What do you think?
Rate this book
Doctor Who: Virgin New Adventures #61
Doctor Who: The Dying Days
6 May 1997
The Dying Days of the Twentieth Century
On the Mare Sirenum, British astronauts are walking on the surface of Mars for the first time in over twenty years. The National Space Museum in London is the venue for a spectacular event where the great and the good celebrate a unique British achievement.
In Adisham, Kent, the most dangerous man in Britain has escaped from custody while being transported by helicopter. In Whitehall, the new Home Secretary is convinced that there is a plot brewing to overthrow the government. In west London, MI5 agents shut down a publishing company that got too close to the top secret organisation known as UNIT. And, on a state visit to Washington, the British Prime Minister prepares to make a crucial speech, totally unaware that dark forces are working against him.
As the Eighth Doctor and Professor Bernice Summerfield discover, all these events are connected. However, soon all will be overshadowed.
This time, the Doctor is already too late
The Dying Days of the Twentieth Century
On the Mare Sirenum, British astronauts are walking on the surface of Mars for the first time in over twenty years. The National Space Museum in London is the venue for a spectacular event where the great and the good celebrate a unique British achievement.
In Adisham, Kent, the most dangerous man in Britain has escaped from custody while being transported by helicopter. In Whitehall, the new Home Secretary is convinced that there is a plot brewing to overthrow the government. In west London, MI5 agents shut down a publishing company that got too close to the top secret organisation known as UNIT. And, on a state visit to Washington, the British Prime Minister prepares to make a crucial speech, totally unaware that dark forces are working against him.
As the Eighth Doctor and Professor Bernice Summerfield discover, all these events are connected. However, soon all will be overshadowed.
This time, the Doctor is already too late
297 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1997
4 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Lance Parkin
84 books96 followersLance Parkin is an author who has written professional Doctor Who fiction since the 1990s. He is one of the few authors to write for both the 1963 and 2005 version of the programme — though much of his fiction has actually been based on the 1996 iteration. Indeed, he was notably the first author to write original prose for the Eighth Doctor in The Dying Days. He was also the author chosen to deliver the nominal 35th anniversary story, The Infinity Doctors, and the final volume in the Eighth Doctor Adventures range, The Gallifrey Chronicles. More recently, he has written for the Tenth Doctor in The Eyeless.
He is further notable for his work with Big Finish Productions, where he is arguably most known for writing the Sixth Doctor adventure, Davros.
Outside of Doctor Who, he has written things like Warlords of Utopia and (with Mark Jones) Dark Matter, a guide to the author Philip Pullman.
He is further notable for his work with Big Finish Productions, where he is arguably most known for writing the Sixth Doctor adventure, Davros.
Outside of Doctor Who, he has written things like Warlords of Utopia and (with Mark Jones) Dark Matter, a guide to the author Philip Pullman.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 11, 2020
It feels... strange to have reached this point. Not so long ago, the idea of finishing all of the Who New Adventures seemed pretty impossible, so it’s slightly surreal to have finally reached that milestone. It’s a sort of epilogue to the Doctor Who era of the New Adventures, but also pretty nicely sets up the new era to come as Benny takes centre-stage.
As far as the story, we get thrown in at the deep end straight away, as Benny and the Doctor’s reunion is interrupted with a plane crash and the escape of a mysterious convict. Soon enough, they find themselves reunited with old friends - namely two Brigadiers - and facing old foes - as a Mars mission soon brings the Ice Warriors dangerously close to home. There’s a good dose of mystery, action, and a dash of horror along the way as the Doctor and Benny attempt to get to the bottom of things and save the day. The story holds together really well and moves along at a great pace, allowing for an appropriate balance between furthering the plot and giving the characters good moments throughout.
The only downside on the character front is that the Doctor and Benny don’t actually get to really have that many moments alone together. In a way, I suppose it works as it sets up Benny taking charge from here on out, and we do still get some nice moments where Benny considers just how much the Doctor has changed from the man she first met. It’s a shame we couldn’t get more of these two together, but it’s a lovely send-off, and a nice passing of the torch, with even the Doctor acknowledging the new era that is to come. It’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for... (again!)
As far as the story, we get thrown in at the deep end straight away, as Benny and the Doctor’s reunion is interrupted with a plane crash and the escape of a mysterious convict. Soon enough, they find themselves reunited with old friends - namely two Brigadiers - and facing old foes - as a Mars mission soon brings the Ice Warriors dangerously close to home. There’s a good dose of mystery, action, and a dash of horror along the way as the Doctor and Benny attempt to get to the bottom of things and save the day. The story holds together really well and moves along at a great pace, allowing for an appropriate balance between furthering the plot and giving the characters good moments throughout.
The only downside on the character front is that the Doctor and Benny don’t actually get to really have that many moments alone together. In a way, I suppose it works as it sets up Benny taking charge from here on out, and we do still get some nice moments where Benny considers just how much the Doctor has changed from the man she first met. It’s a shame we couldn’t get more of these two together, but it’s a lovely send-off, and a nice passing of the torch, with even the Doctor acknowledging the new era that is to come. It’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for... (again!)
April 20, 2020
When Dr Who ended fo the first time the franchise took on its own afterlife. There had always been comic strips and annuals of varying quality, but as
Target books began to run out of stories to novelise they wanted to produce original novels. Not till the tv version was gone, dead and buried till 2005 except for a one off TV movie would they they get the chance.
I remember a convention in clacton when writer Paul Cornell, later to write for the tv series , pleaded with us all to take them seriously. The range would produce 61 new adventures and about half as many for the older doctors. The NA’s would then continue with Bernice Summerfield, their most popular addition to who, an archaeologist from the future.
And so the TV movie of 1996 came and went. No series followed, although Paul McGanns hugely loved doctor deserved it , the movie as a template really didn’t. But still the BBC thought it would so the books went back in house to run until 2005 when adventures for the new Doctors would follow alongside Big Finish ‘s audio stories. Still no TV series, but the old doctors got their eras expanded and the eight doctor had a new life in print and on audio. Dr who, ironically, had rarely been in better health, even if only the adult fans were left.
So what had the NA’s achieved before the Dying Days, their one McGann adventure? There had been way too much angst at times, and a fair amount of books that were simply boring, but there had also been some tremendous high concept story arcs, and some all time great stories , some of which fed back into the reborn tv series and imbued it with a new emotional intelligence. There had been some redevelopment of Gallifreyan mythology that foreshadowed what the Whittaker seasons would do.
The timewyrm rewrote nazi history and encountered Gilgamesh before a final battle in the Doctor’s mind with a sentient church along for the ride. A mysterious brotherhood probed latent telepathy in humans. A meddling monk messed with time. The Silurians won, sort of. A sentient alien drug reprogram human DNA. The old gods of Egypt return in twenties England. And there are vampires.
And that made up for the dull ones. It wasn’t all plain sailing- let off the lead , the books would need to be hauled in once or twice for language and sexual content and a mix up at the printers one month where pages of one book got mixed up with pages of a soft porn novel wasn’t good for PR. But still the books would have many fans and copies of some later ones changed hands for stupid money on amazon.
And so to the Dying Days - come and watch an ice warrior being crowned king of England! It’s a great epic to finish on. General election night 1997 - as the tories resigned themselves to being massacred by Tony Blair voluble Tory MP and fan Tim Collins would spend the night reading the Dying Days so he had read all the books under a Tory Government. And why not?
Target books began to run out of stories to novelise they wanted to produce original novels. Not till the tv version was gone, dead and buried till 2005 except for a one off TV movie would they they get the chance.
I remember a convention in clacton when writer Paul Cornell, later to write for the tv series , pleaded with us all to take them seriously. The range would produce 61 new adventures and about half as many for the older doctors. The NA’s would then continue with Bernice Summerfield, their most popular addition to who, an archaeologist from the future.
And so the TV movie of 1996 came and went. No series followed, although Paul McGanns hugely loved doctor deserved it , the movie as a template really didn’t. But still the BBC thought it would so the books went back in house to run until 2005 when adventures for the new Doctors would follow alongside Big Finish ‘s audio stories. Still no TV series, but the old doctors got their eras expanded and the eight doctor had a new life in print and on audio. Dr who, ironically, had rarely been in better health, even if only the adult fans were left.
So what had the NA’s achieved before the Dying Days, their one McGann adventure? There had been way too much angst at times, and a fair amount of books that were simply boring, but there had also been some tremendous high concept story arcs, and some all time great stories , some of which fed back into the reborn tv series and imbued it with a new emotional intelligence. There had been some redevelopment of Gallifreyan mythology that foreshadowed what the Whittaker seasons would do.
The timewyrm rewrote nazi history and encountered Gilgamesh before a final battle in the Doctor’s mind with a sentient church along for the ride. A mysterious brotherhood probed latent telepathy in humans. A meddling monk messed with time. The Silurians won, sort of. A sentient alien drug reprogram human DNA. The old gods of Egypt return in twenties England. And there are vampires.
And that made up for the dull ones. It wasn’t all plain sailing- let off the lead , the books would need to be hauled in once or twice for language and sexual content and a mix up at the printers one month where pages of one book got mixed up with pages of a soft porn novel wasn’t good for PR. But still the books would have many fans and copies of some later ones changed hands for stupid money on amazon.
And so to the Dying Days - come and watch an ice warrior being crowned king of England! It’s a great epic to finish on. General election night 1997 - as the tories resigned themselves to being massacred by Tony Blair voluble Tory MP and fan Tim Collins would spend the night reading the Dying Days so he had read all the books under a Tory Government. And why not?
November 7, 2023
This is often considered a classic DW novel; one I read years ago but returned to recently. A bridge between classic Who and the Virgin new adventure novels and what would be coming from the “middle Who” era of the TV Movie and BBC novels featuring the Eighth Doctor, this book is an incredible feat of multi-layered story-telling. Parkin tells an actual DW story (and a pretty good one at that), critiquing the TV movie, referencing the classic series, and offering several moment of fun and poignant fan service. It was a fun read for sure!
October 29, 2017
This is the last book in the Virgin New Adventures series and the last I've reread in order to listen to the latest (and penultimate) episode of the Oncoming Storm podcast.
The tl;dr version of this review is: The book is still awesome after 20 years and you should read it. I've supplied the few continuity references you might need in one of the last paragraphs. Go and read, blessed with an awareness that I'm a die-hard Paul McGann and Eighth Doctor fan.
If you want all the rambling details, here you go.
I first read this when in came out in 1997. I had recently, not only watched the TV movie but fallen in with a group in fandom for the first time. It was all about Paul McGann, with lots of extra Doctor Who stuff thrown in for the joy of it. (I feel that I discovered being a fan back with my first serious doctor, Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor, but this is when I discovered fandom. And I was lucky, because it was a great group of caring and supportive fans based om a mailing list - remember those, all you oldies like me? I'm still in touch with a number of them these days thanks to Facebook.)
So as much as I thoroughly enjoyed the Seventh Doctor New Adventures, oh, but I was waiting for this one. As best as I can recall, I loved it, right from the cover, through the story to the very satisfying epilogue someone on the list either wrote or directed the rest of group to read.
But 20 years is a long time. Would I love it this time?
I did, but I think perhaps just a little bit less. I've been thinking about why, and I have a fragment of an idea. This book was one of several beginnings being made at that time relating to the Eighth Doctor. There were also comics, the BBC range of books that was about to start and we hoped, even though it never prevailed, that there might be a new series on TV with Paul McGann.
Nobody quite knew what this Doctor was going to be like. We'd only had 90 minutes screen time to base anything on, and different projects went in different ways depending on which aspects of the TV movie had most caught their makers' attention. (I can't possibly deny that, as there is a 100,000 word fanfic based on a similarly insufficient amount of knowledge floating around on my computer with my name on it.) I really like what Lance Parkin did (and reading his notes from the time the story was up on the BBC website in the early 2000s about this situation is fascinating), and I like where he took this story, how he wrote it and the satisfying sum of its parts that it becomes.
(I started steadily consuming the BBC Eighth Doctor novels after this one and while some were really excellent, the direction that range took stopped matching my preferences after a while - and I couldn't afford the regular monthly cost at the time, since they were pretty expensive (for me anyway) by the time they arrived in New Zealand.)
Like I said above, 20 years is a long time. I'm a Doctor Who fan and I'm a Paul McGann fan, so it was fairly inevitable that I would fall down the rabbit hole that is Big Finish. I borrowed some of the early ones from a friend to listen to, but then they put out Paul McGann ones. Doctor Who, with my actual, favourite Doctor's actor performing in them. Despite the cost, I bought those ones. And I loved them. Despite how much I have or haven't kept up with Big Finish's other ranges, I own all the Paul McGann stories (meaning I was very grateful when I could shift from CDs to downloads) and I've listened to almost every single one of them (with a few left to go back to when I need some new McGann). The direction Big Finish took the Eighth Doctor fits me personally, much better than the BBC books did and I always can't wait for ore. (Damn the blocked ear and earache that is stopping me from starting the new Time War boxset!)
What this rambling aside is trying to say is that the Doctor of The Dying Days is a Doctor written with less depth than one might wish for, simply because the author didn't have enough information to write a shared character with that kind of depth. For me now, twenty years later, the Eighth Doctor is a character of great depth of whom I have a deep appreciation and, I admit, a total fangirl crush on. Lance Parkin couldn't match that - but he most definitely had an enormous hand in establishing and beginning that in this book. Thank you, Mr Parkin, for laying the groundwork for me get all that lovely content in the years since 1997.
There's also a whole essay to be written on how this book, in similar ways to what I've discussed above, but more widely, lays foundations for the new series we enjoy today. I agree with much of that, but I've already written way to much here and there are other places to look for that. The episode of The Oncoming Storm podcast on The Dying Days is one of those places, but I'm sure there are also many others.
As for the others characters: Benny and the Brigadier make excellent companions to the Doctor in this story, even if Benny is struggling to work out what to make of this new Doctor and the Brig is separated from him for most of the story (his response to this new regeneration is to shrug and comment that he's done it again). This isn't a book about the end of the universe, or even the end of the world, but it's a great story about characters adjusting to change and finding their ways onwards from there.
Even if my love for it was a little less, I still did love the book. I reckon a New Who fan could even read it without having read the others. A few things will go over your head, but not many.
The Seventh Doctor had lots of adventures with (an awesome) companion called Dr Bernice Summerfield, both while Ace was travelling with him and after she left. Benny married a guy called Jason Kane but it didn't work out very well. Britain first went to Mars in the 1970s. The Brig is retired and his replacement is Brigadier Winifred Bambera, who had met the Doctor's seventh regeneration. Ice Warriors (aka Martians) have appeared in Doctor Who before.
There you go, that's the basics. Now you can go and read.
I hope you have fun.
The tl;dr version of this review is: The book is still awesome after 20 years and you should read it. I've supplied the few continuity references you might need in one of the last paragraphs. Go and read, blessed with an awareness that I'm a die-hard Paul McGann and Eighth Doctor fan.
If you want all the rambling details, here you go.
I first read this when in came out in 1997. I had recently, not only watched the TV movie but fallen in with a group in fandom for the first time. It was all about Paul McGann, with lots of extra Doctor Who stuff thrown in for the joy of it. (I feel that I discovered being a fan back with my first serious doctor, Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor, but this is when I discovered fandom. And I was lucky, because it was a great group of caring and supportive fans based om a mailing list - remember those, all you oldies like me? I'm still in touch with a number of them these days thanks to Facebook.)
So as much as I thoroughly enjoyed the Seventh Doctor New Adventures, oh, but I was waiting for this one. As best as I can recall, I loved it, right from the cover, through the story to the very satisfying epilogue someone on the list either wrote or directed the rest of group to read.
But 20 years is a long time. Would I love it this time?
I did, but I think perhaps just a little bit less. I've been thinking about why, and I have a fragment of an idea. This book was one of several beginnings being made at that time relating to the Eighth Doctor. There were also comics, the BBC range of books that was about to start and we hoped, even though it never prevailed, that there might be a new series on TV with Paul McGann.
Nobody quite knew what this Doctor was going to be like. We'd only had 90 minutes screen time to base anything on, and different projects went in different ways depending on which aspects of the TV movie had most caught their makers' attention. (I can't possibly deny that, as there is a 100,000 word fanfic based on a similarly insufficient amount of knowledge floating around on my computer with my name on it.) I really like what Lance Parkin did (and reading his notes from the time the story was up on the BBC website in the early 2000s about this situation is fascinating), and I like where he took this story, how he wrote it and the satisfying sum of its parts that it becomes.
(I started steadily consuming the BBC Eighth Doctor novels after this one and while some were really excellent, the direction that range took stopped matching my preferences after a while - and I couldn't afford the regular monthly cost at the time, since they were pretty expensive (for me anyway) by the time they arrived in New Zealand.)
Like I said above, 20 years is a long time. I'm a Doctor Who fan and I'm a Paul McGann fan, so it was fairly inevitable that I would fall down the rabbit hole that is Big Finish. I borrowed some of the early ones from a friend to listen to, but then they put out Paul McGann ones. Doctor Who, with my actual, favourite Doctor's actor performing in them. Despite the cost, I bought those ones. And I loved them. Despite how much I have or haven't kept up with Big Finish's other ranges, I own all the Paul McGann stories (meaning I was very grateful when I could shift from CDs to downloads) and I've listened to almost every single one of them (with a few left to go back to when I need some new McGann). The direction Big Finish took the Eighth Doctor fits me personally, much better than the BBC books did and I always can't wait for ore. (Damn the blocked ear and earache that is stopping me from starting the new Time War boxset!)
What this rambling aside is trying to say is that the Doctor of The Dying Days is a Doctor written with less depth than one might wish for, simply because the author didn't have enough information to write a shared character with that kind of depth. For me now, twenty years later, the Eighth Doctor is a character of great depth of whom I have a deep appreciation and, I admit, a total fangirl crush on. Lance Parkin couldn't match that - but he most definitely had an enormous hand in establishing and beginning that in this book. Thank you, Mr Parkin, for laying the groundwork for me get all that lovely content in the years since 1997.
There's also a whole essay to be written on how this book, in similar ways to what I've discussed above, but more widely, lays foundations for the new series we enjoy today. I agree with much of that, but I've already written way to much here and there are other places to look for that. The episode of The Oncoming Storm podcast on The Dying Days is one of those places, but I'm sure there are also many others.
As for the others characters: Benny and the Brigadier make excellent companions to the Doctor in this story, even if Benny is struggling to work out what to make of this new Doctor and the Brig is separated from him for most of the story (his response to this new regeneration is to shrug and comment that he's done it again). This isn't a book about the end of the universe, or even the end of the world, but it's a great story about characters adjusting to change and finding their ways onwards from there.
Even if my love for it was a little less, I still did love the book. I reckon a New Who fan could even read it without having read the others. A few things will go over your head, but not many.
The Seventh Doctor had lots of adventures with (an awesome) companion called Dr Bernice Summerfield, both while Ace was travelling with him and after she left. Benny married a guy called Jason Kane but it didn't work out very well. Britain first went to Mars in the 1970s. The Brig is retired and his replacement is Brigadier Winifred Bambera, who had met the Doctor's seventh regeneration. Ice Warriors (aka Martians) have appeared in Doctor Who before.
There you go, that's the basics. Now you can go and read.
I hope you have fun.
November 19, 2015
A strong first-take on a new Doctor that's so much better than BBC's The Eight Doctors. It's unfortunate that this was Virgin's only use of the character.
Positioning Eight with his old companion, Benny, was a great way to help define him — even though Benny does take over toward the end of the book, to highlight her own upcoming series. The adventure is also very nicely conceived, with the Ice Warriors invading modern London. There's tons of continuity here, all paid proper respect, but it doesn't get in the way of telling a good story.
Base Under Siege? Sure, but played out over the entire country of England. The result is epic.
I've written more extensive discussions of this book as part of a continuing forum thread at RPGnet .
Positioning Eight with his old companion, Benny, was a great way to help define him — even though Benny does take over toward the end of the book, to highlight her own upcoming series. The adventure is also very nicely conceived, with the Ice Warriors invading modern London. There's tons of continuity here, all paid proper respect, but it doesn't get in the way of telling a good story.
Base Under Siege? Sure, but played out over the entire country of England. The result is epic.
I've written more extensive discussions of this book as part of a continuing forum thread at RPGnet .
January 3, 2011
Worth the wait. Benny, 2 brigs, Bessie, Ice Warriors, and the Doctor. A fun but serious invasion story that keeps the reader hooked.
March 11, 2012
Any book with a party with Jarvis Cocker, Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Gillian Anderson and The Doctor as guests, is okay with me.
February 6, 2020
The sixty-first and last book of The New Doctor Who Adventures (they'd even already dropped 'Doctor Who' from the title) and the only one to feature the Eighth Doctor, as played by Paul McGann.
Time-travelling archaeologist Bernice Summerfield is reunited with the Doctor in 1997, only to find that he has regenerated into an unfamiliar and younger-looking incarnation. Soon they are thrust into action together again, however, when it becomes clear that traitorous elements of the British government have launched a conspiracy which paves the way for the country to be invaded by the Ice Warriors of Mars. With help from Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and UNIT, the Doctor and Benny have to figure out a way to free Britain from alien occupation.
A bit of history first: during the years that Doctor Who was off the air, Virgin Publishing kept the fanbase engaged with their licenced novels, in particular The New Doctor Who Adventures. When the 1996 TV movie came along the BBC took it as their chance to reclaim the licence and get that sweet publishing dollar for themselves and unceremoniously pulled the rug out from under Virgin.
This book then marks the transition point in the franchise, the crossover between the new incarnation of the Doctor and the departing publisher. Virgin would go on to continue The New Adventures, however, but with no licenced elements and Bernice Summerfield as the main character. Because of how and when it was published, this book had only a short print run and is now relatively rare (which is why you can expect to pay big money for a copy online).
But, on to the review! Knowing all of that about this book's publishing history, I was somewhat surprised to find it to be a thoroughly enjoyable Who story which is, mostly, capable of standing alone. Sure, you'd have to know that Benny travelled with the Seventh Doctor, I suppose, but beyond that all the associated New Adventures lore is just referenced for those in the know and is not integral to the plot. I have to say that I also loved seeing the Brigadier back in action, turning up in Bessie to bring a smile to the faces of long-time fans.
What struck me most reading this book was just how much it felt like so-called New Who, capturing the spirit of dynamism and adventure of the modern era TV series eight years before that series debuted. The Doctor too feels like the recent incarnations, without the sometimes ruthless scheming which was a big part of the Seventh's nature; instead being the compassionate, excitable and improvisational type of Doctor recent fans will be familiar with. There's a brilliant bit where he confronts the Ice Warriors with a brief speech that begins with "I'm the man who gives monsters nightmares." and ends with "I... Am... The Doctor!".
Just all round good Doctor Who. And, honestly, I do have a real soft-spot for McGann's Doctor, whose time was over all too briefly.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com/ *
Time-travelling archaeologist Bernice Summerfield is reunited with the Doctor in 1997, only to find that he has regenerated into an unfamiliar and younger-looking incarnation. Soon they are thrust into action together again, however, when it becomes clear that traitorous elements of the British government have launched a conspiracy which paves the way for the country to be invaded by the Ice Warriors of Mars. With help from Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and UNIT, the Doctor and Benny have to figure out a way to free Britain from alien occupation.
A bit of history first: during the years that Doctor Who was off the air, Virgin Publishing kept the fanbase engaged with their licenced novels, in particular The New Doctor Who Adventures. When the 1996 TV movie came along the BBC took it as their chance to reclaim the licence and get that sweet publishing dollar for themselves and unceremoniously pulled the rug out from under Virgin.
This book then marks the transition point in the franchise, the crossover between the new incarnation of the Doctor and the departing publisher. Virgin would go on to continue The New Adventures, however, but with no licenced elements and Bernice Summerfield as the main character. Because of how and when it was published, this book had only a short print run and is now relatively rare (which is why you can expect to pay big money for a copy online).
But, on to the review! Knowing all of that about this book's publishing history, I was somewhat surprised to find it to be a thoroughly enjoyable Who story which is, mostly, capable of standing alone. Sure, you'd have to know that Benny travelled with the Seventh Doctor, I suppose, but beyond that all the associated New Adventures lore is just referenced for those in the know and is not integral to the plot. I have to say that I also loved seeing the Brigadier back in action, turning up in Bessie to bring a smile to the faces of long-time fans.
What struck me most reading this book was just how much it felt like so-called New Who, capturing the spirit of dynamism and adventure of the modern era TV series eight years before that series debuted. The Doctor too feels like the recent incarnations, without the sometimes ruthless scheming which was a big part of the Seventh's nature; instead being the compassionate, excitable and improvisational type of Doctor recent fans will be familiar with. There's a brilliant bit where he confronts the Ice Warriors with a brief speech that begins with "I'm the man who gives monsters nightmares." and ends with "I... Am... The Doctor!".
Just all round good Doctor Who. And, honestly, I do have a real soft-spot for McGann's Doctor, whose time was over all too briefly.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com/ *
August 19, 2013
If Doctor Who has shown us anything in the last fifty years, it is that change is inevitable. 1996 and 1997 certainly proved that was the case as the optimism surrounding the TV Movie gave way to cynicism when it failed to give way to revived television series and many wondered if the show was dead for good. In the world of the Doctor's paper bound adventures, change was in the air as well as the BBC effectively revoked its license to Virgin in favor of starting its own series of novels. While the Virgin New Adventures had a last hurray in the form of Lungbarrow, which tied up much of the range's ongoing story arcs, Lance Parkin's The Dying Days would be its sendoff and a fantastic one at that.
Oddly for the last novel in the range and perhaps because Lungbarrow had preceded it, this is oddly upbeat in tone. A large part of that might have to do with the fact that it has the distinction of being the eighth Doctor's first literary appearance. Given that Parkin only had the TV Movie to go on, he captures the eighth Doctor masterfully once he gets past the first chapter's initial meeting between the Doctor and Benny. Parkin gets Paul McGann's speech patterns down pretty quickly and he captures this Doctor in a handful of moments as well, as demonstrated by a sequence where the Doctor goes out of his way to save a cat while trying to get away from poisonous gas for example. Nowhere perhaps though does Parkin capture then in the last two chapters, including a moment that I'd swear Steven Moffat pinched for the New Series. Having admittedly only read a handful of the later EDA's, I can't help but feel that this is by far the best characterization I've seen of this Doctor in book form.
Part of the tone might also have to do with the fact that, while this was the last Virgin New Adventure to feature the Doctor, they were about to continue with Bernice Summerfield or Benny to her friends. To a certain extent, The Dying Days is a test run for her solo novels for a number of reason. Perhaps the biggest is that she gets an increased presence in the last hundred or so pages of the novel where she very much takes center stage and quite literally becomes the central character in place of the Doctor. While this may be a Who book, it is at times as much Benny's tale as his.
The Dying Days also features a wealth of references and characters from the past as well. The two Brigadiers both show up with Lethbridge-Stewart getting to play a major role in proceedings and bringing UNIT to do battle with them. The novel is also in a weird way a psuedo-sequel to The Ambassadors Of Death with Mars 97 being the first manned UK Mars mission since 1977 with one of the former Mars Probe astronauts being a supporting character and former space controller Ralph Cornish making a cameo appearance. The previous Virgin Who book Who Killed Kennedy, written as if by investigative journalist James Stevens, plays a minor role in the plot as having exposed UNIT to the public. Looking forward a bit, the image of a spaceship hovering over London in full view of the public and the subsequent invasion calls to mind what Russell T Davies would do nearly a decade later in David Tennant's first story The Christmas Invasion. And of course, there's the Ice Warriors...
Being the last novel of the range, Parkin presents us with a full fledged invasion of Britain by the Ice Warriors in full sight of the world. Not only is it an invasion but an occupation as well with a collaborative government and, in one of the oddest and memorable moments of the book, a Martian King Of England is crowned. Also, Parkin has some fun proving that TV Movie producer Phillip Segal's insistence that an alien invasion couldn't be done with just two monsters is wrong. Parkin gives us the Ice Lord Xznaal and a whole army of Ice Warriors but no more than two being seen at any one time. It's something the reader might not even notice but if you do spot it, it adds some flavor to this tale. There's also a clear influence of the various versions of H.G. Wells' The War Of The Worlds, particularly with the Red Death that comes into play in a couple of places that seems like a more modern update of the Black Smoke used by the Martians in that story. Also, for those who complained recently about Cold War featuring an Ice Lord in an Ice Warrior uniform, they should perhaps take the time to track this book down because Parkin in fact did that more than fifteen years earlier here.
Parkin clearly had a lot of fun writing the novel and it is abundant in references outside of Who as well. There's a party early on in the book that features a number of celebrity guests both real and fictional where Benny gets mistaken for Emma Thompson (on whom Benny was modeled on before Lisa Bowerman put her definitive stamp on the character), Patrick Moore and Bernard Quatermass show up on TV, one of MI6's double-o agents has been swapping around NASA tapes about Mars and so on. Perhaps the biggest reference is one that lies in plain sight in the form of Lord Greyhaven who is very clearly modeled on not just a particularity actor (who pops up in all of Parkin's Who novels) but the best known character played by that actor. It makes this a fun novel to read to say the least.
The Dying Days then is many things. It is the end of the Virgin New Adventures in Doctor Who form at least yet it isn't downbeat by any means because it's also a book of beginnings. It signaled the start of paper bound adventures for both the eighth Doctor over at the BBC and Benny at Virgin. It's also, perhaps above all else, a celebration of Virgin's run of Who novels that presented stories “too broad and too deep for the small screen”. If the expansive alien invasion seen in this novel, and the possible influences it's had on the New Series that I've pointed out, proves anything it is that Virgin succeeded in that regard.
Oddly for the last novel in the range and perhaps because Lungbarrow had preceded it, this is oddly upbeat in tone. A large part of that might have to do with the fact that it has the distinction of being the eighth Doctor's first literary appearance. Given that Parkin only had the TV Movie to go on, he captures the eighth Doctor masterfully once he gets past the first chapter's initial meeting between the Doctor and Benny. Parkin gets Paul McGann's speech patterns down pretty quickly and he captures this Doctor in a handful of moments as well, as demonstrated by a sequence where the Doctor goes out of his way to save a cat while trying to get away from poisonous gas for example. Nowhere perhaps though does Parkin capture then in the last two chapters, including a moment that I'd swear Steven Moffat pinched for the New Series. Having admittedly only read a handful of the later EDA's, I can't help but feel that this is by far the best characterization I've seen of this Doctor in book form.
Part of the tone might also have to do with the fact that, while this was the last Virgin New Adventure to feature the Doctor, they were about to continue with Bernice Summerfield or Benny to her friends. To a certain extent, The Dying Days is a test run for her solo novels for a number of reason. Perhaps the biggest is that she gets an increased presence in the last hundred or so pages of the novel where she very much takes center stage and quite literally becomes the central character in place of the Doctor. While this may be a Who book, it is at times as much Benny's tale as his.
The Dying Days also features a wealth of references and characters from the past as well. The two Brigadiers both show up with Lethbridge-Stewart getting to play a major role in proceedings and bringing UNIT to do battle with them. The novel is also in a weird way a psuedo-sequel to The Ambassadors Of Death with Mars 97 being the first manned UK Mars mission since 1977 with one of the former Mars Probe astronauts being a supporting character and former space controller Ralph Cornish making a cameo appearance. The previous Virgin Who book Who Killed Kennedy, written as if by investigative journalist James Stevens, plays a minor role in the plot as having exposed UNIT to the public. Looking forward a bit, the image of a spaceship hovering over London in full view of the public and the subsequent invasion calls to mind what Russell T Davies would do nearly a decade later in David Tennant's first story The Christmas Invasion. And of course, there's the Ice Warriors...
Being the last novel of the range, Parkin presents us with a full fledged invasion of Britain by the Ice Warriors in full sight of the world. Not only is it an invasion but an occupation as well with a collaborative government and, in one of the oddest and memorable moments of the book, a Martian King Of England is crowned. Also, Parkin has some fun proving that TV Movie producer Phillip Segal's insistence that an alien invasion couldn't be done with just two monsters is wrong. Parkin gives us the Ice Lord Xznaal and a whole army of Ice Warriors but no more than two being seen at any one time. It's something the reader might not even notice but if you do spot it, it adds some flavor to this tale. There's also a clear influence of the various versions of H.G. Wells' The War Of The Worlds, particularly with the Red Death that comes into play in a couple of places that seems like a more modern update of the Black Smoke used by the Martians in that story. Also, for those who complained recently about Cold War featuring an Ice Lord in an Ice Warrior uniform, they should perhaps take the time to track this book down because Parkin in fact did that more than fifteen years earlier here.
Parkin clearly had a lot of fun writing the novel and it is abundant in references outside of Who as well. There's a party early on in the book that features a number of celebrity guests both real and fictional where Benny gets mistaken for Emma Thompson (on whom Benny was modeled on before Lisa Bowerman put her definitive stamp on the character), Patrick Moore and Bernard Quatermass show up on TV, one of MI6's double-o agents has been swapping around NASA tapes about Mars and so on. Perhaps the biggest reference is one that lies in plain sight in the form of Lord Greyhaven who is very clearly modeled on not just a particularity actor (who pops up in all of Parkin's Who novels) but the best known character played by that actor. It makes this a fun novel to read to say the least.
The Dying Days then is many things. It is the end of the Virgin New Adventures in Doctor Who form at least yet it isn't downbeat by any means because it's also a book of beginnings. It signaled the start of paper bound adventures for both the eighth Doctor over at the BBC and Benny at Virgin. It's also, perhaps above all else, a celebration of Virgin's run of Who novels that presented stories “too broad and too deep for the small screen”. If the expansive alien invasion seen in this novel, and the possible influences it's had on the New Series that I've pointed out, proves anything it is that Virgin succeeded in that regard.
May 27, 2010
Doctor Who is the longest running science fiction show in the world. The British show ran for 26 seasons from 1963 until it got cancelled in 1989. The Doctor, a time travelling alien (a Time Lord) from the planet Gallifrey, travels though space and time, experiencing adventures and righting wrongs all over the Universe (but strangely seems to spend most of the time in his televised adventures on Earth). His time machine/space ship looks like a 1950s blue police box, and is quite a lot bigger on the inside than on the outside. He has had a variety of companions through the years, mostly humanoid, although the majority seem to be young women of varying degrees of hotness.
When the Doctor dies, he regenerates into a new body. This means that when the first actor playing the Doctor needed to be replaced, they were able to keep the show going without any major changes. So far, eleven different actors have played the part of the Doctor, and while they are different ages, have different appearances and personalities, they are all aspects of the same character. This is probably one of the things that makes the show just so brilliant, and likely why it’s managed to stay on the air and quite so immensely popular for so long.
After its cancellation in 1989, it was off the air for a total of 17 years, with the exception of a pretty dreadful attempt of the BBC and Fox to re-launch the show with a TV movie in 1996, starring Paul McGann as the Eight Doctor. This attempt failed spectacularly. In 2005, BBC brought the show back again, starring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as his companion, and this time it did not fail. It’s been one of the biggest television successes since the return, and over ten million watched the end of the hugely popular Tenth Doctor (the lovely David Tennant)’s era on New Year’s Day this year.
As well as the TV show, there have always been novels published about the Doctor’s adventures as well. While the show was on the air, these were usually novelizations of the television episodes, but once the show was off the air, the novels was the only way the fans could get new adventures. From 1991, a series of books was launched, the Virgin New Adventures, which served for a lot of fans as a continuation of the TV series, starring the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy). Only one novel featured the Eight Doctor, who on telly has otherwise only appeared in the aforementioned dreadful TV movie. He does, however, feature as the Doctor in several series of audio dramas and later got his own series of novels published by the BBC.
But The Dying Days by Lance Parkin is the one Virgin New Adventures novel the Eight Doctor got. The Doctor’s companion is Professor Bernice “Benny” Summerfield, an archaeologist from the 26th Century, who first appeared in the Virgin New Adventures, but later in a series of novels and audio adventures of her own.
The book is clearly set shortly after his regeneration from the Seventh Doctor (shown in the TV movie), as Benny is expecting to meet a short, older man, and is surprised when he turns out to be younger, quite a bit taller, a lot more handsome and dressed in a Victorian velvet frock coat. She doesn’t have long to come to terms with the change before she and the Doctor witness a helicopter crash close by, and have to run to see if they can be of assistance.
Soon Benny and the Doctor have to try to stop Ice Warriors from taking over Britain with the help of sinister government officials – and despite it being a very action-packed adventure with an enormous space ship hovering over London and a potential army of Ice Warriors – there are never more than two Ice Warriors “on screen” at the same time. This is a direct response from the author to TV movie producer Philip Segal, who claimed that the reason the TV movie didn’t feature any monsters was because the budget wouldn’t stretch to more than two monster costumes, and “you can’t show an invasion story with only two creatures on screen at the same time”. Lance Parkin proves him very wrong, and if my husband hadn’t pointed this plot point out to me, I doubt I would even have realized that there aren’t hordes of Ice Warriors present in some of the scenes.
Fairly early after starting the Cannonball Read in November, I promised my husband that one of the books I would read would be a Doctor Who novel. Since he is the biggest Doctor Who fan I know, he has watched nearly every existing episode of the show, listened to most of the audio dramas, and read many of the novels. He promised me he would find one that I would enjoy, and as he knows I’m quite a fan of the Eight Doctor from the audio stories I’ve heard with him, and was very disappointed with the TV movie – he figured this would serve as a much worthier introduction to the Eight Doctor than the failed TV pilot.
I’m not even vaguely as big a fan of the show as my husband is, but I have greatly enjoyed BBC’s relaunch since 2005, and also watched and liked a selection of stories with pretty much all of the former Doctors. I’ve also listened to quite a few of the audio stories, but I’d never read one of the book, figuring they were a bit too much like licensed fanfic. Having seen quite a bit of the classic series helped when I read the book, as it does refer to quite a few of the Doctor’s previous adventures and companions. I do not, however, think that someone who had only seen the new show, or who didn’t know a lot of the back-story of the Doctor, would have any trouble picking up this book and enjoying it. If you’ve never heard of the show, it may not be the best introduction, but as a casual fan of Doctor Who it was a fun read.
When the Doctor dies, he regenerates into a new body. This means that when the first actor playing the Doctor needed to be replaced, they were able to keep the show going without any major changes. So far, eleven different actors have played the part of the Doctor, and while they are different ages, have different appearances and personalities, they are all aspects of the same character. This is probably one of the things that makes the show just so brilliant, and likely why it’s managed to stay on the air and quite so immensely popular for so long.
After its cancellation in 1989, it was off the air for a total of 17 years, with the exception of a pretty dreadful attempt of the BBC and Fox to re-launch the show with a TV movie in 1996, starring Paul McGann as the Eight Doctor. This attempt failed spectacularly. In 2005, BBC brought the show back again, starring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as his companion, and this time it did not fail. It’s been one of the biggest television successes since the return, and over ten million watched the end of the hugely popular Tenth Doctor (the lovely David Tennant)’s era on New Year’s Day this year.
As well as the TV show, there have always been novels published about the Doctor’s adventures as well. While the show was on the air, these were usually novelizations of the television episodes, but once the show was off the air, the novels was the only way the fans could get new adventures. From 1991, a series of books was launched, the Virgin New Adventures, which served for a lot of fans as a continuation of the TV series, starring the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy). Only one novel featured the Eight Doctor, who on telly has otherwise only appeared in the aforementioned dreadful TV movie. He does, however, feature as the Doctor in several series of audio dramas and later got his own series of novels published by the BBC.
But The Dying Days by Lance Parkin is the one Virgin New Adventures novel the Eight Doctor got. The Doctor’s companion is Professor Bernice “Benny” Summerfield, an archaeologist from the 26th Century, who first appeared in the Virgin New Adventures, but later in a series of novels and audio adventures of her own.
The book is clearly set shortly after his regeneration from the Seventh Doctor (shown in the TV movie), as Benny is expecting to meet a short, older man, and is surprised when he turns out to be younger, quite a bit taller, a lot more handsome and dressed in a Victorian velvet frock coat. She doesn’t have long to come to terms with the change before she and the Doctor witness a helicopter crash close by, and have to run to see if they can be of assistance.
Soon Benny and the Doctor have to try to stop Ice Warriors from taking over Britain with the help of sinister government officials – and despite it being a very action-packed adventure with an enormous space ship hovering over London and a potential army of Ice Warriors – there are never more than two Ice Warriors “on screen” at the same time. This is a direct response from the author to TV movie producer Philip Segal, who claimed that the reason the TV movie didn’t feature any monsters was because the budget wouldn’t stretch to more than two monster costumes, and “you can’t show an invasion story with only two creatures on screen at the same time”. Lance Parkin proves him very wrong, and if my husband hadn’t pointed this plot point out to me, I doubt I would even have realized that there aren’t hordes of Ice Warriors present in some of the scenes.
Fairly early after starting the Cannonball Read in November, I promised my husband that one of the books I would read would be a Doctor Who novel. Since he is the biggest Doctor Who fan I know, he has watched nearly every existing episode of the show, listened to most of the audio dramas, and read many of the novels. He promised me he would find one that I would enjoy, and as he knows I’m quite a fan of the Eight Doctor from the audio stories I’ve heard with him, and was very disappointed with the TV movie – he figured this would serve as a much worthier introduction to the Eight Doctor than the failed TV pilot.
I’m not even vaguely as big a fan of the show as my husband is, but I have greatly enjoyed BBC’s relaunch since 2005, and also watched and liked a selection of stories with pretty much all of the former Doctors. I’ve also listened to quite a few of the audio stories, but I’d never read one of the book, figuring they were a bit too much like licensed fanfic. Having seen quite a bit of the classic series helped when I read the book, as it does refer to quite a few of the Doctor’s previous adventures and companions. I do not, however, think that someone who had only seen the new show, or who didn’t know a lot of the back-story of the Doctor, would have any trouble picking up this book and enjoying it. If you’ve never heard of the show, it may not be the best introduction, but as a casual fan of Doctor Who it was a fun read.
August 23, 2020
It’s a great story but it suffers from the same thing that a lot of novels set in a universe loved by the author suffer from: it’s way too fannish. There’s a lot of references to other stories (which thankfully don’t get in the way of the reader’s enjoyment) and the author also seems to be a little too fond of his main characters. This isn’t a bad thing but it does become infuriating when miraculous escapes are pulled from seemingly nowhere (although totally within the realms of canon). It is a hell of a ride, though.
December 31, 2015
I'm not a huge fan of Doctor Who books from any era. This book certainly does feel it's age, also. Email was just becoming a mass commodity and mobile phones were in the hands of the rich and powerful. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the Ice Warriors in any of the series out there. I mostly read this book because it was the only book that featured Bernice Summerfield and the Eighth Doctor in the same book.
I really like Benny. I got to know her from the audio plays that are actually placed in her timeline right after she and the Eighth Doctor part company. It is kind of a shame that The Eighth only got one book with Benny, especially as the Doctor is missing during much of this particular book. I know how Benny interacts with The Seventh to a degree just from listening to the few audio plays out there with the two of them together.
Much has been made about the night (or nights) of passion that Benny seems to have with the the Eighth. I just respond in saying the following things. Yes, they definitely did "do it" and this is canonized when the Eighth runs into her again during the brief "Benny's Story" in the "Company of Friends" serial from Big Finish. Should this be that surprising given the actual very human nature of the Eighth Doctor? He really was (and still is) with Paul McGann playing him a "rather d ashing chap" as opposed to the Oswald Cobblepot look of the Seventh Doctor. While Benny is the only one of his companions to be his "age" in appearance and such, this is the Doctor who went into voluntary exile in Zagreus for Charlie and suffers such bitter heartbreak when Lucie dies. I think he genuinely loved Bernice for a long time but only after changing so completely could he finally give in to that part of himself and only in a bittersweet goodbye short of way.
Anyway, this book really is a 90s era Who story in that it doesn't introduce anybody new but falls back on old favorites like The Brigader. The story is pretty basic. A greedy old man tries to use Martians to secure power and take over the world. The Martian he's been talking to is an especially cruel sadistic representative of his species. They turn on each other. In the end, the Doctor somehow defeats the invasion with a lot of help from his friends. I wish we could have spent more time on Benny's interactions with the Doctor, this very new and different doctor. Oh well.
Overall, it was a good read, but not worth the prices I've a seen this book sell for on eBay in the past. It's out of print and very hard to get a legit copy if those things matter a lot to you. But, I figure it's a 20 year old book that only some hard core fans like myself know anything about. I give it three stars for daring to go outside the Who comfort zone in the wonderful epilogue, but wish the rest of the book had been a bit less ho-hum, as they say. It was interesting to know a bit more about the Ice Warriors. That they were like the Ancient Egyptians makes sense given there insanely high technology but relative lack of previous attacks on the Earth. I liked that the Doctor deffered to Benny as an expert on Mars and such. It placed the two more and more as equals, which probably is a huge prerequisite for the Doctor in forming actual romantic attachments. It is the very fact that River Song was always at his level on most things that made it possible for him to marry her, wasn't it?
On the subject of River Song and Bernice Summerfield: a lot of fans have complained about the two being similar, which I think they actually are to a degree. It might be that the Doctor just has a thing for sexy archeologists. I don't think Steve Moffat was ripping off an idea in River's creation. Most people, if they put all their romantic partners of the past next to each other would see they looked and acted similar. Given that the Doctor is quite asexual in some ways, he would be even more selective.
A lot of people really think I'm weird for my favorite doctor being the Eighth. I don't do it to be different or anything. It's really just how much I like Paul McGann and how well he brought out the Doctor in his time in the sound booth at Big Finish. The main reason I don't much like Doctor Who books is that the particular actor makes such a difference on each incarnation. Paul McGann is an incredible actor, despite only two TV appearances. He walked into the rule again in the regeneration episode like he owned the place in his bad ass leather jacket, looking twenty years older but timeless Time Lord just the same. The recent series when he appeared with Alex Kingston, and the magnetism you could feel between them in that brief audio scene was amazing. I can go on and on about why Paul McGann is so truly the Doctor. I mean, he's been doing the audio plays for almost 20 years and still brings so much to the role. And, that just isn't really easy to write into novel form! My least favorite Doctor is likable in the books (it's far and away the Ninth) but I could barely stand each episode with Chris Eccelstson. That and his arrogant treatment of the fans over the last ten years.
Anyway. I really would probably have liked a couple more books with the Eighth Doctor and Bernice Summerfield together. I really like her audio plays also. It is rumored that the Twelfth Doctor is supposed to be in an upcoming book with Benny, which I probably will buy for that simple reason. Too bad it couldn't be an episode or radio play instead!
I really like Benny. I got to know her from the audio plays that are actually placed in her timeline right after she and the Eighth Doctor part company. It is kind of a shame that The Eighth only got one book with Benny, especially as the Doctor is missing during much of this particular book. I know how Benny interacts with The Seventh to a degree just from listening to the few audio plays out there with the two of them together.
Much has been made about the night (or nights) of passion that Benny seems to have with the the Eighth. I just respond in saying the following things. Yes, they definitely did "do it" and this is canonized when the Eighth runs into her again during the brief "Benny's Story" in the "Company of Friends" serial from Big Finish. Should this be that surprising given the actual very human nature of the Eighth Doctor? He really was (and still is) with Paul McGann playing him a "rather d ashing chap" as opposed to the Oswald Cobblepot look of the Seventh Doctor. While Benny is the only one of his companions to be his "age" in appearance and such, this is the Doctor who went into voluntary exile in Zagreus for Charlie and suffers such bitter heartbreak when Lucie dies. I think he genuinely loved Bernice for a long time but only after changing so completely could he finally give in to that part of himself and only in a bittersweet goodbye short of way.
Anyway, this book really is a 90s era Who story in that it doesn't introduce anybody new but falls back on old favorites like The Brigader. The story is pretty basic. A greedy old man tries to use Martians to secure power and take over the world. The Martian he's been talking to is an especially cruel sadistic representative of his species. They turn on each other. In the end, the Doctor somehow defeats the invasion with a lot of help from his friends. I wish we could have spent more time on Benny's interactions with the Doctor, this very new and different doctor. Oh well.
Overall, it was a good read, but not worth the prices I've a seen this book sell for on eBay in the past. It's out of print and very hard to get a legit copy if those things matter a lot to you. But, I figure it's a 20 year old book that only some hard core fans like myself know anything about. I give it three stars for daring to go outside the Who comfort zone in the wonderful epilogue, but wish the rest of the book had been a bit less ho-hum, as they say. It was interesting to know a bit more about the Ice Warriors. That they were like the Ancient Egyptians makes sense given there insanely high technology but relative lack of previous attacks on the Earth. I liked that the Doctor deffered to Benny as an expert on Mars and such. It placed the two more and more as equals, which probably is a huge prerequisite for the Doctor in forming actual romantic attachments. It is the very fact that River Song was always at his level on most things that made it possible for him to marry her, wasn't it?
On the subject of River Song and Bernice Summerfield: a lot of fans have complained about the two being similar, which I think they actually are to a degree. It might be that the Doctor just has a thing for sexy archeologists. I don't think Steve Moffat was ripping off an idea in River's creation. Most people, if they put all their romantic partners of the past next to each other would see they looked and acted similar. Given that the Doctor is quite asexual in some ways, he would be even more selective.
A lot of people really think I'm weird for my favorite doctor being the Eighth. I don't do it to be different or anything. It's really just how much I like Paul McGann and how well he brought out the Doctor in his time in the sound booth at Big Finish. The main reason I don't much like Doctor Who books is that the particular actor makes such a difference on each incarnation. Paul McGann is an incredible actor, despite only two TV appearances. He walked into the rule again in the regeneration episode like he owned the place in his bad ass leather jacket, looking twenty years older but timeless Time Lord just the same. The recent series when he appeared with Alex Kingston, and the magnetism you could feel between them in that brief audio scene was amazing. I can go on and on about why Paul McGann is so truly the Doctor. I mean, he's been doing the audio plays for almost 20 years and still brings so much to the role. And, that just isn't really easy to write into novel form! My least favorite Doctor is likable in the books (it's far and away the Ninth) but I could barely stand each episode with Chris Eccelstson. That and his arrogant treatment of the fans over the last ten years.
Anyway. I really would probably have liked a couple more books with the Eighth Doctor and Bernice Summerfield together. I really like her audio plays also. It is rumored that the Twelfth Doctor is supposed to be in an upcoming book with Benny, which I probably will buy for that simple reason. Too bad it couldn't be an episode or radio play instead!
January 1, 2024
Given that it was apparently written in five weeks, it holds together remarkably well - I found the earlier investigative bits more interesting, but that doesn't mean the alien occupation plot has nothing going for it. Also, I like the Ice Warriors, so that helps.
November 25, 2019
This was fun. There was some stuff that was kind of...unnecessary, and it got a bit over-the-top at times, but over all it was an enjoyable story.
September 15, 2024
Sublime, a brilliant political thriller and a great science fiction book.
May 8, 2012
Notice: It’s worth mentioning here that I haven’t read any of the previous Virgin New Adventures, nor in fact any Who-related media from Virgin (except Dancing The Code, which was awesome), there are therefore several contextual layers to this book upon which I cannot comment, I am given to believe that it’s stacked with in-jokes and references, but I can’t say much about those, just as I can’t tell you weather Bernice Summerfield is in character or not. this did not interfere with my appreciation of the novel.
I might as well start out then by saying that I have also not read The Eight Doctors. I downloaded it, I started it… I gave up. I’m sorry, i made it through The Twin Dilemma, A Fix With The Sontarans, and Dimensions In Time but… reading a bad book is harder. Much harder. anyway it made me rather worried about the prospect of reading 70+ books in the same range. Were these the standards I could look forward to?
Thankfully Lance Parkin came to my rescue with this masterpiece. Like the other Virgin Who-book i’ve read it’s an earth-set story. Like the other Virgin Who-book I’ve read it’s a UNIT story, like the other Virgin Who-book I’ve read it’s an invasion story, an invasion with a history, in which a more scientifically minded individual within the government sells out his country to aliens in the hope of bringing an age of prosperity, and featuring a plucky investigative journalist as a secondary character, and a dapper dandyish Doctor and having a large section of plot revolve around the potential/apparent death of The Doctor. In fact i’d be shocked if there isn’t a direct conceptual lineage between the two novels. But then for all I know they’re all like that :P
Even the style of writing was so similar that it felt at once like an old friend was with me, although given the lighter tone at the start of the story it was rather like said friend had turned up out of the blue with several drinks and hilarious anecdotes.
The tone does darken before too long and we roll thundering into an epic invasion story of a scale Dr Who is not really used to, but deals with comfortably. The bubbly pop-culture of my native mid 90s is replaced by the delightfully characterized figure of Lord Xznaal, who’s emotional reaction to our planet and culture is in turns heartwarming and side splitting. it’s almost impossible to root against him at times.
Benny seems to be well captured, though as I say I have no prior experience with her. her struggling with the Doctor’s transformation in the first half of the novel grounds him nicely to the Seventh Doctor, and to BBC Who in general. it removes the sense of american-ness which may otherwise have lingered, and brings home the feeling that he really is The Doctor.
As for Eight, he’s a delight. just as I imagined him. I don’t know if it’s more a credit to Parkin’s writing, or McGann’s original performance that so much character could come from an hour and a half screen-time and a not too brilliant script.
It’s also lovely to see the Brigadier again, and heartwarming in a way that only post-retirement Brig can be.
I could witter on about other things, the brilliant resolution, how much fun Grayhaven is, the fact that Bambera’s presence feels a little under-used, or how it does take a little mental maneuvering to park your brain in the space under Dr. Who cannonicity reserved for a major international/interplanetary incident nobody seems to remember, or Britain having all but won the space race.
But all that really needs saying is that this was an amazing, hilarious, believable, suspense filled epic.
Hard act to follow though
I might as well start out then by saying that I have also not read The Eight Doctors. I downloaded it, I started it… I gave up. I’m sorry, i made it through The Twin Dilemma, A Fix With The Sontarans, and Dimensions In Time but… reading a bad book is harder. Much harder. anyway it made me rather worried about the prospect of reading 70+ books in the same range. Were these the standards I could look forward to?
Thankfully Lance Parkin came to my rescue with this masterpiece. Like the other Virgin Who-book i’ve read it’s an earth-set story. Like the other Virgin Who-book I’ve read it’s a UNIT story, like the other Virgin Who-book I’ve read it’s an invasion story, an invasion with a history, in which a more scientifically minded individual within the government sells out his country to aliens in the hope of bringing an age of prosperity, and featuring a plucky investigative journalist as a secondary character, and a dapper dandyish Doctor and having a large section of plot revolve around the potential/apparent death of The Doctor. In fact i’d be shocked if there isn’t a direct conceptual lineage between the two novels. But then for all I know they’re all like that :P
Even the style of writing was so similar that it felt at once like an old friend was with me, although given the lighter tone at the start of the story it was rather like said friend had turned up out of the blue with several drinks and hilarious anecdotes.
The tone does darken before too long and we roll thundering into an epic invasion story of a scale Dr Who is not really used to, but deals with comfortably. The bubbly pop-culture of my native mid 90s is replaced by the delightfully characterized figure of Lord Xznaal, who’s emotional reaction to our planet and culture is in turns heartwarming and side splitting. it’s almost impossible to root against him at times.
Benny seems to be well captured, though as I say I have no prior experience with her. her struggling with the Doctor’s transformation in the first half of the novel grounds him nicely to the Seventh Doctor, and to BBC Who in general. it removes the sense of american-ness which may otherwise have lingered, and brings home the feeling that he really is The Doctor.
As for Eight, he’s a delight. just as I imagined him. I don’t know if it’s more a credit to Parkin’s writing, or McGann’s original performance that so much character could come from an hour and a half screen-time and a not too brilliant script.
It’s also lovely to see the Brigadier again, and heartwarming in a way that only post-retirement Brig can be.
I could witter on about other things, the brilliant resolution, how much fun Grayhaven is, the fact that Bambera’s presence feels a little under-used, or how it does take a little mental maneuvering to park your brain in the space under Dr. Who cannonicity reserved for a major international/interplanetary incident nobody seems to remember, or Britain having all but won the space race.
But all that really needs saying is that this was an amazing, hilarious, believable, suspense filled epic.
Hard act to follow though
Read
December 23, 2009http://nhw.livejournal.com/535272.html[return][return]This is a story of the Eighth Doctor, Bernice Summerfield and the Brigadier defending 1997 London from an invasion of Ice Warriors from Mars. There is lots to like here. I especially liked the setting - the casual name-dropping of real celebrities from 1997 (including Lalla Ward twice, once as herself and once as Romana), but in the world of Doctor Who (the Whoniverse?), where the UK has had a massive space programme since the early 1970s - a sort of sfnal Cool Britannia. It was a heck of a lot more convincing than, say Remembrance of the Daleks' attempt to reconstruct 1963. The basic plot got a little convoluted - sinister British technocrat is conspiring with the aliens to take power, with lots of little details that didn't always tie up well - but the characterisation and writing was great. Sure, the final escape from certain death through improvised parachute and airbags is a bit of a stretch of the imagination, but hey, we have a Time Lord battling invaders from a Mars with a breathable atmosphere - you expect gritty realism?
July 11, 2013
This is one of thosebooks I wish I could give half stars for. I would actually give this a 3.5 but couldn't bring myself to give it 4 because although it is enjoyable, there is just too much wrong with it.
The writing is good, the story is good, the action is great and the characters well realised. It is well worth reading and I would definitely recommend it.
My main problems were that the entire middle of the book has no Doctor in it at all and just drags on, he's really only in the beginning and end of the book, this is really, to be honest, a Bernie Summerfield story where the Doctor just happens to pop up.
Also, being a huge fan of the original 'V' books and mini-series, it just felt too familiar like I'd read it all before. It really is very similar in too many ways for me.
Other than those two gripes, it is actually very enjoyable and a pretty good and fun adventure.
The writing is good, the story is good, the action is great and the characters well realised. It is well worth reading and I would definitely recommend it.
My main problems were that the entire middle of the book has no Doctor in it at all and just drags on, he's really only in the beginning and end of the book, this is really, to be honest, a Bernie Summerfield story where the Doctor just happens to pop up.
Also, being a huge fan of the original 'V' books and mini-series, it just felt too familiar like I'd read it all before. It really is very similar in too many ways for me.
Other than those two gripes, it is actually very enjoyable and a pretty good and fun adventure.
November 6, 2014
Given that Doctor Who is now a BBC staple, a multi-million pound flagship programme for the Corporation, it is hard to remember that between 1989 and 2005 the show was dead in the water, at one point consisting of a single desk in the BBC Books office. The Dying Days comes in halfway through this long time in the wilderness. And what a book. I couldn't put it down! So many 90s references were a dream to this 90s child. Good monsters, good villains, good cast of heroes... And at the centre of it all, our favourite, The Doctor. Can he get out of this one alive?
August 25, 2012
A must read for all Doctor Who fans (or just fans of the 8th incarnation of the popular Timelord). It's the only Virgin - New Adventure to feature the 8th Doctor as portrayed by actor Paul McGann in the FOX TV movie. It shares a lot of themes with the latest version of the show, making it accessible to new fans; A massive alien space ship over London, pop culture references galore, a spunky time-traveling archeologist and of course the Doctor snogging somebody...
September 1, 2023
A weird mess of a story, as they try to tie up a bunch of stuff from the New Adventures line, as this was the last hurrah.
Fun to see the 8th in action, and most of the TV easter eggs are clever, but the story trips over all the story threads, I have never liked Benny and feels more like an epilogue than a 'season finale'.
Do like that the writer makes sure to tell us what happens to the cat.
Fun to see the 8th in action, and most of the TV easter eggs are clever, but the story trips over all the story threads, I have never liked Benny and feels more like an epilogue than a 'season finale'.
Do like that the writer makes sure to tell us what happens to the cat.
Read
December 30, 2016at one point, in order to get access to an internet cafe, the Doctor tells Bernice 'she's not a child anymore...' heavily implying that she should bribe the attendant (a man) with what must be assumed to be sexual favors.
it turns out she just talks to the guy about star trek but the way it was written was just fucking awful. the doctor would never imply for his companions to do shit like that.
it turns out she just talks to the guy about star trek but the way it was written was just fucking awful. the doctor would never imply for his companions to do shit like that.
January 4, 2011
If you don't fall in love with Paul McGann's 8th Doctor after reading this breathless novel, then you have no romance in your soul. :) I've always had an appreciation for Lance Parkin's writing...and he gives the 8th Doctor a fabulous, outrageous & epic print introduction.
July 4, 2009
Good.
July 9, 2012
The Ice Warriors show up to subjugate Earth, but are ultimately defeated by the Eighth Doctor, Bernice Summerfield, The Brig and Brigadier Bambera. This kind of sagged in the middle for me.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews