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Doctor Who: Virgin New Adventures #42
Doctor Who: Toy Soldiers
"Children make better soldiers," said the teddy bear. "They kill without compunction."
The Doctor and Benny are following a trail of kidnapped children across Europe, a continent recovering from the ravages of the First World War. The only clue they find is the toy bear each missing child was given. But someone is aware of their search, and they soon find themselves unwilling guests on the planet Q'ell, where a similar war still rages — and has done for fourteen hundred years.
Stranded on Earth, Chris Cwej and Roslyn Forrester struggle to find a way of stopping the Q'ell from recruiting every child in the world to their cause. And the Doctor tries to start a peaceful revolution on a planet where there is no longer any word for peace.
The Doctor and Benny are following a trail of kidnapped children across Europe, a continent recovering from the ravages of the First World War. The only clue they find is the toy bear each missing child was given. But someone is aware of their search, and they soon find themselves unwilling guests on the planet Q'ell, where a similar war still rages — and has done for fourteen hundred years.
Stranded on Earth, Chris Cwej and Roslyn Forrester struggle to find a way of stopping the Q'ell from recruiting every child in the world to their cause. And the Doctor tries to start a peaceful revolution on a planet where there is no longer any word for peace.
244 pages, Paperback
First published September 21, 1995
1 person is currently reading
238 people want to read
About the author
Paul Leonard
75 books8 followersPaul J. Leonard Hinder, better known by his pseudonym of Paul Leonard and also originally published as PJL Hinder, is an author best known for his work on various spin-off fiction based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.
Leonard has acknowledged a debt to his friend and fellow Doctor Who author Jim Mortimore in his writing career, having turned to Mortimore for help and advice at the start of it. This advice led to his first novel, Venusian Lullaby being published as part of Virgin Publishing's Missing Adventures range in 1994. Virgin published three more of his novels before losing their licence to publish Doctor Who fiction: Dancing the Code (1995); Speed of Flight (1996) and (as part of their New Adventures range) Toy Soldiers (1995). Following the loss of their licence, Virgin also published the novel Dry Pilgrimage (co-written with Nick Walters) in 1998 as part of their Bernice Summerfield range of novels.
Leonard also wrote for the fourth volume of Virgin's Decalog short story collections. Following this, he was asked to co-edit the fifth volume of the collection with mentor Jim Mortimore.
Leonard's experience in writing for Doctor Who led to him being asked to write one of the first novels in BBC Books Eighth Doctor Adventures series, the novel Genocide. This led to four further novels for the range, of which The Turing Test received particular acclaim for its evocative use of real-life historical characters and first person narrative.
Leonard has also written short stories for the BBC Short Trips and Big Finish Short Trips collections.
Leonard has acknowledged a debt to his friend and fellow Doctor Who author Jim Mortimore in his writing career, having turned to Mortimore for help and advice at the start of it. This advice led to his first novel, Venusian Lullaby being published as part of Virgin Publishing's Missing Adventures range in 1994. Virgin published three more of his novels before losing their licence to publish Doctor Who fiction: Dancing the Code (1995); Speed of Flight (1996) and (as part of their New Adventures range) Toy Soldiers (1995). Following the loss of their licence, Virgin also published the novel Dry Pilgrimage (co-written with Nick Walters) in 1998 as part of their Bernice Summerfield range of novels.
Leonard also wrote for the fourth volume of Virgin's Decalog short story collections. Following this, he was asked to co-edit the fifth volume of the collection with mentor Jim Mortimore.
Leonard's experience in writing for Doctor Who led to him being asked to write one of the first novels in BBC Books Eighth Doctor Adventures series, the novel Genocide. This led to four further novels for the range, of which The Turing Test received particular acclaim for its evocative use of real-life historical characters and first person narrative.
Leonard has also written short stories for the BBC Short Trips and Big Finish Short Trips collections.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 12, 2021
So I don't think this is a perfect novel, but it really hit my sweet spot for Seventh Doctor characterisation (yes he's a schemer, but I also 100% believe he's the kind of person to carry around Sainsbury's own brand pies to hand out to starving children in 1919 Germany), I didn't feel it dragging at any point, there were genuinely moving scenes and I was genuinely upset when characters died, something I don't think these books always manage to make me care about.
May 24, 2023
Manda bit her lip. "This is leading somewhere, isn't it?" She asked. "I mean, we are going to be able to go home?"
"Home?" asked the Doctor, in a tone that made Manda's heart stop in her chest for a moment. It was as if he barely recognised the word, didn't understand that such as 'home' existed. "Yes, I should think so."
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Trigger warnings: racism, use of n word (period setting), and mentions canablism and mind control.
This book took me by surprise. I have read Paul's other doctor who book genocide and really enjoyed that, so I was expecting some great things from this, and was not let down.
I think this is an important book people need to read for many reasons. Especially in terms of dealing with prejudice and racism. As I am white, I cannot comment on how respectful it was handled on sucb topics but I know with the characters like Josef and Roz were treated I thought it was an extremely important message.
Roz is amazing and I adore her. She's become a new favourite of mine, and I grew so protein of her in this book.
I am going to write a proper review tomorrow when I'm not typing on my phone, but highly enjoyed this.
"Home?" asked the Doctor, in a tone that made Manda's heart stop in her chest for a moment. It was as if he barely recognised the word, didn't understand that such as 'home' existed. "Yes, I should think so."
-
Trigger warnings: racism, use of n word (period setting), and mentions canablism and mind control.
This book took me by surprise. I have read Paul's other doctor who book genocide and really enjoyed that, so I was expecting some great things from this, and was not let down.
I think this is an important book people need to read for many reasons. Especially in terms of dealing with prejudice and racism. As I am white, I cannot comment on how respectful it was handled on sucb topics but I know with the characters like Josef and Roz were treated I thought it was an extremely important message.
Roz is amazing and I adore her. She's become a new favourite of mine, and I grew so protein of her in this book.
I am going to write a proper review tomorrow when I'm not typing on my phone, but highly enjoyed this.
March 7, 2024
The Virgin New Adventures is a series of Doctor Who novels that partially helped bring the show back eventually after a great many years of hiatus. Many writers who have since written for the show initially started with the Virgin New Adventures but some others unfortunately fell under the radar. Paul Leonard is a very hit-and-miss author with some really good stories and others that feel either very undeveloped or poorly conceived. Dancing The Code is a really fun 3rd Doctor story if not a little bit too bleak for its good in places and Genocide is a story with a terrific idea but ultimately falls flat. Toy Soldiers was the author's third Doctor Who novel and one I was a little apprehensive about.
The Tardis Crew are following a trail of kidnapped children across Europe, a continent still recovering from the First World War. The only clue they have found so far is a toy bear that each missing child was given. The Doctor once again leaps in to save the day but with somebody else one step ahead of him, he and Bernice are soon flung off to another world, whilst Chris and Roz are left behind to fend for themselves and to stop a terrible catastrophe. Bernice Summerfield is soon brainwashed into becoming a soldier, where children, adults, and other lifeforms are forced to fight in a never-ending war.
Paul Leonard's first and only Virgin New Adventure proves to be a very exciting and action-packed read that is partially an epic war story set in another world and an engrossing historical that is at times very unsettling, whilst discussing sensitive topics such as racism and other prejudices that lurked about during the aftermath of World War One. It's a very unforgiving and bloodthirsty tale that does a lot for our characters. Roz is put into a very harrowing and upsetting situation where she is forced to see the ugliness of human history firsthand with only Chris and a grieving mother on her side, Bernice is brainwashed into becoming a person she doesn't want to be and The Doctor is thrown into a situation where with every move he makes, he's immediately outwitted leading him down of a spiraling tunnel of anger and despair.
It is a story with some very graphic descriptions, a meaningful message on the pointlessness of war, and also a dive into the sheer hatred and prejudice that lurks within human history. It's a novel that in many ways would never be published now under the Doctor Who brand not only because of how graphic and dark this story gets but because it does use some very insensitive language that wouldn't be accepted in this day and age. No matter how much the author might be trying to highlight the harsh realities of racism and hatred.
Overall: It's an excellent Doctor Who novel that in my opinion was very well executed. It's not going to be for everyone since in very typical Leonard fashion it is very dark and unsettling, with some very sensitive topics thrown into the mix. 9/10
The Tardis Crew are following a trail of kidnapped children across Europe, a continent still recovering from the First World War. The only clue they have found so far is a toy bear that each missing child was given. The Doctor once again leaps in to save the day but with somebody else one step ahead of him, he and Bernice are soon flung off to another world, whilst Chris and Roz are left behind to fend for themselves and to stop a terrible catastrophe. Bernice Summerfield is soon brainwashed into becoming a soldier, where children, adults, and other lifeforms are forced to fight in a never-ending war.
Paul Leonard's first and only Virgin New Adventure proves to be a very exciting and action-packed read that is partially an epic war story set in another world and an engrossing historical that is at times very unsettling, whilst discussing sensitive topics such as racism and other prejudices that lurked about during the aftermath of World War One. It's a very unforgiving and bloodthirsty tale that does a lot for our characters. Roz is put into a very harrowing and upsetting situation where she is forced to see the ugliness of human history firsthand with only Chris and a grieving mother on her side, Bernice is brainwashed into becoming a person she doesn't want to be and The Doctor is thrown into a situation where with every move he makes, he's immediately outwitted leading him down of a spiraling tunnel of anger and despair.
It is a story with some very graphic descriptions, a meaningful message on the pointlessness of war, and also a dive into the sheer hatred and prejudice that lurks within human history. It's a novel that in many ways would never be published now under the Doctor Who brand not only because of how graphic and dark this story gets but because it does use some very insensitive language that wouldn't be accepted in this day and age. No matter how much the author might be trying to highlight the harsh realities of racism and hatred.
Overall: It's an excellent Doctor Who novel that in my opinion was very well executed. It's not going to be for everyone since in very typical Leonard fashion it is very dark and unsettling, with some very sensitive topics thrown into the mix. 9/10
January 12, 2021
Not a bad VNA but doesn't really end up holding together very well. Much of the plot is not explained and for shock value. The premise isn't too bad, but isn't much different from The War Games.
It does have some great imagery which seems to be its selling point. It also a nice quick read which makes a change from some of the bloat we had been having in VNAs around this point.
One other disappointment is that Roz and Chris continued to be sidelined, as the writers still don't seem to have a handle on how to use them. They start of looking like they are going to do an interesting investigation and have some nice moments but it ends up coming to naught.
It does have some great imagery which seems to be its selling point. It also a nice quick read which makes a change from some of the bloat we had been having in VNAs around this point.
One other disappointment is that Roz and Chris continued to be sidelined, as the writers still don't seem to have a handle on how to use them. They start of looking like they are going to do an interesting investigation and have some nice moments but it ends up coming to naught.
November 30, 2025
I enjoyed other Paul Leonard DW novels I have read, so felt let down by this one. The story centers on Doctor 7 and crew investigating child vanishments at the end of WWI. There is an elaborate plot involving someone using teddy bears as transmat locators to whisk away children to fight a war on a far-off planet, after some nasty surgical brainwashing. I find three large problems with this novel. Problem 1: Yet again we have Doctor 7 and crew playing intergalactic Mission: Impossible, complete with costumes, false identities, improbably easy insertions into businesses, governments, and other institutions. I say it again - The Doctor is a tourist, not an agent. He stumbles upon trouble; he does not go looking for it. Problem 2: To get all the bits of Leonard's main idea tied together would require a much longer novel. Too many threads are left hanging. Too many rationales are rushed through without consideration for the necessary logic. Characters are brought in, raised in importance just by volume of narrative devoted to them, only to be killed off without particular consequence to the plot, and then forgotten. Problem 3: This novel, like so many in the New Adventures line, has a messy and unnecessarily violent ending, discounting the denouement.
Among the better aspects of the novel are that the references to other Doctor Who stories are minimal and not gratuitous. Leonard does a very good job of writing from teenager perspectives without using the usual teen clichés. The villain of the story is misguided rather than evil, thus adding some needed moral depth to the story.
It's not a bad read, just not a good one.
Among the better aspects of the novel are that the references to other Doctor Who stories are minimal and not gratuitous. Leonard does a very good job of writing from teenager perspectives without using the usual teen clichés. The villain of the story is misguided rather than evil, thus adding some needed moral depth to the story.
It's not a bad read, just not a good one.
July 5, 2020
Overall, it’s a pretty decent read - certainly an improvement coming after Zamper at least. It manages to do a lot of things in a similar page count a lot better.
For starters, it juggles the TARDIS crew a lot better than the previous two books, and while Chris and Roz are separate from the Doctor and Benny for almost the entire story, they still get enough to do that they don’t feel like they’ve just been sidelined again.
As well as this, the characters original to this story are for the most part very well-rounded and sympathetic - there’s a few that it’s very easy to care about, especially when things start taking a turn for the worse. Despite the fairly grim cover, I naively thought this one might have been a bit less gritty than other NAs but soon enough there’s children being killed fairly brutally and whatnot. Leonard doesn’t seem to do this just to be unnecessarily violent or to revel in characters suffering for the sake of it at least, so I can be a bit more forgiving than I might usually be.
The plot itself is decent enough and moves along at a great pace that makes it easy to get through. There’s maybe one or two little things that feel kind of unresolved at the end but it ties up well for the most part.
For starters, it juggles the TARDIS crew a lot better than the previous two books, and while Chris and Roz are separate from the Doctor and Benny for almost the entire story, they still get enough to do that they don’t feel like they’ve just been sidelined again.
As well as this, the characters original to this story are for the most part very well-rounded and sympathetic - there’s a few that it’s very easy to care about, especially when things start taking a turn for the worse. Despite the fairly grim cover, I naively thought this one might have been a bit less gritty than other NAs but soon enough there’s children being killed fairly brutally and whatnot. Leonard doesn’t seem to do this just to be unnecessarily violent or to revel in characters suffering for the sake of it at least, so I can be a bit more forgiving than I might usually be.
The plot itself is decent enough and moves along at a great pace that makes it easy to get through. There’s maybe one or two little things that feel kind of unresolved at the end but it ties up well for the most part.
March 16, 2021
A fast and exciting read, involving soldiers, children and giant teddy bears!
In some ways, this reminded me of the Second Doctor serial "The War Games". It contains the same "futility of war" theme and the war is controlled in a similar way.
Some memorable guest characters and a fast-moving plot make this story great.
Trigger Warning: There are some elements of archaic racism, but we must bear in mind that this story is set just after the First World War, and people back then tended to make wrong assumptions about non-whites. It feels a bit cringey to read, but it's authentic to the time-period.
In some ways, this reminded me of the Second Doctor serial "The War Games". It contains the same "futility of war" theme and the war is controlled in a similar way.
Some memorable guest characters and a fast-moving plot make this story great.
Trigger Warning: There are some elements of archaic racism, but we must bear in mind that this story is set just after the First World War, and people back then tended to make wrong assumptions about non-whites. It feels a bit cringey to read, but it's authentic to the time-period.
September 4, 2021
An easy read compared to most of the more complex NA's. Ros's encounter with racism is a good sideline. A comment on children in war. Some characters regrettably sacrificed along the way. Not overly bogged down in descriptive prose. A swashbuckling fast paced novel following the genre of Doctor meets corruption Doctor beats corruption with no holds barred in the blood and gore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2024
Another underwhelming New Adventure. I like Paul Leonard's contributions to The Missing Adventures quite a bit, but his word choice is occasionally quite poor here, especially in his dialogue for the Recruiter during the climax.
March 23, 2025
Overplays its hand early on, and a bit too unrelentingly gloomy for my taste. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...
January 7, 2013
In Toy Soldiers we get the plot of people sucked away from their native times to fight in a foreign/alien war. I feel like I've seen this somewhere before. Yes, The War Games, I'm looking at you. Leonard tries to make it more concrete by pulling most folks from the WWI era and he tried to make it more emotional by using kids, but I felt like I had a recycled plot from the start.
Fortunately, Leonard made good use of it. We got an en media res beginning that left us off-balance, and we only learned about The War Games as our characters investigated them. Then, when we got dumped into the war proper, it was through the eyes of Benny, who was one of the brainwashed masses.
All in all a good use of what could have been a tired plot, especially in its ending when Leonard tugs on lots of emotional strings.
As for the companions, I feel like Leonard makes particularly good use of Roz and Chris - but then who hasn't thus far? He again plays up their role as police men by letting them act as a private investigators. The fact that they're from the future, meanwhile, show up in their misunderstandings about what technologies are available in the 1910s. At times, this felt a little unbelievable, but I think Leonard walked the line well. Finally, we get to see Roz deal with the racism of of the WWI, a good topic, that I think was too white-washed when the New Who started having black companions.
Overall, an enjoyable book if not necessarily a deep one.
Fortunately, Leonard made good use of it. We got an en media res beginning that left us off-balance, and we only learned about The War Games as our characters investigated them. Then, when we got dumped into the war proper, it was through the eyes of Benny, who was one of the brainwashed masses.
All in all a good use of what could have been a tired plot, especially in its ending when Leonard tugs on lots of emotional strings.
As for the companions, I feel like Leonard makes particularly good use of Roz and Chris - but then who hasn't thus far? He again plays up their role as police men by letting them act as a private investigators. The fact that they're from the future, meanwhile, show up in their misunderstandings about what technologies are available in the 1910s. At times, this felt a little unbelievable, but I think Leonard walked the line well. Finally, we get to see Roz deal with the racism of of the WWI, a good topic, that I think was too white-washed when the New Who started having black companions.
Overall, an enjoyable book if not necessarily a deep one.
December 11, 2023
Quite easily one of my favourite VNAs in quite a while. Having completed the VMAs prior to the VNAs, Paul Leonard was a favourite author of mine already. The Doctor was well written - totally in character, as well as deftly managing to identify the core elements of the Doctor. A novel with a clear message and one it aims to execute - and does so well. Vivid characters, with genuinely human characters who you cared for. Their lives seem suddenly intensely important. A rich compliment to Human Nature; both examinations of society and WW1 are interesting, especially considering, save for scenes in the epilogue of HN and the first chapter of TS, neither is actually set within WW1.
Roz and Chris also get stuff to do, which actually progress the plot. The themes of racism observed in the plot are interesting too, and it's clear that Leonard gave this some consideration. I'm not in a position to comment myself on the success and failures myself, but to me, it felt well-executed. The book flew by with zero padding, and, in a very rare moment, I didn't feel as if I was plodding along, almost counting pages. Worthy of more praise than it seems to get - I was surprised to find out Leonard wasn't such a fan. If you read the VNAs, it's one you shouldn't miss. 9/10.
Roz and Chris also get stuff to do, which actually progress the plot. The themes of racism observed in the plot are interesting too, and it's clear that Leonard gave this some consideration. I'm not in a position to comment myself on the success and failures myself, but to me, it felt well-executed. The book flew by with zero padding, and, in a very rare moment, I didn't feel as if I was plodding along, almost counting pages. Worthy of more praise than it seems to get - I was surprised to find out Leonard wasn't such a fan. If you read the VNAs, it's one you shouldn't miss. 9/10.
May 12, 2013
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2107520.html[return][return]Leonard has the Seventh Doctor, Benny, Chris and Roz encountering an alien computer which is kidnapping children in 1919 to turn them into perfect soldiers. Even in 1995, when this was published, this must have seemed a desperate attempt to rewrite The War Games; the first season Sarah Jane story Warriors of Kudlak takes the same rather improbable wrinkle of using children but does it far far better. The premise is weak, the violence is nasty and gratuitous, and the evil computer is persuaded to see the error of its ways after hearing three sentences from the Doctor.
April 12, 2011
Paul Leonard's first "Doctor Who" novel is an exotic mix of child soliders, steam-punk war technology, and WWI-era despair. This heady brew doesn't always gel, but the pace is slick, and much of the imagery is disturbing...in all the ways a gripping thriller "should" be disturbing.
June 5, 2015
Probably a bit too middle-of-the-road, but it's well executed middle-of-the-road. An unusual WWI setting, good use of the companions, interesting side characters, a logic focused computer as a villain talked into defeat by the Doctor... Exactly one wants and it's all neat and nice.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews