| VANDERDEKEN'S CHILDREN by Christopher Bulis |
| Story 14 Synopsis: The Doctor detects a vortex anomaly, and materialises the TARDIS nearby a huge derelict spacecraft, which has also drawn the attention of two other craft, from the warring neighbours of Nimos and Emindar. The Doctor shifts the TARDIS onto the Emindian ship, and creates false IDs for he and Sam so they can mingle freely. A Nimosian shuttle heads for the object. But its occupant dies mysteriously. So, both ships send further expeditions, and the Doctor and Sam join the Emindian effort, led by High Councillor Rexton, whom the Doctor suspects knows more than he is letting on. The Doctor soon realises the object is an experimental hyperspace bridge, to Rexton's scorn. Sam is hit by a bolt of temporal energy which regresses her to a 10 year old. The Doctor reverses the effect. But they're all soon attacked, and retreat back to their ship. Strange shadowy occurrences begin to happen, and the Doctor counsels evacuation. But Rexton is adamant, and when Sam and other passengers are stolen away by ghostly figures, the Doctor agrees to join another recce, with the TARDIS along for added back-up. They travel through the hyperspatial tunnel, arriving in Emindar of 20 years ahead. A devastating war has stricken both this planet and Nimos. Rexton decides not to listen to the Doctor any longer and returns to the tunnel, so he can use it against Nimos. The Doctor finds Sam, but in confusion, they have to use the TARDIS to return to the other side of the tunnel. With fleets from Nimos and Emindar on the point of attack, the Doctor realises all he can do is use a store of temporal energy to try and break part of the extended time loop. By doing so at the critical moment, he allows some of those trapped to travel forward into Emindar's future to resettle the planet. Those left in the loop, especially Rexton, will now pursue a slightly different, but still ultimately doomed circle. |
| Review:- Having been one of the most prolific and varied writers of the NA and MA ranges, Bulis comes full circle with the 8th Doctor, and a tale of a mysterious object that lures in visitors from two opposing planets... Hindsight shows that an opening where the Doctor detects a worrying cylindrical object in space would later be reused by The Empty Child, but this time, the object is a vast spacecraft which turns out to be a hyperstatial bridge. Fatefully, the two forces trying to seize it are looking for an ultimate weapon that could turn the tide their way permanently, and so the seeds of destruction are sown. Nimos and Emindar are barely sketched in - it's enough for a reader to know they're similar and both think they should have the upper hand. There are parallels with warring states on Earth which should explain the motives of people like Rexton all too easily. The similarity of the two cultures means that the profusion of names for either side becomes a point of confusion, with characters having to recite their backgrounds as they go along, lest a reader start wondering which people are which. The Emindians get a better deal, as the Doctor plonks the TARDIS aboard their ship, masquerades as one of their passengers, and there are many sections dealing with other passengers, such as the Engers, and the curious interludes with Lester and Rhonda Plecht. These latter provide an odd counterpoint to the ongoing mystery of the ship, and although provide a memorable demonstration of the breakdown caused by the "ghosts", they don't seem to serve much other purpose. The nub of the drama, though, is Rexton, who intends to use this suspiciously similar craft as a guide to fix an almost identical craft back home. At this point, alarm bells must ring iver such a coincidence, and the road to the conclusion starts in earnest there. It's merely a matter of seeing how bad the situation is, and trying desperately to break the loop. Sadly, it is all too understandable that Nimos and Emindar should ignore the over-riding logic and follow their courses to the end, especially the dogged Rexton, blind to all but his dreams of glory. Luckily, despite the sense of impending doom, Bulis does at least allow for a little light to creep in, with a small victory for Don Delray, leading to the Doctor jogging the loop to allow some survivors to allow themselves a new future after all. Quite how well they would get on is another matter. Whether a familiarity with the tale of Vanderdeken would help create a better appreciation of this story is another matter. As it stands, it's a well-crafted but often confusing and tiresome book that leaves readers with a depressing sense of futility. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy of the book. |