Doctor Who: The Man in the Velvet Mask

Doctor Who: Missing Adventures #19

by Daniel O'Mahony

'The triumph of virtue. The misfortunes of vice. Who said the play had to be like the book?'

24 Messidor, XXII: the TARDIS has landed in post-revolutionary France, or so it appears. But the futuristic structure of the New Bastille towers over a twisted version of Paris. And First Deputy Minski, adopted son of the infamous Marquis de Sade, presides over a reign of terror that has yet to end.

Revolutionary soldiers arrest an ailing Doctor as a curfew breaker. Dodo is recruited by a band of wandering players whose intentions are less than pure. Deep in the dungeons of the Bastille, Prisoner 6 tries desperately to remember who he is. And outside time and space, a gathering of aliens watch in horror as their greatest experiment goes catastrophically wrong.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 1996

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take on an alternative history set around post-revolutionary France, it’s not an era that I’m overly familiar with so most of the references and side characters past me by.
Though of course it’s one of The Doctor’s favourite time periods!

I was quite glad that this was a relatively short read compared to other books in the range, the story itself was interesting enough.

Set between The Savages and The War Machines, I’d hoped this ‘Missing Adventure’ would have some nice moments with The Doctor and Dodo but they spent most of the story separated.
There’s some really nice character moments as both The Doctor contemplates regeneration for the first time and Dodo is sure her travels are nearing an end.

[David Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very strange, depressing, potentially off-putting novel, which perhaps explains its low ratings and that no one has yet written a review of it on this forum. It is something like Stephen Marley's "Managra" in that the Doctor and companion arrive in an Earth that both is and is not like one they or we know, and that runs by a peculiar logic outside the bounds of ordinary rationale. It takes place in Paris, 1804, but instead of the rule of Napoleon, France is run by the supposed son of the Marquis de Sade, an evil genius in a boy's body named Minski. The plot unfolds along a weird logic so that normal reader's expectations are constantly thwarted. Also, the novel is written in a multiple-perspective semi-stream-of-consciousness form, which means that every description is metaphorical, imbued with emotion and strange perceptions. Finally, the Doctor himself is not the usual force to be reckoned with here, but instead is feeling his oncoming regeneration, and spends most of the novel tired, withered, barely able to put one foot or one thought in front of the other.

"The Man in the Velvet Mask" is not really science fiction and almost not "Doctor Who." This is one of those strange fantasy novels, like Neil Gaiman's work or Philip Pullman's, in which the whole world is slightly askew. In a way, it resembles steampunk in that the novel has an eighteenth century with advanced technology built around the technological concepts of the time, such as automata, a video monitoring system derived from water, and airships with something like lasers. That this is not science fiction is clear because none of the technology ever really gets explained, and for most of it O'Mahony makes no effort to explain. It is, in essence, magic that looks like technology.

Still, it all works for the most part. Once one gets into the peculiar logic of this world and gets used to O'Mahony's distinctly different descriptions for things, the novel keeps matters tied together. Many characters have an emotional depth not seen in other "Doctor Who" novels precisely because O'Mahony endeavors to show how the world looks and feels to them.

The novel really deserves higher ratings.

[Edward Buckton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Update (27/07/2024)
Wanted to share this absolutely brilliant bit of analysis from the first volume of Sandifer's TARDIS Eruditorum:

The book is, in many ways, a Sadean story about Dodo, the innocent cipher of a companion. And so we return, once again, to the Problem of Susan, this time in its most explicit formulation. The central problem of the book – the entire issue that divides people on it, frankly – is whether or not the audience will accept the sexualization of an otherwise unsexualized character who, in any realistic portrayal, would have been sexually awakened. The book confronts the show’s decision to take what was ostensibly supposed to be a working class London girl from the swinging sixties and make her a sexless cipher with no clear character traits. And it makes the argument, a not entirely uncompelling argument, that the desexualizing of her was what made her not work as a character ... sometimes seeing the shocking extremes of what a Doctor Who story can be is necessary. You don’t really know the shape of something until you probe its edges.

Original review
Sure, it's not perfect. The prose can be dense. The plot sometimes requires cross-referencing with a summary to make sure you're all caught up. The depiction of sexual innocence doesn't always mesh comfortably with the novel’s thematic tapestry.

But if there's one thing O'Mahony’s missing adventure succeeds in, it's being different. Do you know how refreshing that is for a Doctor Who book? The Man in the Velvet Mask is weird. The Man in the Velvet Mask is frightening. The Man in the Velvet Mask is surprisingly moving. The Man in the Velvet Mask is like absolutely nothing you’d have seen on telly in 1966; and, ironically, that’s what makes it so befitting of that groundbreaking era’s characters.

In a library's worth of cult TV pastiches and script edits masquerading as stories, it is an absolute miracle to find Doctor Who fiction that is committed to being challenging, character-driven, and totally unique. It’s an attitude that’s frankly so rare for this franchise that it deserves praise even if the author fails. Other reviewers aren’t wrong in calling this book “depressing”, “disturbing" or “strange” – only in implying that those are bad qualities.

[Brayden Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps a 3.5 there's a lot to like here, the ailing first doctor as he closes in on his first regeneration. Dodo's character is well written and the plot is certainly dark and outrageous at times but it doesn't always make for a huge winning story to do something dark. Lately I have found the better stories are the ones that navigate lighter emotions with dark undertones rather than simply dark.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those novels that many people will LOVE...but most fans will have a hard time trying to LIKE. This is dark and twisted, and disturbing and brilliant, and completely outrageous. It does things to characters that are in keeping with the use of the Marquis de Sade...but plants it firmly in a Doctor Who context, in spite of the darkness and strangeness. It's not a novel I'd personally rush to read again (not quite to my taste)...but first timers will definitely find this one a provocative read.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://gnomeship.blogspot.com/2015/06...

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gothic and inventive with some incredible character work, particularly concerning the much-maligned Dodo Chaplet and the Doctor's impending regeneration. It's a pretty vibes-based novel, sure, but the vibes are impeccable here.

[Hidekisohma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why is it so hard to have a good time with first doctor novels? I don't understand. having read 9 first doctor novels i can tell you that i only truly enjoyed one of them and that was "City at World's End". And it's not like the 1st doctor can't be good. the short stories have by far and large been very good "A big hand for the doctor" "64 carlyle street" and "There are fairies at the bottom of the garden" were all great, so it's obvious that the first doctor can be written well. But for some reason, when it comes to the writing an entire novel of the guy, so many authors try to either make a religious statement or be so far up their own butts with description and/or cerebral crap that it makes the book nearly unreadable.

This story is the latter.

First of all, there's a decent idea muddled somewhere in here. a pocket universe 1800's Paris run by a dictator with a world machine. okay that can work. What DOESN'T work is O'mahoney's writing style. Oh my god his writing style is atrocious.

I can only imagine him holding a pipe to his lips and typing out extremely convoluted phrases and going "oh, my word, that is quite a myriad of poppycockery. splendid!" before chortling and going back to his writing.

A lot of who authors to me, feel like they're trying to make doctor who a vehicle for their own fancy writing going "look how intellectual and cerebral i am!" as if they're patting themselves on the back. You're telling a story about a guy and some people in a police box meeting people in rubber suits and garbage cans. Calm down there Nietzsche.

And yes, i DID understand everything in this book and i got the themes and the meaning and blah de blah. I didn't dislike it because i didn't understand it, i disliked it because it was boring, depressing, and needlessly complicated.

This book has the doctor basically starting his dying process and regeneration into the 2nd doctor (heaven help us) as he's getting old and feeling that his time is coming soon. Because of this he's basically frail for the whole book and does nothing but talk to a few people and not really do anything physical. Exciting stuff.

Dodo on the other hand is taken in by a group of actors and there's one of them that wants to "break her" ... hm.. creepy.

Now here's the thing. The scenes with the doctor were fine. I enjoyed the talking scenes with the doctor. Dodo's scenes were......tolerable i suppose? it was one of those books where i kept looking ahead to see when i'd be in a scene with the doctor again because the other scenes were terrible.

That's the kicker. Whenever the book DIDN'T focus on either Dodo or the doctor, the book was AWFUL. There were times when it would go to either the villains or these aliens and every scene these two groups were in were BORRRINNGGG and overtly convoluted. I honestly didn't care what they were doing and just wanted to go back to the doctor.

And for people who say you can't write a good doctor who book where you focus mainly on the doctor and his comp without going to side characters points of view too often i will point you to "Timewyrm: Exodus" it was pretty much ALL ace and the doctor and it was written well with no really no complications.

This book is an ego stroke and it's incredibly obvious. I put O'Mahony on the same level of "Jim Mortimore". And that's not a good thing.

All in all, if you couldn't tell, i didn't enjoy this one. at only 250 pages, it should not have been the schlog it was, but sadly, it was. i tried to just power through it as i didn't want to have it over my head and more than i had to. i need to read another book to wash my brain out. Ugh.

Even 2 out of 5.

[John Bullock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man In the velvet mask review.

The Doctor and Dodo arrive on what first appears to be earth during the French revolution. However it soon becomes apparent that everything is not as it seems. Seperated the Doctor is taken prisoner and soon ends up in the Bastille, whilst Dodo befriends a group of travelling actors. It soon becomes clear that history has been changed and France is ruled over by the tyrant Minski. A strange machine operates behind the scenes through ' the gaps in the air'. The doctor must find out who is behind the changes and try and restore the earth to it's correct time and place.

I going to start by saying I like this book, but I can see why others wouldn't. I would like to remind everyone of what Peter Davall-Evans writes in the foreword to the first MA Goth Opera:

'...these are new stories with old Doctors. Each Missing Adventures will slot seamlessly into a gap between television stories, and we will attempt to ensure that the Missing Adventures have the flavour of the television stories in which they are embedded'

Whilst a number of the missing adventures have failed to meet this brief I think 'Man in the velvet mask' is one of the worst offenders. There's violence, sex, sexual violence and ritual sacrifice, I definitely understand way some people think this book goes too far and it definitely does not slot seemlessly into the gap between The Savages and The War Machines. The Hartnell years for me had a real innocence, and this book taints that innocence.

However, I can only judge this book on how much I enjoyed it and I found the writing engaging and the storyline interesting, with plenty of unique ideas. The whole pageant thing starts off a bit difficult to follow, but once you realise they're the aliens who have put the earth into the machine it starts to make sense. Dodo is a tough character to write for, because on screen her character was so poorly developed, so the MA writers could pretty much do what they want with the character, it's not really a question of whether the characterisation is correct, but more a case of do I like what Daniel has done with the character, and overall, I don't think I do. Whilst we are given some insight into her background and an understanding of why she may abruptly leave, It's almost as if Daniel doesn't like the character as he turns her into a ugly, flat-chested, spotty frump who jumps into bed at the first opportunity. The Doctor's characterisation is good, although him being on the verge of regeneration doesn't really fit with how Hartnell was portrayed in the War Machines, this Doctor would have fitted much better before tenth planet. Daniel seems to enjoy the idea of moving between different dimensions, an idea also explored in his his previous New Adventure 'Falls the Shadow', however this book is much easier to follow and not so confusing, making it a much more enjoyable read.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, so it's getting a 9/10, however, if anybody wants to disagree and give it a 1/10 I would completely understand.

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/810487.html?#cutid3[return][return]Once again, (and immediately following Steven's departure in The Savages) the TARDIS lands in what appears to be a familiar Earth environment, in this case post-revolutionary France. But all is not as it seems; the supreme leader is not Napoleon, but a mysterious Minski, under the patronage of none other than the Marquis de Sade. The Doctor gets involved with trying to work out What Is Really Going On, while Dodo falls in with a theatre company and takes on the lead role in The Misfortunes of Virtue, managing a fling with one of the other members of the cast along the way. I never really did work out What Was Really Going On, but very much enjoyed the ride; reminiscent of the crazy Managra, in a good way.

[Ffion Horrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant and rather mature virgin missing adventure. Set in an alternative version of Paris just after the french revolution, this book explores the idea of control, power and some other rather dark themes. I loved the characterisation of both Dodo and the doctor, with Dodo giving some vital development as a character, and the doctor growing weaker and closer to regeneration. The other characters are also very well-fleshed out. Definitely a more mature and darker doctor who book than most, but very enjoyable. 10/10

[Steven Andreyechen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly interesting and macabre story. It has an intriguing alternate history plot populated by very grim characters, though it is clear why many are turned off by it.

While the story paints a fascinating portrait of the Doctor, being fully aware of his age and mortality, it’s handling of Dodo leaves much to be desired.

It is very well written in terms of prose but can be a bit confusing at times, especially with regards to the world building.

Overall a very enjoyable book, but really not for everyone.

[Frank Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a solid 1-star. I just really couldn't stand this story. The show is boring plot line and the scheme to taint Dodo is gross. The Doctor's adventure is really overshadowed by the treatment of Dodo.

The only positive thing I can say is that the approach of the Doctor's regeneration is alluded to nicely.

[Jason Bleckly · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book only for obsessive Whovians. It's a short story padded with turgid repetitive prose to masquerade as a novel. The characterisation of Hartnell's incarnation was bad. It was a struggle to read it to the end. I would not recommend this book.

[Benedict Reid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written, interesting with a good premise based on a twisted history... but probably the Dr Who novel I've least enjoyed reading. I think it is the underlying sexual threat behind a lot of the action, which never actually occurred but added a weird vibe to the whole thing.

[S Shipp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was creative and unique which made it an intriguing and interesting read.

[Gavin Mills · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utter trash. Daniel O'Mahoney should write for Torchwood.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Man in the Velvet Mask is part of the Virgin Publishing Doctor Who Missing Adventures series. It features the First Doctor (as played on the classic television series by William Hartnell) and Dodo, an under-used companion. The Doctor and Dodo land in the TARDIS in what appears to be Post-Revolutionary France. Yet almost immediately something seems very off. Historical characters who are known to be dead are alive. People who should be alive - are dead. And everything is just off. Yet, for two-thirds of the book, though the reader is aware that something is off, it's not explained what's going on - making this book a frustrating read.
Almost immediately after alighting the TARDIS, the Doctor and Dodo are separated. Dodo takes up with a troop of actors, eventually falling in love, or at least having a physical fling. She grows up and becomes an adult woman. The Doctor gets to meet a number of people, gathering clues as to what is going on. And, he eventually ends up a prisoner in the New Bastille.
Meanwhile, hidden in the Bastille is another prisoner, Prisoner Number 6, the man in the velvet mask of the title. Number 6 has his face hidden so no one will ever know who he is. Also, he's held in the cell of the condemned - those to be guillotined the next day. Yet, the warden of the prison doesn't ever plan to send Number 6 to his death, instead every day she simply changes the name on the records, so the cell holds a "new" condemned man. This has been going on for years, even decades. And yes, that a Prisoner is known only as Number 6 is no coincidence.
Minisk, the dictator in charge of this weird world is involved in weird, grotesque experiments, and keeps cruel law, with an early curfew. It's breaking curfew that got the Doctor taken to the Bastille in the first place. After interviewing the Doctor, Minisk decides that he will be placed in the should-be-empty cell of the condemned man. When he forces the Warden to take them there, he discovers the warden's deception and that Number 6 is alive. He orders Six's death. This forces the Warden, as soon as Minisk leaves to actually aid Number 6 and the Doctor in escape, though she only lets them out of the cell and says she can't let them out of the prison. But the prison is a warren of levels, rooms, cells, corridors, etc. It's a labyrinth - and actually a good place to hide. By talking to Number 6, and observation, plus - eventually some information from Dodo and her actors, the Doctor figures things out.
The conclusion of the story is an conclusion, and a hitting of the reset button, but with a bit of a spook factor.
I read this book as an e-book, and I almost wonder if it was condensed or re-edited. It's a short book, and it's very, very confusing. At times this book is difficult to follow, though eventually the plot more or less falls into place. This is also very much a horror story, with some really disgusting descriptions - such as the head that continues to speak after it's been separated from it's body. One of the main historical characters of the story is the Marquis de Sade, so you can guess how that turns out. The story is creepy, often gross, but also difficult at times to follow. This is one of the few times I wish more time had been spent in a set-up chapter before the TARDIS arrives explaining what's going on.

[Chaz Augustine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Man in the Velvet Mask is the 19th book in the Virgin Missing Adventures line, a line that I have a certain respect neé love for. It's written by Mr. Daniel O'Mahony and is his second published novel. This fact calms much of my criticism of the work as the inexperience shows through and I do believe that I would read a later work and hopefully see improvement. Now allow me to criticize Mr. O'Mahony's novel with knowledge that it is the work of a young author.

This is neither a good Doctor Who novel or good novel in general. I practically adore The Doctor's first incarnation. The elder with the young spirit. The authority that works against the authority. The universe's collective grandfather. I wish he were in this book. He is hardly in it and when he is he is either gawking at some edgy horror or uncomfortable abuse or he is having an health issue. I do not object to the Doc *Don't call me Doc* having medical scares as in this place in the canon it's rather more frequent than before as he's ran himself thinner than the knees on a workman's trousers but I do care that the text fails to make me care. I believe he has a heart attack later in the book and as I recall it only lasts about one page. What was he doing? Running, fighting, or hiding...no. He was having a conversation with a machine crafted from a poor woman's severed head that's had it's mouth sewn shut. Lovely. I feel like scenes similar to this encompassed most of the Doctor's role and if not the Doctor taking center stage who did?

It's Dodo of course. I don't believe Dodo has ever been given her day in the sun but to be honest this outing was worse than The Celestial Toymaker. She spends practically all the book in the hands of a man who, "wants to corrupt her." In the end he is more actor than assaulter but the situation both feels and reads like creepy smut. I'm sure many have heard the rumor that it's here that Dodo contracts a STD that eventually kills her, well that is only partially true. While technically it's a STD it is really a bioengineered parasite that will not kill you. Effectively it's disturbing but harmless since the big bad is defeated.

In closing there are better books in this line, series, and general. Feel free to pass this one by unless you truly need to read it. There are books that better display the ideas within this novel. Good day and happy reading.

[Saoki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is one of those old-style literary science fiction stories In Which The Author Ponders About Many Things, with the slight issue that none of the concepts being pondered had anything to do with the Doctor or even his impending regeneration. I can be charitable and pose that the man vs himself | youth vs old age thing does ties back into regeneration as well as into choosing Dodo and the Doctor as the Tardis team, but the novel spent way more time exploring a very old concept of morals, messages and decadence, which is why we get to meet the Marquis de Sade in this book. I screamed when Sade actually spoke out loud the author's closing thoughts on the matter.

I see I'm not making much sense. It is very tempting to throw a barb here and say "neither did the author", but the fact is that Daniel O'Mahony actually writes very well and the story was pretty straight-forward, though told in a meandering way. My problem with this book is that I disagree with the author.
I disagree with his choice of story, his characterization of the 1st Doctor and Dodo, his choice in writing an alternate history/science fiction story as a device to explore some tired ideas, and his penchant for just letting his kink show throughout the book. I could also say many things about the distressingly violent metaphors for transsexuality, which might just be part of the very confused exploration of sexuality (that yes also happens in this book and yes the author conflates gender and sexuality), but I'd put my money on being something the author did not notice he was doing. There were many things on the way this book was written that made me wonder if they were done on purpose or just happened and were left as they were.
I can't say I liked this book, but it is well written, I'll give him that.

PS: I do recognize both the 1990's brand of nihilism and the sort of theater group teenager that Bressac and Dalville represent in a very personal way. I have actually kissed one of those and tried to kiss the other WHILE on a theater group IN my teenage years. I remember how tiring it was to deal with the way they assigned innocence to me because of my gender. But eventually I learned how to throw a punch. I now feel like writing a fanfic in which Dodo learns how to punch.

[Ivana Richards · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'll start with the good points. This is a fairly quick and well-written book, and , thankfully, at 250 pages it's pretty short.
However, it just doesn't feel like a Dr Who story at all - honestly, it'd be hard to fit this into any season or for any Doctor, let alone season 2's 1st Doc. Having the Doctor collapsing all over the place because he's near the end of his regeneration would be much more sensible if this was set immediately before The Tenth Planet, however it's set before The War Machines which makes it completely pointless. Because of this, for a lot of the book, the Doctor's character is way off the mark.
And that brings me nicely to Dodo's treatment by Mahoney, which is little better. She's portrayed here as being completely niave and innocent in all things, which really doesn't ring true considering her last few adventures. There's a whole scene where Dodo sits on her bed "blissfully naked, too innocent to know shame."A) this doesn't sound like Dodo and B) having her in her underwear would have the same effect.
I've not read this book since it was published (like many of this set) and it'll be a long while until I pick this one back up.

[City Mist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Virgin Books' tenure over the literary arm of Doctor Who's multimedia presence is often remembered for its many ill advised attempts at "adult" storytelling, and I've read enough New and Missing Adventures by this point to know the hallmarks by heart. Such books typically feature gratuitous sex scenes, almost constant violence and gore, an emphasis that the central threat is the greatest our characters have ever faced, and multiple scenes of the Doctor himself in distress. If things are particularly serious, he may even scream a lot.

Daniel O'Mahony's The Man in the Velvet Mask bears all of these calling cards, and yet I found myself enjoying it immensely. Compared to so many other New/Missing Adventures authors, his writing just has a quality that justifies the subject matter he chooses to focus on. Yes, this story is grim, but he never seems to revel in its unpleasantness. For all the severed heads, plague, and mutilation, the excess on display feels appropriate to the setting and tone that O'Mahony places the reader in.

Dodo's sexual awakening subplot is probably a bridge too far though, especially as it ends up contributing so little to the story as a whole.

[Arthur B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly experimental, and whilst O'Mahony once again deploys content which feels a bit overly shocking even by the more adult standards of the Virgin novel line, this time around there seems to be genuinely thematically appropriate reasons for doing it. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep going between three and four stars on this. Man oh man, I'm realizing that the books are MUCH heavier and darker than the actual Classic Who TV shows. Dodo's coming of age story? I wasn't expecting that. Crazy things. But it kept me interested the whole way through!

[Philip · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but for me it just didn’t work. This could have been great set in an alternate revolutionary France but the focus on what certain characters wanted to do with Dodo seemed a bit odd.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

March 2022
I read this over far longer a period of time than I ever meant to, and I wonder if that's why my end feelings on it are very...ambiguous. I'm not sure I liked it. I don't think I disliked it either. There are some interesting ideas here, but perhaps it jarred with the world of the First Doctor. Sometimes it tries too hard to be adult, and I wasn't a fan of the extent of the brutalisation of women at the beginning. Catherine was a fun character. Ultimately my feelings on this are a big old '?' but I've read far worse Doctor Who books, so I don't regret the time spent on it.

August 2025
Having now read this at a much faster pace I think I can say definitively that I do like it but I understand why people wouldn't: it's a very mean book, and at the beginning especially that often manifests itself as being quite brutal to several female characters. At the same time it does compel me in that I sincerely think it's doing interesting things with performance, identity, the nature of decay at this period in Doctor Who's run (it's definitely not a mistake that they return to a time and place near the season one setting of The Reign of Terror only to find a twisted view of history, defined by empty performance rather than the sincere aping of French Revolution tropes of that story) and even Dodo herself, whose taking the place of a dead woman in the play mirrors the Doctor's assignment of her as a replacement Susan, even as the appellation of "child" he applies to her becomes less and less appropriate. It doesn't always work and I'm not even sure I'm always enjoying myself reading it, but there's something here that convinces me I'll want to return to it over and over.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, was that a let down. A decent idea and setting and some really nice characterization of the first Doctor and Dodo is completely dragged down by tons of padding and angst.

It was like trying to read one of those black and white European art films. Just dreary.

I did like the Doctor dealing with the fact that he's getting old and is feeling nervous because it'll be his first time regenerating. Dodo also had more personality and depth in this one book than the entire season she spent on the TV show. I actually started to like her a bit.

Other than that the author managed to suck all the fun out of this book.

[Andy Simmons · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book a bit of a chore to read, to be honest. While the setting, a steampunk version of Revelutionary France, had some appeal and was well presented the book as a whole did not grab me. I felt that the representations of the Doctor and Dodo did not match their TV characters and only a few of the book's "native" characters had any life. I did like some of the nihilistic feel of the setting and the idea that the British worshipped the Devil (or in the book's reality an alien power) because there was nothing else to worship was intruiging.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very different flavor of a Dr Who story; maybe because one of the key characters is the Marquis De Sade. The general feeling of the novel is a little somber. The First Doctor is nearing the end of his life, and his body is starting to fail on him; Dodo realizes her time with the Doctor is coming to an end, and so is desperately trying to prove herself on her own. It's an interesting story, but definitely more adult-flavored than other entries in the series.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent 1st Doctor adventure filled with plenty of atmosphere. O'Mahony showcases an aging Doctor nearly out of life and breathes some much-needed life into Dodo. Also, explains why the Doc had only 1 heart (tying in with the revelation that he is half human.