powerful technology that could destroy stars!
With the best elements of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars (with a lot of Star Trek thrown in), this story is fun for all fans of science Fiction and fantasy, and especially Doctor Who! This book illustrates beautifully how Doctor Who can cross and intertwine genres so successfully and still be entertaining.
A must-read for all fans!
The Doctor and his companions discover a world right out of Tolkien or Dungeons and Dragons, with varied races, monsters and even magic! Trapped on the world by a defensive TARDIS, the crew gets involved in a quest for a powerful magic item that will be key in defeating a mighty wizard! Meanwhile, ships for the Earth Empire orbit the planet seeking a powerful technology that could destroy stars!
With the best elements of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars (with a lot of Star Trek thrown in), this story is fun for all fans of science Fiction and fantasy, and especially Doctor Who! This book illustrates beautifully how Doctor Who can cross and intertwine genres so successfully and still be entertaining.
A must-read for all fans!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews