| THE SPACE AGE by Steve Lyons |
| Story 32 Synopsis: Compassion lands on a plain near a futuristic city, but then seems to go into a trance. The Doctor is attacked, and Fitz runs into the city for help. He is brought to the leader of the Rockers, Alec, who sends guards to fetch the Doctor, who isn't in danger after all. Meanwhile, during a raid, Fitz saves the life of a Mod, and is taken to their base, where their leady, Ricky, seems sure he is about to get victory. During a further raid, Fitz tries to escape, but fails. The Doctor builds a machine that knocks out about a dozen Mods before exploding. He realises he has to examine the Brain, which supposedly runs the City. Fitz finds that Rick has Compassion in his custody, and also the Maker, the alien which brought them all here in the first place, and which is creating Rick's new weapons. Compassion is able to commune with the Maker, and shows Fitz a little of its mind, which nearly drives him mad. The Doctor avoids the Brain's attempts to kill him, but realises the City is not far from destruction. He tries to negotiate a settlement, as Ricky launches an assault on the rockers. Alec comes to the Brain, but cannot control his men any more. The Doctor needs the Maker to sort things out, and through Compassion, this is agreed. The City dwellers can either return with no memory of what happened, or stay in this timezone. Ricky stays, Alec returns. The Doctor, annoyed at the paradox involved, leaves with Fitz and Compassion. |
| Review:- I still remember the enthusiasm I felt when I bought this book. The blurb on the back suggests an exciting look at the future. Unfortunately, the book then tells a rather different and not remotely as good story. Certainly, there would be great potential in a story that used modern futurity as a backdrop, and showing how the Dr Who universe has benefitted from some alien invasions and become a better place than the world we live in. Perhaps that's the real intention of showing how the supposed dream of an idyllic future is not all it's cracked up to be. Unfortunately, the chosen originators of this utopia are grounded in a very narrow social mindset, which colours the entire book in tedious shades of black and white. The mods & rockers are treated harshly by their use here, appearing to be just two semi-identical sets of thick thugs. That not only sells them short, it does the book no favours too. To add to this, Compassion is taken out of the narrative almost immediately, only to return later as a convenient way to commune with Superbeing-of-the-Week, the Maker (oh, I bet that name took all night to think of). Without her, it's just Fitz and the Doctor - two outsiders, two sides to the conflict. Worse, the two sides are led by immature idiots with a personal grudge. It's almost as if the lack of anything to enthuse the reader were deliberate. Maybe it was. Fitz' problem is that though the mods & rockers were a struggle from slightly after his time, he looks distinctly rocker-ish, and only falls in with the mods through a simple act of kindness. That's about the highpoint of the book for him. The Doctor fares better, thankfully, winning over Gillian, the rocker's scientist, and then working on the Brain (another great name there) which is a super-computer that runs the city. It's like one big parody with absolutely no laughs at all. And it all gets sorted out when Compassion helpfully tells everyone, including the reader, that the Maker made a mistake, is sorry, and will put things right. Hello, drama? On the plus side, the book's pretty short, although it feels like an eternity at times. Given the overall supposed-tension of the ongoing arc, this book feels like a filler, and one that would give indigestion. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |