| LAST OF THE GADERENE by Mark Gatiss |
| Story ? Synopsis: The East Anglian village of Culverton has had airborne links to the RAF since WW2. But the aerodrome is closed down by the MOD. Then, promptly, reopened, by Legion International, who have big plans. Local resident Alec Whistler is suspicious, and calls an old friend, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, at UNIT. The Brigadier checks it out and finds it suspicious, too, and when the Doctor returns from a trip to Xanthos, he urges the Doctor to go and pay a visit. By the time he and Jo arrive, Whistler has undertaken a surveillance trip to the aerodrome, and been captured. The head of LI, a fat woman named Bliss, demands to know where the 9th key is. The Doctor heads to the aerodrome, leaving Jo behind in Whistler's cottage. He narrowly avoids death in a wind tunnel. Most of the villagers seem to have been mysteriously changed. The annual fete is held with an accompanying stall by LI, and opened by a guest of honour - the Master, in disguise. The Doctor tries to get proper access to LI, with the Brigadier's backing, and he confirms that Bliss is up to no good. Out in a nearby marsh, on LI property, lives a giant worm-like creature. The Doctor realises it reacts against bright light. Back at Whistler's cottage, the Doctor inspects the genuine Spitfire that Whistler keeps in his back garden. Inside it, he finds the missing key. But the Master comes and uses blackmail to make sure he gets it. He explains that Bliss is of the Gaderene race, whose planet is almost dead. They have arrived in embryo form, and taken control of most of the villagers. With the final key, they can allow the adult Gaderene to arrive. The summoning begins, but the Doctor goes to try and stop them, flying the Spitfire to get there. He knows he risks death to dislodge the keys. The Master keeps him at bay. Bliss claims her agreement with the Master is over, and she tries to kill him. He uses his TCE on her, and plans to kill the Doctor next. Whistler has been released from his control, and flies the Spitfire to attack the summoning. The plane crashes into the path of the summoning beam, breaking the link and casting the Gaderene out. Whistler ejects in his parachute. But the Master appears to take the brunt of the collision, vanishing in the explosion. |
| Review:- A wistful trip down memory lane, and a pretty standard UNIT invasion story... From his introduction, Gatiss makes it clear that this book is intended as heartfelt homage, and in some sense, a thank-you, for happy childhood times. Thankfully, he manages to do this without veering down the path marked 'mawkish'. Unusually, the Doctor appears at first in a prologue that develops the idea that he is keen to dump UNIT and get off into space once more. By the end of the story, one of the ties that keeps him here, the Master, is cut off, apparently forever. Inbetween, there is a mysterious new organisation descending on a sleepy English village, promising great things, but up to a secret nefarious agenda that spells doom for humanity... Hardly ground-breaking, then, but nor is it intended to be, and nor does it need to be. Jo is both the loyal UNIT member, and also the free spirit who has grown through her association with the Doctor, and can take her own risks to protect others. The Brigadier tries to keep on side with the high-ups, even when they're frustrating him, and is ready to lead from the front when the time comes. Benton and Yates make only fleeting appearances, but that's no great loss. The Culverton locals are mostly well written. Alec Whistler is clearly the star guest turn, as it were, with his RAF past, dotty housekeeper, and Spitfire in his back garden. He escapes captivity, and provides a moment of closure when he crashes his beloved plane into the deadly beam. Legion International are well developed. Bliss, the boss, is a nasty piece of work, and makes for a horrible public face of a horrible company. The guards who comprise the staff of LI are scarily-written, and their deformed worm-beast in the swamp allows for a bit of monster action, and something for UNIT to do. The Master feels rather surplus to the plot, and it never feels as if this is one of his plans, as is usually the case with his appearances. Though it getting out of control is in keeping. The Doctor shows his intellect in seeing through Bliss, and has a memorable encounter with a wind tunnel. His creation of makeshift bombs is pretty fine, and his flight in a Spitfire caps a fine showing. His failure to stop the Gaderene transfer is perhaps a weak moment, though. It plays by the rules, and does its job well enough. Far from essential, but nice all the same. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |