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Eighth Doctor Adventures #32
Doctor Who: The Fall of Yquatine
Yquataine--cultural, political and economic center of the Minerva System. A planet with a month to live.
Fitz knows. He was there when Yquataine fell. Now, trapped a month in the past, he doesn't know if the Doctor survived. He doesn't know where Compassion has gone. He doesn't know who the invaders will be.
But he does know the date and time when he will die with the millions of others.
The Doctor teams up with Lou Lombardo--part-time dodgy temporal gadget salesman and full-time pie seller. Compassion is lost in time and space. And Fitz is living out his final days working in a seedy cocktail bar, where he meets Arielle, the President's runaway girlfriend. But is she really the best person to shack up with?
As the Doctor tries to talk sense into the politicians and soldiers, and Compassion tries to avert the war, Fitz is about to discover that things can only get worse.
Fitz knows. He was there when Yquataine fell. Now, trapped a month in the past, he doesn't know if the Doctor survived. He doesn't know where Compassion has gone. He doesn't know who the invaders will be.
But he does know the date and time when he will die with the millions of others.
The Doctor teams up with Lou Lombardo--part-time dodgy temporal gadget salesman and full-time pie seller. Compassion is lost in time and space. And Fitz is living out his final days working in a seedy cocktail bar, where he meets Arielle, the President's runaway girlfriend. But is she really the best person to shack up with?
As the Doctor tries to talk sense into the politicians and soldiers, and Compassion tries to avert the war, Fitz is about to discover that things can only get worse.
286 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 6, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 13, 2022
A highly entertaining instalment after the shocks in The Shadows of Avalon.
The story takes awhile to get started but once Walters separates The Doctor, Compassion and Fitz in a clever way, the events feels much more natural.
Compassion's recent change is brilliantly explored, especially after The Doctor ill advisedly actions.
Her anger sees the trio split up including Fitz being transported back a month on the doomed planet.
It's always nice to explore more of the companions background and seeing both Fitz trying to adapt to his current situation whilst Compassion's angst during the middle section was the strongest section of this adventure.
The Eighth Doctor's characterisation felt slightly off, but he's role in trying to prevent a war was very integral.
The story takes awhile to get started but once Walters separates The Doctor, Compassion and Fitz in a clever way, the events feels much more natural.
Compassion's recent change is brilliantly explored, especially after The Doctor ill advisedly actions.
Her anger sees the trio split up including Fitz being transported back a month on the doomed planet.
It's always nice to explore more of the companions background and seeing both Fitz trying to adapt to his current situation whilst Compassion's angst during the middle section was the strongest section of this adventure.
The Eighth Doctor's characterisation felt slightly off, but he's role in trying to prevent a war was very integral.
July 18, 2020
This is the start of one of two periods in the 8th Doctor line of novels where I was not overly-fond of the long-running story arc; the Compassion-as-living-TARDIS didn't add much to a character I already consigned to a bin marked cold/icy/uninteresting. However, although the plot is serviceable, this is a novel where the characters are well drawn, and the intensity of their situations is by far the most admirable trait on offer. The conflict between Compassion & the Doctor in particular borders on the disturbing...elevating their sections well above the rest of the novel.
November 22, 2024
This is the best EDA I’ve read in awhile. The writing was clear and concise, the plot was straightforward and made sense, and all of our main players were in character. Fitz again, is enamored with a girl and is separated from the Doctor. Compassion is now the Tardis, which makes things interesting. She’s taken off to try to remove the randomizer from her system, leaving the Doctor and Fitz on a dying planet. They try to prevent the fall of Yquantine and deal with its fallout while other forces are moving to take over the system. I found myself engaged and interested throughout the story, and really enjoyed myself. I can’t wait to see how the narrative progresses with Compassion as the Tardis, and all three of them running from the Time Lords.
May 7, 2024
Eh. Fairly mid, especially when I know what these books -- and even this author -- are capable of.
Also I really need Fitz to have a plot that isn't "falls in love with local girl, stuff goes wrong." It's his version of the Doctor's "captured, tortured." Except in this one, Fitz is also captured and tortured. Jeez Louise!
Also I really need Fitz to have a plot that isn't "falls in love with local girl, stuff goes wrong." It's his version of the Doctor's "captured, tortured." Except in this one, Fitz is also captured and tortured. Jeez Louise!
February 15, 2021
Anyone who has to follow up Paul Cornell was invariably going to have a difficult time, doubly so when it’s a book like The Shadows of Avalon which changes the trajectory of a range and knocks it out of the park with its imagery and characters. The difficult task came down to Nick Walters, whose first novel Dominion was perfectly serviceable a story with the Doctor, Fitz, and Sam, a style of EDA that seems to have been going by the wayside with the change in Compassion. The Fall of Yquatine is a novel with a less than stellar cover, not really setting itself apart from several other BBC Books covers which sport a spaceship (The King of Terror, Imperial Moon, and Warmonger all come to mind). Its description is less encouraging, sporting a general the Doctor and companions try to save a doomed world plotline which other stories have done before. Yet Nick Walters manages to provide a Doctor Who novel that while not boasting a completely stand-out in terms of plot, is enough to attract readers throughout the book to grab onto what Walters is attempting here. Yquatine is a planet which is fated to fall in a war which occurs right as a treaty is meant to be signed achieving peace. The Doctor has only come to Yquatine to visit an old friend, Lou Lombardo, who runs a scalping business for various space and timeship parts, in the intent to acquire a randomizer for Compassion. The Time Lords are clearly on Compassion’s trail and the Doctor, without telling anyone, realizes that if a randomizer worked for the Black Guardian then it will work this time around.
The Doctor’s attitude towards Compassion here is a fascinating one: while he is motivated by keeping her, Fitz, and himself safe, he does not give her any real choice in implementing the randomizer in her circuitry. This sends Compassion into a rage, leaving the Doctor and taking Fitz with her. The randomizer clearly hurts her, and the Doctor never actually apologizes for taking advantage of his friend’s vulnerability. While Walters in the middle of the novel only includes Compassion in two interludes where she is wandering the time vortex, no longer in control of herself, even these interludes give us something new to the character. While before The Shadows of Avalon, Compassion was a very distant person, letting her emotions stay beneath the surface, but becoming a human TARDIS has made her actually able to see the wonder and joy in the universe, as well as the terror and horror. Her relationship with the Doctor is something that cuts deep, but is still rocky. She actually has more of a relationship with Fitz: taking him with her and trying to get him to take the randomizer out of her while it slowly integrates itself into her systems. Fitz is the one she trusts because he is so simple. Fitz, despite his now extensive travels with the Doctor, is still human and still that scruffy man from the 1960s.
Fitz spends much of the middle of the book trying to survive and figure out a way to save Yquatine, as the tragedy around him unfolds. He ends up in a relationship with the mistress of the President of the Minerva System, Arielle, and like many relationships it’s one that gives Fitz a chance to shine just who he is. Fitz’s relationship is one where he actually finds some sort of purpose in the time he spends away from the Doctor and Compassion. Arielle is kind and inquisitive, learning xenobiology and actually gives Fitz a reason to live and stay on Yquatine. He eventually makes that decision to stay right around the time that the fall is set to happen, though as this is an Eighth Doctor Adventure, the tragedy is actually averted by the Doctor. The Doctor here is actually where a lot of the book falls a bit flat. The Doctor is characterized well enough, as he infiltrates politics and is essentially running for his life, however, the actual point of changing history makes both Fitz and Compassion having to come to terms with a civilization dying feel a little flat. The civilization doesn’t actually die, even when Walters attempts to pull sequences of the book where it’s stated that history cannot be changed. The emotional impact of the previous 200 pages are essentially undone. There’s also a supporting character who is hinted at representing or possibly being a reincarnation of Samantha Jones, but she is never actually explained. Walters implies that Fitz is just seeing Sam and missing Sam, but it is never really clear what that means.
Overall, The Fall of Yquatine is at least a good follow up to The Shadows of Avalon, continuing Compassion’s development excellently and putting her and the Doctor in a more rocky relationship as to what she has become. It’s a book that slightly falls apart in the end as the book insists on including a happy ending instead of letting death have any lasting consequences in this range. 7/10.
The Doctor’s attitude towards Compassion here is a fascinating one: while he is motivated by keeping her, Fitz, and himself safe, he does not give her any real choice in implementing the randomizer in her circuitry. This sends Compassion into a rage, leaving the Doctor and taking Fitz with her. The randomizer clearly hurts her, and the Doctor never actually apologizes for taking advantage of his friend’s vulnerability. While Walters in the middle of the novel only includes Compassion in two interludes where she is wandering the time vortex, no longer in control of herself, even these interludes give us something new to the character. While before The Shadows of Avalon, Compassion was a very distant person, letting her emotions stay beneath the surface, but becoming a human TARDIS has made her actually able to see the wonder and joy in the universe, as well as the terror and horror. Her relationship with the Doctor is something that cuts deep, but is still rocky. She actually has more of a relationship with Fitz: taking him with her and trying to get him to take the randomizer out of her while it slowly integrates itself into her systems. Fitz is the one she trusts because he is so simple. Fitz, despite his now extensive travels with the Doctor, is still human and still that scruffy man from the 1960s.
Fitz spends much of the middle of the book trying to survive and figure out a way to save Yquatine, as the tragedy around him unfolds. He ends up in a relationship with the mistress of the President of the Minerva System, Arielle, and like many relationships it’s one that gives Fitz a chance to shine just who he is. Fitz’s relationship is one where he actually finds some sort of purpose in the time he spends away from the Doctor and Compassion. Arielle is kind and inquisitive, learning xenobiology and actually gives Fitz a reason to live and stay on Yquatine. He eventually makes that decision to stay right around the time that the fall is set to happen, though as this is an Eighth Doctor Adventure, the tragedy is actually averted by the Doctor. The Doctor here is actually where a lot of the book falls a bit flat. The Doctor is characterized well enough, as he infiltrates politics and is essentially running for his life, however, the actual point of changing history makes both Fitz and Compassion having to come to terms with a civilization dying feel a little flat. The civilization doesn’t actually die, even when Walters attempts to pull sequences of the book where it’s stated that history cannot be changed. The emotional impact of the previous 200 pages are essentially undone. There’s also a supporting character who is hinted at representing or possibly being a reincarnation of Samantha Jones, but she is never actually explained. Walters implies that Fitz is just seeing Sam and missing Sam, but it is never really clear what that means.
Overall, The Fall of Yquatine is at least a good follow up to The Shadows of Avalon, continuing Compassion’s development excellently and putting her and the Doctor in a more rocky relationship as to what she has become. It’s a book that slightly falls apart in the end as the book insists on including a happy ending instead of letting death have any lasting consequences in this range. 7/10.
December 7, 2024
Ugh. this book took me forever to finish. Two weeks may not seem like a long time, but for a 280ish page book, yeah, it's a while. Straight up, i did not like this book. at all. and i had to think for a while on WHY i didn't like this book. And after mulling it over for a bit, i've finally figured out exactly what i didn't like about this book.
It was depressing.
That seemed to be the theme of this book. it was depressing. Everything about this book was DRAINING.
First off, it was one of those books where the characters are all separated and don't hang out with each other. al all. fantastic. my favorite.
We see in this story that Yquatine is destroyed by...something. we're not sure what at first. then Fitz gets yeeted back to a month ago on the planet when compassion farts off because the doc installed a randomizer in her and she's mad so she leaves the two behind. Fitz can do NOTHING to avoid what's going to happen (he doesn't even try and basically goes 'welp, can't change the future lol') and instead meets a girl that you think is going to important to the story but isn't. However as he's about to escape the doomed planet with her, he gets brought back to the planet by the president and thrown in jail for an entire month. FAN.TASTIC.
meanwhile the doc is trapped in the present and doesn't seem to care that Fitz is dead (he thinks he is) saying lines about how he should care more but doesn't, and how 8 is justifying inserting something into compassion against her will now that she's a TARDIS. Also the President of the doomed planet is kvetching over his dead love interest pretty much as much as the Brigadier was about his dead wife in the previous book. OH BOY! the thing i hated most about Avalon got brought over into the next book. Thanks Nick!
The villain ends up being this gassy weapon that was created a long time ago to which the doc's like "let's make it inert and harmless" and the army's like "um... no it just killed an entire planet" to which the doc is grumpy about. because of course he is.
Throughout this book we meet random people you don't care about who die. pretty much every single person you come across either dies, or you don't care about. there wasn't a single background character that i was like "oh boy. i sure do like that person. i hope they live" There was also a group of aliens where the leader wanted to do war stuff but the other aliens are like "nahhh don't do that" and at the end when peace is made, she dies because she'd rather die than peace. the usual.
So towards the end of the book the evil gas thing gets defeated by the army by destroying it, but because the doctor did absolutely nothing throughout the entire book, he needs to come across some of the leftover fart cloud and convert it to inert. so he shows up and goes "hey! they're peaceful now!" and the army's like "lol no" and kills it. which actually made me laugh.
It's weird because like... the enemy in this book is SUPPOSED to be the evil fart cloud, but like.. then they try to shoehorn in at the end this group of aliens who want to change the treaty and battle, and it felt REALLY shoved in there. because of this, the fart cloud resolution with the doc was very much resolved SUPER quickly offscreen to the point where the doc literally shows up and go "yep. did it offscreen".
Everything about this book was sad. Everyone's talking about death, how they miss this Arielle girl who's only real lines were "It makes sense you're attracted to me, i was surgically fixed so that i was perfect and every man wants me" uh....huh. great characterization there.
Compassion's trying not to kill people while attempting to get the randomizer removed, Fitz is stuck in a jail cell thinking about how he's gonna die, and 8 is just.. whining about saving the murderous fart cloud.
If you couldn't tell, i didn't like this one. at all. it wasn't fun, it wasn't exciting, the doctor did a whole lotta nothing, and it was just a schlog to get through. the only thing that was somewhat okay was the writing style. Nick is easy to read and i didn't have trouble following along. All in all though, this one was just bad. if i ever re-read any of the EDA's, 100% skipping this one.
2 out of 5.
It was depressing.
That seemed to be the theme of this book. it was depressing. Everything about this book was DRAINING.
First off, it was one of those books where the characters are all separated and don't hang out with each other. al all. fantastic. my favorite.
We see in this story that Yquatine is destroyed by...something. we're not sure what at first. then Fitz gets yeeted back to a month ago on the planet when compassion farts off because the doc installed a randomizer in her and she's mad so she leaves the two behind. Fitz can do NOTHING to avoid what's going to happen (he doesn't even try and basically goes 'welp, can't change the future lol') and instead meets a girl that you think is going to important to the story but isn't. However as he's about to escape the doomed planet with her, he gets brought back to the planet by the president and thrown in jail for an entire month. FAN.TASTIC.
meanwhile the doc is trapped in the present and doesn't seem to care that Fitz is dead (he thinks he is) saying lines about how he should care more but doesn't, and how 8 is justifying inserting something into compassion against her will now that she's a TARDIS. Also the President of the doomed planet is kvetching over his dead love interest pretty much as much as the Brigadier was about his dead wife in the previous book. OH BOY! the thing i hated most about Avalon got brought over into the next book. Thanks Nick!
The villain ends up being this gassy weapon that was created a long time ago to which the doc's like "let's make it inert and harmless" and the army's like "um... no it just killed an entire planet" to which the doc is grumpy about. because of course he is.
Throughout this book we meet random people you don't care about who die. pretty much every single person you come across either dies, or you don't care about. there wasn't a single background character that i was like "oh boy. i sure do like that person. i hope they live" There was also a group of aliens where the leader wanted to do war stuff but the other aliens are like "nahhh don't do that" and at the end when peace is made, she dies because she'd rather die than peace. the usual.
So towards the end of the book the evil gas thing gets defeated by the army by destroying it, but because the doctor did absolutely nothing throughout the entire book, he needs to come across some of the leftover fart cloud and convert it to inert. so he shows up and goes "hey! they're peaceful now!" and the army's like "lol no" and kills it. which actually made me laugh.
It's weird because like... the enemy in this book is SUPPOSED to be the evil fart cloud, but like.. then they try to shoehorn in at the end this group of aliens who want to change the treaty and battle, and it felt REALLY shoved in there. because of this, the fart cloud resolution with the doc was very much resolved SUPER quickly offscreen to the point where the doc literally shows up and go "yep. did it offscreen".
Everything about this book was sad. Everyone's talking about death, how they miss this Arielle girl who's only real lines were "It makes sense you're attracted to me, i was surgically fixed so that i was perfect and every man wants me" uh....huh. great characterization there.
Compassion's trying not to kill people while attempting to get the randomizer removed, Fitz is stuck in a jail cell thinking about how he's gonna die, and 8 is just.. whining about saving the murderous fart cloud.
If you couldn't tell, i didn't like this one. at all. it wasn't fun, it wasn't exciting, the doctor did a whole lotta nothing, and it was just a schlog to get through. the only thing that was somewhat okay was the writing style. Nick is easy to read and i didn't have trouble following along. All in all though, this one was just bad. if i ever re-read any of the EDA's, 100% skipping this one.
2 out of 5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2021
あらすじ
新種のターディスとなったコンパッションを利用して戦闘タイプのターディスを生み出そうとするタイムロードからの追跡を逃れるために惑星ユクアンティンに到着したドクターとフィズとコンパッション。ドクターはコンパッションがタイムロードに捕まらないようにランダムマイザーという装置を取り付ける。ところがコンパッションになんの断りもなくコンソールに装置を取り付けたことでコンパッションが激怒し、行方をくらます。不運なことに惑星ユクアンティンは謎の黒い物体から攻撃を受け、一瞬にして滅びてしまう。フィズとはぐれたドクターは友人のランバードと飛行機で脱出。フィズは危ういところをコンパッションに救われていたが、ランダマイザーせいで思う通りの移動ができないコンパッションはユクアンティン滅亡の3ヶ月前に到着。ランダマイザーを取り外せないことに苛立ったコンパッションはフィズの前から姿を消す。フィズは滅亡について知らせたいが、そうすることでタイムラインを書き換えてしまい二度とドクターに会えなくなる可能性と、自分が未来を誰かに知らせたことが引き金となって滅亡がもたらされることを恐れ、身動きがとれない。滅亡までの日銭を稼ぐためバーで働きだすが、そ���でアリエルという絶世の美女と出会う。彼女はユクアンティンの大統領ステファンの恋人だが、独占欲の強い大統領の振る舞いに息がつまり、この星から逃げだすつもりだという。アリエルに助けを求められたフィズは1人だけ滅亡の運命からまんまと逃げ出すことに罪悪感を感じながらもアリエルに同行することにする。一方、ドクターはアンサーク軍の捕虜となり、ユクアンティンの生き残りが避難している宇宙船に連れて行かれる。そこでユクアンティンの大統領が恋人のアリエルを迎えに行くのだと無謀にも単独でユクアンティンの月ムーアに向かうところを、ドクターも同行する。ムーアもすでに黒い影に飲み込まれており、大統領の代わりに様子を見に船外に出たドクターは黒い影に体内に侵入され昏睡状態に陥る。
感想
ターディスがコンパッションとなったにもかかわらず、いつもの調子でターディスをいじってしまうドクター。コンパッションは無断で身体をいじられたと激怒し、フィズも“レイプしたも同然”とドクターに憤る。ドクターからしてみれば、新型ターディスの繁殖を目的とするタイムロードの手からコンパッションを守るための措置だったのだが、デリカシーに欠けていたと深く反省。二度とコンパッションに許してもらえないかもとひどく落ち込む。そこに加えてのユクアンティン滅亡。ドクターもフィズも離ればなれになってしまい、お互いに相手を喪ってしまったかもしれないと深い悲しみにくれ、フィズは自分だけ見捨てられたのかもとどんどんネガティヴに落ち込むし、ドクターもフィズとコンパッションを失ったことに深く傷ついていていながら、それでも生存者を救おうと頑張るのだが、利用されたり裏切られたりで孤立無援。過去に飛ばされたフィズとユクアンティンの滅亡、現在にとどまるドクターの時間軸がどう交差していくのか解き明かされるほどにドクターとはぐれたフィズの不幸ぶりも見えてきて、しかも怒れるコンパッションの動きが予測不能すぎてギリギリまでどうなるのかとハラハラさせられた。コンパッションとフィズがドクター抜きで旅したらいいじゃんと意気投合するのかと思いきやフィズがドクター抜きでは旅する意味が無いとユクアンティンにとどまることを考えるぐらいドクターのことを思ってくれていたのは意外であり嬉しい驚きだった。あとは人の心理に疎すぎるドクター。“恋し人を失う辛さってターディスを失うみたいな感じかなぁ”って、まぁ、ドクターのにとってはそうなのかも。となると、ターディスがコンパッションという女性の姿を取り出したことはなんともややこしいことなのかも。フィズと三角関係とかになりかねなかったりして...
新種のターディスとなったコンパッションを利用して戦闘タイプのターディスを生み出そうとするタイムロードからの追跡を逃れるために惑星ユクアンティンに到着したドクターとフィズとコンパッション。ドクターはコンパッションがタイムロードに捕まらないようにランダムマイザーという装置を取り付ける。ところがコンパッションになんの断りもなくコンソールに装置を取り付けたことでコンパッションが激怒し、行方をくらます。不運なことに惑星ユクアンティンは謎の黒い物体から攻撃を受け、一瞬にして滅びてしまう。フィズとはぐれたドクターは友人のランバードと飛行機で脱出。フィズは危ういところをコンパッションに救われていたが、ランダマイザーせいで思う通りの移動ができないコンパッションはユクアンティン滅亡の3ヶ月前に到着。ランダマイザーを取り外せないことに苛立ったコンパッションはフィズの前から姿を消す。フィズは滅亡について知らせたいが、そうすることでタイムラインを書き換えてしまい二度とドクターに会えなくなる可能性と、自分が未来を誰かに知らせたことが引き金となって滅亡がもたらされることを恐れ、身動きがとれない。滅亡までの日銭を稼ぐためバーで働きだすが、そ���でアリエルという絶世の美女と出会う。彼女はユクアンティンの大統領ステファンの恋人だが、独占欲の強い大統領の振る舞いに息がつまり、この星から逃げだすつもりだという。アリエルに助けを求められたフィズは1人だけ滅亡の運命からまんまと逃げ出すことに罪悪感を感じながらもアリエルに同行することにする。一方、ドクターはアンサーク軍の捕虜となり、ユクアンティンの生き残りが避難している宇宙船に連れて行かれる。そこでユクアンティンの大統領が恋人のアリエルを迎えに行くのだと無謀にも単独でユクアンティンの月ムーアに向かうところを、ドクターも同行する。ムーアもすでに黒い影に飲み込まれており、大統領の代わりに様子を見に船外に出たドクターは黒い影に体内に侵入され昏睡状態に陥る。
感想
ターディスがコンパッションとなったにもかかわらず、いつもの調子でターディスをいじってしまうドクター。コンパッションは無断で身体をいじられたと激怒し、フィズも“レイプしたも同然”とドクターに憤る。ドクターからしてみれば、新型ターディスの繁殖を目的とするタイムロードの手からコンパッションを守るための措置だったのだが、デリカシーに欠けていたと深く反省。二度とコンパッションに許してもらえないかもとひどく落ち込む。そこに加えてのユクアンティン滅亡。ドクターもフィズも離ればなれになってしまい、お互いに相手を喪ってしまったかもしれないと深い悲しみにくれ、フィズは自分だけ見捨てられたのかもとどんどんネガティヴに落ち込むし、ドクターもフィズとコンパッションを失ったことに深く傷ついていていながら、それでも生存者を救おうと頑張るのだが、利用されたり裏切られたりで孤立無援。過去に飛ばされたフィズとユクアンティンの滅亡、現在にとどまるドクターの時間軸がどう交差していくのか解き明かされるほどにドクターとはぐれたフィズの不幸ぶりも見えてきて、しかも怒れるコンパッションの動きが予測不能すぎてギリギリまでどうなるのかとハラハラさせられた。コンパッションとフィズがドクター抜きで旅したらいいじゃんと意気投合するのかと思いきやフィズがドクター抜きでは旅する意味が無いとユクアンティンにとどまることを考えるぐらいドクターのことを思ってくれていたのは意外であり嬉しい驚きだった。あとは人の心理に疎すぎるドクター。“恋し人を失う辛さってターディスを失うみたいな感じかなぁ”って、まぁ、ドクターのにとってはそうなのかも。となると、ターディスがコンパッションという女性の姿を取り出したことはなんともややこしいことなのかも。フィズと三角関係とかになりかねなかったりして...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2025
Nick Walters takes the crazy ending of The Shadows Of Avalon and runs with it as the Doctor, Compassion and Fitz struggle to work well together now that (spoiler?) one of them has replaced the TARDIS. Murky moral choices are made with messy consequences, all against the backdrop of a deadly attack on a planet that threatens to engulf a solar system.
There are lots of interesting aliens zooming around and it’s all very colourful, but you do have to put up with some increasingly familiar story beats, such as everything that happens to Fitz. (Displaced, has to get a job, doomed love affair? Seriously?) I think the exciting and fraught new character dynamic keeps it from disappearing beneath the tropes.
3.5
There are lots of interesting aliens zooming around and it’s all very colourful, but you do have to put up with some increasingly familiar story beats, such as everything that happens to Fitz. (Displaced, has to get a job, doomed love affair? Seriously?) I think the exciting and fraught new character dynamic keeps it from disappearing beneath the tropes.
3.5
October 3, 2017
Loved the alien culture stuff, less enthused about Fitz's general approach to women, or the DEATH AND DISASTER! ending. Also needed more female speaking roles, but was a lot better on this than the next book. Last space adventure for a while I think. (I'm catching up on my backlog of reviews for these books!).
February 14, 2022
A very good book. Still a wee bit perplexed as to why the writers got rid of the old TARDIS and replaced it with the companion becoming a TARDIS
February 10, 2020
Now this was a great Doctor Who outing! The eighth Doctor has returned to the center of the Minerva System (you don't have to know anything about his previous visit there) a month before the system is destroyed. He is separated from his two companions, Fitz (a human) and Compassion (the TARDIS--don't ask, just roll with it). The Doctor lives through the apocalypse with the surviving species, while his companions get shot into Minerva's past, with Fitz stranded there and Companion abandoning him. Can they get back together and stop this from happening?
The Doctor and Fitz are the main stories, while Compassion has smatterings of pages devoted to her. I loved that the Doctor was trying his best to reason with the species on what to do and NO ONE was listening! Usually in the television series one species agrees to the Doctor's plans, but this was not the case. He really had to work to get anyone to listen/believe him. Fitz was the fish out of water trying to survive and get off world before everyone dies.
Writer Nick Walters has a nice doomsday clock constantly ticking for the Doctor and Fitz, and his handle on the many aliens was great! If he wanted to plug about this system again and focus on only one alien, I'd be more than willing to make that trip.
This is the perfect Who novel for non or new Who fans to read. A great deal of character and time travel. Really well done!
The Doctor and Fitz are the main stories, while Compassion has smatterings of pages devoted to her. I loved that the Doctor was trying his best to reason with the species on what to do and NO ONE was listening! Usually in the television series one species agrees to the Doctor's plans, but this was not the case. He really had to work to get anyone to listen/believe him. Fitz was the fish out of water trying to survive and get off world before everyone dies.
Writer Nick Walters has a nice doomsday clock constantly ticking for the Doctor and Fitz, and his handle on the many aliens was great! If he wanted to plug about this system again and focus on only one alien, I'd be more than willing to make that trip.
This is the perfect Who novel for non or new Who fans to read. A great deal of character and time travel. Really well done!
July 15, 2012
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1961762...
Doctor Who attempts to take on Babylon Five, just a little, in Yquatine, a world where humans and various alien species coexist in uneasy alliance. Except that when the Doctor arrives, it all gets destroyed, and then Fitz is warped back a couple of weeks and falls in love with the President's girlfriend as planetary doom approaches. Several ideas from this book also popped up in last year's TV Who, including the shape-shifting entities which deceptively contain the very people they look like. I enjoyed the same author's Dominion last year and I enjoyed this too.
Doctor Who attempts to take on Babylon Five, just a little, in Yquatine, a world where humans and various alien species coexist in uneasy alliance. Except that when the Doctor arrives, it all gets destroyed, and then Fitz is warped back a couple of weeks and falls in love with the President's girlfriend as planetary doom approaches. Several ideas from this book also popped up in last year's TV Who, including the shape-shifting entities which deceptively contain the very people they look like. I enjoyed the same author's Dominion last year and I enjoyed this too.
April 26, 2015
The Doctor fits Compassion with a randomiser, she is not happy. Meanwhile, the planet they are on is under attack and they can't use the TARDIS to escape. Fitz ends up on his own in the past, not able to tell anybody what is going to happen. The Doctor tries to save those left after the invasion. This is a surprisingly good character based story. The plot has enough twists to keep you interested, though again I wonder exactly how much pain Fitz can cope with before he goes mad. It is a traditional style of Dr Who story, with the Doctor trying to stop war, but the storylines of the companions add something more. A very good read.
April 1, 2011
I enjoyed this book. Doctor, Fitz and Compassion arrive on Yquatine to get a Randomiser for Compassion, that way the can keep a step ahead of the Time Lords, except Compassion is non to happy about that. At the same time Yquatine is invaded by an unknown enemy.
I liked this one, We had equal time with the books namesake and the companions. Unfortunately they were pretty much impotent in the whole affair. Fitz spent most of the time in Jail, The Doctor spent most of his time trying to get people to listen to him. Compassion was the only one who was able to actually do something.
I liked this one, We had equal time with the books namesake and the companions. Unfortunately they were pretty much impotent in the whole affair. Fitz spent most of the time in Jail, The Doctor spent most of his time trying to get people to listen to him. Compassion was the only one who was able to actually do something.
January 6, 2014
This is a gem of a find, not to mention a love letter to Fitz Kreiner, arguably the Eighth Doctor's best companion in print. The villain of the piece takes a backseat to some clever writing, with Fitz trapped in the past on a planet he knows will be destroyed in a month, and the Doctor in the future, struggling with bureaucracy and the usual warmongers. It works not only as a "Doctor Who" story, but as a piece of science fiction in general. Ignore the banal cover and track down a copy; mandatory reading right up there with "Alien Bodies" and "The Crooked World".
March 2, 2010
Yes, we all know about the cover, but put that aside and you find a very enjoyable space romp.
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