The mystery begins when the TARDIS arrives aboard the G-Lock space station in the aftermath of a disaster and The Doctor finds himself congratulated for saving the place from destruction, apparently at the cost of his own life. In order to both discover the truth and maintain the web of time, he undertakes, with Romana and K-9 in tow, a series of trips back into the past, knowing that these investigations will surely lead to his death.
The G-Lock itself is spatial traffic jam formed by a conglomeration of over one hundred spacecraft. Blocking one end of a hyperspace route, at the interface between normal space, it has grown over two hundred years to become an interstellar tourist attraction of sorts.
The main feature of the station as this time is The Beautiful Death, a macabre experience that purports to offer the participants a short taste of the afterlife with the advertisement “Turn On, Tune In, And Drop Dead”. Connected to the Necroport, invented by the shady Dr Paddox, the Beautiful Death is not what it appears to be and as the Doctor arrives it has permanently taken the lives of those attached, turning them into horrific zombies.
Jonathan Morris’ tale is firmly set in the Season 17 mould. The story is temporally complicated, looping on itself in places and the hops back in time see the time-travellers having to engineer things for themselves. Morris has a clear handle on Tom Baker’s mannerisms and comic asides; one of our favourites is a knowing gag about his usual hostile reception within about 24 and a half minutes, alluding to the usual cliffhanger placement. Romana gets plenty to do, including some terrific banter with the Doctor over his ability to fly the TARDIS, and K-9 takes on a pivotal role as well.
Throughout we meet with a colourful cast of human characters, including an overly ambitious Holovideo presenter, a double act of investigators and the cowardly station chief Metcalf. Of the aliens, we particularly enjoyed the Hoopy, the spaced out lizard-like Gonzie with his creative speech patterns.
The story contains more than one alien menace, with the other dimensional Repulsion providing the principal chills while ravenous, cannibalistic spider-like Arachnopods give an immediate, physical threat using their demented catchphrase of “Must have eats”.
The Douglas Adams influence is writ large across the story, with the suicidal ship’s computer ERIC feeling as though he comes directly from the pages of the Hitchhiker’s Guide. Amid all the comedy there is a strong narrative too which rewards you for paying attention and provides immense fun as everything eventually slots together.
This is a cracking tale with some spot on characterisation that demands at least a second read. In the end, the villain’s motivation is heartbreaking, despite his murderous methods, and his ultimate fate utterly chilling.
Published on Thursday 7 March 2013 by BBC Books.
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