| WHITE DARKNESS by David A. McIntee |
| Story 15 Synopsis: The Doctor decides he and his friends need a holiday, so he sets the TARDIS for Haiti, 1915. But he, Bernice and Ace are soon in the thick of a plot to use voodoo ceremonies to revive a Great Old One, hidden in the rock beneath the surface. Also, there are Germans working on using native intoxicants to create chemical weapons, as well as a sideline in making soldiers immortal zombies. The U.S. Marines invade, and during the chaos of uprising, the Doctor struggles to keep control. Bernice is kidnapped, but escapes. Ace helps the Marines lead their assault. The Doctor trails the leading rebel, Mait, who had been kept alive for over a century by his connection to the Great Old One. By fixing the timing, and planting explosives, the Doctor ensures Mait's plan fails. The Germans are driven out, and their chemical stores exploded. Ace regrets that she may be losing her humanity to soldiering. |
| Review:- The first Dr Who book from one of the more prolific writers of the 1990's, this establishes a heady historical setting, with a bit of sci-fi added for good measure. The result is a fairly solid tale that pulls no punches and plays no tricks. Zombies have proven a trusted staple of horror movies for more than 50 years, and are not short-changed here. Haiti is given a fair crack of the whip, too. Throw in some Germans (as it's set during World War 1) and heavy-handed American Marines, and we're hardly talking ground-breaking here. But, what it may lack in originality is more than made up for with the steady plotting and characterisation. Individual characters like Petion, or Mait, or Richmann, are given space and lines to breathe and come across more believably than can sometimes be the case with a story like this. There is also plenty of effort made to keep the lines blurred between good and evil, with American liberation shown to be rather clumsy and ignorant, whereas the practitioners of voodoo merely believe that they're protecting Haiti's best interests. Or maybe that's what they always say. The Doctor sheds his "dark" jacket for a more relaxed safari suit, and apart from a little hypnotism, comes across as a slightly toned-down version of the mass manipulator seen previously. Not for the first time, his stated intention of giving his friends a holiday leads straight into trouble. Bernice goes through the wringer physically, both through temporary paralysis, and later exertions to swim to safety. It is a shame that the generally well-meaning archaeologist is often shown to be just as ignorant as those she wryly puts down, and blunders into danger without even realising there could be any, at the museum. Ace gets a lot of focus, as her rough edges jar against her friends, and her killing experience is shown to contrast with Richmann, particularly, with Petion giving her useful counsel which she hopes she doesn't need. The original character is still there, for all her transformation into a hard-bitten warrior. The underlying plot involves a Great Old One, a super-race who would crop up later in other books, notably All-Consuming Fire and Millennial Rites. Here, it's a less tangible presence, though with so many other worthy villains, the plot doesn't need any more than that. The resolution comes across as rather slapdash, with the Doctor tricking Mait into walking into a deadly trap, and the arising quelled. For now... Altogether, it's a decent read which perhaps provides less thrills than it expects to, but is nevertheless enjoyable. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |