| THE BOOK OF THE STILL by Paul Ebbs |
| Story 56 Synopsis: Lebenswelt is a dull yet hedonistic place, home to the Museum of Locks. In this museum is The Book Of The Still, and no sooner have the TARDIS crew arrived, than the Doctor is induced to try stealing the book. He fails, and is sent to prison for 20 years. Anji is unsuccessful in getting him out. Fitz, on the other hand, gets mixed up in a plot to steal the book, through getting false memories implanted by some nasty people, Svad, Gimcrack and whatsisname, prior to getting kidnapped by Carmodi Litian. A big spaceship arrives, disrupting power sources, letting the Doctor escape prison with Rhian, who had also attempted to steal the book, to find her father. The big spaceship contains some grotesque aliens called the Unnoticed, who want the Book, as it contains their address. Fitz manages to steal the Book from the Museum, and he and Carmodi get the Hell out, heading for Antimasque. The Doctor gets zonked by Svad & co, but rescued by Anji and Rhian. The Unnoticed leave a massive bomb behind, which the Doctor stops by materialising the TARDIS around it. This knackers the TARDIS, so the Doctor and Rhian travel by spaceship to Antimasque. Anji meanwhile gets zonked by Svad & co, and they all head for Antimasque too. There, Carmodi finds that she wanted the Doctor, not Fitz, but returns to the succour of the Unnoticed. Anji gets back together with the Doctor and Rhian, and the Book. The Unnoticed set off another bomb, which the Doctor cannot stop. Luckily, with Svad & co, plus some tricksy origami, the Doctor saves all the main players, so they can go to Tent City, which is the home of the nomadic Unnoticed, and is to be found on the Sun's photosphere (?) . The Doctor has to stop the Unnoticed, but can't really. Carmodi solves the problem by getting them to touch the Book, whereupon they all return to Lebenswelt, except Rhian, who has an appointment with the future. The Book is left on Lebenswelt. |
| Review:- Now that felt like a breath of fresh air. With Trading Futures feeling like the first conventional book in months, we have a believably alien book, resonating back to Dark Progeny, and even The Fall Of Yquatine. Actually, having written that synopsis, I can see that this is ultimately another disappointment. The Unnoticed are sort of a good idea, and so is the Book as a refuge for the stranded traveller. But come on - the Unnoticed want the book because their address is in it. What is this, some satire on privacy? The Unnoticed want to stay ex-directory? Helllloooooo? The Doctor, Fitz and Anji all have decent subplots, much action, excitement and adventure. Rhian is interesting, Svad & pals are believeable, Carmodi is understandable. So what else? Anji, though still a character blur, becomes a bit interesting. Yes, really. Did anyone else not will Fitz to realise that when something seems too good to be true, then generally, it is too good to be true? The Doctor's feats of ingenuity get more wearisome as the book progresses. By the time he's constructing a spaceship from the pages of a book, then flying it into a ludicrous locale, with no exit clause, then all hope for reader interest is frittered away. And yet again, as in Trading Futures, we have a big climax in an inhospitable, hard-to-reach place, with no obvious way out, when suddenly we get one. Now, the TARDIS conveniently in the right spot last month was hokey, but the blink-and-you'll-miss-it escape this month beggars belief. I dread to think what's in store next month. Paul's first novel is a treat insofar as it doesn't feel weighed down by the experience of reading that author's previous books. Much of it is entertaining, not to mention well-written. It felt dark and gloomy, which makes a change. But oh, do better next time. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |