| BIRTHRIGHT by Nigel Robinson |
| Story 17 Synopsis: Benny is stuck in London, 1909. She learns of recent murders in the East End, and strange appearing grasshopper-esque aliens called Charrl, who are responsible. They are being assisted by the secret New Dawn society, led by fearsome telepath Jared Khan. Meanwhile, Ace is stranded on Antykhon, helping the local humanesque Hairies against their oppressors, the Charrl. She learns that Antykhon is actually Earth from many millennia beyond her time, and the Charrl are being assisted by a stranger called Muldwych to travel back to 1909. She manages to persuade them to send her back, where she meets Benny. Together, they realise Khan is trying to usurp the TARDIS, by which point they are back on board it. Using a Time Ram, they are able to expel Khan for good. Mudwych tries to nick the TARDIS, but is sent to his destiny on Antykhon. By the time the Doctor reappears, all is done. |
| Review:- One early experiment of the New Adventures was to run two books on consecutive months which supposedly ran side by side. Whilst the Doctor tackles the Cybermen in Iceberg, Benny and Ace have to tackle the Charrl and the nefarious Jared Khan instead. The structure of the story is a big asset, given the slender plot. The 1909 sections are able to use a sense of mystery to pass the time before Benny finally gets closer to Khan and the Charrl. Her troubles in Holloway Prison, and meeting with the PM, Asquith, provide moments of surprise in what is otherwise the rather thin plot of how she tries to work out what she's doing in this time zone. By the time the story moves to Antykhon, the book's half done, so the presence of the Charrl can take centre stage, and once the less-than-shocking truth about the planet has been revelaed, then the machinations of Muldwych lead to Ace's reunion with Benny. Gloomily for the reader, the two companions refuse to pool info, and as a result Khan gets his hands on the TARDIS. Which leads us to the finish with Benny trying to stop Khan from achieving his goal. Khan's rage is understandable, but his end is rather too simple, even allowing for multiple TARDISes. Which just leaves Muldwych - whoever he is. The writing is careful to make him both familiar and unknown, so he might be a character we know under a new name, or he might just be a new character. The lack of an explanation helps keep the puzzle alive, whether it deserves it or not. His mischievous tone and alliance with the Chaarl suggests he might be the Monk, but that doesn't seem to fit enough. His fate seems a paradox which he is happy to go along with - surely he's trapped in a vicious circle, awaiting the arrival of the Chaarl, who will eventually lead to his entrapment? Though absent, the Doctor makes more involvement here than he seems to in some books where he is present. His note to Asquith to rescue Benny is the most glaring piece of deus ex machina behaviour, with the death of Margaret Waterfield rightly causing Benny to wonder what game he is playing at - and since it's all a long game to trap Khan, do the ends justify the means? The Chaarl themselves, though nicely painted as being noble and worthy, end up just as bloodthirsty and selfish as any number of less interesting alien invaders seen in the show, so the effort made to suggest some kind of dilemma about their 'birthright' is wasted. They do provide a nice cover, though. Overall, the weaknesses of the plot are compensated by its readability, and its brevity. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy of this book. |