| FESTIVAL OF DEATH by Jonathan Morris |
| Story ? Synopsis: The Doctor shakily lands the TARDIS on a space station in hyperspace. Romana is not impressed. They find that they're recognised by people there. Whilst trying to avoid arrest, they realise something very odd has gone on. With documentary proof of their innocence and the name of the true culprit, they organise an evacuation before everyone is killed. They then travel back in time to cause the events they have already witnessed. They witness the tragedy of the necroport, but also realise they have to go back still further. They find that the original hyperspace crash was caused by a zealous ship's captain, who tried to put the blame on his computer, ERIC, who became depressed and suicidal since. The captain was lulled into the realm of the Repulsion, a creature existing outside normal space, and seeking entrance. The Repulsion also goaded Dr Paddox, the scientist who has created a system for experiencing death by almost wiping out a species, the Arboretans, who can cheat death. He wants to go back in time to prevent a tragedy of his own. The Doctor manages to trick the Repulsion into entering K9's mind, from where he transfers it into ERIC, and then gives the computer its release, killing the Repulsion at the same time. Paddox achieves his aim, but cannot prevent the tragedy, and realises he will go through this process for ever. |
| Review:- Death comes to time... The most popular Missing Adventures were probably those by Gareth Roberts for the Season 17 team. Here, Jonathan Morris tries to match up to the standard, largely by a casual megamix of various plot elements from the season, chiefly the backdrop and clueless cops from Nightmare Of Eden. Elsewhere, we have the old reverse-plot, as our heroes effectively travel from part 3 to part 2 to part 1, causing the later consequences along the way. This sort of thing is quite tricky and rarely done (see The Left-Handed Hummingbird, for example), but in essence, it's carried off well enough. And the central motivation of Paddox is again derivative but well handled. So why does the book suck, then? Apart from the above lack of imagination, there is also a smug sense of superiority pervading the writing, most glaringly when the Doctor and Romana offer critiques of their own mannerisms, for no good reason except an author's amusement. Then there is the truly excessive quoting, as though the author researched hundreds of suitable quotes on death, and decided it would be funny if the Doctor said them all, as if being sponsored for it. It grates very quickly, and goes on endlessly. Other than that, there is the whole needless inclusion of the Arachnopods, who pad out the 2nd half of the book, and provide cheap scares from the idea of giant metal spiders. Perhaps in a book of their own, they might have got away with it, but in a book already bursting with Paddox, the Repulsion and the venal Rochfort, they feel like an unnecessary inclusion. There are some distractions. The luvvie reporter, Harkan Batt, turns out to be a vital hero, and so is worth the suffering. Evadne and ERIC are the victims of their situation, so their rewards are just about justifiable. The promise of the Doctor's death, which hangs over the latter part of the book, is dealt with quite agreeably, even if the Arboretans are perhaps too complex to be properly appreciated in a book like this. For a book which begins with the denouement, the hard part is to keep the reader surprised as the answers are reached, and to be fair, there is plenty of surprise. It's just hit and miss whether that surprise is worthwhile. Of all the books that I have read, and then passed on to my Dad to read, this has the dubious distinction of getting the most hostile review of it he ever felt moved to share: "Crap." And I don't particularly disagree with that. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy of this book. |