Doctor Who: Dreams of Empire

Past Doctor Adventures #14

by Justin Richards

Landing on a barren asteroid, the Doctor and his friends discover the final pages of a drama that has torn apart an empire are being played out.

Who is the man in the mask, and how are his chess games affecting life and death in his prison? What is the secret of the knights in armor that line the bleak walls of the settlement. And what is the nature of the alien ship approaching -- and what will it want when it arrives?

Soon the TARDIS crew find themselves under siege with a deadly robotic race and human traitors to defeat -- and the future of an entire stellar empire hangs in the balance: if the Doctor cannot triumph it will become a force not for good, but for evil.

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

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 3, 1999

About the author

Justin Richards is a British writer. He has written many spin off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and he is Creative Director for the BBC Books range. He has also written for television, contributing to Five's soap opera Family Affairs. He is also the author of a series of crime novels for children about the Invisible Detective, and novels for older children. His Doctor Who novel The Burning was placed sixth in the Top 10 of SFX magazine's "Best SF/Fantasy novelisation or TV tie-in novel" category of 2000.

Reviews

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kesar once started a massive civil war. He wanted to be the sole ruler of his empire, portraying himself as his people’s savior. But he lost. The senate didn’t want to kill him and make him a martyr, because he still has quite a large and loyal following. Now he’s rotting away in prison on an asteroid. His face is so disfigured, his face is always covered by an iron mask. And all he is allowed to do to kill some time is play chess.

The second doctor, Jaime and Victoria arrive just as a man is murdered in the prison. So this immediately makes their arrival seem very suspicious. But it soon becomes clear that there’s a lot more going on in this prison.


This story is clearly very inspired by Julius Caesar and the what if scenario of: what would have happened had he been imprisoned instead of murdered. The Man in the Iron Mask is also quite an apparent source of inspiration that only elevates the story at hand. I think the concept of this story is quite fascinating. And the characters are the true highlight of this story. The fascinating figure of Kesar and the chemistry between the second doctor and his companions is very much put on display here. The pacing is quite slow, which is fitting for an early Doctor Who story. Unfortunately, the plot is a bit too uneventful until we get to the end. And there’s quite a few scenes where two characters are just playing chess.


Overall, a solid but rather slow Doctor Who story with a cool surprise ending.

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

"No, I am not a gifted amateur, as you put it. Rather I am an absolute professional in fields that your people do not yet even count among the professions."

This book was fantastic! I loved every minute of reading it! Not only was it a great book for Doctor Who fans, but just in general I found the story very engaging and interesting. The writing was direct and clear, and easy to follow.

"It's always best to argue from a position of knowledge."

Despite being somewhat of a newbie to the Doctor Who fandom, after watching a few episodes with each Doctor, I quickly had it cemented in my brain that the second Doctor was one of my favorite regenerations. I love watching him because of his great sense of humor, and his quirky and eccentric personalitiy that would always get him out of sticky situations. I was a bit worried, when I started this book, that the author would not successfully be able to incorporate the second Doctor's personality within the story. But there was no need to fret, because he was absolutely perfect in this book! I love his relationship with his two companians, Jaime and Victoria. The three of them have such a strong friendship, and I love seeing them interact with each other. Here is a snippet of one of my favorite moments:

"The thing is," the Doctor said, "is to cultivate a good balance of both common sense and physical acumen."

"Acu-what?"

"He means," Victoria said, "that you need both. Common sense and physical strength. Intelligence and good intentions."

"Oh, aye." Jaime nodded in knowing agreement. "That's what I thought."

"Take me for example," the Doctor continued. "As your role model in our adventures, I m ake a point of displaying a perfect combination of all these attributes and talents."

Neither Victoria or Jaime spoke.

The Doctor looked from on to the other. Then he coughed, and returned his attention to the console.

See what I mean? It's just wonderful, this book. If you're a fan of Doctor Who, I think you will enjoy this book! Espescially if you have a soft spot for the second Doctor.

[F.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve found Justin Richards’ Doctor Who novels a bit so-so previously, which probably explains why this one has been languishing on my kindle for nigh-on three years without me reading it. But, fair is fair, ‘Dreams of Empire’ is actually pretty damn good. After years of never reading science fiction, I’ve discovered that I’m a sucker for space opera, and so this futuristic tale of political intrigue (without apology modelled on the end of the Roman republic) is definitely designed for me to lap up. On a remote prison asteroid, the bloody conclusion to a civil war is being played out, with murder, skulduggery, treacherous plots and the imminent invasion of a robot army – what more could my inner Doctor Who geek want?

Some of the other reviews I’ve read suggest that some people find this a hard book to get into. I think though that that’s because it’s so desperately trying to ape the TV series of the time. So there’s an early chapter where The Second Doctor, Victoria and Jamie just mill about in the Tardis as that’s what the old show used to do when there were a few minutes to kill that week. (Later on Victoria finds herself a bit patronised for being a girl; whilst there is only a brief suggestion that The Doctor isn’t actually human.) No doubt there are a lot of fans out there who would like a Doctor Who story to get straight into the action, the way the rebooted show does, but for me there’s a great deal of charm and old fashioned fun to be had in this tribute to the Troughton era circa 1968.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

On a fortress built into an asteroid on the frontier of the Haddron Empire rests Hans Keysar. Formerly one of the three consuls of the republic, he is a prisoner after a failed attempt to become emperor that resulted in a debilitating civil war. Now on the eve of a visit by Milton Trayx — his friend, former co-consul and victor in the civil war — someone is engineering a plan of escape. But that plan doesn't factor in the unexpected arrival of the Doctor and his companions Jamie and Victoria, who arrive just as the first moves are made . . .

I must confess that early on in Justin Richards's novel I was tempted to give up on it, as it starts out slowly and introduces a number of ill-defined characters who were at times difficult to distinguish in the text. Once Richards sets the pieces of his story into place, however, the novel snaps together into a fairly entertaining book that leavens the "base under siege" storyline that were such a standard of the Second Doctor's era with a degree of political intrigue. The twists at the end — some predictable, others less so — keep things lively and entertaining as well. I'm glad I persevered with it, as it proved in the end to be worth the effort.

[Lea · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a story featuring the Second Doctor and his companions Jamie and Victoria. I have never watched the Second Doctor and didn't know what he was like - and I still don't feel like i know what he was like. I did like the interaction between Jamie and Victoria, but that was the only part of this novel I enjoyed. The story was about some sci-fi version of Old Rome and chess - which should be engaging, but really really wasn't.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant take on the Second Doctor.
One of the central strands of the story is chess and there are other Doctor's incarnations that you would have though had suited the story better (mainly Seventh) but it works surprisingly well.

[Rob Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid Second Doctor adventure, I liked the humour between The Doctor and his companions Jamie and Victoria.
Jamie and Victoria do feel a bit sidelined at times (the story probably would have held its own as a companion lite tale). I did get a bit lost with the numerous secondary characters, many of which didn't have much depth to them. I liked the twist towards the end.

[Peter Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest success of this book is that it, against the odds, succeeds in presenting a highly recognisable Second Doctor with both his surface image of a fool and his sub surface cunning.
This is quite achievement, as the author points out in his introduction, because Troughton’s Doctor’s deeper side was portrayed through his expressive face much more than in novel friendly dialogue.
However the book also succeeds in being equally successful in replicating two the TV show’s most common plot flaws. Firstly the Doctor pretty much works out who the main villain is but decides not to mention it to anyone for a while. Secondly the old chestnut of ignoring the option of getting everyone into the Tardis, and flying off before more bad guys arrive, rears its head here. Indeed it rears several heads which all scream loudly at you. Faced with a communications blackout, and a ship with up to 1048 hostile robots heading their way, but still a whole day away, the protagonists decide to ignore both the Tardis and another (admittedly small) perfectly working ship they have on hand and decide to get a good night’s sleep instead....

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly intense book, and much darker than Justin Richards' other "Doctor Who" tales. It reads like a technological "Game of Thrones" with a bit of Asimov imperialism...into which the Doctor & company have intruded. The darkness stretches to the Second Doctor himself: this is the more subdued Time Lord of his first season, rather than the more mercurial imp of later stories, and Mr. Richards captures him with suitable panache. This wasn't at all what I was expecting...and I'm very impressed.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good classic who story and this one was very entertaining. I was torn as to whether to give it 4 stars or 3, I’d say it was a 3.75 as I really did enjoy reading it. Some great moments between the second doctor and his companions, Victoria and Jamie and I really love the trio. It was a good story and full of drama and suspense (and wow, the second doc can definitely be a bit dark at times..!) but initially I did find it quite hard to follow.

It was heavy in the politics of this alien world and I kept loosing track of names, chains of command, who was who etc.. but eventually got into it. It wasn’t a bad story all in all.

[Gareth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat claustrophobic base under siege story from Justin Richards, this tale set in a prison manages to evade some of the obvious tropes by keeping it civil for the most part, and blurring the loyalties of prisoners and guards. Richards writes Troughton’s Doctor very well - impish and silly but still believably clever - and although he doesn’t give them much to do, Jamie and Victoria seem to live and breathe. It’s a surprisingly small story that gets more involving as it goes.

3.5

[Alex Nicholls · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story and setting for a Doctor who story however the writing for the second doctor and Jamie wasn't amazing

[Koen Crolla · Rating 3 out of 5]

With so many different writers writing for a relatively small set of characters, there's a set of stock descriptions for each Doctor for authors to aim at. For the Second Doctor, the popular line is ``a man at odds with his appearance''—that is, though he obviously is cunning and brilliant and whatever, he looks and behaves like a bit of ``a buffoon''. Dreams of Empire takes this to overwrought extremes, with the Doctor prat-falling, slipping, and sitting in sandwiches whenever the opportunity presents itself. When he isn't, he breaks character on more than a few occasions (it's hard to imagine Troughton's Doctor thinking torture (even psychological torture) would be such a jolly good idea, for example).
Jamie, similarly, is less Scottish than he probably ought to be, though I find it hard to be too upset about that; Stephen Baxter's Jamie got so Scottish it became distracting at times. I have no particular opinion about Victoria, but then I've never really had an opinion about Victoria.

Given, then, that it would be hard to mistake Richards for a great writer, you would expect the premise to be more annoying. When mediocre writers take their cues from real history, they tend to want to make damned sure you get their references (in this case, Julius Caesar and the creation of the Roman Empire, and the so-called Man in the Iron Mask), and Richards does—he even names his Caesar analogue Kesar—but it's fine, really. In fact, dodgy naming in general aside (there's one character called Darkling for no apparent reason), I would go so far as to call the story compelling.
If you aren't yet tired of writers obsessing over chess, there are certainly worse DWU novels.

[Frederik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually don't expect much from novels I find at the bottom of the discount bin, but Dreams of Empire - despite its many flaws - was laced with a lot of positive surprises. Despite Doctor Who's general omnipotence, he doesn't actually feature all that much in the development of the plot (and his companions have little to zero involvement at all), save for neatly wrapping up the story at the end, and also unknowingly getting one character murdered, (a fact that the Doctor never becomes aware of). Funnily enough, it takes, what, 15 pages for the Doctor to be introduced at all, and the shift from the prologue to the Doctor feels like two completely different stories. I wonder if this started as a stand-alone project? The plot itself is nifty enough, set in a small location, starting with a murder that has potentially far-reaching consequences. It should be said that the Doctor's reasoning for uncovering the mastermind's identity is clever - but the book blows this revelation prematurely, ruining the twist's impact.

Also there are a lot of editing mistakes. A lot.

Also also please stop using a chess match to flesh out characterisation or as allegory for plot threads. It's not as clever as you think it is.

[B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

⟶ 3.5/5 stars

I'm sort of lost on the context with which to judge this book like. Should I compare it to Doctor Who serials? Audios? To other books, DW or no? In any case, for any of them, I think it's solid and I had a lot of fun reading it. It made me genuinely invested in the one off supporting cast, which definitely speaks to its standalone worth as a book, and the characterization of the Doctor and co. wasn't that off. The setting was really rich and cool and it reminds me that while DW is great as a show, with books, there's no budget limit for sets and monsters, and the creative freedom that gives writers is really great.

If I could point a finger at one biggest issue, for me it was how little the author did with Victoria's character. She was really just there, and didn't do much that impacted the story at all. There was also a moment where she was like. weirdly sexualized that made me :(. DW writers everywhere constantly forgetting that Victoria's like 15 years old? It's more likely than you think.

[Sara Habein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much like the actual military, this tale of soldiers vying for dominance was a lot of "hurry up and wait." It took until the second half of the story for things to kick off, and once they did, there was a level of violence that is quite unlike a regular DW story, a distinct relishing in the villains' cruelty at times. Also, I did not care for the way Richards describes the women, of which there are very few. Even in times of stress or action, their bodies are described with cheap, schoolboy longing. I didn't wholly dislike the book overall, but it was definitely one of the weaker Doctor Who novels I've read.

[Mars G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm watching Classic Who lately!

This novel, I'm not sure about. I think the characterization is a little clunky. As fanfiction, it'd be great. As published work, I'm not sure.

However, it's fun. I enjoyed reading it enough to read it cover to cover. I'd recommend it if you're looking for something fun.

[Matthew Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, the collection from which this book is a part of is a gloriously presented set; each story's cover has been resigned for this 50th anniversary release with a lovely white cover with a arty representation of each doctor on the covers. They do look stunning, and each story contains a foreword by the author about how they came to write their Doctor's novel and any challenges they may have faced throughout the writing process.

One of the challenges, Justin Richard's writes, is how this Doctor is so facially animated on screen it was going to be difficult to translate this to a written story. I think however Richards has done a superb job of this; The Doctor comes of as supremely intelligent yet eccentric and despite his often firm words often makes me smile just because of his general cheeky and slightly bumbling demeanor. At one point Richard's describes the doctors grin and it just made me outwardly smile and feel quite warm and fuzzy. I thought his companions throughout this story, Jamie and Victoria, also to be well written; Jamie, willing to get stuck in and help and Victoria not nearly as useless as some of the other early female companions.

They land in what appears to be some medieval castle, which they soon learn is an elaborate surveyed prison where personal friends yet political enemies are incarcerated for the attempt to create a dictatorial empire. As they arrive, they find a murder has just taken place, and the Doctor and his companions take it upon themselves to not only acquit themselves but to help find the real murderer, uncovering a deeper plot of political betrayal...

The story sees an interesting cast of characters navigate their ways through subterfuge and deceit; murder and aggression followed by the invasion of a battalion of sophisticated androids, all weaved together through believable technological links. There are moments of genuine gore and excitement in the battle scenes, but actually for a large portion of the novel it feels more akin to a murder mystery such as an Agatha Christie tale; albeit set in space among robots and a time travelling alien...

The characters were all written well, and the mix of relationships between them was detailed. The story was well paced and always exciting and nothing really annoyed me at all which is unusual. I found I was able to really imagine voices and characters in my minds eye thanks to the excellent descriptive writing by Richards. This extends to our location too; the prison and it's medieval decor with large, iron clad wooden doors and other embellishments really adds to the atmosphere.

With plenty of plot twists you'd think the story may be hard to follow, but with little nods to the upcoming conclusion within the dialogue, I always felt like I knew what was going on bar a couple of back tracks just to check on names of characters and make sure I thought who I knew was correct...

An excellent adventure with the second Doctor. If you're a fan of Doctor Who but don't know where to start novel wise you could do a lot worse than the 50th anniversary set: I've read 3 now and enjoyed all of them immensely. Do what I did - Spotify a good Doctor Who playlist and really get lost in this excellent story.

[Matthew Kresal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Past Doctor Adventures (and the Missing Adventures, their predecessors from Virgin) had to thread a rather fine needle. On the one hand, they existed to fill a void in the Doctor Who literary market for fans in the 1990s and early 2000s who weren’t particularly keen on the ongoing adventures of the McCoy or McGann Doctors, recreating those eras in prose. On the other hand, those authors that took on the task found themselves caught between recreating the past or trying to push forward with Classic Who Doctors in adventures quite unlike what they would have done on television, often at the expense of capturing the established TARDIS crew.

Which brings us to Justin Richards and his 1998 PDA Dreams of Empire. A novel that does that most unlikely of things. It finds a path between the two approaches and even captures Patrick Troughton in prose better than almost anyone else.

Richards has proven himself one of the successors to Terrance Dicks as a writer of traditional Doctor Who. It’s no surprise then that, on the surface, Dreams of Empire is very much in that Season Five mid-Troughton era mode. There’s an isolated setting (in this case an asteroid space fort turned prison) with a handful of rooms we actually see, a solid cast of supporting characters, a monster of sorts in the hulking robot soldier VETACs, and an eventual base under siege eating up much of the novel’s climax. All present and correct, you might say.

Which makes the actual plot and how it unfolds all the more surprising as Richards takes advantage of the medium. From an opening chapter that throws the readers into the politics of the Haddron Republic, modeled as Richards admits in the foreword to the 2013 reprint on Rome as Caesar crossed the Rubicon. Dreams of Empire becomes a sci-fi twist on a question of alternate history: what if in the long civil between Caesar and Pompey, Caesar had been the ultimate loser? Richards spends the opening chapter exploring that premise and, like Marc Platt did with his novelization of Downtime, essentially uses it to build up a lengthy backstory that will prove to be the backbone of the novel that follows. The difference being that Richards makes that concept work here by being forced to get mired down in continuity.

Doing so establishes the situation in which the Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria find themselves in when they finally arrive in the story. One where Richards allows the reader initially more context that the TARDIS crew have, while also perhaps gently reminding the reader as well of details they might not have caught onto. It’s something that also works in the context of what Richards ultimately offers: a murder mystery plot inside of a political thriller. As a reader of both genres, there were a couple of twists Richards pulls out that I saw coming as the finale approached. Even so, between clues and politics, there’s more than enough to keep the novel an engaging experience.

Something which is also aided by Richards pulling off another trick: managing to capture a version of the Troughton Doctor on the page. The quicksilver quality of Troughton’s screen Doctor, containing what Barry Letts called “semi-improvisation” as well as a strong visual quality, has proven an elusive thing to bottle up in prose with writers ranging from Dave Stone to Stephen Baxter failing to capture it. Even a number of the Target novelizations struggled despite being based on actual TV serials, though Big Finish’s audio dramas (benefiting from the presence of Frazer Hines and now Michael Troughton) have proven more adept at capturing it. In prose, only the now late David A. McIntee has for this reader captured Troughton.

Until, at least, I read this novel.

Richards presentation of Troughton’s Doctor is instantly recognizable. From the first scene in the TARDIS to the last, you can hear Troughton in your mind’s ear and see him in the mind’s eye. The quick turns from comedic to deadly serious and back again, the seeming jester hiding a thoughtful and even conniving figure, are all present correct as if he might have done this story back in 1967-68 if this had somehow made its way onto screen. Richards does lean too far into the comedic side of things a little too often which does rather take the shine off of things. But if you’re looking for a prose Troughton that reads like TV Troughton, Dreams of Empire is worth reading for that alone.

You could also read it for a prime example of the PDAs at one of its high points.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book written by Justin Richards and was part of a series of ten 50th Anniversary Doctor Who novels I purchased back then and were packed away for the last 10 years. Pulling them out was kind of like getting a surprise present. It turns out I had only read the first book, featuring the first Doctor, and then lost track. Justin provides a nice introduction to this edition of the novel and speaks to his enjoyment of Patrick Troughton's portrayal and how he tried to ensure its subtleties translated into this book. I have not seen much of the second Doctor, really the Tomb of the Cybermen, sticks out, but I always remember quite liking his companion Jamie so this was going to be the opening of a new world for me.

The planet Haddron has emerged from a brutal civil war where the two factions were separated by one wanting Kesar to be Emperor, while the other, ably led by Trayx, (How do you pronounce that?), fought to keep democracy in place. After losing, Kesar is horribly mutilated by an explosion in a failed assassination attempt and is exiled, along with his retinue, to an asteroid with a contained fortress to stop him from becoming a martyr to his cause. Of course the Doctor and his companions, Victoria and Jamie, pop in just as an attempt is being made to attack the fortress. Its ultimate aim is unclear as it is either to kill Kesar or to rescue him. However, the attackers may be disappointed as Kesar is unrecognizable behind a metal mask with a speaker that is made to transmit the voice of one whose vocal cords were melted in a blast.

Fuel is added to the fire as Trayx has journeyed to the asteroid on an inspection tour and it turns out his wife was once having an affair of the heart with Kesar and it is unclear where her loyalties lie. Add a traitor or two into the mix, some armor plated killing machine robots, and all attempts at getting reinforcements blocked by the oncoming attackers and you have yourself a first rate situation for a bumbling forgetful Doctor to gambol into. But remember, the Doctor is never what he seems, so the cast of characters soon learn not to underestimate him. Or his chess playing abilities.

This book had humor, action, suspense and a touch of romance (Just a touch) that compiled into a story that had some good reveals and twists. It was enjoyable for me and with my limited knowledge appeared to accurately depict the second incarnation of the Doctor. It is clear why this was chosen as one of the 10 books, but now I have to purchase the audio version just to find out how to pronounce Trayx's name!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Doctor Who and had none of the books. The BBC decided to release a series of books that had previously been published, one featuring each iteration of the Doctor. Naturally intended to be read in order.

This is the book selected to feature the Second Doctor. I don’t know this one very well - his thing was periodically pulling out a recorder (musical instrument) and play a bit while he is thinking. His companions for the adventure are Jamie and Victoria. I believe I saw one televised show featuring them against the Cybermen during the big anniversary but I could be wrong.

On to the book. This takes place off-world in some distant galaxy. A federation of planets has always been a republic but someone gets it in their mind to be emperor instead. There’s a war between best friends, the rebellion is put down and the would-be emperor imprisoned. Now years later, either a rescue mission is underway or an assassination to finally make him a martyr to the cause. The Doctor and his companions arrive in time to help sort out what is really going on and then how to defeat the attempt - whatever it is they are trying to accomplish.

I’m being vague since there are a few plot twists and surprises. The Doctor seems to have it all figured out at one moment then losing his train of thought the next. The secrets revealed are pretty clever. They also feature the game of chess in this book - even the chapter titles are references to the game.

One not-really-a-spoiler that I found fun to add to the canon: every intelligent civilization even with no contact with other galaxies manages to invent the game of chess on their own. The Doctor remarks how it is almost identical every time he comes across a chess set. As a fan of the game I found that a fun addition.

Overall I enjoyed the book but it did not wow me as a literary masterpiece hence the three stars. Enjoyed it enough to recommend it if you like Doctor Who.

[Samael Kovacs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t actually plan on reading this one as presumably my last novel of the year. I had the target version of The Fires of Pompeii in my mind,

Justin Richards expressing in the introduction how incredibly difficult if not impossible it is to write the Second Doctor was what made me put everything else down and read this.

Sure, I’ve had some moments in fiction where I feel like a writer is thinking the same thing as me but Richards putting down the reasons why The Second Doctor is so great and why he only really works in live action, it feels like the words I would’ve used. Quite bizarre yet it made me feel right at home.

I didn’t expect to find the novel to be so in style with Troughton’s era. Its feel’s so sixty in the best way possible. The story takes place after Tomb of the Cyberman and honestly if the best thing I can say about the film is that it could’ve been filmed with this story and it would have fitted in the second doctor’s era.

Props where props are deserved cause Justin Richards really nails the second doctor portrayal wise, I didn’t think he could pull it off that well.

Where my problems are with this novel is the general story. Yes, it’s base under siege which I adore but the rest of it all is all so superficial to me. It’s very solid and all but I just never felt like I cared all that deeply about it.

If you want a novel which has a good portrayal of the second doctor I don’t believe you cannot do much better but if you want an interesting story that you’ve never dreamed off before you can do better.

It’s alright.

[Scott Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in a prison on an asteroid, this story - inspired by Roman history - features the two leaders in a recent civil war, one now de facto emperor and the other a prisoner. But they must work together to face a common threat, aided by a mysterious stranger and his young companions. The latter three, and especially the older stranger, are very well characterised but seem to have been given excessive prominence in the plot, given that they are unconnected with the setting and the other characters...

I think this novel would have been better served outside of the Doctor Who franchise. The author clearly has put a lot of effort into portraying Patrick Troughton's doctor, as well as Jamie and Victoria, and successfully so. However, this just does not feel like a Doctor Who story, or at least not one from that era. Maybe it would have worked better with the Fourth Doctor. Still, it's a good story that slowly builds up towards a convincing climax with a twist at the end.

[Jeff Hare · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria are hurled into a world of political machinations and revolution when an attempt is made to rescue a exiled former senate leader in a world and galaxy many years and miles from our own. There is a killer and a traitor at large, but can the Doctor find out who.

This was excellent and a very faithful recreation of the Second Doctor's character; something several authors down the years have struggled to do with a famously physical and comical incarnation. The original chapters make it seem the book is set in Ancient Rome or the like before we learn this is set in the far future.

There are a number of red herrings in the book that throw you off course with the author throwing in enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested. Some are easier to guess than others, but the book is never less than interesting and engrossing.

A fine tale well told featuring the cosmic hobo incarnation of the errant Time Lord.

[Cameron Turnbull · Rating 5 out of 5]

The this the definitive book for the Second Doctor.

The Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe land on a prison built on an asteroid. There they learn of the political turmoil that has plagued the Haddron Republic for decades, and who the closely guarded prisoner is. However all is not well, with a murderer on the loose the Haddron Republic hangs in the balance. It’s up to the Doctor to solve this case before a new civil war breaks out!

The idea of a Space Roman Empire where their version of Caesar lost the Civil War is really interesting and I love how the first chapter really delves into that. It is a real shame that The Haddron Republic never reappears in any Doctor Who media given how unique it is.

This has all of the hallmarks of a classic Second Doctor adventure. There’s a base under siege, comedy and drama intertwined, and a compelling mystery that must be solved. I would strongly recommend this release to any fan of the show. 10/10

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an ok story. The Second Doctor, traveling with Polly and Jamie end up in a place similar to the late Roman Republic. A civil war ended with a weakened Republic but hopes of empire remain in some. The story takes place in a kind of open prison where the losers of the civil war are treated very well. There is a lot of chess involved and a lot of understanding between both sides. It was a bit too congenial for me. There would have been bad feeling after a civil war. It is inevitable. Also, the acceptance of the Doctor and his companions was a bit too easy. But there were interesting elements to the story. It just wasn't as good as The Wheel of Ice.

[Justin Partridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all, pretty fun! I think the wonderful world building and set design of the Stardial get kinda lost in the really “actiony” middle BUT the resolution was REALLY fun. and a really charmingly brutal example of how effective The Second Doctor is at playing the fool while secretly being on the stick the whole time.

Other things I liked, the chess motif. The concept of a society having to live with the choices it’s made in genesis. Jamie and Victoria being adorable. It was just a fun read! Certainly not as striking or as lasting as Ten Little Aliens but a breezy counter program to the opener.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit I wasn't as....sucked in with this one as I was with previous books. It was still a good story and you can tell a lot of thought went into it and there were genuinely some exciting bits filled with action and suspense, but somehow I just didn't enjoy it as much.

Maybe if I was more of a chess player I might have gotten more out of it. Plus the idea of the intelligent robot VETACs were really cool.

That said the intrigue really seemed to pick up towards the end and I was happier with it.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

2番目のドクターのお話。ドクターのお茶目さんぶりが秀逸。コロコロして掴みどころがなくて、でもついつい惹きつけられちゃう。絶対絶命の場面でももれなく笑わせてくれる、どこまでも飄々としているところが2番目ドクターの持ち味だったのかな？

ストーリーも読み応え満点。
幼馴染だったカイザー、トレイクス、ルトガー、長じてそれぞれが共和国の命運を左右する重鎮となり、カイザーが皇帝として名乗りをあげる意志を固めたと2人に打ち明けたその夜から、3人と共和国の運命が激動。
その嵐の中心点にたまたま降り立ってしまったドクターとビクトリア、ジェイミー。宇宙に浮かぶ要塞の中で突如はじまった血で血を洗うような凄惨な戦いに否応なく巻き込まれていく。

チェスをモチーフに描かれたミステリーや人間関係がスリリング。息つく間もない目まぐるしい攻防戦に次はどうなる、次はどうなると読むのを止められない。大勢でてくる登場人物それぞれにドラマがあり、そのかかえる悲哀に胸をつまらせることになる。

だがなんといっても最後の最後にみせたトレイクスの人間味が秀逸。ゾクゾクするような物語終結にむかうカタルシスに思う存分酔いしれることがで��、大満足

[Grendel 23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun 2nd Doctor story that answers the question: “What if Pompey the Great beat Julius Caesar in the Roman Civil War”?

Of course, this being science fiction, we’re talking about an analogous, thinly-veiled civilization of ‘Space Romans’. Here, Space Pompey decides that the banishment of Space Caesar to a lonely asteroid is a better choice than martyrdom, with the added benefit of still getting to play Space Chess with his old friend and vanquished rival. Until the 2nd Doctor turns up that is, with companions Jamie and Victoria in tow, just in time for a classic ‘assault the base’ scenario as shadowy forces attempt to liberate Space Caesar. Or is it an assassination?

This Doctor sounds and acts like he should, with his giddy aunt, brand new sonic screwdriver, and disarming layer of silly comedy hiding secret depths of knowledge and cunning in those blue eyes. Or maybe brown eyes? Jamie is appropriately Scottish, accented and out of his depth, but willing to stick a dagger in and ask questions later. Victoria swoons and squeals like her onscreen counterpart. The plot moves at a brisker clip than frankly most of the Troughton era episodes. I liked this book - it’s a solid read for any fan of Patrick Troughton’s cosmic tramp. Or fans of sandwiches.

[#WhoReview / 2 of 13 / 12 months. 13 Doctors. One 60th Anniversary.]