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Eighth Doctor Adventures #71
Doctor Who: The Deadstone Memorial
There is no such thing as a good night. Maybe, as you fall asleep, you can hide away in dreams. Or so you'd like to think. Because, as every child knows, there are bad dreams. And bad dreams are a glimpse into the real world - where the monsters are. And the things in your nightmares that are worse than monsters: the creeping black memories that can bring fear and pain and blood. Even here, today, tonight ... in the most ordinary of homes, and against the most ordinary people, the terror will strike. An old man will tell his last ghost story... A young family will encounter a deathless horror... And the Doctor and his friends will uncover the terrible secret of the Deadstone Memorial.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2004
2 people are currently reading
298 people want to read
About the author
Trevor Baxendale
84 books48 followersTrevor Baxendale is a novelist who has penned several Doctor Who tie-in novels and audio dramas. He lives in Liverpool, England with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 8, 2013
Since I don't have plans to read the BBC books that were published after the new series began (it doesn't seem as much fun when there's a TV series they can't contradict, plus they seem geared more toward young adults) I haven't really kept too much track of what happens to many of the BBC line authors after the Eighth Doctor was laid to rest and things were cleared out for the new blood. But it seems like Baxendale has been kept busy, writing several novels for that fancy tiny hardcover line. And it's really no surprise. He writes a good "traditional" (i.e. not wildly experimental) Who story that doesn't insult our intelligence, plus he can successfully heap doses of creepy onto the proceedings fairly effectively, which isn't that easy to do.
His last attempt was a Fifth Doctor adventure that went okay, but his last Eighth Doctor novel, "Eater of Wasps" showed that maybe his strength lay with the (then) current guy. Judging by the results here, it wasn't exactly a fluke. The Doctor and chums encounter what should be perhaps the most alien planet of all, the suburbs, as they help a single mother whose son wakes up every night with nightmares that almost seem to be channeling forces beyond this earth. Meanwhile there's a mysterious headstone called "Deadstone", a crazy old man, a crazy old gypsy man and a surly teenage girl. All of these will stymie the Doctor at some point as he tries to keep the family together and psychic forces from devouring the lad's mind. Maybe he'll even have the right change for the bus while he's at it.
Much is made of the "ordinary" setting, but with gypsies and creepy woods and a family that seems to have no neighbors it might as well be out in the middle of nowhere. Conveniently a lot of the initial action happens on a Thursday and then continues through the weekend which means everyone can stay home and we don't have to read about the Doctor helping a single mom get her job back. We get some glimpses of the daughter going to school but while the story seems to promise the Doctor really getting down and dirty in a world of nine-to-fives (or whatever they have in England) and and grocery shopping and TV dinners before settling down to watch that day's recorded "Coronation Street", the focus is still on the bizarro SF happenings. It's a shame and a bit of a missed opportunity, as Russell Davies would prove only a couple years later, you can insert "Doctor Who" into a working class setting and still have it resonate as much as when he's out there battling aliens.
Even if the setting doesn't live up to par, Baxendale gets a lot of mileage out of portraying a family that actually feels like one, with single mom Hazel at her wit's end trying to raise two children, one of whom seems an alien species and the other is beset by an alien species. Much would be made later of the Doctor inspiring "ordinary" people to be "extraordinary" and while the show would sometimes ram it down our throats like a Bruce Springsteen song covered by Spinal Tap, here the influence and is much quieter and much more in fitting with this Doctor's more romantic approach to life. Soon he's cooking them dinners and bonding with the mom by convincing her to sit on the roof of her house and wave at the stars, giving us a very real sense of a Doctor who finds the beauty in what we see as mundane and taking just as much delight in that as anything else out there in time and space.
What really rounds out this character for me and what I think sometimes gets lost in all the "last of the Time Lords" focus and fighting the Daleks is that he stays to help simply because they need help. There's no world to be saved and the fabric of time isn't at stake, but one family's sanity and the life of one boy. If nothing else, that's probably as Doctorish as you can get.
All of this provides a nice emotional foundation to what is at best a supremely creepy episode of "Scooby Doo" (Trix even comments along those lines at one point). All the more low-key scrambling around doesn't disguise that the Doctor is essentially playing ghosthunter in a spooky woods while narrowing down the list of subjects from the creepy members of the cast. It's effective in parts, though, as Baxendale is good at setting up atmosphere and the dread the family feels every night before going to bed is palpable and the repeated instances of people's eyes turning black and all the screaming makes this slightly more intense in spurts. The nightmares happen maybe once too often to keep their full effect without really ramping up into something horrifying but Baxendale is able to augment that with a good dose of body horror, which seems to his strong point. A nightmare scene of someone's head cracking open and vermin crawling out comes out of left field and is just one example of his successful attempts to up the creep factor. He's so good at it that you almost don't notice that the climax becomes a goopy monster and a little too much SF to really sustain the spooky vibe that he's been building.
In fact, what he does right here is worth pointing out. He gets the characters, so much so that for maybe the first time I actually can see why Trix is hanging out with these people. Everyone seems to have actual relationships, the family, the Doctor, Fitz and Trix, and he does a good job of making sure everyone gets a part. He makes Trix feel like an essential part of it, as opposed to someone who seems to have been foisted on the authors by fiat, and while her skillset doesn't seem to come in handy here, her interactions with the Doctor and Fitz harken back to the glorious days when Anji was around. He gets the Doctor and Fitz as well, recognizing the bond the two men have (a garden conversation between the two of them touches upon the now long history they have together), with Fitz's faith and loyalty the equal of anyone who's ever traveled in the TARDIS. It makes it more a shame that we never got to see a televised version of these two, and an equal shame they don't get recognized as one of the classic pairings. The side characters don't exactly justify their place in the plot, but one can't have everything.
He gets the strangeness too, mostly in the tossed off asides. A bit about the possibility of the First Doctor haunting the TARDIS is never explained and hopefully never will be, because what makes the show so wonderful sometimes is those side avenues that don't get explored, that leave us plenty of room to come up with our own theories, that make the world of the Doctor mysterious and exciting and frightening, even to himself.
Given the aforementioned "Scooby Doo" vibe, he could have gone for an ironic slant, and that would have come off as smug. Instead he plays it relatively straight and it's a better story for it. It's a solid novel, a meat and potatoes (or whatever the British equivalent is) "Who" story that gives us nothing radical but tweaks the format just enough for the author's personality and style to shine through. It's not quite the "American Beauty" influenced story we were all hoping for (or maybe that was just me) but it proves that the quiet stories have their place as well, maybe even more than the world-saving stuff.
His last attempt was a Fifth Doctor adventure that went okay, but his last Eighth Doctor novel, "Eater of Wasps" showed that maybe his strength lay with the (then) current guy. Judging by the results here, it wasn't exactly a fluke. The Doctor and chums encounter what should be perhaps the most alien planet of all, the suburbs, as they help a single mother whose son wakes up every night with nightmares that almost seem to be channeling forces beyond this earth. Meanwhile there's a mysterious headstone called "Deadstone", a crazy old man, a crazy old gypsy man and a surly teenage girl. All of these will stymie the Doctor at some point as he tries to keep the family together and psychic forces from devouring the lad's mind. Maybe he'll even have the right change for the bus while he's at it.
Much is made of the "ordinary" setting, but with gypsies and creepy woods and a family that seems to have no neighbors it might as well be out in the middle of nowhere. Conveniently a lot of the initial action happens on a Thursday and then continues through the weekend which means everyone can stay home and we don't have to read about the Doctor helping a single mom get her job back. We get some glimpses of the daughter going to school but while the story seems to promise the Doctor really getting down and dirty in a world of nine-to-fives (or whatever they have in England) and and grocery shopping and TV dinners before settling down to watch that day's recorded "Coronation Street", the focus is still on the bizarro SF happenings. It's a shame and a bit of a missed opportunity, as Russell Davies would prove only a couple years later, you can insert "Doctor Who" into a working class setting and still have it resonate as much as when he's out there battling aliens.
Even if the setting doesn't live up to par, Baxendale gets a lot of mileage out of portraying a family that actually feels like one, with single mom Hazel at her wit's end trying to raise two children, one of whom seems an alien species and the other is beset by an alien species. Much would be made later of the Doctor inspiring "ordinary" people to be "extraordinary" and while the show would sometimes ram it down our throats like a Bruce Springsteen song covered by Spinal Tap, here the influence and is much quieter and much more in fitting with this Doctor's more romantic approach to life. Soon he's cooking them dinners and bonding with the mom by convincing her to sit on the roof of her house and wave at the stars, giving us a very real sense of a Doctor who finds the beauty in what we see as mundane and taking just as much delight in that as anything else out there in time and space.
What really rounds out this character for me and what I think sometimes gets lost in all the "last of the Time Lords" focus and fighting the Daleks is that he stays to help simply because they need help. There's no world to be saved and the fabric of time isn't at stake, but one family's sanity and the life of one boy. If nothing else, that's probably as Doctorish as you can get.
All of this provides a nice emotional foundation to what is at best a supremely creepy episode of "Scooby Doo" (Trix even comments along those lines at one point). All the more low-key scrambling around doesn't disguise that the Doctor is essentially playing ghosthunter in a spooky woods while narrowing down the list of subjects from the creepy members of the cast. It's effective in parts, though, as Baxendale is good at setting up atmosphere and the dread the family feels every night before going to bed is palpable and the repeated instances of people's eyes turning black and all the screaming makes this slightly more intense in spurts. The nightmares happen maybe once too often to keep their full effect without really ramping up into something horrifying but Baxendale is able to augment that with a good dose of body horror, which seems to his strong point. A nightmare scene of someone's head cracking open and vermin crawling out comes out of left field and is just one example of his successful attempts to up the creep factor. He's so good at it that you almost don't notice that the climax becomes a goopy monster and a little too much SF to really sustain the spooky vibe that he's been building.
In fact, what he does right here is worth pointing out. He gets the characters, so much so that for maybe the first time I actually can see why Trix is hanging out with these people. Everyone seems to have actual relationships, the family, the Doctor, Fitz and Trix, and he does a good job of making sure everyone gets a part. He makes Trix feel like an essential part of it, as opposed to someone who seems to have been foisted on the authors by fiat, and while her skillset doesn't seem to come in handy here, her interactions with the Doctor and Fitz harken back to the glorious days when Anji was around. He gets the Doctor and Fitz as well, recognizing the bond the two men have (a garden conversation between the two of them touches upon the now long history they have together), with Fitz's faith and loyalty the equal of anyone who's ever traveled in the TARDIS. It makes it more a shame that we never got to see a televised version of these two, and an equal shame they don't get recognized as one of the classic pairings. The side characters don't exactly justify their place in the plot, but one can't have everything.
He gets the strangeness too, mostly in the tossed off asides. A bit about the possibility of the First Doctor haunting the TARDIS is never explained and hopefully never will be, because what makes the show so wonderful sometimes is those side avenues that don't get explored, that leave us plenty of room to come up with our own theories, that make the world of the Doctor mysterious and exciting and frightening, even to himself.
Given the aforementioned "Scooby Doo" vibe, he could have gone for an ironic slant, and that would have come off as smug. Instead he plays it relatively straight and it's a better story for it. It's a solid novel, a meat and potatoes (or whatever the British equivalent is) "Who" story that gives us nothing radical but tweaks the format just enough for the author's personality and style to shine through. It's not quite the "American Beauty" influenced story we were all hoping for (or maybe that was just me) but it proves that the quiet stories have their place as well, maybe even more than the world-saving stuff.
November 10, 2015
This is one of those Who novels that could have made a good TV episode - indeed, it possibly did, with the central theme of children's nightmares becoming reality used twice that I can remember in New Who (Fear Her and Night Terrors). There's also a zombie character from the seventeenth century. It's solid stuff, well-written, giving the Doctor, companions Fitz and Trix, and the various incidental characters plenty to do and doing it interestingly.
January 4, 2015
Wonderful. There really aren't enough of these small-town the-Doctor-is-on-call type stories. It's creepy, caring, and clever.
I've read this one three times and done an illustration for it: http://mbrainspaz.deviantart.com/art/...
I've read this one three times and done an illustration for it: http://mbrainspaz.deviantart.com/art/...
August 21, 2013
This was my first look at the 8th Doctor since his one and only movie. I must say I was impressed. I really got a feel for The Doctor that the movie failed to convey. On top of that the story was brilliant, very scary and well written.
June 28, 2020
Pretty good, and genuinely pretty spooky in parts in true Baxendale style. It's kind of a lovechild of Night Terrors and The Witchfinders - or a loveparent in this case, I guess? But yeah, Baxendale shows once again how great he is at tackling the horror aspects of Who.
We get some great character stuff, especially with 8 + Fitz, both separately and together. Sadly, Trix doesn't get quite as much interesting character moments but she does get to take charge a couple of times which I suppose is better than nothing!
While it took me a while to get through, that's more a comment on my inability to schedule in reading than the quality of the book. While it does kind of feel like things are gearing towards the end of this TARDIS line-up now, it also feels like they're not in any hurry to get there which I'm pretty happy with.
We get some great character stuff, especially with 8 + Fitz, both separately and together. Sadly, Trix doesn't get quite as much interesting character moments but she does get to take charge a couple of times which I suppose is better than nothing!
While it took me a while to get through, that's more a comment on my inability to schedule in reading than the quality of the book. While it does kind of feel like things are gearing towards the end of this TARDIS line-up now, it also feels like they're not in any hurry to get there which I'm pretty happy with.
February 23, 2022
Finally finished this up. While I think it’s one of the weaker efforts from Baxendale (a total fave!) it was still a fun enough read.
I might have saved it for later on had I realized it’s basically the second to last Eighth Doctor Adventure ever as I got to the last 50 pages, but I’m happy I am putting more of the eBay lots I bought during the first lockdown to bed.
Baxendale writes a tremendous McGann and that personality just radiates from his stuff. Especially in the scenes with the younger members of the cast. But as far as the plot and companion stuff this round are concerned, it’s kinda thin soup in that regard.
Buuuuutttt it WAS very neat reading Baxendale in wholly horror gear. I would love to see more of that from him.
I might have saved it for later on had I realized it’s basically the second to last Eighth Doctor Adventure ever as I got to the last 50 pages, but I’m happy I am putting more of the eBay lots I bought during the first lockdown to bed.
Baxendale writes a tremendous McGann and that personality just radiates from his stuff. Especially in the scenes with the younger members of the cast. But as far as the plot and companion stuff this round are concerned, it’s kinda thin soup in that regard.
Buuuuutttt it WAS very neat reading Baxendale in wholly horror gear. I would love to see more of that from him.
October 19, 2019
A terrifying story that at the same time is a beautiful family drama. This is the first time I have read Trix and I must say she has to be my favorite 8th Doctor Companion in the books so far! The 8th Doctor and Fitz were awesome too and so were the family with Hazel (the mother), Cal (the son) and Jade (The Daughter) and of course Old Man Crawley was there to give a good old fright! Utterly brilliant, the perfect halloween read! 10/10
November 24, 2021
Just finished this almost at one go. Such a breath of fresh air after the last few EDA books that I forced myself to read. Simple, classic DW adventure, full of compassion and good characters. The Doctor is excellently written, I heard Paul Mcgann's wonderful voice in my head.
July 5, 2025
Completely surprised me. It encapsulates what Doctor Who should be perfectly. The Eighth Doctor is spot on, his interactions with one family is intimate and scary and joyful and alien. One of my fav books of the EDA run.
August 27, 2023
This is an Eighth Doctor novel and it's a rather scary one at that. The plot centres around a seemingly normal family. But the son Val seems to be demonicaly possessed. There's some graphic stuff here, but I found the novel very addictive and soon devoured it. This in my opinion is one of the best EDS books. Highly recommend
August 25, 2016
The writing and characterisation in The Deadstone Memorial are worth four stars, but the story was a little too macabre for me. And I thought the ending was too neat and not fleshed out to a believable level.
March 3, 2010
Another hight quality book from the best era of EDAs.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews