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Doctor Who: Virgin New Adventures #35
Doctor Who: Set Piece
Dead. He was dead. How the hell was she supposed to do CPR on a man with two hearts?
There's a rip in the fabric of space and time. Passenger ships are disappearing from the interstellar traffic lanes. In an attempt to find out who's behind the disappearances, the Doctor and Ace allow themselves to be captured. But when Bernice's rescue attempt goes terribly wrong, the time travelers find themselves scattered throughout history.
Ace, stranded in Ancient Egypt, struggles to survive in an environment as alien as a distant planet: the Earth 3,000 years before she was born. She manages to find employment as a nobleman's bodyguard. And then she comes face to face with the metal horrors which have pursued her through time - the creatures she saw kill the Doctor.
There's a rip in the fabric of space and time. Passenger ships are disappearing from the interstellar traffic lanes. In an attempt to find out who's behind the disappearances, the Doctor and Ace allow themselves to be captured. But when Bernice's rescue attempt goes terribly wrong, the time travelers find themselves scattered throughout history.
Ace, stranded in Ancient Egypt, struggles to survive in an environment as alien as a distant planet: the Earth 3,000 years before she was born. She manages to find employment as a nobleman's bodyguard. And then she comes face to face with the metal horrors which have pursued her through time - the creatures she saw kill the Doctor.
242 pages, Paperback
First published February 16, 1995
2 people are currently reading
304 people want to read
About the author
Kate Orman
65 books41 followersKate Orman studied biology at Sydney University and worked in science before becoming a professional author. Orman is known for her sci-fi work, and especially her frequent collaborations in the "Doctor Who" universe. For Virgin Publishing and BBC, she wrote more than a dozen full-length novels, as well as numerous short stories and non-fiction pieces related to "Doctor Who". She was the only woman and only Australian to write for the initial range of novels, the Virgin New Adventures.
As of 2022, Orman lives in Sydney and is married to fellow author Jonathan Blum.
As of 2022, Orman lives in Sydney and is married to fellow author Jonathan Blum.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 13, 2022
Bloody brilliant 👏
Kate Orman knows and understands Doctor Who. Creating a whacky world whilst balancing the darker and lighter moments, thrown in with continuity and obscurity. She understands these characters inside out, and manages to deliver a master piece with each novel.
Superb. A huge step up from the previous vna I read, Warlock.
Kate Orman knows and understands Doctor Who. Creating a whacky world whilst balancing the darker and lighter moments, thrown in with continuity and obscurity. She understands these characters inside out, and manages to deliver a master piece with each novel.
Superb. A huge step up from the previous vna I read, Warlock.
June 5, 2015
‘Set Piece’ is best remembered as the New Adventure in which Ace – by a very long way the longest-serving companion in ‘Doctor Who’ – finally left the TARDIS. It’s best remembered as this, because, as well-written as the rest of the novel is, Ace dominates the book.
And what’s wrong with that? She’s very well catered for here, and, in the expert hands of Kate Orman, stays true to the character as she appeared on TV as well as the hard-bitten version she became in the New Adventures. I could almost hear Sophie Aldred speaking the lines, which is testament to Orman’s skill. Perhaps the Doctor and Bernice don’t fare quite so well – and Kadiatu’s presence came across as little more than a sideshow – but since the purpose of the book was to say goodbye to Ace, this is more forgivable here than it might have been earlier in the range.
I admit, I’m still not entirely sure what prompts Ace to leave – we see her making the decision, but we know she’s made similar decisions before and failed to carry them through. That’s something I missed on previous readings – it does show that the quality of the rest of the book is enough to mask it, but I can’t ignore it now. Not that it matters a jot.
There are also any number of quotable phrases, some lovely, non-intrusive continuity references, and a sense of the epic and the personal co-existing. This makes the book a quintessential New Adventure, which is appropriate given its placing in what, even at the time, seemed the most successful year for the New Adventures series.
I enjoyed reading this the first time round, and can absolutely appreciate its merits 20 years later. Ace has been given many different exit stories across different media, but I still prefer this as her swansong – not least for the opportunity it gave writers to occasionally bring her back.
And what’s wrong with that? She’s very well catered for here, and, in the expert hands of Kate Orman, stays true to the character as she appeared on TV as well as the hard-bitten version she became in the New Adventures. I could almost hear Sophie Aldred speaking the lines, which is testament to Orman’s skill. Perhaps the Doctor and Bernice don’t fare quite so well – and Kadiatu’s presence came across as little more than a sideshow – but since the purpose of the book was to say goodbye to Ace, this is more forgivable here than it might have been earlier in the range.
I admit, I’m still not entirely sure what prompts Ace to leave – we see her making the decision, but we know she’s made similar decisions before and failed to carry them through. That’s something I missed on previous readings – it does show that the quality of the rest of the book is enough to mask it, but I can’t ignore it now. Not that it matters a jot.
There are also any number of quotable phrases, some lovely, non-intrusive continuity references, and a sense of the epic and the personal co-existing. This makes the book a quintessential New Adventure, which is appropriate given its placing in what, even at the time, seemed the most successful year for the New Adventures series.
I enjoyed reading this the first time round, and can absolutely appreciate its merits 20 years later. Ace has been given many different exit stories across different media, but I still prefer this as her swansong – not least for the opportunity it gave writers to occasionally bring her back.
March 14, 2019
So, I first read Return of the Living Dad by Kate Orman. An overlooked, fun and enjoyable character piece for Bernice Summerfield. Great read.
I then read her co-effort with Jonathan Blum on Seeing I and absorbed that masterpiece in 3 days. A terrifying, technological horror book that I can not recommend enough. I remember having something like a 150 page sitting on the last day of reading, because I was that into it.
Come to today I read this by her. Considering her past 2 works were great, and the fact that I had also heard that this was meant to be great as well, I was eagerly looking forward to this book. Not to mention that the premise sounded amazing.
Ever heard of the Time Hunter range of novellas by telos? Well picture 3 un-finished installments in that range, that were going to turn out terrible anyway, put into a blender.
A good opening scene aside;
This is a poorly written, incomprehensible, convoluted mess of a book that I am surprised I even finished. Very little with regards to good scenes or anything in terms of a "plot", this is a novel that I couldn't understand at all because of bad it was.
As if that wasn't bad enough on it's own; this does what The War Machines did to Dodo, to Ace. This is meant to be her "grand finale" (it even has an afterword written by Sophie Aldred), but the event of her leaving in the penultimate chapter just happens. There's no build up to it, nothing, it just happens for no fucking reason, and it's the biggest of shoe-horned companion departures since Dodo.
With regards to mainline 7th Doctor virgin new adventures, this is the absolute worst I have read. What the hell happened Kate.
3/10 - 1/5
I then read her co-effort with Jonathan Blum on Seeing I and absorbed that masterpiece in 3 days. A terrifying, technological horror book that I can not recommend enough. I remember having something like a 150 page sitting on the last day of reading, because I was that into it.
Come to today I read this by her. Considering her past 2 works were great, and the fact that I had also heard that this was meant to be great as well, I was eagerly looking forward to this book. Not to mention that the premise sounded amazing.
Ever heard of the Time Hunter range of novellas by telos? Well picture 3 un-finished installments in that range, that were going to turn out terrible anyway, put into a blender.
A good opening scene aside;
This is a poorly written, incomprehensible, convoluted mess of a book that I am surprised I even finished. Very little with regards to good scenes or anything in terms of a "plot", this is a novel that I couldn't understand at all because of bad it was.
As if that wasn't bad enough on it's own; this does what The War Machines did to Dodo, to Ace. This is meant to be her "grand finale" (it even has an afterword written by Sophie Aldred), but the event of her leaving in the penultimate chapter just happens. There's no build up to it, nothing, it just happens for no fucking reason, and it's the biggest of shoe-horned companion departures since Dodo.
With regards to mainline 7th Doctor virgin new adventures, this is the absolute worst I have read. What the hell happened Kate.
3/10 - 1/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2010
After a run of what to me felt like very average entries in the series, this is a very pleasant surprise.
It's all about Ace - not unreasonably, since this is her formal (albeit second!) departure from the series, although Benny gets a fun subplot and the Doctor does his usual game-playing.
This is also a book written by someone who loves the NAs. There are plenty of passing references to previous titles (even ones she didn't write!) along with the reappearence of one of the more interesting subsidiary characters that has appeared in the series, and yet none of these references get in the way of the storytelling. It also explores the idea of the Doctor being Time's Champion a little more; one of my favourite conceits of the NA series.
Certainly one of the better NAs but perhaps not top tier because it's just a little bit too disjointed (a problem Hummingbird had as well.)
It's all about Ace - not unreasonably, since this is her formal (albeit second!) departure from the series, although Benny gets a fun subplot and the Doctor does his usual game-playing.
This is also a book written by someone who loves the NAs. There are plenty of passing references to previous titles (even ones she didn't write!) along with the reappearence of one of the more interesting subsidiary characters that has appeared in the series, and yet none of these references get in the way of the storytelling. It also explores the idea of the Doctor being Time's Champion a little more; one of my favourite conceits of the NA series.
Certainly one of the better NAs but perhaps not top tier because it's just a little bit too disjointed (a problem Hummingbird had as well.)
June 1, 2023
For me, this is the Kate Orman novel that left the lightest impression on my geeky self...I simply couldn't get into it. Perhaps it's the juggling plot liness, perhaps it's the setting...but aside from Ace's lovely goodbye to the Doctor & Benny, "Set Piece" left me with a profound feeling of "meh".
Coming back to this years later, I supposed what leaves me frustrated is that the character work (always superb in a Kate Orman novel) is just too good for the SF plot, which simply doesn't work for me. Ace's understated goodbye just doesn't feel like it belongs in this story.
Coming back to this years later, I supposed what leaves me frustrated is that the character work (always superb in a Kate Orman novel) is just too good for the SF plot, which simply doesn't work for me. Ace's understated goodbye just doesn't feel like it belongs in this story.
December 3, 2020
A fun adventure with plenty of action.
Ace in Ancient Egypt works remarkably well. She becomes a bodyguard to a nobleman and does some anachronistic graffiti.
Bernice and the Doctor find themselves in the midst of a civil war in France, in pursuit of a time-traveller who's been causing rifts in time.
They all meet up and try various plans to stop the enemy which the careless time-traveller has unleashed.
Some great guest characters help the action along.
A great read.
Ace in Ancient Egypt works remarkably well. She becomes a bodyguard to a nobleman and does some anachronistic graffiti.
Bernice and the Doctor find themselves in the midst of a civil war in France, in pursuit of a time-traveller who's been causing rifts in time.
They all meet up and try various plans to stop the enemy which the careless time-traveller has unleashed.
Some great guest characters help the action along.
A great read.
April 30, 2024
Really great, from having built on the thirty-odd books and thirty-odd episodes that came before.
February 19, 2025
Set Piece is probably the best NA novel up to this point, that's 34 novels into the series. This may be because Kate Orman has taken on the assignment of closing one chapter while opening a new one and tried her hardest to make it work. In essence, one can think of Set Piece as the season finale, in which the story has to turn the volume up to 11, and maybe higher, while also tying the loose ends of the series, and correcting some mistakes, at least the big ones, from the previous episodes. Let us take the last first.
The most complained about aspect of the NAs was the characterization of Ace. They turned her into a bland, soulless, shoot first and ask no questions, kill anything that moves "soldier," perpetually angry at everything. Orman fixes this by returning the character of Ace to something closer to how the character had been in 1989. She's still a soldier and fighter, but here the problem for Ace is not that she is ever angry and resentful, but rather that she cares too much, that she has an overwhelming belief in what is right and what is wrong, and an uncontrollable urge to fix what is wrong. It is this belief that gets her intro trouble, that blinds her to the subtleties of existence, rather than anger and resentment. This is a much more likeable, understandable, and mature Ace.
The second problem of the NAs that Orman fixes is the relationship between the three principal characters. In previous NAs, this came in two forms: unbearably fractious to the point that all seem to hate each other, or Ace and Benny as agents under The Doctor's control as mastermind. In Set Piece, the trio are working together for the first time (how many novels did it take to get here?). They genuinely like each other and respect each other. In particular, Orman works very hard to restore the relationship between Ace and The Doctor, realizing that all along this has been Ace's problem, not The Doctor's.
The third problem had been the overemphasis on Doctor 7 as the master manipulator, especially one who risks his companions while staying mostly behind the scenes. Orman goes far in the other direction. The Doctor puts himself in danger first and foremost, here to the point of nearly dying three times, and undergoing three weeks of torture, and undergoing a nearly total physical transformation.
With regard to tying the loose ends, Orman here brings back a character from a previous NA, Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart, as pivotal to the plot. She also rummages through the main characters' memories to remind the reader of many things that had happened in previous NAs. She also brings in a few memories from the TV series, with only the occasional wink or nod to the fans. There is a bit of retrofitting explanations, mostly to make The Doctor more palatable.
And then there's turning up the danger threat to 11. The universe is at stake once again. Someone has been punching holes in space-time, and an out-of-control bio-computer spaceship called Ship is gobbling human minds to learn how to stabilize one of the holes so that it can traverse space and time to fulfill its program of saving humanity, which it has wrongly interpreted. The three TARDIS crew spend over half the novel separated from each other with no way to contact each other, seemingly alone in a time of history in which they do not belong. Orman describes torture and death in too precise detail, worryingly so in my view. Plus, Orman brings in Pain, a relative of Death, as a metaphysical entity occupying the characters' dreams.
The novel, however, is not without its problems. From the standpoint of quality of writing, this is probably the best written of the NAs up to this point. However, Orman does get carried away with the flourishes of style, writing in grand metaphors and images about things that would work better if described more directly. The novel is very violent, and I don't think it needed to be. She is a bit of a showoff regarding her literary knowledge, with a clever epigram for each chapter, often in the original language, and some of which are made up Doctor-historical author "unpublished" collaborations.
In summary, Set Piece is by far the most satisfying NA up to this point. I would give it a 7.5 out of 10, 3.5 star rating if I could.
The most complained about aspect of the NAs was the characterization of Ace. They turned her into a bland, soulless, shoot first and ask no questions, kill anything that moves "soldier," perpetually angry at everything. Orman fixes this by returning the character of Ace to something closer to how the character had been in 1989. She's still a soldier and fighter, but here the problem for Ace is not that she is ever angry and resentful, but rather that she cares too much, that she has an overwhelming belief in what is right and what is wrong, and an uncontrollable urge to fix what is wrong. It is this belief that gets her intro trouble, that blinds her to the subtleties of existence, rather than anger and resentment. This is a much more likeable, understandable, and mature Ace.
The second problem of the NAs that Orman fixes is the relationship between the three principal characters. In previous NAs, this came in two forms: unbearably fractious to the point that all seem to hate each other, or Ace and Benny as agents under The Doctor's control as mastermind. In Set Piece, the trio are working together for the first time (how many novels did it take to get here?). They genuinely like each other and respect each other. In particular, Orman works very hard to restore the relationship between Ace and The Doctor, realizing that all along this has been Ace's problem, not The Doctor's.
The third problem had been the overemphasis on Doctor 7 as the master manipulator, especially one who risks his companions while staying mostly behind the scenes. Orman goes far in the other direction. The Doctor puts himself in danger first and foremost, here to the point of nearly dying three times, and undergoing three weeks of torture, and undergoing a nearly total physical transformation.
With regard to tying the loose ends, Orman here brings back a character from a previous NA, Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart, as pivotal to the plot. She also rummages through the main characters' memories to remind the reader of many things that had happened in previous NAs. She also brings in a few memories from the TV series, with only the occasional wink or nod to the fans. There is a bit of retrofitting explanations, mostly to make The Doctor more palatable.
And then there's turning up the danger threat to 11. The universe is at stake once again. Someone has been punching holes in space-time, and an out-of-control bio-computer spaceship called Ship is gobbling human minds to learn how to stabilize one of the holes so that it can traverse space and time to fulfill its program of saving humanity, which it has wrongly interpreted. The three TARDIS crew spend over half the novel separated from each other with no way to contact each other, seemingly alone in a time of history in which they do not belong. Orman describes torture and death in too precise detail, worryingly so in my view. Plus, Orman brings in Pain, a relative of Death, as a metaphysical entity occupying the characters' dreams.
The novel, however, is not without its problems. From the standpoint of quality of writing, this is probably the best written of the NAs up to this point. However, Orman does get carried away with the flourishes of style, writing in grand metaphors and images about things that would work better if described more directly. The novel is very violent, and I don't think it needed to be. She is a bit of a showoff regarding her literary knowledge, with a clever epigram for each chapter, often in the original language, and some of which are made up Doctor-historical author "unpublished" collaborations.
In summary, Set Piece is by far the most satisfying NA up to this point. I would give it a 7.5 out of 10, 3.5 star rating if I could.
November 11, 2020
Kate Orman was the only female writer of the Virgin new adventures and the most frequent and it's clear why.
Trapped alone in ancient Egypt, Ace is left to fend for herself, whilst vowing revenge against the monsters she saw kill her friends (spoiler; they're not dead). Ace has undergone massive changes through the new adventures and they don't stop here, with Orman dedicating the majority of the story to this development. Ace has evolved from a loud mouthed damaged teenager to a Dalek hunting bad-ass and by the end of this novel we see a completely new side to the character, one I'm sad we didn't get to see more of.
Ormans strengths really lie in her characterisations of The Doctor, Ace and Bernice and the three really have a tough time in this book. But the story lacks in plot, with villans that are a bit two dimensional and a motive that leaves a lot to be desired, however with only 241 pages and a long emotional character arc to tie up this can be forgiven. The final short moments between the Doctor and Ace and Ace and Bernice really pay testament to the characters, their relationships and their journeys, leaving a pang of sadness and happiness for Aces departure.
Some may say that Aces departure was well overdue, but the one thing that I'm sure of is that Kate Orman delivers a fitting send off for a beloved companion, setting up a bright future for her whilst paying homage to her past.
Trapped alone in ancient Egypt, Ace is left to fend for herself, whilst vowing revenge against the monsters she saw kill her friends (spoiler; they're not dead). Ace has undergone massive changes through the new adventures and they don't stop here, with Orman dedicating the majority of the story to this development. Ace has evolved from a loud mouthed damaged teenager to a Dalek hunting bad-ass and by the end of this novel we see a completely new side to the character, one I'm sad we didn't get to see more of.
Ormans strengths really lie in her characterisations of The Doctor, Ace and Bernice and the three really have a tough time in this book. But the story lacks in plot, with villans that are a bit two dimensional and a motive that leaves a lot to be desired, however with only 241 pages and a long emotional character arc to tie up this can be forgiven. The final short moments between the Doctor and Ace and Ace and Bernice really pay testament to the characters, their relationships and their journeys, leaving a pang of sadness and happiness for Aces departure.
Some may say that Aces departure was well overdue, but the one thing that I'm sure of is that Kate Orman delivers a fitting send off for a beloved companion, setting up a bright future for her whilst paying homage to her past.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2020
There are rips in time and space and passengers ships are going missing in the interstellar traffic lanes. In an attempt to investigate, The Doctor and Ace are captured but when they are rescued by Bernice it goes terribly wrong.
They find themselves scattered in three different points of Earth's history. Ace is stranded in Egypt in 1366 BC. Bernice is on a expedition in Egypt with Vivant Denon to find lost treasures in Cairo 1798, whilst The Doctor awakes from a coma in Paris 1871 to find his old friend Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart by his side but can he trust her? But he has other things to worry about soon a massacre will begin and millions will die. But the robot ants that threaten their very existence have followed them through time...
This was a fantastic story! A juicy timey-wimey story with plenty of great characters with a brilliant send off for Ace and a very interesting and unique villain. I will admit I didn't like The Left-Handed Humming Bird much but I did love this! A very compelling and fast paced story with a fantastic ending! 9/10
They find themselves scattered in three different points of Earth's history. Ace is stranded in Egypt in 1366 BC. Bernice is on a expedition in Egypt with Vivant Denon to find lost treasures in Cairo 1798, whilst The Doctor awakes from a coma in Paris 1871 to find his old friend Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart by his side but can he trust her? But he has other things to worry about soon a massacre will begin and millions will die. But the robot ants that threaten their very existence have followed them through time...
This was a fantastic story! A juicy timey-wimey story with plenty of great characters with a brilliant send off for Ace and a very interesting and unique villain. I will admit I didn't like The Left-Handed Humming Bird much but I did love this! A very compelling and fast paced story with a fantastic ending! 9/10
June 28, 2020
Now pretty familiar with Kate Orman's work I was fairly confident of two things about this book: firstly, the Doctor and Co. were going to suffer; secondly, I was going to really enjoy reading it. Tick and tick.
I think it takes a little while to get going - the first few chapters didn't really grab me straight off the bat, but it didn't take long to kind of settle into a rhythm and soon enough I was really enjoying it. Obviously, Ace takes centre stage here as her 'finale', and we get some lovely insights into how she's changed since first meeting the Doctor and becoming the person she is now. A side-effect of this is that Benny and the Doctor take a bit of a backseat, but that's not a bad thing for this story - they're still present enough throughout that it's never really an issue, and it makes it all the more bittersweet in the final few chapters when they properly reunite.
Overall, it's another brilliant read from Orman and a pretty satisfying conclusion for Ace, with a sweet afterword by Sophie Aldred to close things off.
I think it takes a little while to get going - the first few chapters didn't really grab me straight off the bat, but it didn't take long to kind of settle into a rhythm and soon enough I was really enjoying it. Obviously, Ace takes centre stage here as her 'finale', and we get some lovely insights into how she's changed since first meeting the Doctor and becoming the person she is now. A side-effect of this is that Benny and the Doctor take a bit of a backseat, but that's not a bad thing for this story - they're still present enough throughout that it's never really an issue, and it makes it all the more bittersweet in the final few chapters when they properly reunite.
Overall, it's another brilliant read from Orman and a pretty satisfying conclusion for Ace, with a sweet afterword by Sophie Aldred to close things off.
July 30, 2025
I was surprised at how sad I was when I finished this novel. For several previous books I’ve been thinking how it was time for Ace to depart. Sadly the writers kept writing her with such against and unpleasantness, she became an unlikeable character to read. Despite all of this, to see her leave felt like saying goodbye to a really great friend.
Too be fair, we are 35 novels into the VNA’s and it does feel like we have gone on a journey with her. It’s weird to image the character all the way back during the Timewyrm saga and to see where we got to.
With that being said, overall I wasn’t too fussed about the story. However, I loved the departure and, surprisingly, the tickling.
Too be fair, we are 35 novels into the VNA’s and it does feel like we have gone on a journey with her. It’s weird to image the character all the way back during the Timewyrm saga and to see where we got to.
With that being said, overall I wasn’t too fussed about the story. However, I loved the departure and, surprisingly, the tickling.
June 8, 2023
Oh my. Ace in Ancient Egypt? Bernice with Napoleon's savants? The Seventh Doctor in Paris? I was in heaven.
The only reason I'm hesitating to give this book five stars is because I found the writing a bit difficult to follow in the beginning, although maybe that's just me. We sort of jumped around a bit and I wasn't entirely sure what was going on. (But I'm recovering from foot surgery, so don't mind me.)
Sophie Aldred provides the afterword for this one. This book is a must-read for any Ace fan.
The only reason I'm hesitating to give this book five stars is because I found the writing a bit difficult to follow in the beginning, although maybe that's just me. We sort of jumped around a bit and I wasn't entirely sure what was going on. (But I'm recovering from foot surgery, so don't mind me.)
Sophie Aldred provides the afterword for this one. This book is a must-read for any Ace fan.
April 21, 2025
A good book. The settings and characters all shape up to make this a worthwhile read, plus Kate Orman's writing style fits those elements well. However, I don't think it works as Ace's departure story. Her exit was all over the place and didn't feel anywhere near as emotional and finite as it should have been for Seven's main companion, as well as (what was) the last televised companion up until this point.
But hey, Kadiatu is here. That's nice. Not really sure why she showed up. But still, she's here.
But hey, Kadiatu is here. That's nice. Not really sure why she showed up. But still, she's here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2025
I suspect that Set Piece is very slightly overrated - it's not really on the level of Orman's preceding The Left-Handed Hummingbird, but that was a fantastic novel in a run of very strong ones, whereas this is merely a quite good novel in the midst of a run of fairly mediocre ones. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...
December 23, 2020
Oh man, that ending had me tearing up. Really thought it handled the companion departure well, and honestly Ace keeping watch over a time rift, having adventures and protecting people, fits her so well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2024
Given the rifts in time, Oncoming Storms, and general timey wimey-ness, I'm tempted to call this novel a major influence on Steven Moffat's eventual reign over Doctor Who as showrunner. Sophie Aldred's afterword is really quite touching.
May 4, 2018
Very good novel. Pity it comes in what is possibly the worst cover art of all time.
March 26, 2021
Another decent book from Orman, well-written and with a plot that moves along at a pace. It's a particularly good story for Ace, who gets some character development and introspection.
September 5, 2013
After hearing so many good things about Orman's writing over the years I continue to be a bit underwhelmed as I'm catching up with all the whobook-brouhaha of the 90s. It's certainly unique and almost even poetic in a way, but also a bit hard to follow and "up its own arse". This is probably a hypocritical thing to say by one who had no problem with Jim Mortimore's "Parasite", but that one was a very weird story with baffling concepts and equally baffling images, so telling it in an off-the-wall style was warranted. "Set Piece" however is at heart a rather straightforward story, so what's all this jumping around about? You know, this is exactly what people mean when they say that "someone is trying to be clever".
By the way, this is also Ace's exit story (as far as the New Adventures are concerned). However, blink and you miss it. And to be honest I didn't find it all that convincing.
By the way, this is also Ace's exit story (as far as the New Adventures are concerned). However, blink and you miss it. And to be honest I didn't find it all that convincing.
August 1, 2019
This was one I remembered really enjoying but I could not remember many details. Even the front cover remained a mystery to me. The reason for this is that, whilst the main plot is still interesting it is beside the point. This is a character story of Ace finally going off on her own.
Reading this in order is even more rewarding as it takes elements from the whole of Ace's run. In fact it makes a clever effort to mirror Dragonfire in a lot of interesting ways.
But overall my sense from it is joy, this is not a parting in anger or shoving someone out the door with the first single man that comes along, these are great friends making careful decisions (and even having a tickle fight!).
Also Orman has clearly done her research and is great at showing the reign of Akhenaten, the French occupation of Egypt and the Paris commune.
Gone right near the top of my favourite VNAs so far.
Reading this in order is even more rewarding as it takes elements from the whole of Ace's run. In fact it makes a clever effort to mirror Dragonfire in a lot of interesting ways.
But overall my sense from it is joy, this is not a parting in anger or shoving someone out the door with the first single man that comes along, these are great friends making careful decisions (and even having a tickle fight!).
Also Orman has clearly done her research and is great at showing the reign of Akhenaten, the French occupation of Egypt and the Paris commune.
Gone right near the top of my favourite VNAs so far.
December 23, 2009
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2000994.html[return][return]The Doctor, Ace and Benny find themselves confusingly distributed between Akhenaten's Egypt, Napoleon's Egypt and 1871 Paris, facing implacable foes intent on dismembering the Doctor. It was all very vivid and enjoyable to read, and only now that I try to summarise it do I realise that the plot was really all over the place. Ace departs the series at the end of the book, and Sophie Aldred writes her character a farewell afterword; Big Finish was still several years in the future at this point...
March 8, 2020
I fear it's because of my bias against Kate Orman, her books and certain proclivities therein; but unlike every other Doctor Who New Adventures reader, I simply did not like Set Piece very much. I had meant for years to read it to learn what happens; now that I read it in one day, I plan to recycle it. I don't like Orman's writing style, her gratuitous pop-culture references (though to be fair, Lance Parkin and others are far worse about that), or her tiresome hatred of the Seventh Doctor--she's notorious for brutally torturing him.
It's not the worst Doctor Who novel I've ever read, but it's not one of the very best.
It's not the worst Doctor Who novel I've ever read, but it's not one of the very best.
May 18, 2008
Fun read as the Doctor and his two companions are seperated and scattered across time and space. it was cool to see everybody get a turn in the spotlight.
The aliens are really clever and not your typical Who monster.
Ace's adventures in ancient Egypt and the Doctor's record number of escape attempts are entertaining.
The stuff with Benny was a bit weak. Almost feels like the writer said 'Oh, yeah! Gotta give Benny something to do."
The aliens are really clever and not your typical Who monster.
Ace's adventures in ancient Egypt and the Doctor's record number of escape attempts are entertaining.
The stuff with Benny was a bit weak. Almost feels like the writer said 'Oh, yeah! Gotta give Benny something to do."
August 24, 2023
I very much enjoy Orman's work and think it a shame she didn’t get to become a 21st century Who luminary. On the other hand, the series needs to wean itself off alternate histories, realities, and time fractures. They should appear occasionally but they’ve become a crutch! (A lot of writers with a lot of pent-up ideas for storylines for a cancelled TV program and an editorial team keen to get one book out every two months. Could that be a problem after all??)
January 3, 2014
I'm torn here. Love Benny, hate Ace. It makes reading books like this difficult. Maybe if Ace ever *ever* had some flaws, or acted like a real person, things would be different. But these are the New Adventures, and here be Mary-Sue dragons. Go ahead and pick this one up, if you can, it's worth a read just for the bits with Benny being awesome.
December 14, 2009
New Adventure (NA) with Ace and Benny. One of the author's best; for once all the hurt/comfort and angsting is balanced and appropriate. Lots of printing problems (missing punctuation, screwy paragraph breaks, a rogue line on p232...).
July 31, 2012
Great writing, great characterization, all around a top-rate NA.
April 23, 2017
This book features the Seventh Doctor and his companions, Ace McShane and Benny Summerfield - but the main character of this story is clearly Ace, and specifically, the angry, embittered Ace of the novels, who left the Doctor after his manipulations became too much for her, who fought in the Dalek Wars for three years, who came back on her own terms and who built a new, weird, not entirely functional but ultimately loving family in the TARDIS.
The title is a pun - the story is set up to have a heck of a lot of action/adventure setpieces (Battles in ancient Egypt! Imploding time trains! Malodorous laboratories and cosmic dreams!), but it also focuses on the Egyptian god Set. Ace finds herself blasted back in time to ancient Egypt, left alone, right after she seemed to see the Doctor die. The first time, she left him by choice; now, she is forced to see who she is alone, and build herself up from there.
Set doesn't appear directly in this story (though he has elsewhere in Who). His worshippers do, a line of them going from ancient Egypt to at least the 19th century, but more important is his cosmic role - here, given as one who disrupts the cosmic balance, the Way Things Are Supposed To Be; and Ace herself is explicitly identified with that, as someone who crosses boundaries, who defies the classifications others - including the Doctor herself - try to place her into.
There's a lot of stuff going on in this story outside Ace, of course. The Doctor has his own plan going on - if this is a proper Ace story, he needs to have one for her to react to - but he's intensely vulnerable here, nearly dying, blown across spacetime, found and cared for by someone with their own agendas. Benny gets to see Egypt from the other end, in an archaeological dig (her specialty!) during the reign of Napoleon, walks with unnamed gods in a dream, and ends up tying things together both thematically and plotwise. Recurring book character Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart returns, and gets to be emotionally complex and vulnerable. And all of these things wrap around Ace's story, affecting her and being affected - it's a very complete work, in a way that shows the use of time-space corridors as a tool for storytelling.
It's not flawless, of course. The science fiction plot gets a bit muddy at times, and the threat to the universe doesn't *quite* work. It's a fairly standard "killer stamp collector" scenario, where a computer meant to do one thing does the thing so hard it might destroy the universe. But the logic doesn't quite make sense - there's no established link between "I need to upload all humans around into my computer memory to save them" and "I need to implant mind control units into agents and send them out into the world to stabilize the portals through the time vortex that I've found myself with access to". But this really is a small quibble - it's not that the idea couldn't work, it just needed a bit more scaffolding.
And if the plot is occasionally weird, the character work is, if not flawless, then nearly so. The moment when Ace reunites with Benny and the Doctor is just... perfect sweet joy, a moment of catharsis deeply earned. Kate Orman is wonderful at that; her books take the violence and fear of a mid-90s Doctor Who plot and use it to build tension, build and build and build, and then have everything resolve in a flurry of love and bittersweet but heartfelt appreciation. It's lovely.
This is Ace's swan song in the books, and it really defines the book version, as she grew out of the TV version; her struggles against authority, the way she breaks free, the way she defines herself, and keeps growing and changing and moving. Plus, it has an afterword by Sophie Aldred herself. Good stuff.
The title is a pun - the story is set up to have a heck of a lot of action/adventure setpieces (Battles in ancient Egypt! Imploding time trains! Malodorous laboratories and cosmic dreams!), but it also focuses on the Egyptian god Set. Ace finds herself blasted back in time to ancient Egypt, left alone, right after she seemed to see the Doctor die. The first time, she left him by choice; now, she is forced to see who she is alone, and build herself up from there.
Set doesn't appear directly in this story (though he has elsewhere in Who). His worshippers do, a line of them going from ancient Egypt to at least the 19th century, but more important is his cosmic role - here, given as one who disrupts the cosmic balance, the Way Things Are Supposed To Be; and Ace herself is explicitly identified with that, as someone who crosses boundaries, who defies the classifications others - including the Doctor herself - try to place her into.
There's a lot of stuff going on in this story outside Ace, of course. The Doctor has his own plan going on - if this is a proper Ace story, he needs to have one for her to react to - but he's intensely vulnerable here, nearly dying, blown across spacetime, found and cared for by someone with their own agendas. Benny gets to see Egypt from the other end, in an archaeological dig (her specialty!) during the reign of Napoleon, walks with unnamed gods in a dream, and ends up tying things together both thematically and plotwise. Recurring book character Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart returns, and gets to be emotionally complex and vulnerable. And all of these things wrap around Ace's story, affecting her and being affected - it's a very complete work, in a way that shows the use of time-space corridors as a tool for storytelling.
It's not flawless, of course. The science fiction plot gets a bit muddy at times, and the threat to the universe doesn't *quite* work. It's a fairly standard "killer stamp collector" scenario, where a computer meant to do one thing does the thing so hard it might destroy the universe. But the logic doesn't quite make sense - there's no established link between "I need to upload all humans around into my computer memory to save them" and "I need to implant mind control units into agents and send them out into the world to stabilize the portals through the time vortex that I've found myself with access to". But this really is a small quibble - it's not that the idea couldn't work, it just needed a bit more scaffolding.
And if the plot is occasionally weird, the character work is, if not flawless, then nearly so. The moment when Ace reunites with Benny and the Doctor is just... perfect sweet joy, a moment of catharsis deeply earned. Kate Orman is wonderful at that; her books take the violence and fear of a mid-90s Doctor Who plot and use it to build tension, build and build and build, and then have everything resolve in a flurry of love and bittersweet but heartfelt appreciation. It's lovely.
This is Ace's swan song in the books, and it really defines the book version, as she grew out of the TV version; her struggles against authority, the way she breaks free, the way she defines herself, and keeps growing and changing and moving. Plus, it has an afterword by Sophie Aldred herself. Good stuff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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