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Doctor Who: Virgin New Adventures #8
Doctor Who: Nightshade
I HAVE DONE ENOUGH!
Ace has never known the Doctor so withdrawn and melancholic. He is avoiding her company, seeking solace in the forgotten rooms and labyrinthine passages of his ancient time machine.
Perhaps he will find the peace he yearns for on his favourite planet, Earth, in the second half of the twentieth century - in the isolated village of Crook Marsham, to be precise, in 1968, the year of peace, love and understanding.
But one by one the villagers are being killed. The Doctor has to act, but for once he seems helpless, indecisive, powerless.
What are the signals from space that are bombarding the radio telescope on the moor? What is the significance of the local legends from the Civil War?
And what is the aeons-old power that the Doctor is unable to resist?
Ace has never known the Doctor so withdrawn and melancholic. He is avoiding her company, seeking solace in the forgotten rooms and labyrinthine passages of his ancient time machine.
Perhaps he will find the peace he yearns for on his favourite planet, Earth, in the second half of the twentieth century - in the isolated village of Crook Marsham, to be precise, in 1968, the year of peace, love and understanding.
But one by one the villagers are being killed. The Doctor has to act, but for once he seems helpless, indecisive, powerless.
What are the signals from space that are bombarding the radio telescope on the moor? What is the significance of the local legends from the Civil War?
And what is the aeons-old power that the Doctor is unable to resist?
231 pages, Paperback
First published August 20, 1992
About the author
Mark Gatiss
121 books765 followersMark Gatiss (born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, screenwriter and novelist. He is best known as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen, and has both written for and acted in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock.
Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Gatiss has written three episodes for the 2005-revived BBC television series Doctor Who. His first, "The Unquiet Dead", aired on 9 April 2005; the second, "The Idiot's Lantern", aired on 27 May 2006 as part of the second series. In addition, Gatiss was the narrator for the 2006 season of documentary series Doctor Who Confidential, additionally appearing as an on-screen presenter in the edition devoted to his episode. Gatiss did not contribute a script to the third series, but appeared in the episode "The Lazarus Experiment", as Professor Lazarus. After his submitted script for the fourth series, involving Nazis and the British Museum, was replaced at the last minute with "The Fires of Pompeii", he eventually returned to the programme in 2010, writing the (also World War II-themed) episode "Victory of the Daleks" for the fifth series, in which he also appears uncredited as the voice of "Danny Boy". It has also been confirmed that Gatiss will be writing an episode for the 2011 season of Doctor Who, although details about the story are yet to be revealed.[19]
Gatiss wrote an episode of Sherlock, a modern day Sherlock Holmes series co-produced by him and Steven Moffat. The unaired pilot was shot in January 2009 and a full series was commissioned. This was aired in August 2010 and consisted of 3 episodes. Gatiss also starred in these as Holmes' older brother Mycroft. A second series has been confirmed, but dates have yet to be decided, since both Gatiss and Moffatt have additional commitments.[20]
Gatiss also wrote and performed the comedy sketches The Web of Caves, The Kidnappers and The Pitch of Fear for the BBC's "Doctor Who Night" in 1999 with Little Britain's David Walliams, and played the Master in the Doctor Who Unbound play Sympathy for the Devil under the name "Sam Kisgart", a pseudonym he later used for a column in Doctor Who Magazine. (The pseudonym is an anagram of "Mark Gatiss", a nod to Anthony Ainley, who was sometimes credited under an anagram to conceal the Master's identity from the viewers.) The pseudonym was used again in television listings magazines when he appeared in episode four of Psychoville, so as not to spoil his surprise appearance in advance.
In mainstream print, Gatiss is responsible for an acclaimed biography of the film director James Whale. His first non-Doctor Who novel, The Vesuvius Club, was published in 2004, for which he was nominated in the category of Best Newcomer in the 2006 British Book Awards. A follow up, The Devil in Amber, was released on 6 November 2006. It transports the main character, Lucifer Box, from the Edwardian era in the first book to the roaring Twenties/Thirties. A third and final Lucifer Box novel, Black Butterfly, was published on 3 November 2008 by Simon & Schuster.[21] In this the protagonist finds himself serving Queen Elizabeth II, in the Cold War era.
Gatiss also wrote, co-produced and appeared in Crooked House, a ghost story that was broadcast on BBC Four during Christmas 2008.
Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Gatiss has written three episodes for the 2005-revived BBC television series Doctor Who. His first, "The Unquiet Dead", aired on 9 April 2005; the second, "The Idiot's Lantern", aired on 27 May 2006 as part of the second series. In addition, Gatiss was the narrator for the 2006 season of documentary series Doctor Who Confidential, additionally appearing as an on-screen presenter in the edition devoted to his episode. Gatiss did not contribute a script to the third series, but appeared in the episode "The Lazarus Experiment", as Professor Lazarus. After his submitted script for the fourth series, involving Nazis and the British Museum, was replaced at the last minute with "The Fires of Pompeii", he eventually returned to the programme in 2010, writing the (also World War II-themed) episode "Victory of the Daleks" for the fifth series, in which he also appears uncredited as the voice of "Danny Boy". It has also been confirmed that Gatiss will be writing an episode for the 2011 season of Doctor Who, although details about the story are yet to be revealed.[19]
Gatiss wrote an episode of Sherlock, a modern day Sherlock Holmes series co-produced by him and Steven Moffat. The unaired pilot was shot in January 2009 and a full series was commissioned. This was aired in August 2010 and consisted of 3 episodes. Gatiss also starred in these as Holmes' older brother Mycroft. A second series has been confirmed, but dates have yet to be decided, since both Gatiss and Moffatt have additional commitments.[20]
Gatiss also wrote and performed the comedy sketches The Web of Caves, The Kidnappers and The Pitch of Fear for the BBC's "Doctor Who Night" in 1999 with Little Britain's David Walliams, and played the Master in the Doctor Who Unbound play Sympathy for the Devil under the name "Sam Kisgart", a pseudonym he later used for a column in Doctor Who Magazine. (The pseudonym is an anagram of "Mark Gatiss", a nod to Anthony Ainley, who was sometimes credited under an anagram to conceal the Master's identity from the viewers.) The pseudonym was used again in television listings magazines when he appeared in episode four of Psychoville, so as not to spoil his surprise appearance in advance.
In mainstream print, Gatiss is responsible for an acclaimed biography of the film director James Whale. His first non-Doctor Who novel, The Vesuvius Club, was published in 2004, for which he was nominated in the category of Best Newcomer in the 2006 British Book Awards. A follow up, The Devil in Amber, was released on 6 November 2006. It transports the main character, Lucifer Box, from the Edwardian era in the first book to the roaring Twenties/Thirties. A third and final Lucifer Box novel, Black Butterfly, was published on 3 November 2008 by Simon & Schuster.[21] In this the protagonist finds himself serving Queen Elizabeth II, in the Cold War era.
Gatiss also wrote, co-produced and appeared in Crooked House, a ghost story that was broadcast on BBC Four during Christmas 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
August 3, 2014
I've been working long hours the last couple of weeks, uni classes are back and I'm teaching new subjects. Much to revise and get my head around. So I guess that is the time that you head for comfort reads, and I head back to Doctor Who especially the New Adventures.
After the mostly mediocre Cat's Cradle Trilogy (Really only Warhead was worthwhile), the range decides to lose the title arcs and head off into individual book territory, which it really should have done all along; those arcs were never successful as a whole.
While Nightshade offers a fun and somewhat traditional Who story, especially one that would have fit right into a Season 27, it's more fascinating in that this is Mark Gatiss' first novel and professional writing for Doctor Who. The same man would go on to write for both Doctor Who and Sherlock, which he co-created, and also write and star in the hilarious The League of Gentlemen. And he is just a fabulous and wonderful human being all round.
As I mentioned, I don't think Nightshade is special as a Doctor Who story, it's your standard Doctor lands in small village, mysterious things happen, evil since the dawn of time thing. But don't get me wrong, Gatiss does it really well and there are some other great elements to the story. Ace is the star of the novel and really shines, just like Sophie played her onscreen. And the 7th Doctors words come across also. But what I felt was a bit off was his sudden yearning to retire. Sure we have had this before, but not as seriously considered and even more flippant. But here it comes out of nowhere, there are no premonitions of this in the previous books. And there is no fallout from the events at the end of this book in the next, Love and War. So while there are big events that could change relationships, you come to the next book and a reset has been switched on the Doctor Ace relationship. Again the Doctor has betrayed Ace in a large way, possibly one of the largest, but there must be a huge time gap between Nightshade and Love and War if this betrayal is not mentioned explicitly. Or in reality, maybe the editors and authors should have addressed this.
But this is top-notch village under seige, evil from the dawn of time fare. Great readability and easy to read a chapter a night before bed. And still a lot better than the quality of 10th and 11th Doctor novels. Oh and it does go a long way to reaffirm my opinion that the 7th Doctor and Ace rate as one of the best TARDIS teams along with the 4th Doctor and Sarah, The 11th Doctor, Amy and Rory and the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan.
3.5 Ultra-nostalgic TARDSes
Next up Love and War and we meet Benny.
After the mostly mediocre Cat's Cradle Trilogy (Really only Warhead was worthwhile), the range decides to lose the title arcs and head off into individual book territory, which it really should have done all along; those arcs were never successful as a whole.
While Nightshade offers a fun and somewhat traditional Who story, especially one that would have fit right into a Season 27, it's more fascinating in that this is Mark Gatiss' first novel and professional writing for Doctor Who. The same man would go on to write for both Doctor Who and Sherlock, which he co-created, and also write and star in the hilarious The League of Gentlemen. And he is just a fabulous and wonderful human being all round.
As I mentioned, I don't think Nightshade is special as a Doctor Who story, it's your standard Doctor lands in small village, mysterious things happen, evil since the dawn of time thing. But don't get me wrong, Gatiss does it really well and there are some other great elements to the story. Ace is the star of the novel and really shines, just like Sophie played her onscreen. And the 7th Doctors words come across also. But what I felt was a bit off was his sudden yearning to retire. Sure we have had this before, but not as seriously considered and even more flippant. But here it comes out of nowhere, there are no premonitions of this in the previous books. And there is no fallout from the events at the end of this book in the next, Love and War. So while there are big events that could change relationships, you come to the next book and a reset has been switched on the Doctor Ace relationship. Again the Doctor has betrayed Ace in a large way, possibly one of the largest, but there must be a huge time gap between Nightshade and Love and War if this betrayal is not mentioned explicitly. Or in reality, maybe the editors and authors should have addressed this.
But this is top-notch village under seige, evil from the dawn of time fare. Great readability and easy to read a chapter a night before bed. And still a lot better than the quality of 10th and 11th Doctor novels. Oh and it does go a long way to reaffirm my opinion that the 7th Doctor and Ace rate as one of the best TARDIS teams along with the 4th Doctor and Sarah, The 11th Doctor, Amy and Rory and the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan.
3.5 Ultra-nostalgic TARDSes
Next up Love and War and we meet Benny.
January 6, 2015
Nightshade is a fascinating study in contrasts. At its most base level it is a continuation of the adventures of The Seventh Doctor, which had recently left the television set; but it’s much more than that – consciously and obviously moving away from what had been a marginalised BBC kid/young adult show into more adult and grown up territory. It’s no secret that when the show eventually returned it used a lot of what had happened in the New Adventures books as a bedrock, and already the layers are being pared back to reveal a lot more that is dark and deep about The Doctor. Equally interested though is the character of Professor Nightshade, who is a fictional hero/defender of the Earth against aliens, from whose eponymous show we are frequently presented with extracts. The broadcast of this programme is the late 1950s, so it would more obviously be related to ‘Quatermass’ than ‘Doctor Who’. Yet I can’t help thinking that with his lop-sided smile and his backing from the military that he has more than a passing resemblance to Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor. Although since we also see the grouchy, old English character actor who played him, and who’d worked in small roles for years before getting lucky with a starring role, William Hartnell is also impossible to ignore.
In short we have a novel mining its past whilst blazing a trail for the future.
It’s 1968, the year of the summer of love and riots in Paris, but all that seems a long way from the small village in Yorkshire where the Tardis has ended up. However there’s something distinctly unnerving about this village. The butcher and the local doctor have just vanished into thin air and no one seems to be able to drive beyond the village’s boundaries. Oh, and the dead are being conjured terrifyingly back to life from the villagers’ memories. All in all it seems The Doctor picked the wrong day to consider retirement.
Given that Gatiss’s TV scripts are often criticised for their conservativism, it’s a surprise how much he pushes the envelope here. This is no longer the show that left TV in 1989, but already a far darker and more gruesome vision with a Doctor who – while recognisably the Seventh Doctor – seems to be putting the anti into ant-hero, and that’s before you get to the ending. (Yes, the Doctor as arch manipulator was hinted at on TV, but here that facet is pushed to disquieting prominence.) Perhaps when Gatiss and his friends shoved open the door with these books, he soon reached a point where he was comfortable and didn’t want to shove any further. And that’s a shame, not least because we end up with ‘Robot of Sherwood’. As what we have here is a daring book, which is mining the history of a TV programme which used to scare people by having blokes dressed up in ridiculous costumes, while at the same time trying to scare people senseless with the exact same monsters. It succeeds quite wonderfully taking the essence of Doctor Who and trying to force those ideas forward while paying tribute to a glorious past.
In short we have a novel mining its past whilst blazing a trail for the future.
It’s 1968, the year of the summer of love and riots in Paris, but all that seems a long way from the small village in Yorkshire where the Tardis has ended up. However there’s something distinctly unnerving about this village. The butcher and the local doctor have just vanished into thin air and no one seems to be able to drive beyond the village’s boundaries. Oh, and the dead are being conjured terrifyingly back to life from the villagers’ memories. All in all it seems The Doctor picked the wrong day to consider retirement.
Given that Gatiss’s TV scripts are often criticised for their conservativism, it’s a surprise how much he pushes the envelope here. This is no longer the show that left TV in 1989, but already a far darker and more gruesome vision with a Doctor who – while recognisably the Seventh Doctor – seems to be putting the anti into ant-hero, and that’s before you get to the ending. (Yes, the Doctor as arch manipulator was hinted at on TV, but here that facet is pushed to disquieting prominence.) Perhaps when Gatiss and his friends shoved open the door with these books, he soon reached a point where he was comfortable and didn’t want to shove any further. And that’s a shame, not least because we end up with ‘Robot of Sherwood’. As what we have here is a daring book, which is mining the history of a TV programme which used to scare people by having blokes dressed up in ridiculous costumes, while at the same time trying to scare people senseless with the exact same monsters. It succeeds quite wonderfully taking the essence of Doctor Who and trying to force those ideas forward while paying tribute to a glorious past.
May 9, 2018
I believe this was the first 7th Doctor VNA I read. It made sense as it was available on the BBC website and was the first standalone after the opening two arcs. As such it made quite an impression on me and is one I have returned to often.
It is the first book in the series that really makes use of the novel length to do what is an old fashioned gothic horror style. The actual action doesn't get going until about two-thirds of the way through, instead getting such cliffhangers "The Doctor looked up from his book and chewed his lip thoughtfully" or "The Doctor looked at her steadily. Ace nodded. She knew where."
Yet this is never boring, as Gatiss manages to convey a real sense of creeping menace and emotional consequence. He also outlines a very important theme for this series, that you cannot wallow in nostalgia and have to move forward.
There are a couple of points that do drag it down a bit for me. First of all some of the elements are a touch similar to Timewyrm Revelation. Whilst it probably wouldn't have mattered as much at the time, coming 8 months after, reading these opening volumes over the course of a few weeks it is noticeable. Secondly, the ending is disturbing even by the VNA standards, and whilst it is haunting I don't feel the explanations we will get for The Doctor's actions really justify the narrative choice.
But overall a great book, I probably put only Cornell's work higher in these early days of the series.
It is the first book in the series that really makes use of the novel length to do what is an old fashioned gothic horror style. The actual action doesn't get going until about two-thirds of the way through, instead getting such cliffhangers "The Doctor looked up from his book and chewed his lip thoughtfully" or "The Doctor looked at her steadily. Ace nodded. She knew where."
Yet this is never boring, as Gatiss manages to convey a real sense of creeping menace and emotional consequence. He also outlines a very important theme for this series, that you cannot wallow in nostalgia and have to move forward.
There are a couple of points that do drag it down a bit for me. First of all some of the elements are a touch similar to Timewyrm Revelation. Whilst it probably wouldn't have mattered as much at the time, coming 8 months after, reading these opening volumes over the course of a few weeks it is noticeable. Secondly, the ending is disturbing even by the VNA standards, and whilst it is haunting I don't feel the explanations we will get for The Doctor's actions really justify the narrative choice.
But overall a great book, I probably put only Cornell's work higher in these early days of the series.
March 20, 2019
If you’ve read or seen anything by Mark Gatiss, you’ll know he loves nostalgia. Nightshade puts that front and centre using nostalgia as a malevolent force. It’s full of sepia flashbacks that lead to a horrifying end, which scratches another Gatiss itch, the Gothic. It’s potent stuff.
Still, it’s repetitive: the “Sentience” performs the same trick on everyone, only the specifics are different, so it gets a bit samey. Elsewhere we have some slightly spotty characterisation for the Seventh Doctor, who is considering abandoning his travels. That’s a fair idea, but it needs support; here it seems to come out of nowhere. Similarly Ace has a romance that stops her in her tracks, but Gatiss doesn’t really earn it, introducing the rather wet Robin. By sheer bad luck the book’s ending (which is not entirely happy) would be almost replicated in the book following this... which did it better.
Nightshade is a fan favourite, and I see why. It’s got monsters and a real feel for 50s-to-60s telly horror. I think it’s a smidge overrated and doesn’t quite keep up its momentum, but it’s a decent read.
7/10
Still, it’s repetitive: the “Sentience” performs the same trick on everyone, only the specifics are different, so it gets a bit samey. Elsewhere we have some slightly spotty characterisation for the Seventh Doctor, who is considering abandoning his travels. That’s a fair idea, but it needs support; here it seems to come out of nowhere. Similarly Ace has a romance that stops her in her tracks, but Gatiss doesn’t really earn it, introducing the rather wet Robin. By sheer bad luck the book’s ending (which is not entirely happy) would be almost replicated in the book following this... which did it better.
Nightshade is a fan favourite, and I see why. It’s got monsters and a real feel for 50s-to-60s telly horror. I think it’s a smidge overrated and doesn’t quite keep up its momentum, but it’s a decent read.
7/10
May 28, 2014
Doctor Who: Nightshade by Mark Gatiss was an incredibly dark adventure with a most beloved character (in a version I'm entirely unfamiliar with) and his companion (again I have no history with Ace). Centered around a small village, The Doctor and Ace are up against a foe that is ruthless in its carnage and hunger. An entity that reveals itself in the form of loved ones long since dead and buried, it seems nigh on impossible that there is a way to stop its growing into a creature that can devour the planet in its entirety. However, lifelong lovers of the Time Lord with a made up name know that he's nothing if not persistent. I warn you that this book is firmly in the horror genre rather than specifically sci-fi so keep that in mind if you're looking to read it.
December 30, 2022
As a fan of horror stories this book definitely fits into that genre. This story has everything you want when it comes to Doctor Who and horror. It’s creepy, atmospheric and thoroughly engaging. Not only does it have a great setting and a great plot, it has a good set of supporting characters. You really feel a sense of unpredictability to it as you do not know which character will survive and who will die. The villains themselves are terrifying and are not to be messed with. Out of everything WHO related Mark Gatiss has written, this is hands down his best work imo. I will say however I find this to be a little overrated but all in all a fantastic read and definitely one I would recommend.
August 12, 2020
I didn't really know what to expect of a novel from Mark Gatiss. I was obviously aware of his television work, but had never read any of his prose. (Indeed I believe this is his first ever Doctor Who story)
So it seems sad to say this book was a little underwhelming. The story was clever, and his writing styles makes it a pleasure to read. Where it falls down is the plot, or the lack of it. While the nightmarish villain of the story acts it's destruction across the town of Crook Marsham, the story stands completely still.
Whilst this occurs, death is happening left, right and centre. Character after character dies and none of this ever progresses the story. Indeed the deaths are often terrifying (and they should be; this is a horror) but the story remains where it is. It's almost like the scene from Aliens where the remaining marines are trying to escape the Xenomorphs, but it goes on for 30 minutes.
Even two characters, who I thought were going to be our staple cast of survivors, died in rather stupid ways. If it wasn't for this, I might have given this book a four star rating.
Meanwhile the Doctor is having a midlife crisis story. With 30 years worth of Doctor Who stories to compare to, it did seem a bit cliched. However back in 1992 this would have seemed very original. One of the downsides of this is that Gatiss writes the Doctor as being really grumpy. Similar to how John Peel wrote him in Timewyrm: Genesis, he spends alot of the time be rude and obtuse to Ace, and it's really not fun to read.
Overall not the best Doctor Who novel I have ever read, best certainly not the worst.
So it seems sad to say this book was a little underwhelming. The story was clever, and his writing styles makes it a pleasure to read. Where it falls down is the plot, or the lack of it. While the nightmarish villain of the story acts it's destruction across the town of Crook Marsham, the story stands completely still.
Whilst this occurs, death is happening left, right and centre. Character after character dies and none of this ever progresses the story. Indeed the deaths are often terrifying (and they should be; this is a horror) but the story remains where it is. It's almost like the scene from Aliens where the remaining marines are trying to escape the Xenomorphs, but it goes on for 30 minutes.
Even two characters, who I thought were going to be our staple cast of survivors, died in rather stupid ways. If it wasn't for this, I might have given this book a four star rating.
Meanwhile the Doctor is having a midlife crisis story. With 30 years worth of Doctor Who stories to compare to, it did seem a bit cliched. However back in 1992 this would have seemed very original. One of the downsides of this is that Gatiss writes the Doctor as being really grumpy. Similar to how John Peel wrote him in Timewyrm: Genesis, he spends alot of the time be rude and obtuse to Ace, and it's really not fun to read.
Overall not the best Doctor Who novel I have ever read, best certainly not the worst.
September 27, 2008
Today, people know Mark Gatiss as a member of The League of Gentlemen, who are all fans of what might be termed "cult" shows (their name deriving from a classic 60's British heist movie.) Or, alternatively, as someone who holds the distinction of both writing and acting in the new series of Doctor Who on television. But long before that, he wrote several entries in the NA canon. This isn't my favourite of them, but it's a storming debut.
Essentially this builds on a minor throwaway conceit; that in the Whoniverse*, there is naturally no tv show called [i]Doctor Who[/i], and in Remembrance of the Daleks, Ben Aaronovitch even cheekily implies that Bernard Quatermass (and the British Rocket Group) is part of the Whoniverse too, and that the Saturday night drama show is called "Professor..."
Although we never hear the rest of the title, Gatiss extrapolates it to create Nightshade, which is effectively this world's version of the Quatermass tv show. So the title character is an elderly actor who is now retired, but is going to be interviewed about the show for a newspaper, and one of the other characters grew up watching the show and this affects his reactions to the strange events.
This is the first of the NAs to use what is a cliché of the village cut off from the outside world by some alien force; it's not terribly well-developed, but serves its purpose to confine the story to a manageable extent. The setting is very vivid - the classic small English village is nicely contrasted with the hi-tech Observatory on the hill and the quiet Monastery nearby.
There is a genuine sense of menace at times, even if the actual alien is somewhat incomprehensibly portrayed (then again, it is an alien, so I guess that's part of the idea!) The resolution is terrific - there is a very clever time loop which actually makes sense and resolves the problem neatly. And there is a very good subplot for Ace that actually leads to her getting some sex at last, and a sufficiently strong character in Robin that you can believe she really would like to leave with him.
Indeed, this is probably my only real complaint - the ending (after the alien has been dealt with) is deeply unsatisfying and, worse, isn't paid off properly in the next book (well, not in the way implied here.)
This is a strong entry in the series then, but mostly for those who appreciate the fun of piecing together the backstory of Professor Nightshade; everyone else can probably take a * off this review.
In passing, I will note that you can also see some classic first novel moments - Gatiss can't resist including a Doctor Shearsmith who dies horribly, and there are probably other in-jokes that I didn't spot.
Next up, Paul Cornell returns with one of the best entries in the series, and the introduction of the first new companion for the NAs. Love and War(The New Doctor Who Adventures)
Essentially this builds on a minor throwaway conceit; that in the Whoniverse*, there is naturally no tv show called [i]Doctor Who[/i], and in Remembrance of the Daleks, Ben Aaronovitch even cheekily implies that Bernard Quatermass (and the British Rocket Group) is part of the Whoniverse too, and that the Saturday night drama show is called "Professor..."
Although we never hear the rest of the title, Gatiss extrapolates it to create Nightshade, which is effectively this world's version of the Quatermass tv show. So the title character is an elderly actor who is now retired, but is going to be interviewed about the show for a newspaper, and one of the other characters grew up watching the show and this affects his reactions to the strange events.
This is the first of the NAs to use what is a cliché of the village cut off from the outside world by some alien force; it's not terribly well-developed, but serves its purpose to confine the story to a manageable extent. The setting is very vivid - the classic small English village is nicely contrasted with the hi-tech Observatory on the hill and the quiet Monastery nearby.
There is a genuine sense of menace at times, even if the actual alien is somewhat incomprehensibly portrayed (then again, it is an alien, so I guess that's part of the idea!) The resolution is terrific - there is a very clever time loop which actually makes sense and resolves the problem neatly. And there is a very good subplot for Ace that actually leads to her getting some sex at last, and a sufficiently strong character in Robin that you can believe she really would like to leave with him.
Indeed, this is probably my only real complaint - the ending (after the alien has been dealt with) is deeply unsatisfying and, worse, isn't paid off properly in the next book (well, not in the way implied here.)
This is a strong entry in the series then, but mostly for those who appreciate the fun of piecing together the backstory of Professor Nightshade; everyone else can probably take a * off this review.
In passing, I will note that you can also see some classic first novel moments - Gatiss can't resist including a Doctor Shearsmith who dies horribly, and there are probably other in-jokes that I didn't spot.
Next up, Paul Cornell returns with one of the best entries in the series, and the introduction of the first new companion for the NAs. Love and War(The New Doctor Who Adventures)
December 22, 2008
This is one of the free Classic Doctor Who ebooks that the BBC has available for download, and I decided to read this 'un first on the grounds that it was Seventh Doctor and Ace, of whom I have seen very little, and that it was also calling itself a bit of a horror story, for which I was in the mood.
It's a bit odd jumping back to read Classic Doctor, when I'm so used to thinking in terms of Ninth and Tenth--especially Tenth. Seventh in particular was an odd change of pace, being of course very different physically from his later incarnations... and yet, at least in the hands of this author, showing signs already of what was to emerge once the new series got underway. This particular quote stood out:
It's rather funny that this book was written some time ago, and yet, rather indicative of what we were to get later. Hee. It's also worth noting that this particular author has in fact worked on the new series--he's the guy that wrote the episodes "The Idiot's Lantern" and "The Unquiet Dead". :D
Plot-wise, this one wasn't half-bad. You had your basic remote English town with creepy goings-on, your basic skeery monster killing people right and left, and some hardcore feeling old and run-down and almost ready to retire on the part of the Doctor. Meanwhile there was Ace, right on the verge of growing up and highly attracted to a handsome young local, and getting to blow stuff up at least once. There's a colorful side character who's kind of fun, some Nice Young People one hopes will get together, a particularly nasty person who does get his in the end, and a rather staggeringly high body count. There's a bit of exploration of cultural attitudes of the time--which is 1968--and quite a bit of callback to the Doctor's very earliest days with Susan. A bit of nice continuity there. Nothing too spectacular with the writing style; in one or two places, with overuse of sentence fragments, it kind of annoyed me. But all in all, a perfectly pleasant and quick read. Three stars.
It's a bit odd jumping back to read Classic Doctor, when I'm so used to thinking in terms of Ninth and Tenth--especially Tenth. Seventh in particular was an odd change of pace, being of course very different physically from his later incarnations... and yet, at least in the hands of this author, showing signs already of what was to emerge once the new series got underway. This particular quote stood out:
Yet, for all those years, he'd put his own feelings to one side, tucked them away as if they were of no importance. Now the full weight of his troubles was becoming clear.
Instead of trying to confront his insecurities, like any rational being, he had buried them deep in his psyche.
He was the Doctor, after all, and expected to be immune to such things. Above such trivial matters as emotion and longing and... love.
It was only a matter of time before all those repressed feelings flooded his system like poison from an untreated wound.
It's rather funny that this book was written some time ago, and yet, rather indicative of what we were to get later. Hee. It's also worth noting that this particular author has in fact worked on the new series--he's the guy that wrote the episodes "The Idiot's Lantern" and "The Unquiet Dead". :D
Plot-wise, this one wasn't half-bad. You had your basic remote English town with creepy goings-on, your basic skeery monster killing people right and left, and some hardcore feeling old and run-down and almost ready to retire on the part of the Doctor. Meanwhile there was Ace, right on the verge of growing up and highly attracted to a handsome young local, and getting to blow stuff up at least once. There's a colorful side character who's kind of fun, some Nice Young People one hopes will get together, a particularly nasty person who does get his in the end, and a rather staggeringly high body count. There's a bit of exploration of cultural attitudes of the time--which is 1968--and quite a bit of callback to the Doctor's very earliest days with Susan. A bit of nice continuity there. Nothing too spectacular with the writing style; in one or two places, with overuse of sentence fragments, it kind of annoyed me. But all in all, a perfectly pleasant and quick read. Three stars.
June 24, 2012
I like Mark Gatiss. He's my kind of people, I've followed him as an actor,script writer and presenter and I like his style. Here "Ace has never known the Doctor so withdrawn and melancholic. He is avoiding her company, seeking solace in the forgotten rooms and labyrinthine passages of his ancient time machine.
Perhaps he will find the peace he yearns for on his favourite planet, Earth, in the second half of the twentieth century - in the isolated village of Crook Marsham, to be precise, in 1968, the year of peace, love and understanding.
But one by one the villagers are being killed. The Doctor has to act, but for once he seems helpless, indecisive, powerless.
What are the signals from space that are bombarding the radio telescope on the moor? What is the significance of the local legends from the Civil War?
And what is the aeons-old power that the Doctor is unable to resist?"
We are following the continuing adventures of Ace and the seventh iteration of the Doctor, and Gatiss seems to have picked up on something about the character that I don't seem to remember which was his cruelty, though looking back my memory may be tainted with the character of the actor rather than that of the Doctor.
This is a satisfying read which benefits from the re-boot as a more adult TV series to bring more mature nuances to the written fiction, I mean we get the word "shit" from one of the characters and the hint of sexuality from Ace who matured from a rebellious teen to woman over the course of her time with the Doctor; this was alluded to but never outright said, until we read this ( I'm presuming this as I have not read other books featuring Ace and the Doctor). This doesn't mean that bad language and sex means more mature, in hands less skilled than Gatiss' it could descend into parody, but here we have both charactersm at a crossroads in their lives individually and as partners.
Gatiss occasionally relies a little too heavily on 60s television science fiction tropes ( but maybe that's because I'm old and remember Quatermass, Doomwatch and the original Doctor Who)which may appear a little confusing or quaint to newer audiences but fit nicely into the time period in which the story occurs.
This is what it is, a tie-in with a TV show so it really doesn't demand very much of us as readers, but even so Gatiss manages to engage us on a slightly more emotional level than one would expect.
Perhaps he will find the peace he yearns for on his favourite planet, Earth, in the second half of the twentieth century - in the isolated village of Crook Marsham, to be precise, in 1968, the year of peace, love and understanding.
But one by one the villagers are being killed. The Doctor has to act, but for once he seems helpless, indecisive, powerless.
What are the signals from space that are bombarding the radio telescope on the moor? What is the significance of the local legends from the Civil War?
And what is the aeons-old power that the Doctor is unable to resist?"
We are following the continuing adventures of Ace and the seventh iteration of the Doctor, and Gatiss seems to have picked up on something about the character that I don't seem to remember which was his cruelty, though looking back my memory may be tainted with the character of the actor rather than that of the Doctor.
This is a satisfying read which benefits from the re-boot as a more adult TV series to bring more mature nuances to the written fiction, I mean we get the word "shit" from one of the characters and the hint of sexuality from Ace who matured from a rebellious teen to woman over the course of her time with the Doctor; this was alluded to but never outright said, until we read this ( I'm presuming this as I have not read other books featuring Ace and the Doctor). This doesn't mean that bad language and sex means more mature, in hands less skilled than Gatiss' it could descend into parody, but here we have both charactersm at a crossroads in their lives individually and as partners.
Gatiss occasionally relies a little too heavily on 60s television science fiction tropes ( but maybe that's because I'm old and remember Quatermass, Doomwatch and the original Doctor Who)which may appear a little confusing or quaint to newer audiences but fit nicely into the time period in which the story occurs.
This is what it is, a tie-in with a TV show so it really doesn't demand very much of us as readers, but even so Gatiss manages to engage us on a slightly more emotional level than one would expect.
October 3, 2017
I am hit and miss with Mark Gatiss when it comes to with TV stories. His book Nightshade on the other hand is perfection.
This is without a shadow of a doubt his best work. Not only that but Nightshade is one of my very favourite books. Read it in one sitting and have no problems with it. Well, one little niggle but that's it.
The story is creepy, atmospheric, tense and quite the psychological horror story at times.
The setting is brilliant, the writing, the plot, the monsters, the characters, the dialogue, the unpredictability, the bleakness and the pacing. The book is got everything I want.
I love a good old bleak/horror book.
The 7th Doctor's character here is very melancholic and has given up as his role of The Doctor and wants to retire. This does give us a very interesting character dynamic and interactions of The Doctor and Ace and their relationship. This event that transpires in Nightshade was a good character arc that was heavily insinuated their relationship was in a downwards spiral with The Timewyrm series and Cat's Cradle. Ace is tired and fed up of The Doctors manipulation and The Doctor is fed up of being The Doctor and reflecting on how much he's lost trying to defeat evil and he can't seem to win.
The supporting characters are wonderful. Edmund being I would say the lead role. Love his battle with one of the monsters in Chapter 8. Betty going through horrible psychological nightmares is really upsetting and you really feel sorry for her and her husband doesn't know what to do to stop these psychological attacks.
The monsters are brilliant. Stick to the shadows and hunt one by one. Eventually when the town is weak, they come out in force. They are described as 10ft insects and are incredibly creepy and resilient. When Edmund battles one of them in the radio telescope building in chapter 8, the tension is at an all time high. He even shoots it in the face and is still going on and really acts terrifying by smashing through metal doors and chasing Edmund without a sign of given up.
Edmund's character resolution I did find predictable but still good. I found Lowcock a little annoying with his dialogue and the ending to Love & War doesn't really follow but ignoring that. This is one great novel. Shame it's so short.
Overall, this is one of my favourite books and it will always be.
10/10
This is without a shadow of a doubt his best work. Not only that but Nightshade is one of my very favourite books. Read it in one sitting and have no problems with it. Well, one little niggle but that's it.
The story is creepy, atmospheric, tense and quite the psychological horror story at times.
The setting is brilliant, the writing, the plot, the monsters, the characters, the dialogue, the unpredictability, the bleakness and the pacing. The book is got everything I want.
I love a good old bleak/horror book.
The 7th Doctor's character here is very melancholic and has given up as his role of The Doctor and wants to retire. This does give us a very interesting character dynamic and interactions of The Doctor and Ace and their relationship. This event that transpires in Nightshade was a good character arc that was heavily insinuated their relationship was in a downwards spiral with The Timewyrm series and Cat's Cradle. Ace is tired and fed up of The Doctors manipulation and The Doctor is fed up of being The Doctor and reflecting on how much he's lost trying to defeat evil and he can't seem to win.
The supporting characters are wonderful. Edmund being I would say the lead role. Love his battle with one of the monsters in Chapter 8. Betty going through horrible psychological nightmares is really upsetting and you really feel sorry for her and her husband doesn't know what to do to stop these psychological attacks.
The monsters are brilliant. Stick to the shadows and hunt one by one. Eventually when the town is weak, they come out in force. They are described as 10ft insects and are incredibly creepy and resilient. When Edmund battles one of them in the radio telescope building in chapter 8, the tension is at an all time high. He even shoots it in the face and is still going on and really acts terrifying by smashing through metal doors and chasing Edmund without a sign of given up.
Edmund's character resolution I did find predictable but still good. I found Lowcock a little annoying with his dialogue and the ending to Love & War doesn't really follow but ignoring that. This is one great novel. Shame it's so short.
Overall, this is one of my favourite books and it will always be.
10/10
November 3, 2018
An exceptionally "dark" read, even though the story takes place against a backdrop of Christmas, 1968. Rather well done, in fact ... the first fiction by Mark Gatiss that I've read, though I've seen plenty of his TV work, and of course seen the man himself in Sherlock, and DW itself. He writes well, so I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of his novels.
This one could easily have been a "hard sell" to me, because I actually haven't seen any of the Sylvester McCoy series, and had to look up "Ace" on the interwebs to get an idea of who this companion is/was. But Gatiss's writing is clear enough, more than evocative enough, to involve me at once.
The story is also above average, as one would expect of this author. And the writing itself is far, far superior to anything I saw in the DW novels produced a few years ago, during the 9, 10 and 11 years. I actually gave up on those, after buying a great stack in hardcover one Christmas, only to be vastly disappointed by the quality between those covers. Mark Gatiss's professionalism comes as a wonderful change.
At last! A DW novel that's actually (gasp!) well crafted.
This one could easily have been a "hard sell" to me, because I actually haven't seen any of the Sylvester McCoy series, and had to look up "Ace" on the interwebs to get an idea of who this companion is/was. But Gatiss's writing is clear enough, more than evocative enough, to involve me at once.
The story is also above average, as one would expect of this author. And the writing itself is far, far superior to anything I saw in the DW novels produced a few years ago, during the 9, 10 and 11 years. I actually gave up on those, after buying a great stack in hardcover one Christmas, only to be vastly disappointed by the quality between those covers. Mark Gatiss's professionalism comes as a wonderful change.
At last! A DW novel that's actually (gasp!) well crafted.
June 20, 2017
A gripping adventure
When the New Adventures line was launched by Virgin in the Nineties, there was a rush of books that mistook "adult" for being gratuitous. There were Doctor Who books that tried too hard to delve into sex, violence, or adult themes.
Then, at long last a book was released where the idea of Doctor Who adventures for adult readers made sense. A book that was grown up, not adult, with delicate themes of racism, survivor guilt, and the nature of relationships handled deftly, tenderly, and with dignity.
As a teenager I noticed none of that, as I was too wrapped up in a pitch perfect Doctor Who adventure, set in the sixties, with scary ghost like monsters, thrilling action, and a well crafted supporting cast. I still love that. The homage to Quattermass, the spooky threat, cinematic scale, and the heartbreak finale all still work.
This is one of the rare Doctor Who original novels to have aged well, and to still be gripping and exciting after many reads.
When the New Adventures line was launched by Virgin in the Nineties, there was a rush of books that mistook "adult" for being gratuitous. There were Doctor Who books that tried too hard to delve into sex, violence, or adult themes.
Then, at long last a book was released where the idea of Doctor Who adventures for adult readers made sense. A book that was grown up, not adult, with delicate themes of racism, survivor guilt, and the nature of relationships handled deftly, tenderly, and with dignity.
As a teenager I noticed none of that, as I was too wrapped up in a pitch perfect Doctor Who adventure, set in the sixties, with scary ghost like monsters, thrilling action, and a well crafted supporting cast. I still love that. The homage to Quattermass, the spooky threat, cinematic scale, and the heartbreak finale all still work.
This is one of the rare Doctor Who original novels to have aged well, and to still be gripping and exciting after many reads.
April 9, 2010
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1418628.html
The setting is a familiar Whovian one (most recently seen in The Eleventh Hour): rural England, alien menace, the Doctor sorts it out. To be specific, we're in a Yorkshire village in December 1968; Gatiss packs in a lot of detail, including some memorable characters - the staff of the local radio observatory; the young man who develops a relationship with Ace; the elderly actor who used to play Professor Nightshade on telly (a mixture between Quatermass and the First Doctor). Gatiss says in the notes that he was trying to write a Who book that really belonged more in the horror genre; it works for me.
The setting is a familiar Whovian one (most recently seen in The Eleventh Hour): rural England, alien menace, the Doctor sorts it out. To be specific, we're in a Yorkshire village in December 1968; Gatiss packs in a lot of detail, including some memorable characters - the staff of the local radio observatory; the young man who develops a relationship with Ace; the elderly actor who used to play Professor Nightshade on telly (a mixture between Quatermass and the First Doctor). Gatiss says in the notes that he was trying to write a Who book that really belonged more in the horror genre; it works for me.
October 25, 2011
I like Mark Gatiss generally, and I like when Who edges away from sci-fi and into horror. But while I enjoyed this at first, by the halfway mark I was bored. Perhaps Gatiss's writing strengths are in short-form media like television, but I also don't think there was enough story there to warrant an entire novel; the plot takes place over just a couple of days in a very small town, and - despite a chapter-long flashback to centuries ago - it just lacks the enlarged scope of time and place that I really expect from a novel. Would have made a heck of a tale for the telly, though.
Not a bad story, by any means; just, in the end, not really what I'm looking for.
Not a bad story, by any means; just, in the end, not really what I'm looking for.
May 23, 2020
Doctor Who: Nightshade is a novel in the Doctor Who The New Adventures line from Virgin Books. The New Adventures feature the Seventh Doctor and Ace, and take place after the Classic Series episode, "Survival" (1989). In the novel, Nightshade, in the 1960s, strange things are happening in the small town of Crook Marsham: a retired actor who played Professor Nightshade on television is attacked by one of the creatures he fought on his television show in his retirement home; a woman is haunted by the spirit of her brother who died in World War I; and other strange occurrences happen. And even though people can enter the village – no one can leave.
The Doctor and Ace arrive, but the Doctor is ready to just settle down and retire instead of getting involved. While Ace explores the village and meets a young man named Robin, the Doctor heads to a nearby monastery for some well-deserved rest.
There is also a large radio telescope on the moor. The small staff there is studying the constellation of Orion, specifically looking for novas to study. Yet their instruments keep getting overwhelmed by some sort of strange signal. Also, Holly and Vijay, two members of the staff are having an affair, much to the dismay of their racist co-worker, Hawthorne. Fortunately, the director of the work at the radio telescope, Dr. Cooper is much more reasonable.
As the situation becomes more desperate and people start dying, the Doctor and Ace get involved and the Doctor tries to help. But this creature that remains unseen, attacks people through their memories – feeding on regret, sadness, guilt, and anger. And the Doctor has plenty of regrets. When the mysterious creature uses Susan against the Doctor he barely escapes. The situation becomes desperate, a nursing home aid accompanies a busload of seniors out of the village but their driver becomes overcome by sickness and crashes the bus. The driver dies but the seniors and Jill are alright. A visiting BBC reporter entering the village sees the accident and helps get everyone to the monastery. The Doctor reads up on the history of the village in the monastery and tries to discover what might be plaguing the village. Ace helps but also becomes friends with Robin. But the arrival of several seniors ultimately leads to a horrific creature attack when someone makes the mistake of starting a sentimental singalong.
As more people die in the village itself, the Doctor has everyone gather in the church, which has the effect of putting all the food in one place. He also spends time at the radio telescope, examining the signals that Dr. Cooper and her team found. But it's at the monastery that he encounters the creature, which has taken over one of the local young men the Doctor tries to talk to it. He discovers the creature is old, nearly as old as the Earth itself, which formed around it. And the history of haunted castles and such in the village is due to the creature.
Later, however, as the situation gets desperate, the Doctor, Holly, Vijay, and the actor, Trevithick, go to try to communicate with the creature. It's a disaster as Holly dies, and Trevithick sacrifices himself so the Doctor and Vijay can escape back to the radio telescope. But the Doctor finds out how to get the creature to leave. He tells the creature he can get all the energy he wants from the exploding star, a nova. The creature uses the radio telescope and leaves, heading to outer space and back in time as it follows the explosion that occurred nearly 300 years ago. Ace and the Doctor head back in the TARDIS and see the creature arrive in the 1600s where it causes a fire at a castle. The creature then heads into space to the nova – and eats up all the energy of the star. It follows another energy trace to a supernova and eats that up too. But eventually it gets trapped by the gravity of a black hole.
I enjoyed Nightshade. The Doctor is in a bit of a mood, due to previous events in the series, but the events in the village and Ace help bring him out of it. He's much more fallible in this story, which fits with the Seventh Doctor – for example, he never should have brought Holly, Vijay, and Trevithick with him when he tries to communicate with the creature. Having the village gather in the church is less of a disaster – because, although the creature attacks it, no one dies. But having a radio telescope as a major set piece also reminds the Doctor of how his Fourth incarnation died, so that hangs over the novel, effectively.
Nightshade has a spooky quality to it – Holly, though she's fallen in love with Vijay, cannot forget her previous fiancé who died. Trevithick remembers the most successful time in his life, playing the lead on a spooky BBC television children's SF show (sound familiar?). Various characters remember past friends, relatives, situations, that they regret or that make them sad – which makes them vulnerable to the creature. Even the Doctor isn't immune. Ace actually uses her complicated feelings about her mother to her advantage to fight off the creature. And the story takes place in an isolated village, on a moor, which adds to the spooky factor. Nightshade is an atmospheric novel, well-written, with great guest stars, and I also liked seeing a more vulnerable Doctor who can make mistakes. But the story is also clear and understandable, something that can be hard to find in the Doctor Who New Adventures line from Virgin Books. I recommend it.
The Doctor and Ace arrive, but the Doctor is ready to just settle down and retire instead of getting involved. While Ace explores the village and meets a young man named Robin, the Doctor heads to a nearby monastery for some well-deserved rest.
There is also a large radio telescope on the moor. The small staff there is studying the constellation of Orion, specifically looking for novas to study. Yet their instruments keep getting overwhelmed by some sort of strange signal. Also, Holly and Vijay, two members of the staff are having an affair, much to the dismay of their racist co-worker, Hawthorne. Fortunately, the director of the work at the radio telescope, Dr. Cooper is much more reasonable.
As the situation becomes more desperate and people start dying, the Doctor and Ace get involved and the Doctor tries to help. But this creature that remains unseen, attacks people through their memories – feeding on regret, sadness, guilt, and anger. And the Doctor has plenty of regrets. When the mysterious creature uses Susan against the Doctor he barely escapes. The situation becomes desperate, a nursing home aid accompanies a busload of seniors out of the village but their driver becomes overcome by sickness and crashes the bus. The driver dies but the seniors and Jill are alright. A visiting BBC reporter entering the village sees the accident and helps get everyone to the monastery. The Doctor reads up on the history of the village in the monastery and tries to discover what might be plaguing the village. Ace helps but also becomes friends with Robin. But the arrival of several seniors ultimately leads to a horrific creature attack when someone makes the mistake of starting a sentimental singalong.
As more people die in the village itself, the Doctor has everyone gather in the church, which has the effect of putting all the food in one place. He also spends time at the radio telescope, examining the signals that Dr. Cooper and her team found. But it's at the monastery that he encounters the creature, which has taken over one of the local young men the Doctor tries to talk to it. He discovers the creature is old, nearly as old as the Earth itself, which formed around it. And the history of haunted castles and such in the village is due to the creature.
Later, however, as the situation gets desperate, the Doctor, Holly, Vijay, and the actor, Trevithick, go to try to communicate with the creature. It's a disaster as Holly dies, and Trevithick sacrifices himself so the Doctor and Vijay can escape back to the radio telescope. But the Doctor finds out how to get the creature to leave. He tells the creature he can get all the energy he wants from the exploding star, a nova. The creature uses the radio telescope and leaves, heading to outer space and back in time as it follows the explosion that occurred nearly 300 years ago. Ace and the Doctor head back in the TARDIS and see the creature arrive in the 1600s where it causes a fire at a castle. The creature then heads into space to the nova – and eats up all the energy of the star. It follows another energy trace to a supernova and eats that up too. But eventually it gets trapped by the gravity of a black hole.
I enjoyed Nightshade. The Doctor is in a bit of a mood, due to previous events in the series, but the events in the village and Ace help bring him out of it. He's much more fallible in this story, which fits with the Seventh Doctor – for example, he never should have brought Holly, Vijay, and Trevithick with him when he tries to communicate with the creature. Having the village gather in the church is less of a disaster – because, although the creature attacks it, no one dies. But having a radio telescope as a major set piece also reminds the Doctor of how his Fourth incarnation died, so that hangs over the novel, effectively.
Nightshade has a spooky quality to it – Holly, though she's fallen in love with Vijay, cannot forget her previous fiancé who died. Trevithick remembers the most successful time in his life, playing the lead on a spooky BBC television children's SF show (sound familiar?). Various characters remember past friends, relatives, situations, that they regret or that make them sad – which makes them vulnerable to the creature. Even the Doctor isn't immune. Ace actually uses her complicated feelings about her mother to her advantage to fight off the creature. And the story takes place in an isolated village, on a moor, which adds to the spooky factor. Nightshade is an atmospheric novel, well-written, with great guest stars, and I also liked seeing a more vulnerable Doctor who can make mistakes. But the story is also clear and understandable, something that can be hard to find in the Doctor Who New Adventures line from Virgin Books. I recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2012
This story makes me think about things other than what it was written about.
It has one of my favorite lines ever from a book: "nostalgia is a disease."
You might have to give a flip about Doctor Who to really *get* the whole story, but I doon't think it's necessary.
It really about how people hang onto to things & memories too much, on purporse or on accident, and how that can be dangerous.
It has one of my favorite lines ever from a book: "nostalgia is a disease."
You might have to give a flip about Doctor Who to really *get* the whole story, but I doon't think it's necessary.
It really about how people hang onto to things & memories too much, on purporse or on accident, and how that can be dangerous.
October 8, 2019
Doing a re-read of sorts of my virgin new adventures and this is by far one of my favourites I have read.
I've always enjoyed Mark Gatiss spooky stories and this one is no exception. I couldn't put it down and I very satisfyingly finished this on the last second of my lunch break today.
I loved Edmund who played Nightshade in this and Jill. Basically, all of the characters.
Honestly 5/5.
I've always enjoyed Mark Gatiss spooky stories and this one is no exception. I couldn't put it down and I very satisfyingly finished this on the last second of my lunch break today.
I loved Edmund who played Nightshade in this and Jill. Basically, all of the characters.
Honestly 5/5.
December 7, 2013
Shorty: Well, then that happened. If you, dear reader, are looking into what makes the great Mark Gatiss great, go ahead and skip this one. It does very accurately re-create the feel of a 7th Doctor episode, which does not make me like either the book or that period of the show's history any better.
August 22, 2023
I was actually quite excited to read this one. I like Mark Gatiss a lot as a writer from his book "Last of the Gaderenes" and loved him in "Twice up on a time" as an actor. So i was very excited for this one. Unfortunately...this one wasn't great. It was okay at best.
This one is about a bunch of people in a small British town in 1968 dying weirdly and then turning into mummies and basically disintegrating after seeing visions of long dead people they cared about.
The doctor's kind of tired and wants to retire, but of course, that's not an option because bad crap follows him wherever he goes.
I had two main issues with this book.
1. WAYYYYYYYY too many side characters. like normally a good doctor who book has like 5-7 side characters. this one was INSANE. it had at least 20 characters they introduced either to have them die or not die, but my god. he gave literally every single new person who showed up a backstory and for 230 pages, thats a LOT for so short a book. People would show up, have a two page backstory, and then die and i'm sitting there like "okay, was i supposed to care there? like what the hell was that?"
and of course, the most interesting side character dies, and we're left with the weenies that i don't give a crap about. But ah, such is my life when it comes to stories I read.
2. The violence. Look, i know doctor who can get a bit violent at times, but Jesus huffington christ. This book had a LOT of gross death. Like i thought I was reading a Trevor Baxendale Doctor who novel for a while. Lot of people melting, lot of melting zombie visions, it was just very gross to be honest. Didn't need to have that many people die or be that violent.
Pretty much the only thing i really enjoyed about this one was the fact that the writing style was pretty easy to read and wasn't an incomprehensible MESS like "Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible" or "Man in the Velvet mask". Despite all the people, i could follow the basic story and understand what was going on with the villain of the book. I thought the villain was a bit stock, boring, and underdeveloped, but at least i knew what the villain WAS.
This being the 8th book in the series, it's definitely not the WORST in the series, but it's by no means the best. Being the first book in the series NOT in a trilogy or quadrilogy, and especially being written by Mark Gatiss, I had some hopes for it, but between the violence, the million people, and Ace falling in love IMMEDIATELY with some guy just because....i don't know, he EXISTS it all felt a little too...meh for my taste. That's why i'm giving this book an even 3 out of 5. Because that's exactly what it was. Meh. Serviceable, but Meh.
Even 3 out of 5.
This one is about a bunch of people in a small British town in 1968 dying weirdly and then turning into mummies and basically disintegrating after seeing visions of long dead people they cared about.
The doctor's kind of tired and wants to retire, but of course, that's not an option because bad crap follows him wherever he goes.
I had two main issues with this book.
1. WAYYYYYYYY too many side characters. like normally a good doctor who book has like 5-7 side characters. this one was INSANE. it had at least 20 characters they introduced either to have them die or not die, but my god. he gave literally every single new person who showed up a backstory and for 230 pages, thats a LOT for so short a book. People would show up, have a two page backstory, and then die and i'm sitting there like "okay, was i supposed to care there? like what the hell was that?"
and of course, the most interesting side character dies, and we're left with the weenies that i don't give a crap about. But ah, such is my life when it comes to stories I read.
2. The violence. Look, i know doctor who can get a bit violent at times, but Jesus huffington christ. This book had a LOT of gross death. Like i thought I was reading a Trevor Baxendale Doctor who novel for a while. Lot of people melting, lot of melting zombie visions, it was just very gross to be honest. Didn't need to have that many people die or be that violent.
Pretty much the only thing i really enjoyed about this one was the fact that the writing style was pretty easy to read and wasn't an incomprehensible MESS like "Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible" or "Man in the Velvet mask". Despite all the people, i could follow the basic story and understand what was going on with the villain of the book. I thought the villain was a bit stock, boring, and underdeveloped, but at least i knew what the villain WAS.
This being the 8th book in the series, it's definitely not the WORST in the series, but it's by no means the best. Being the first book in the series NOT in a trilogy or quadrilogy, and especially being written by Mark Gatiss, I had some hopes for it, but between the violence, the million people, and Ace falling in love IMMEDIATELY with some guy just because....i don't know, he EXISTS it all felt a little too...meh for my taste. That's why i'm giving this book an even 3 out of 5. Because that's exactly what it was. Meh. Serviceable, but Meh.
Even 3 out of 5.
September 22, 2018
Kurz zusammengefasst: Wow!
Ich weiß ja nicht was ich erwartet habe, vielleicht die übliche Durchschnittskost, welche Gatiss immer wieder mit seine TV-Folgen präsentiert hat, aber das hier ganz sicher nicht. Von der Handlung her ist Nightshade allerdings fast schon als Rückschritt zu verstehen. Das Versprechen der vorherigen Bücher, "stories to broad and too deep for the small screen", wird hier erstmals in der Reihe vollkommen außer Acht gelassen (und ist auch nicht mehr auf der Rückseite des Buches zu lesen). Nightshade ist eine ganz simple und schnörkellose Geschichte, mit einem relativ einfallslosem Monster und einer einfachen Horrorroman Attitüde. Nightshade erhebt aber auch gar nicht den Anspruch mehr zu sein und genau darin liegt die Stärke des Buchs. Das was das Buch sein will erfüllt es zur Perfektion. Alle handelnden Figuren, bis zum kleinsten Nebencharakter, sind sorgfältigst ausgearbeitet und lebendige Figuren, um die sich der Leser sorgen kann. Das hält die Spannung auf fast jeder Seite aufrecht. Die Motive und Handlungen aller Protagonisten ist logisch nachvollziehbar und selbst das Finale, welches meiner Meinung nach immer der Schwachpunkt von Horrorgeschichten ist, ist gut gelöst und verheddert sich nicht in einem Klischeefest. Dieses Buch erklärt aber wohl auch teilweise, warum Gatiss' TV-Episoden relativ schwach sind. Die Grundhandlung würde ohne die sorgsam ausgearbeiteten Charaktere fast nicht funktionieren und dies ist in schriftlicher Form nun mal sehr viel einfacher zu vollbringen als in einer 45-minütigen Fernsehfolge.
Und dann das Finale nach dem Finale... :O
Ich weiß ja nicht was ich erwartet habe, vielleicht die übliche Durchschnittskost, welche Gatiss immer wieder mit seine TV-Folgen präsentiert hat, aber das hier ganz sicher nicht. Von der Handlung her ist Nightshade allerdings fast schon als Rückschritt zu verstehen. Das Versprechen der vorherigen Bücher, "stories to broad and too deep for the small screen", wird hier erstmals in der Reihe vollkommen außer Acht gelassen (und ist auch nicht mehr auf der Rückseite des Buches zu lesen). Nightshade ist eine ganz simple und schnörkellose Geschichte, mit einem relativ einfallslosem Monster und einer einfachen Horrorroman Attitüde. Nightshade erhebt aber auch gar nicht den Anspruch mehr zu sein und genau darin liegt die Stärke des Buchs. Das was das Buch sein will erfüllt es zur Perfektion. Alle handelnden Figuren, bis zum kleinsten Nebencharakter, sind sorgfältigst ausgearbeitet und lebendige Figuren, um die sich der Leser sorgen kann. Das hält die Spannung auf fast jeder Seite aufrecht. Die Motive und Handlungen aller Protagonisten ist logisch nachvollziehbar und selbst das Finale, welches meiner Meinung nach immer der Schwachpunkt von Horrorgeschichten ist, ist gut gelöst und verheddert sich nicht in einem Klischeefest. Dieses Buch erklärt aber wohl auch teilweise, warum Gatiss' TV-Episoden relativ schwach sind. Die Grundhandlung würde ohne die sorgsam ausgearbeiteten Charaktere fast nicht funktionieren und dies ist in schriftlicher Form nun mal sehr viel einfacher zu vollbringen als in einer 45-minütigen Fernsehfolge.
Und dann das Finale nach dem Finale... :O
January 8, 2023
"Nightshade" is a novel drawing on the works of Nigel Kneale and John Wyndham, but one heck of a lot bloodier. The story takes place in a small Yorkshire village where the retired actor who once played Professor Nightshade on TV now lives and where a new space research station has been built on top of the remains of an old castle and quarry with a spooky history. Something is invading people's dreams and recreating their fears. The Doctor and Ace arrive and The Doctor tells Ace over breakfast that he wants to retire. Much of the early action revolves around repeated incentives for The Doctor to get involved and The Doctor's agonizing quandary that if he does get involved, then he cannot retire. Professor Nightshade is not meant to represent Doctor Who as much as it is Professor Quatermass. Gatiss' manner of writing I found a little annoying. Mostly, it is his insistence on going through paragraphs of personal history for nearly every character he introduces, no matter what is going on in the narrative at that time. This awkward manner of characterization breaks the narrative forward motion. Gatiss also pulls a quick dodge so that he gets out of having to explain what the evil creature is. It's a thing that has been around for a while and needs to eat energy. That is all. For me, this non-explanation is unsatisfying.
May 20, 2017
A dark and gritty ghost tale with a lot of characters that all have their own stories and memories. Particularly memories. I thought that Gatiss was babbling on about too many people at first, but then I started to like them. And then, of course, he killed them off. One. By. One... I ended up trying to guess who'd survive the longest, aside from the Doctor and Ace.
I enjoy the moody sort of character, and this time there seems to be no stopping the moodiness. Too bad we never get to know what prior horrific experience brought this particular frame of mind on in the first place (at least not in this series). I would've liked to read that adventure.
Very meta, too, since part of the story directly references a TV-show not all that different from "Doctor Who" itself. Quite bold, but it works.
The ending felt wickedly satisfying to me, even though I suppose it wasn't very nice to do that...
Personally I could've done without both Pro- and Epilogue, since the rest of the book pretty much stands on its own. But I guess it's a matter of taste. I like to cut straight to the story, and I like slightly bitter endings.
I enjoy the moody sort of character, and this time there seems to be no stopping the moodiness. Too bad we never get to know what prior horrific experience brought this particular frame of mind on in the first place (at least not in this series). I would've liked to read that adventure.
Very meta, too, since part of the story directly references a TV-show not all that different from "Doctor Who" itself. Quite bold, but it works.
The ending felt wickedly satisfying to me, even though I suppose it wasn't very nice to do that...
Personally I could've done without both Pro- and Epilogue, since the rest of the book pretty much stands on its own. But I guess it's a matter of taste. I like to cut straight to the story, and I like slightly bitter endings.
July 17, 2019
Didn't really connect with this one. It's a satisfactory story, competently told. The prose is a little pedestrian and predictable, but perhaps I'm being unfair (this is only the second NA I've read and I don't know what level they're pitched at, but this wasn't as interesting a read prose-wise as 'The left-handed hummingbird')
Characterisations of Doc and Ace are good; The Doc is down in the dumps. Why? Who knows (that's not a joke). Understand other authors had to explain this away with hints in later stories. Background characters are okay, but had difficulty caring about them (and I'm not totally heartless...really)
Just read this review before posting and it sounds like I'm giving the book a bashing, but I did enjoy it. And I think I prefer monsters that stomp around causing trouble; the monster here was too other-worldly and ethereal.
Don't let me put you off. There's a good number of five-star reviews.
5 out of 10, so 3 stars.
Characterisations of Doc and Ace are good; The Doc is down in the dumps. Why? Who knows (that's not a joke). Understand other authors had to explain this away with hints in later stories. Background characters are okay, but had difficulty caring about them (and I'm not totally heartless...really)
Just read this review before posting and it sounds like I'm giving the book a bashing, but I did enjoy it. And I think I prefer monsters that stomp around causing trouble; the monster here was too other-worldly and ethereal.
Don't let me put you off. There's a good number of five-star reviews.
5 out of 10, so 3 stars.
May 2, 2023
Decided to read to celebrate a doctor who milestone for myself, and then ended up reading through the milestone and finishing 11 days late...
This book is good! Lots of strong sci-fi elements and I could imagine this story being a big episode. Mark Gatiss is a seasoned Doctor Who writer, but this is his first dip into the franchise. I think that appeal added to the experience, because despite most of his work being done big on tv this does feel like his most expansive journey for the franchise.
There were parts of the book I wasn't personally a fan of, but it comes together for an interesting arc that comes to a head in the next book, so I can't complain that much.
Overall I feel like I could give the book a 3.5 but I had a fun enough time that it warrants being elevated to a 4.
This book is good! Lots of strong sci-fi elements and I could imagine this story being a big episode. Mark Gatiss is a seasoned Doctor Who writer, but this is his first dip into the franchise. I think that appeal added to the experience, because despite most of his work being done big on tv this does feel like his most expansive journey for the franchise.
There were parts of the book I wasn't personally a fan of, but it comes together for an interesting arc that comes to a head in the next book, so I can't complain that much.
Overall I feel like I could give the book a 3.5 but I had a fun enough time that it warrants being elevated to a 4.
November 26, 2023
This book is good but I don't like it as much as others seem to. It works better as a standalone than it does as part of the virgin new adventures series, because compared to the books before it, it seems to make the doctor suddenly older and more forlorn, and ace suddenly more childish and immature. Plus it has mentions of books 1-4 but not 5-7, clearly because it was written independently of those. Oh and it has an editor mandated cliffhanger ending, which then gets resolved in between books, because the next one takes place months later for whatever reason. So yeah my problems with this are mostly editorial mistakes, which this series seems to have a lot of, and if it was published as a standalone I would be rating it 4.
June 5, 2021
The first standalone Who spin-off sees the Doc defending the sort of base under seige in a Mummerset village he encountered a lot on 60s and 70s TV from the kind of Lovecraftian evil from the dawn of time he fought suprisingly rarely. It leans a bit heavily into the Dark Doctor, forgetting the magic tricks, pratfalls, singing and spoon playing that McCoy coloured it with on screen, and has a plot that relies on many characters being murdered by the monster in turn on a night of the glowing dead, but it's a propulsive read and good fun on the whole.
April 14, 2021
This is one of the very few Virgin books that I really love. Naturally, this is going to be a glowing review.
I just love the gothic atmosphere that Gatiss has created. The story is set in a real place and time and it shows. Good, grounded characters that I care about. The concept is also intriguing, though the resolution itself isn't as good.
If there's one thing I dislike it's the resolution of the Ace and Robin storyline. Not so much how written, but by how much of a git the Doctor is.
I just love the gothic atmosphere that Gatiss has created. The story is set in a real place and time and it shows. Good, grounded characters that I care about. The concept is also intriguing, though the resolution itself isn't as good.
If there's one thing I dislike it's the resolution of the Ace and Robin storyline. Not so much how written, but by how much of a git the Doctor is.
March 6, 2024
One of the more comfy of the Doctor Who New Adventures range, in that it's not trying to be ostentatiously edgy or "mature" in a 1990s way but is simply telling a solid story which tackles a few grown-up themes with a bit more directness than the TV show would have permitted itself. And it's a lot of fun with it! Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...
April 24, 2018
The Doctor, tired, contemplative and, perhaps for the first time, truly unsure of himself, arrives in a sleepy Northern town. Of course, where the Time Lord goes, danger is never far, and soon enough, it seems, the dead are rising - not from their graves, but from memory - and the consequences of excessive fondness for the past are formidable indeed.
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