| TIMEWYRM : EXODUS by Terrance Dicks |
| Story 2 Synopsis: London has changed. The streets are patrolled by Britischer Freikorps, for one thing. The 1951 Festival Of Britain is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Hitler's conquest of Great Britain. If the Timewyrm is behind this, where is she? Escaping narrowly, the Doctor and Ace travel to Germany, 1923, to befriend the younger Hitler. Closely avoiding an attack by an energy weapon, they succeed, then travel forward to 1939. The Doctor finds that the Timewyrm has become trapped in Hitler's mind. There is another party at work - the War Chief is also manipulating the Nazis. Destroying the War Chief's base at Drachensberg Castle, the Doctor then revisits Hitler in 1940, with a device to lure the Timewyrm out of Hitler's head. He succeeds, and time resumes its usual track. A young Nazi officer, Hemmings, is transported away by the Timewyrm, in a blue police box. |
| Review:- If Peter Darvill-Evans took a chance with John Peel kicking the range off, he could have known he was on safer ground with Terrance Dicks. Terrance has said that the 1930's is a frequent haunt in his books, and Chicago gangsters, vampires and Nazis crop up from time to time. Here, it's Nazis, and a common fiction staple - what if Hitler won? Terrance said that the Dunkirk evacuation was a crucial nexus point, where events could have gone either way. The book manages to squeeze in trips to several key points in the Hitler story. The Munich Hall Putsch, the declaration of war by Chamberlain - these are points that show how the Doctor can inveigle himself, despite reservations from other senior members of the Third Reich. The idea that the 1951 Festival goes ahead, but with a significantly different cause for celebration is a master-stroke. It also allows for the story to wrap up showing that history has been corrected. The return of the War Chief is a good move, and the Nazis in general remain the most potent force of evil from the 20th Century. The Doctor and Ace keep in character, and manage to have fun despite the horrors going on around. I like this book. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |