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Bernice Summerfield: Virgin New Adventures #22
The Joy Device
'Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes... it's worse than Samuel Beckett.'
Benny has had enough. Enough of the angst and the heartache. Enough of Jason and the others. She needs a holiday, and so she's heading to the Eastern Rim, a part of the galaxy where there is still a frontier, and adventure to be had. She's packed her trowel. She's off.
Her friends are concerned. Drug barons, war lords, criminal cartels and outlaws have fled to the Rim from authority and order. There's a distinct risk of getting into trouble, not to mention life-threatening peril. It's not so much that Benny might come to harm; she might find she likes it out there. But Benny finds the Eastern Rim almost suspiciously ordinary: no violence, no action, no excitement. So when she is asked by a shady curio dealer to help him find Dorpfeld's Prism, it seems just another cursed relic to recover before retiring to the bar. In a place this dull, nothing dangerous can possibly happen. Can it?
Benny has had enough. Enough of the angst and the heartache. Enough of Jason and the others. She needs a holiday, and so she's heading to the Eastern Rim, a part of the galaxy where there is still a frontier, and adventure to be had. She's packed her trowel. She's off.
Her friends are concerned. Drug barons, war lords, criminal cartels and outlaws have fled to the Rim from authority and order. There's a distinct risk of getting into trouble, not to mention life-threatening peril. It's not so much that Benny might come to harm; she might find she likes it out there. But Benny finds the Eastern Rim almost suspiciously ordinary: no violence, no action, no excitement. So when she is asked by a shady curio dealer to help him find Dorpfeld's Prism, it seems just another cursed relic to recover before retiring to the bar. In a place this dull, nothing dangerous can possibly happen. Can it?
254 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 21, 1999
1 person is currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Justin Richards
313 books242 followersJustin Richards is a British writer. He has written many spin off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and he is Creative Director for the BBC Books range. He has also written for television, contributing to Five's soap opera Family Affairs. He is also the author of a series of crime novels for children about the Invisible Detective, and novels for older children. His Doctor Who novel The Burning was placed sixth in the Top 10 of SFX magazine's "Best SF/Fantasy novelisation or TV tie-in novel" category of 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 28, 2026
Beneath the envelope was a sheet of folded paper. He opened it and read quickly through the itinerary. Shuttle flights, connections. Hotel booking on one of the main planets on the Rim. He committed it all to memory as fast as he read through it. Right at the bottom, beneath the printed details, was scrawled a brief note. It ended with an exclamation mark. As he finished reading, Braxiatel sounded out the exclamation mark. Then he looked round quickly to check nobody had heard.
-
But Benny seemed not to be listening. She crossed the room and picked up her discarded rucksack. "I'm just glad to be back with my friends," she said as she hefted it over her shoulder. "To be back home."
"And we're glad to have you with us," Cwej told her.
"Thanks." She hesitated a moment in the doorway. Then, with a half-wave, she was gone.
"Well, I think we survived that more or less intact," Braxiatel said after a pause. He smiled broadly. "Well done, team/" He nodded down at his desk. "And thanks for the holiday gift. It's nice to meet it at last after reading so much about it."
"You're welcome," Clarence told him.
-
Justin Richards is my favourite author for Doctor Who. He understands how to give us depth to these characters, as well as giving us an engaging plot and knowing how to balance the two.
The story is after the events of Benny losing her memories and the Collection in the process of being built. Benny wants a holiday, a break and wants to go and find herself and make new memories instead of rereading/facing the memories in her diaries. So, she takes herself on a holiday to one of the most dangerous planets on the frontier worlds with an adventurer named Harper Dent. Only, when she arrives on the planet, from a thief stealing her handbag and then returning it, there appears to be little to no crime. Ignorant of a guardian angel watching over her.
In this book, Justin Richards has made me actually ENJOY Jason Kane's character. For those who know me, Jason Kane is my least favourite character in the Benny universe, because he reminds me of a few toxic men I've encountered and is mostly written by Dave Stone, who is my least favourite Doctor Who author. Justin Richards has miraculously given Jason Kane plenty to do here, without making him look too much like a dick. I really enjoyed him and his friendship with Clarence, and teaching him about sarcasm and humour.
I also really loved Clarence here <3 I've always enjoyed his character, but here he seems to have come out of his shell more and seems really settled within this group. I also loved his fake moustache, and how he had made the effort to be part of a disguise.
I love Braxiatel in this book, and how deeply he cares for his friends. For the build up between the People and the Time Lords, it proves that being away from Gallifrey makes them less prejudiced and they are able to form more friendships with other species. I love how deeply Braxiatel cares about his friends, and about Benny. The lovely moment I quoted at the end really makes me smile, and something I hope to draw one day.
I also loved the other interesting characters we come across. Dent Harper was really funny, especially during the bar shoot out scene where Benny was under the influence of the Dorpfeld's prism, and he was shooting back at the gangsters whilst she was oblivious to it all. And how Jason and Clarence kept trying to make the Rim a better and safer place for Benny, whilst Harper was so used to it being violent all the time and being baffled when it wasn't.
I also liked the two different bad guys here, and how Justin Richards fleshed them out within such a small book.
Overall 4/5. Really fun read.
-
But Benny seemed not to be listening. She crossed the room and picked up her discarded rucksack. "I'm just glad to be back with my friends," she said as she hefted it over her shoulder. "To be back home."
"And we're glad to have you with us," Cwej told her.
"Thanks." She hesitated a moment in the doorway. Then, with a half-wave, she was gone.
"Well, I think we survived that more or less intact," Braxiatel said after a pause. He smiled broadly. "Well done, team/" He nodded down at his desk. "And thanks for the holiday gift. It's nice to meet it at last after reading so much about it."
"You're welcome," Clarence told him.
-
Justin Richards is my favourite author for Doctor Who. He understands how to give us depth to these characters, as well as giving us an engaging plot and knowing how to balance the two.
The story is after the events of Benny losing her memories and the Collection in the process of being built. Benny wants a holiday, a break and wants to go and find herself and make new memories instead of rereading/facing the memories in her diaries. So, she takes herself on a holiday to one of the most dangerous planets on the frontier worlds with an adventurer named Harper Dent. Only, when she arrives on the planet, from a thief stealing her handbag and then returning it, there appears to be little to no crime. Ignorant of a guardian angel watching over her.
In this book, Justin Richards has made me actually ENJOY Jason Kane's character. For those who know me, Jason Kane is my least favourite character in the Benny universe, because he reminds me of a few toxic men I've encountered and is mostly written by Dave Stone, who is my least favourite Doctor Who author. Justin Richards has miraculously given Jason Kane plenty to do here, without making him look too much like a dick. I really enjoyed him and his friendship with Clarence, and teaching him about sarcasm and humour.
I also really loved Clarence here <3 I've always enjoyed his character, but here he seems to have come out of his shell more and seems really settled within this group. I also loved his fake moustache, and how he had made the effort to be part of a disguise.
I love Braxiatel in this book, and how deeply he cares for his friends. For the build up between the People and the Time Lords, it proves that being away from Gallifrey makes them less prejudiced and they are able to form more friendships with other species. I love how deeply Braxiatel cares about his friends, and about Benny. The lovely moment I quoted at the end really makes me smile, and something I hope to draw one day.
I also loved the other interesting characters we come across. Dent Harper was really funny, especially during the bar shoot out scene where Benny was under the influence of the Dorpfeld's prism, and he was shooting back at the gangsters whilst she was oblivious to it all. And how Jason and Clarence kept trying to make the Rim a better and safer place for Benny, whilst Harper was so used to it being violent all the time and being baffled when it wasn't.
I also liked the two different bad guys here, and how Justin Richards fleshed them out within such a small book.
Overall 4/5. Really fun read.
January 9, 2022
I usually really like Justin Richard's writings, and while it was funny enough, I just felt it was treading water. The gangsters were going through the motions. Other elements were very touching, the lengths people would go to to protect those they love, and that goes beyond Jason and Clarence. The idea of Clarence in disguise, hiding his wings as a rucksack, was nice. But all that effort for a cheesy punchline?
October 31, 2023
The penultimate Bernice book is something of a stopgap, sending her on a familiar sort of holiday with murders and priceless artefacts at the centre of the intrigue. The difference here is that Jason and Clarence are determined to keep her from getting hurt, so are strategically removing all threats as they happen. There’s a lot of fun to be had in this light runaround, but you can tell it was all slapped together fairly last minute.
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March 8, 2021Benny si sta riprendendo dai traumi che ha subito recentemente, ma la perdita parziale della memoria la porta a domandarsi cosa ha davvero perso della sua vita. Abitando nella magione stile Versailles ancora in costruzione di Braxiatel insieme a quest’ultimo e a Jason, Chris e Clarence, non si sente più se stessa, fin troppo coccolata dai suoi amici.
Decide quindi di partire verso l’Eastern Rim, una zona di frontiera della galassia, con fuori legge, cartelli della droga, signori della guerra e chi più ne ha più ne metta. Un’avventura vecchia maniera, per sostituire quelle che ha perso.
Ma i suoi amici non sono contenti. Non perché potrebbe rischiare la vita (Bernice se la può cavare anche da sola), ma perché potrebbe piacerle e decidere di non tornare più.
Specialmente dato che ad accompagnarla sarà Dent Harper, un famoso, giovane, ricco, attraente e intelligente avventuriero che ha fatto una fortuna scrivendo dei suoi viaggi (e con cui condividerà una suite con camere comunicanti).
L’unica cosa che possono sperare è che questa vacanza sia la più noiosa e priva di eventi che abbia mai avuto, e a Braxiatel viene un’idea.
Harper è sconvolto nel notare criminali incalliti improvvisamente redenti e gente che bacia la terra su cui Benny cammina: c’è sicuramente qualcosa di insolito. Ma forse qualcuno ha sottovalutato l’abilità di Benny di riuscire a trovare dei guai.
Oh, finalmente un libro leggero e divertente per prendersi una pausa da tutti gli ultimi drammi! La commedia è bellissima, con sotterfugi esilaranti. Ho adorato il rapporto che Jason, Clarence, Chris e Braxiatel hanno tra loro e con Benny, la loro domesticità.
(Vi prego, voglio una sit-com di questi 5 sotto lo stesso tetto: ve li immaginate un’archeologa, il suo ex-marito, un angelo, un umano rigenerato e un Signore del Tempo che vivono insieme in una reggia?).
Però è ben bilanciata dalla parte d’azione, data dall’interazione tra i protagonisti con due gang rivali che non si faranno scrupoli per ottenere quello che vogliono.
Comunque voglio fare una statua a Justin Richards: già lo conoscevo dai libri sulla serie nuova e per alcune storie BF, e ora nelle VNA non solo ha il merito di aver creato Braxiatel, ma tutti i libri che ha fatto (è l’unico autore di cui ho letto tutto) mi sono piaciuti tantissimo.
Decide quindi di partire verso l’Eastern Rim, una zona di frontiera della galassia, con fuori legge, cartelli della droga, signori della guerra e chi più ne ha più ne metta. Un’avventura vecchia maniera, per sostituire quelle che ha perso.
Ma i suoi amici non sono contenti. Non perché potrebbe rischiare la vita (Bernice se la può cavare anche da sola), ma perché potrebbe piacerle e decidere di non tornare più.
Specialmente dato che ad accompagnarla sarà Dent Harper, un famoso, giovane, ricco, attraente e intelligente avventuriero che ha fatto una fortuna scrivendo dei suoi viaggi (e con cui condividerà una suite con camere comunicanti).
L’unica cosa che possono sperare è che questa vacanza sia la più noiosa e priva di eventi che abbia mai avuto, e a Braxiatel viene un’idea.
Harper è sconvolto nel notare criminali incalliti improvvisamente redenti e gente che bacia la terra su cui Benny cammina: c’è sicuramente qualcosa di insolito. Ma forse qualcuno ha sottovalutato l’abilità di Benny di riuscire a trovare dei guai.
Oh, finalmente un libro leggero e divertente per prendersi una pausa da tutti gli ultimi drammi! La commedia è bellissima, con sotterfugi esilaranti. Ho adorato il rapporto che Jason, Clarence, Chris e Braxiatel hanno tra loro e con Benny, la loro domesticità.
(Vi prego, voglio una sit-com di questi 5 sotto lo stesso tetto: ve li immaginate un’archeologa, il suo ex-marito, un angelo, un umano rigenerato e un Signore del Tempo che vivono insieme in una reggia?).
Però è ben bilanciata dalla parte d’azione, data dall’interazione tra i protagonisti con due gang rivali che non si faranno scrupoli per ottenere quello che vogliono.
Comunque voglio fare una statua a Justin Richards: già lo conoscevo dai libri sulla serie nuova e per alcune storie BF, e ora nelle VNA non solo ha il merito di aver creato Braxiatel, ma tutti i libri che ha fatto (è l’unico autore di cui ho letto tutto) mi sono piaciuti tantissimo.
December 11, 2016
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2749240.html
Again, a book by an author I generally like but this Bernice Summerfield story with a very thin plot about a heist and involving lots of favourite characters from past stories in the sequence didn't really do it for me.
Again, a book by an author I generally like but this Bernice Summerfield story with a very thin plot about a heist and involving lots of favourite characters from past stories in the sequence didn't really do it for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews