Chris Boucher (1943–2022)

This Doctor Who spin off novel is a sequel to the Tom Baker TV story Robots of Death, generally regarded (including by me) as one of the best stories in what is also generally regarded as a golden age of classic Doctor Who. It is written by the same author who wrote the TV script, and features the very popular same doctor and companion. So on paper I should have loved this novel, but I actually found it very disappointing. I found the plot and characters’ motivations rather confusing, and show more the narrative flow uneven, with a slow pace of development, punctuated by set-piece violent incidents, but with a rather rushed and also confusing ending. I didn’t care for any of the characters, including the Doctor and Leela as portrayed here, or the surviving characters from the Sandminer in Robots of Death. show less

Four scientists (two of which are up to no good with a "time scanner") find a 12-million-year-old skull.

My synopsis sounds much more interesting than the actual story turned out to be. What briefly promised to be science fiction quickly devolved into one of the more melodramatic and cornier of the gothic horror stories. Baker's shenanigans save it, but only just barely.

http://nhw.livejournal.com/1014841.html#cutid5

Psi-Ence Fiction is certainly the best of the four Boucher novels. It is something of a re-take of Image of the Fendahl, with research in contemporary Britain (2001 rather than 1978, of course) unlocking dangerous space-time anomalies and tapping into the plans of sinister entities. The setting this time round is a university campus, a familiar setting which liberates Boucher from trying too hard at world-building (as noted above, not his show more strongest point), as he can rely on smart-aleck students, infighting academics, and the local police trying to sort things out. Leela, as ever, excels; the biggest problem with the book is the resolution, where the Tardis itself plays an unexpected role, and the ending is a bit of a cop-out. But it was a good read. show less

This one deserves a re-read since it got a little confusing at times. We see a good deal of Leela showing her skills as a warrior along with an uncanny ability to almost out-think the Doctor himself in a lot of circumstances. Leela's always a joy to watch and she really shows what she can do here, both physically and mentally.

I got a little lost amongst some of the explanations as to exactly how some of the technology worked from time to time but that's where I think the re-read would come show more in handy. Also, the story seems to jump about a fair amount and again, a re-read would prove very helpful in bringing things into sharper relief.

I liked the focus on Leela and felt I'd been given a chance to get to know her much better.

Recommended. May do a re-read sometime soon. show less