To accompany the current season, BBC Books have provided another trio of adventures for the Twelfth Doctor.
Loosely themed ‘The Glamour Chronicles’, each of the adventures deals involves an encounter with the Glamour, a mysterious and bewitching element which can take many forms.
> Buy ‘Royal Blood’ on Amazon.
> Buy ‘Big Bang Generation’ on Amazon.
‘Royal Blood’ by Una McCormack
‘Royal Blood’ brings the Doctor and Clara to a medieval city which has seen better days. With an odd fusion of the modern and the archaic, the city of Varuz has electric lighting but is ruled by a Duke and his Knights who bear laser electric swords.
In a classic case of mistaken identity, the time travellers are initially taken for a visiting ambassador and his servant. To Clara’s incredulity, once the truth is revealed the Doctor is looked upon as a holy man, whose opinion is sought regarding war with the neighbouring country and when a retinue of Grail Knights march into the city.
Political intrigue abounds, because as the Doctor argues for peace and the Duke becomes enchanted by Lancelot and his quest for the Grail, Clara becomes embroiled in a plot to make peace with Varuz’ enemies and finds herself banished.
Una McCormack’s tale deals with some interesting themes, because while Varuz is ruled by the remnants of an aristocracy, they are threatened by Conrad’s empire – one ostensibly run though debate, argument and strength.
‘Big Bang Generation’ by Gary Russell
This tale of archaeology and temporal traps heralds a return for an old travelling companion. Travelling without Clara, the Doctor finds himself back in the company of Bernice Summerfield, his former companion from the 1990s New Adventures books, who went on to have her own books and audio series.
Summerfield’s team, plus a conman and an alien assassin, have become involved in the arrival of a giant pyramid amid Sydney Harbour in 2015. Roping the Doctor in to help, she ends up with his Twelfth incarnation – who is markedly different to the Time Lord she is used to.
While we are not terribly familiar with the location, there are plenty of details which really bring Sydney alive and it is great to have a contemporary, but not London-based story.
With tricky temporal elements and a dizzying host of references – from Stormcage to the Papal Mainframe to Bernice’s solo audio tales, Gary Russell’s story has the feel of a New Adventure book where the breadth and ambition of Doctor Who’s prose future seemed limitless.
A thoroughly entertaining romp, it was great to see the friendship between the Doctor and Bernice still enduring after so much time.
‘Deep Time’ by Trevor Baxendale
Joining the state of the art starship Alexandria, the Doctor and Clara find themselves on an exploration mission to uncharted space to locate a wormhole, supposedly used by the ancient Phaerons. With a civilisation that pre-dated the Time Lords, the Phaerons travelled the universe and wielded tremendous power over time and space.
While the Alexandria’s crew of scientists and historians have competing agendas, it seems the Doctor might have his own too, as the crew they progress through disaster and a crash to an isolated planet with a series of hostile environments and shifting time zones.
Separating Clara and the Doctor, the school teacher proves resourceful surviving what the planet can throw at her and the book also touches on her feelings for the late Danny.
With a scope doubtless beyond what the television show could ever manage, Trevor Baxendale provides a proper, full-bloodied space adventure with a dramatic body count and concludes the story of the Glamour in epic style.
Published on 10 September 2015 by BBC Books.
> Buy ‘Royal Blood’ on Amazon.
> Buy ‘Big Bang Generation’ on Amazon.
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