| ST. ANTHONY'S FIRE by Mark Gatiss |
| Story 31 Synopsis: Bernice suggests a break, so the TARDIS lands on Massatoris. Whilst Ace remains to get a rest, Bernice then asks the Doctor to visit Betrushia. They're soon split up on both sides of a crude civil war, between the Ismetch and the Cutch. Their war is soon to end in truce, but there is talk of mythical beings, the Keth, returning. In fact, the ships which land belong to the Chapter of St Anthony, fresh from decimating Massatoris, and brainwashing Ace. When the Doctor gets on board one of their ships, he helps her break her conditioning. He also realises the Rings around the planet were a device to keep a powerful creature in check. The Chapter are destroying the Rings, and the creature gets free. By using the Chapter's ships to boost the remaining Rings, the creature is kept back in check, just long enough for the imminent destruction of the planet, which also does for the Chapter. The surviving Betrushians, Cutch and Ismetch alike, are rehomed on the abandoned Massatoris. |
| Review:- Having scored a bullseye with his previous Nightshade, Gatiss returns with a more impressive space saga using familiar motifs to create something new. The book develops in roughly 4 quarters - firstly with the Ismetch, then the Cutch (a bit), then the Chapter, then finally the Keth creature. This pace is quite useful, especially in expanding the situation on Betrushia. Talk of lost contact with cities like Porsim adds a certain depth not always seen in books set on alien planets. The schism that divides the two warring races seems only mildly religious (certainly compared to the overt depths later shown by the Chapter), and it's easy to understand the motivations of people like Grek, Liso and Imalghahite. The suspicion of the returning Keth ties in with the mystery over the planet's rings, and the impending arrival of the Chapter. These are a stunning bunch of sadists who are effortlessly horrid, and their treatments and pursuit of someone who turns out to be Ace show simply what they're capable of. Added to that, the petty personal feud between Magna Yong and Parva De Hooch shows they have the same irrational hatred even between each other. Thankfully, they're just a sideshow, with the rings and the Keth being of greater concern. The brief initial glimpses given of the creature are impressive enough, and the logic that the rings were a form of protective lock is rather clever, justifying the tone of the book. It's only mildly disappointing that the creature just grows into another big blobby monster to be destroyed. The imminent doom of the planet provides a neat get-out, and the added trick of disposing of the Chapter in the same breath is even better. That the homeless Betrushians should then be free to relocate to the ravaged Massatoris squares the unfortunate circle, too. Amidst all this, Ace gets slightly more attention for being so diminished by the Chapter, though Bernice gets plenty of action and useful character moments, particularly winning Liso over. The Doctor keeps things on the boil in spite of the overwhelming chaos, helping to push events in the right direction. Perhaps the ending is too straightforward, but I've no real complaint about that. A solid, thoughtful sci-fi novel - sometimes a novelty in this range. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy of this book. |