| ASYLUM by Peter Darvill-Evans |
| Story ? Synopsis: The TARDIS lands in the personal quarters of Nyssa, ex-traveller. But the Doctor hasn't met her yet. She sneaks onto the ship, and is taken to Earth, 1278. The dreaming spires of Oxford are imperilled as Roger Bacon is being bothered by an eager young monk. Worse, a monk is dead. The Doctor investigates, and finds that a young monk has been possessed by a member of a desperate alien race who have become trapped on Earth, in the 13th century, and cannot leave because local technology is so low-level, and they haven't time to wait for the Industrial Revolution. He committed the murder, and nearly kills Nyssa, who is questioning her function in life. Just in time, she chooses to live, whacking a blade into the possessed man's forehead, and severing his connection with his mothership. The Doctor takes Nyssa back home. |
| Review:- Having taken 8 years to follow up on Deceit, Peter takes only 6 months to follow Independence Day, with this pseudo-historical effort. This book at least has clear aims. It shows us a look at Roger Bacon, it gives a historically accurate account of a little-regarded period in Earth history, and it features an adventure for Nyssa after she left in Terminus, and effectively, a solo 4th Doctor effort. Does it work? Well, yeah, but a better question is, why? Roger Bacon doesn't seem a terribly interesting person, and much of the arch-historicity reminds me now I come to think of it, of The Empire Of Glass. Possibly the biggest downside with this book is that it is a very basic murder mystery, which has some exciting moments, such as the near-incineration of the Doctor, but ultimately, lacks a decent denouement. If anything, the big finish belongs to Nyssa, which is querulous in a Dr Who book. The historical stuff is fine, although it seems a shame that Peter went to all the trouble of making it accurate, when many wouldn't have cared for all his detail. Was it a Doctor Who version of a Cadfael story? I don't know. My biggest gripe is that it feels physically like a thin book. The majority of BBC Books have stuck to the 280 page mark. Some are less. This has about 240 pages, of which the final 20 are an essay on historical accuracy. That means the story is c.220 pages, and the shortest book since the Timewyrm series, I think. No wonder it feels slight and basic. With the over-extenuated start, with the aliens making their last-ditch plan, and the Doctor's meeting with Nyssa, the actual meat of the story is shorter still! The essay is OK, but a chore to grind through when the mind is thinking "why have I had to pay for this?" Would I recommend Asylum? Unless you're a completist, no, I don't think I would. Unelss you can buy it on the cheap, in which case, it can't hurt as much. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |