Doctor Who: The Art of Destruction

Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #11

by Stephen Cole

The TARDIS lands in 22nd century Africa in the shadow of a dormant volcano. Agri-teams are growing new foodstuffs in the baking soil to help feed the world's starving millions - but the Doctor and Rose have detected an alien signal somewhere close by. When a nightmare force starts surging along the dark volcanic tunnels, the Doctor realizes an ancient trap has been sprung. But who was it meant for? And what is the secret of the eerie statues that stand at the heart of the volcano? Dragged into a centuries-old conflict, Rose and the Doctor are soon elevating survival to an art form - as ancient, alien hands practice arts of destruction all around them...

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel, Media Tie In, Audiobook

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 21, 2006

About the author

See also: Steve Cole.

Stephen Cole (born 1971) is an English author of children's books and science fiction. He was also in charge of BBC Worldwide's merchandising of the BBC Television series Doctor Who between 1997 and 1999: this was a role which found him deciding on which stories should be released on video, commissioning and editing a range of fiction and non-fiction titles, producing audiobooks and acting as executive producer on the Big Finish Productions range of Doctor Who audio dramas.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

The TARDIS arrives in the 22nd century Africa near a dormant volcano, as scientists are trying to grow new food sources.
With an alien signal detected near by, The Doctor soon realises that an ancient trap may have been triggered.

Probably the weakest of the Tenth Doctor and Rose novels in the New Series Adventures, though it’s still a solid story that fits seamlessly into the second half of Series Two.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Doctor Who adventure was just ok for me. I listened to the audiobook... The story seemed a bit off....none of the Tenth Doctor's usual wit and charm,and Rose Tyler didn't seem her usual self either. The story was interesting enough, but it just missed the mark a bit for me.

[Branwen Sedai *of the Brown Ajah* · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more terrifying the situation, the less scared you felt."

When the Doctor and Rose land the Tardis in future Africa, they find the Earth torn apart by starvation, unrest, and violence. When they come across an agricultural community experimenting with growing food in the soil of a volcano and people start to die...the Doctor suspects alien involvement.

Back with Rose and the 10th Doctor, my babies. <3 Love these two together. This was a pretty enjoyable story, lots of action and the creepiness factor was way high which I loved. The story itself was very intense and unique, and I found myself really caring for all of the secondary characters as well.

Lovely Doctor Who tale, just not for the faint of heart!

[Nemo ☠️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

”If you have a problem, if no one else can help, call for FUNGUS MAN!”

“You are not Fungus Man.” The voice came out of the darkness, ancient and dry, like the crackle of leaves in a bonfire.

“Um, no,” he admitted, “I’m the Doctor.”

-

i literally have no idea why i found “FUNGUS MAN!” to be absolutely hysterical but i did

[James Tomasino · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first Doctor Who book I couldn't even finish. It was pretty awful. I couldn't tell who was who at all. None of the characters were distinct, even the Doctor. It didn't sound like the 10th Doctor in the least, and many times I found myself reading his dialogue thinking he was one of the African scientists only to learn my mistake after he finished speaking. Totally confusing, not engaging.

[Kimberley doruyter · Rating 3 out of 5]

one word review: intresting
make of that what you will.

[Emilija · Rating 2 out of 5]

2018 52 Book Challenge - 34) A Book Set In Africa

This book was pretty dull to begin with, and honestly, kinda just wanted to DNF. But I persevered, and the boredom turned into confusion because at some point it turns into running through a lot of tunnels underneath a volcano, various members scattered every which way and three different aliens all wanting to destroy Earth.

Not the best Doctor Who novel written.

[C.L. Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this adventure, though I seem to be in the minority. I thought Stephen Cole did a nice job of creating atmosphere, and while the "voice" of the Doctor and Rose wasn't quite captured, it was still a believable tale.

[osoi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Начала я тут с месяц назад слушать одну докторскую книжку. И все бы хорошо, но она была настолько невменяемо скучной, что я засыпала через две минуты прослушивания. Промучавшись две недели с чумой, Мартой, индейцами и Диким Западом, я решила попытать счастья с другой книгой – на этот раз с Роуз, гигантскими червяками, Африкой и вулканом.

Искренне не понимаю авторов доктор-што-чево-каво книжуль, радостно рисующих в своих произведениях инопланетян-насекомых. За год я познакомилась с гигантскими крабо-пауками и тараканами, а теперь вот и с червяками. И никакого воодушевления нет и в помине.
Сюжет, должна сказать, не хромает, хотя первый час я урывками спала, бесконечно перематывая туда-сюда. И какие шикарные сны я смотрела после этого :) Если в двух: Тардис материализуется на планете Земля образца 22 века, на территории африканской республики Чад. Мир страдает от недоедания (как раз недавно эта тема обыгрывалась в The Day of the Troll), ученые безрезультатно пытаются вырастить универсальную жратву на склонах и внутри потухшего вулкана. Во время прогулки один из ребят превращается в золотую статую, а вслед за ним и все, кто зашел в подозрительную вулканическую пещерку. Ближе к середине книжки становится понятно, что происходит, и следует серия твистов, призванных закрыть сюжетные дырки. Вроде того, что давным-давно инопланетная раса спрятала внутри вулкана свое наследие, за которым охотятся их кровные враги – червяки.

Читает книгу Дон Уоррингтон, и это одна звездочка из двух. В его голосе проскальзывают бархатные нотки, а еще он умудряется умопомрачительно растягивать некоторые звуки. Я даже готова простить ему неправдоподобного Десятого.
Второй звезды заслуживает герой по имени Faltato. Невообразимая физиология с множеством глаз, ног и языков сочетается с совершенно циничным отношением к делу, изворотливостью и легкой трусливостью. Уорринтон подарил этому герою скрипучий голосок, дополнивший образ.

Неплохо получилось, на самом деле, но: подкачали монстры (я тут на позитивный отход ко сну рассчитываю, а там червяки десантируются!) и эта магма, делающая всех золотыми болванчиками (натурально бесила меня на протяжении всей книги). Африкой не болею, имена у героев зашибись: Канучи, Адиэль, Базель, Соломон.
Ничего особенного, really.

annikeh.net

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better Doctor Who books, a rollicking adventure that's better than any of the episodes from the last four years. A quick enjoyable read, highly recommended.

[PJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Who: The Art of Destruction by Stephen Cole is a fast-paced, adventurous novel featuring the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler, set in the sweltering heat of 22nd-century Africa. The TARDIS lands near Mount Tarsus, where agri-teams are using volcanic soil to grow food for Earth’s starving millions. But, as always, things are not as simple as they seem an alien signal is detected, eerie statues stand ominously near the volcano, and a nightmare force begins surging through the tunnels. The Doctor and Rose find themselves caught in a centuries-old conflict, battling an ancient trap designed to destroy.

The setting is unique and vividly described. The harsh African landscape paired with the volcanic activity creates an atmospheric backdrop that’s both beautiful and dangerous. The eerie statues and alien technology add a layer of intrigue and mystery, keeping readers hooked as the Doctor unravels the secrets of the volcano.

The dynamic between the Doctor and Rose is spot-on, capturing their witty banter and unwavering teamwork. Rose’s compassion shines through as she connects with the people affected by the chaos, while the Doctor’s sharp intellect and relentless curiosity drive the plot forward. Their chemistry feels authentic, making them a joy to follow.

The story itself is packed with action and suspense, but at times it leans a bit too heavily on formulaic tropes. The villains and alien threat lack some originality compared to other Doctor Who stories, which might leave seasoned fans feeling like the stakes aren’t quite as high as they could be. That said, the book still delivers plenty of twists and turns to keep readers entertained.

Overall, The Art of Destruction is an enjoyable read for fans of the Tenth Doctor era. It’s not the most groundbreaking Doctor Who novel, but it offers solid action, a unique setting, and great character moments between the Doctor and Rose. Perfect for a rainy afternoon when you’re craving some sci-fi escapism.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Synopsis) - The TARDIS lands in 22nd century Africa in the shadow of a dormant volcano. Agri-teams are growing new foodstuffs in the baking soil to help feed the world's starving millions - but the Doctor and Rose have detected an alien signal somewhere close by. When a nightmare force starts surging along the dark volcanic tunnels, the Doctor realizes an ancient trap has been sprung. But who was it meant for?

(Review) - I will admit, going into this one i was worried and not because of the story or topic/subject matter or even the author. Actually it was the opposite I am quite fond of this author now as he has never let me down in the doctor who novel department as I've enjoyed everyone he has written so far! So the reason i was worried was because it was so lowly rated of this eras collection of stories, that i was worried this was to be a stinker. BUT you wanna know something in my opinion this is actually really good! It's not perfect but it's better then what people said. For starters the story is interesting and different that is filled with twists, turns, aliens and honestly one thing i find Stephen does a lot and well, but it's dark! Some of the subject matters that pop up are quite morbid and you get another early glimpse at the time lord victorious which is brilliant! Then you add in the aliens and the whole lore that comes with them, just blew my mind and i ended up having to take my time reading this one to take it all in. There were moments that reminded me of avatar with the blue aliens, not the air bending. But only this was from 2006 and Avatar came some years later. So maybe like the doctor it predicted the future and was before it's time. Whose to say, but what i can say Is I really enjoyed this one, it didn't deserve the hate and definitely is worth reading, you might feel the same as me or you might disagree, but either way this is still a story worth giving ago.

4/5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

90/100 GingerPoints 🔥

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As one would expect of Stephen Cole, The Art of Destruction was simply fine. It wasn't awful, but it certainly wasn't great or memorable. It takes place in 22nd century Africa, which is a refreshing break from the usual London/UK Earth setting. Rose and the Doctor are thrust into an ancient battle between an artistic race called the Valnaxi and a battle hungry race of earthworms appropriately called the Wurm. Living creatures who stumble upon the resting place of the Valnaxi and their stash of artwork under the African volcano are taken over and appropriated into gold-like statues.
It sounds interesting enough, but it drags. The Doctor only kicks into high-problem-solving-gear when Rose is captured (because who cares about everyone else, amirite?). His characterization is off, to the point he actually says 'Oh, God' once, and compares a statue to Schwarzenegger's neck (awkward for everyone). If you went into this novel not knowing who the Doctor was, you'd probably be waffling between Tom Baker's, Matt Smith's and David Tennant's incarnations.
It's a decent installment, but forgettable.

[Halley Hopson · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

This definitely missed the mark, wasn’t the most interesting plot line and both The Doctor and Rose’s character fell pretty flat.

[Charlie Egon · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some classically Doctor Who things about this one, which I liked: an intruiging location (within a vulcano), strange aliens, silliness, golems made of gold, old rivalries, an awful lot of running and Rose as the woman of the hour.

But, alas, this book isn't free of exoticising: The setting of the story is constantly getting generalised as "Africa", while it is made clear that it takes place specifically in Chad. The vulcano in question is called "Mount Tarsus", even though, according to quick research, "Tarso" basically refers to a high plateau and a lot of vulcanoes in the Tibesti mountains carry it within their name. I refuse to think that the locals in this story would call the vulcano "Mountain Mountain". Also there's a weird running joke by the Doctor, where he asks people if they have met the French (??). Adding some other misplaced comments, all in all, this book would have gained from a sensitivity reading, which it might have gotten, if it wasn't from 2006.

[TheGeekProblem · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Art of Destruction, the Doctor and Rose arrive in Earth, Africa, 2118. They discover they are in an Agricultural Unit where there’s been some really weird deaths involving a golden miasma turning people literally into golden statues. The statues start to move trying to guard something, and it’s the Doctor and Rose’s turn to solve the mystery.

The story is really interesting, combining aliens, earth politics, a more diverse cast of background characters, and Rose being a BAMF at the end! In true Doctor-and-Rose fashion, they get separated during the adventure, they both discover different stuff surrounding the mystery and have their own obstacles, but at the end they save each other.

So, of course if you have golden statues, you’re gonna get a Golden Rose. Rose gets trapped by the miasma and turns into a moving statue and runs off, and after the Doctor being sooo adamant that there was no way of fixing the golden statues, he’s suddenly all like “I don’t care! I’ll find something! I’m gonna save Rose!!” He’s so mad

And when he finally finds Rose he’s heartbroken because he thinks he’s too late and that he can’t save her and begs the creatures to please return her to how she was. The lines are just so cheezy! Thank you for the food!

There are other people as statues but he’s like sorry but Rose is more important (for real this is a line in the novel). And when he’s negotiating with the aliens so they let him help them he says verbatim ‘And I must have Rose!’ like asdfghjkl

Of course, after saving Rose the Doctor encounters more and more trouble until Rose comes out of the sky to save him, and then they run to safety laughing and that is just relationship goals.

This novel (and also in the price of paradise) has Rose flirting with some guy and then completely ignoring the guy when the Doctor is around. I don’t know why they put these scenes in the novels, because she literally starts talking about how amazing the Doctor is in front of the guy she’s trying to flirt with (supposedly), although it is kinda funny seeing how the writer completely forgets about it after a few pages, like it’s so out of character that it’s ignored for the rest of the book.

Again, the point of these novels is to have a fun, light, uncomplicated adventure where the point is to explore the character dynamics or to make a story that would be way out of budget for the series. As always, I recommend this novel for that same reason.

If you read this, let me know and share with me what you thought of it.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stephen Cole has written some of my least favorite Doctor Who books- Doctor Who: The Feast of the Drowned, Doctor Who: The Ring of Steel. However he has also written one of my most favorite DW adventures - Doctor Who: The Monsters Inside. So it seems to me that his stories are either hit or miss, unfortunately for me, I found this one to be a miss.

There was an abundance of throwaway characters that not only cluttered the story and slowed the pace but took away from the characters the reader really cares about, the Doctor and Rose. Since all of the characters were pretty much the same I would get confused as to who was speaking.

The setting was lackluster for me and more could have been done with the aliens they encountered. Everything was just very very boring!

This story was devoid of any personality, humor or suspense. Rose does not remind me of Billie Piper's portrayal whatsoever and the Doctor was not the time traveler I fell in love with. Instead he came across very callous and uncaring. There is a scene in which the Doctor is flying over a bloody battle scene and doesn't care at all but is instead very flippant and ignorant.

Skip this one it is nothing but a disappointment!

[Jim C · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is based on the television series. The main characters are the tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler. In this one they travel to Africa in the near future. Here they meet a group of people who are running experiments in a dormant volcano. During these experiments they wake something from a deep slumber and the people who are running the experiments are attacked by gold globules.

If I read the outline to this novel I would have said that sounds interesting and I look forward to reading about it. But somehow that outline did not live up to its potential. The one word to describe this book is "bland". It had all the earmarks but this book never cashed in. It has aliens, the Doctor being the smartest person, and it has characters doing the typical "Run!" that we have seen countless times in the show. With all these points I never had the Doctor Who feeling and this book never enticed me. I think the problem was the minor characters. There wasn't one of them that interested me and I never cared what would happen to them. As of the main characters, I thought the author did a good job with Rose but there were times when the Doctor was off.

With so many books based on the show available I strongly suggest trying a different one. The only reason to read this one is that you must read everything based on the show.

[Samael Kovacs · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 Stars
Yeah this book was bad.
Not terribly written, words were nice and all but it had one glaring problem for me.

BORING ASF

The most bland Doctor I've ever read, there was almost nothing of ten in here, it could have been any Doctor. Same for Rose could just as easily have been Martha or Donna, well no because then it would have taken effort to change the dialogue.

Coming of from two of my new favorite Doctor Who Novels: The Pirate Loop and Forever Auttum, this was just a waste of time.

Human charchters all blend into each other, nothing that makes them stand out and you forget who half of them even are.

The only reason I finished it was because I was in the car, otherwise I would have stopped at page 100 or so. It really doesn't get any better.

Normally for me, after I just read a book for the first time I wanna read it again.
Had it with Scratchman, The Blood Cell and the two novels which I mentioned a short while ago.

I would just not recommend this to anyone, there is better Tenth Doctor stuff out there.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book, but it wasn't the best Doctor Who novel I've read. At times the characters of the Doctor and Rose felt forced, like they weren't themselves, and that made the story a little less enjoyable than it could have been. I'm glad that I read it though, as I can never get enough of Doctor Who :)

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some Tennant-y moments, but still overall a fairly generic doctor. This one didn't really do it for me, and I'm not sure why.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

{With respect to the author}
I just didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would and The Doctor and Rose didn't seem quite like the characters from the show.

[David Robert Bloomer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another strong book from way back when the Doctor was played by David Tennant; yes, silly joke.

A very enjoyable read that, with a bit of cut back, could have been a television episode. It certainly reads like a novelisation of a tv episode. With expansion of things that would have been unachievable on screen. The Doctor and Rose land in future Africa, with plenty of secondary characters who are all fleshed out, not left as 2d characters.. There they meet some very old visitors and uncover slightly more than expected. In a well paced story. Certain aspects remind me of the Fires of Pompeii but this was written well before that story.

I do like the aliens in this one. Certain aspects of them seem to be undescribed but they are a really original creation. Their craft sounds even more organic than Zygon tech. I don't want to spoil them as I found them great going on with no knowledge of one of the participants in this book.

An easy going but good read. I really need to get more past books like this one. I got 2 box sets many years ago and have only got around to them now. Really missed out first time around.

[Daphne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het verhaal begon goed en sterk, maar zakte helaas al snel weg. Hij was wel oké, maar soms veel te lastig te volgen

---------------

De dokter en rose zijn nu in Afrika, waar er een experimentele schimmelplantage is onder een vulkaan. Maar op een dag verschijnt daar een raar soort pulserend goud. En als dat je aanraakt slokt het je op en word je zelf van goud. Er blijkt een kunstschat in de vulkaan te zitten van de Valnaxi, naar vermoeden hun laatste, en een ander alien ras jaagt op hun schatten. Een soort wormen.
Dan een ingewikkeld stuk verhaal, de Valnaxi hadden deze kamers als een soort val opgezet, om de wormen zo een plaats te laten aanraken waardoor zij hun dna konden stelen. Dat wilden ze hebben om in hun thuisplaneet onder de wurmen te kunnen leven. Maar een mens raakt het als eerste aan, en dus komt hier niets van terecht.
Al met al heeft het verhaal voor de aarde een goed einde. De grond die de wurmen net zich meebrachten bleek zeer vruchtbaar, en Afrika is nu eindelijk geen derde wereldland meer.
Woo-hoo?

[Pete Miles]

There is the kernel of a half decent story but the Doctor is poorly written and it's a bit messy.

The Doctor is an irritating and insensitive jerk in this. He is like a crass cartoon version of the 10th Doctor, who is already a cheeky chappy type anyway, but brilliantly played by Tennant. In this, he makes jokes when people die and treats everything as a huge lark. His puns are also truly awful. I think he even used the same one twice. So, it's hard to like him as he comes across as a smug prat. The basic story idea is ok, though is written in a very messy way. It's hard to care about anyone and there is little variety of pacing. I read this because I wanted to switch off and read something easy and reminiscent of the tv show. If you are a young reader, you may enjoy it more, but I didn't like it much.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't until halfway through that I really got into the swing of the story (though that may be more down to crap in life than the book itself). The human characters were not particularly engaging, though I did like the various aliens - not only were they more imaginative than a TV show CGI budget normally allows for, but the author had made an effort to come up with amusing but inventive technology and cultures suitable to decidedly non-human lifeforms.
The brief asides about human politics and historical events could have been deepened to make the tale a lot more interesting, though perhaps that might have seemed a bit dull to younger readers who possibly find the chases and battle sequences more.

[Dark-Draco · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Doctor and Rose end up in a future Africa, where a scientist is attempting to grow mushrooms under an active volcano in an effort to feed a starving world. Only, something else was hiding under their first.

I do like these little novels ... just like watching one of the episodes on TV. However, I can't say that this one was the best. A bit confusing at times - I think the author had loads of 'messages' and wanted to cram them into the one story. The Doctor also seemed curiously absent. I mean, he's there and saves the day, but it didn't always feel like he was the star of the show.

But still entertaining and I did enjoy the rather unusual mix of Antique's Roadshow meets Battlestar Galactica!

[Taaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It just didn't really catch me. Stephen Cole did not write it badly in any way. The Doctor was in character, so was Rose, although she was rather a minor character most of the time, and the setting was intriguing. But the plot was too much like 'close to the end, but there are still 150 pages left, oh hold on, there is the next plot twist'. There were just too many of them, so that you never could really get into the story, because once you finally were in the situation, it changed yet again. Too much at too little time. Or too much in general.

Still, I liked the ending and the writing style. Just the plot itself just could not keep me interested at all times.

[Talia Franks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not care for this book. Everything about the setting (22nd century Africa) made me uncomfortable. The essentialization of gender was really weird (two characters have no names and are referred to as "Male" and "Female" in lieu of anything else, it's super awkward). The Doctor and Rose felt flat and it's not even that they were out of character they just didn't really feel like they had personalities at all. People were dying all over the place in ways that felt super unnecessary. So, yeah. Not a tome I plan to revisit any time soon, unless I plan to rage read, but I don't like wasting time.

[Elodie Cunningham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frustratingly close to being really good. In places overly convoluted, in others underdeveloped, and with plots that feel like they should be thematically resonant with each other but never quite reach that. I did enjoy it though, and I definitely think I enjoyed it more than I would have if I'd read this one as a kid. The characters are the best part, as well as the glimpses at some really interesting motivations. It's just a shame they're put in the backseat for the over complicated bird Vs worm art war that just isn't nearly as compelling.

Also, and this is absolutely a nitpick, but they keep using the phrase "art treasures" as if that's something everyone says and it feels real weird!