Revisit The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Books Part 2 by Theresa Gauthier

Last month I started a three part review of the Doctor Who 50^th Anniversary novels. This is part 2 reviewing books (and Doctors!) 5 through 8.

5. Fear of the Dark by Trevor Baxendale 

This story features the Fifth Doctor (as played by Peter Davison) and his companions Nyssa (as played by Sarah Sutton) and Tegan ( as played by Janet Fielding). This is one of my all time favorite Doctor Who novels. 

It’s far creepier than anything I usually like, but Baxendale handled it so well, and the story was so compelling, I embraced it.  The Doctor, Tegan, and Nyssa explore the labyrinthine caves on Akoshemon finding something deep down there that thrives on destruction and fear.

I’ve read this one a number of times, and I’m pretty sure I’ll read it again. I’ve always loved the Fifth Doctor’s era and Tegan and Nyssa are two of my favorite companions. I was thrilled to see Tegan reappear in The 13^th Doctor’s Final Episode, The Power of the Doctor. If you like the Fifth Doctor, you’ll love this book.

6. Players by Terrance Dicks

This tale features the Sixth Doctor (as played by Colin Baker), and his companion Peri (as played by Nicola Bryant). It’s also notable for being the first Doctor Who story to feature Winston Churchill, someone Eleventh Doctor fans will remember with fondness.

The Doctor and Peri land smack dab in the middle of the Boer War. Meeting War Correspondent Winston Churchill, The Doctor senses that someone or something is interfering with Chruchill’s timeline and suspects The Players—a mysterious race who treat Earth History as a game.

Terrance Dicks really brings the Sixth Doctor to life on these pages, and the inclusion of Winston Churchill (and other historical figures!) makes it a great deal of fun. Well worth a read.

7. Remembrance of the Daleks by Ben Aaronovitch

 Aaronovitch’s story is the novelization of the episode of the same name that marked the 25^th Anniversary of Doctor Who and features The Seventh Doctor (as played by Sylvester McCoy) and companion Ace (as played by Sophie Aldred).

The story revisits the time and locations from the first episode of Doctor Who that aired back in 1963. Here, the Seventh Doctor must see to events the First Doctor set in motion. Two Dalek factions are searching for the Hand of Omega, which would give the winning faction the secret to time travel.

Ace becomes irritated both by the Doctor’s penchant for trying to protect her and for keeping her in the dark. Her distaste for discrimination is tested in the early sixties, and perhaps Ace’s most iconic moment takes place in this story—when she beats a Dalek with a baseball bat. Brilliant story. 

8. Earthworld by Jacqueline Rayner

The Eighth Doctor may have had only one on screen adventure prior to the 50^th Anniversary, but there have been dozens of stories both in print and courtesy of Big Finish Audio. This one features the Eighth Doctor (as played by Paul McGann and companions Fitz Kreiner and Anja Kapoor.

The novel is complicated, but worth a read. The story includes various times of Earth—not quite spot on, but represented nonetheless. There’s mention of Yeti, King Arthur, Merlin, Alan Turig, and War Machines.

The Doctor and his companions land on a planet that seems to be an amusement park divided into sections representing Earth history. To complicate matters, the Doctor isn’t at his best, and doesn’t remember how to work his sonic screwdriver. 

The planet is divided into Zones, and they first land in a pre-historic zone populated by cavemen and pterodactyls. There are other zones they pass through—ancient Egypt, Twentieth Century London—and eventually The Doctor and Anji are declared to be terrorists and put in a death-row cell, while Fitz, separated from the pair, is unaware of their fate. He’s busy pointing out errors to curator Venna Durrell, who thinks he’s a broken android. 

Like all Doctor Who stories, things eventually get sorted out, but it takes concentration to get through the entire story.

Many fans and BBC executives believed that the Doctor Who idea had broken down by the time the 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th Doctors came along, and, indeed, the 8^th Doctor’s only televised story was a joint venture between the BBC and a U.S. Television Network, but they each add their own flavor to the world. While I might have tweaked some of these stories, I’d never want them deleted or denied.

I’ve read most of these books several times.  Check them out.

Next month, I'll finish the 50th Anniversary set and add a few more just because I can.