| GENOCIDE by Paul Leonard |
| Story 4 Synopsis: The Doctor takes Sam to Earth, but they find it radically changed, renamed Paratractis. By reading the history of the Tractites living there, they realise the past changed millions of years earlier. They travel back, taking Kitig, one of the Tractites along. Leaving Sam to try and deal with a mad UNIT Captain, Jacob Hynes, who intends to wipe out the humans with a virus, the Doctor and Kitig travel back a further million years to find a band of Tractites led by Mauvril. Her home world, Tractis, was invaded by the humans, and she narrowly escaped death. In retaliation, with crude time travel technology, she has arrived in Earth's prehistory to avenge the death of her homeworld. Kitig is appalled at her behaviour, starving the Doctor, and killing a human settlement. He chisels a message that allows Sam to find the TARDIS again, and pick up the Doctor. During a struggle, the Tractite settlement is destroyed, and the Doctor puts right the virus with a cure. Earth's path is restored. |
| Review:- Time travel gets serious, and Sam Jones has her views tested to the limit... After his successful efforts for Virgin, Leonard's 1st BBC Dr Who title presents an exercise in morality, and puts an unusual twist on the old chestnut of "aliens invading Earth". Here, the Tractites have undertaken a pre-emptive strike against the human race, in retaliation for later atrocities. At no point do the Tractites realise that by wiping out their future, their continued existence must be a paradox - but then paradox became a recurring theme in the EDAs. Whereas the idea of changed history was explored in books like Blood Heat, this book is less about the changes in the Earth themselves, as it is about the fact that change has happened. Underlining the theme of genocidal maniacs is rogue UNIT Captain Hynes, who is not only sociopathic, but downright misanthropic. His mission to wipe out the human race would surely have been a concern to colleagues? Was it brought on by his work with UNIT? Answers come there none - the reader just has to accept it. His viral plot, and later wicked way with a knife, do not develop his character one bit. UNIT are better shown when Jo Grant (as was) pops up, winding Benton up for no good reason, and then dashing to the rescue despite commitments to her son, and a general ineptitude. She seems chosen merely to counterpoint Sam the insufferable liberal, to contrast the old series with the modern consensus.. Whereas Rose and Sarah Jane's meeting in School Reunion boiled down to a childish spat over romance, here the issue is more serious and a bit better handled. The Tractites aren't that endearing, which is a shame as the reader is meant to feel sorry for them. Whilst Kitig is the product of a peaceful society, Mauvril is more warlike, and pays the price. The rather abrupt end of their invasion is rather out of proportion to the rest of the book, let alone not helped by being caused by Sam and Jo, hardly the Terminators. The Doctor copes well with a new role as the Uncreator, somehow puts up with Sam's tantrum attitude to life, and suffers for the sins of the humans by being nearly starved to death (and he recovers suspiciously quickly). This would not be the last time he would be brutally imprisoned during this range, and it never got any less tedious. One example of the unsubtlety in the early part of the EDA range is that Davros gets a couple of mentions, which becomes more relevant in the subsequent book... On the whole, whilst well-meaning, it lacks common sense, and fails to make its monsters sympathetic. Whilst Axeman is an endearing example of primitive man, he also seems superior to Mauvril. Surely a book ostensibly about equality wasn't meant to finish up seeming to endorse ignorance, supremacy and separation? |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy of the book. |