The Timewyrm Series
Timewyrm: Apocalypse
Timewyrm Part Three
|
The Timewyrm Series |
Virgin Books Timewyrm: Apocalypse Timewyrm Part Three |
|
| Author | Nigel Robinson |  |
| ISBN# | 0 426 20359 3 | |
| Published | 1991 | |
| Cover | Andrew Skilleter |
| Synopsis: Visions of the Doctor's second incarnation lead the Doctor and Ace to the planet Kirith, billions of years in the future and Ace falls in love with one of its peace loving natives, Raphael. Just what is the connection between Kirith and the Panjistri, led by the Matriach, a woman the second Doctor met as a girl, who has now been possessed by the Timewyrm? |
A Review by Keith Bennett 29/6/99
A less satisfactory story here, involving the theory of the Big Bang. The Doctor and Ace land on the planet Kirith (thankfully, away from Earth) and find the seemingly perfect Kirithons being ruled by the Panjistri, who provide them with everything they need to the point where they don't have to think. It turns out that this is at the end of time, when the Universe is supposed to have "expanded" as much as it can, and now is ready to fold back in on itself, and the Panjistri are using the naive Kirithons through experiments to create the "God Machine", an all-knowledgable creation to stop the end of the Universe. But, fight and agression is one thing missing from this creation, so when they see Ace...
The Timewyrm, of course, is the being behind all this and, like Exodus, she appears in very little, but she is becoming a rather limited nemesis to keep fighting against. The adventures themselves, however, are entertaining, with an interesting array of aliens and creatures.
A concerning factor is continual references to the Doctor's second self who, at the beginning of his regeneration, seemed to ignite the problem that's now at hand. In Genesys, John Peel had the Doctor get a warning from his fourth self at the beginning, and called his third self into him at the climax, peculiarly because his current regeneration didn't have the necessary skills. Here, we have another warning from the past.
Let's not overdo the multiple Doctors bit, huh?
Paralyzingly dull, boring and tedious! by Andrew McCaffrey 7/11/01
When I first read Timewyrm: Apocalypse back in 1993 or 1994, it was only a matter of weeks later that I was unable to recall more than a handful of details about the book. Rereading this in 2001, I recognized only the barest trivialities. I don't expect to retain anything more from my reread than I did from my initial perusal of the text.
The prologue of the book begins with several one and two word sentences which are supposed to represent the primitive thoughts of the awakening adversary. One and two word sentences never inspire the reader to have much confidence in the rest of the book, and sadly this assumption proves to be correct. One thing that any future authors can take away from this experience is that if one is going to base the first fifty pages of one's book off of a previous Doctor Who serial, do not redo The Krotons.
The major problem with this book is that it is hopelessly padded and, worse, it's extremely dull padding. The page count is just one over two hundred, yet strangely Apocalypse could easily lose about fifty pages without breaking a sweat. There are far too many scenes of people being captured, escaping, running away from monsters, etc. The style of prose does little to help move the plot along. Sequences are broken up with numerous pages of random information about the way of life on Kirith. These passages don't help to build up a picture of alien life, rather they just seem like irrelevant details. It seems heavily influenced by the very worst of the Target novelisations. When those books were at their poorest, they were nothing but lines of dialogue with random "extra" paragraphs of exposition. This is exactly what many sections of this book feel like. It isn't pretty.
Not to say that there aren't a few moments where the book is entertaining. There's a sequence in which the Doctor is being chased through a forest that's realized quite effectively. The passages involving the villagers awaking from their long conditioning are also noteworthy. Unfortunately for every one of these, we have something like the part where a seagull poos on the Doctor or one of the many useless facts about Kirithian culture. One step forward, three steps back.
All in all the ending of the book is enjoyable enough, it's just a pity one has to read through all the other dull stuff in order to get to it. This would make a much better novella if one, in addition to removing much of the padding, remembered that good writing involves more showing than telling.
A Review by Finn Clark 11/7/04
I can see why many people don't rate Timewyrm: Apocalypse, but I've always liked it. There's something rudimentary about it, at times distractingly so, but it has powerful concepts and themes. If you can get past its Target-level prose, there's a strong story lurking underneath.
That comparison with Target novelisations wasn't random, by the way. Nigel Robinson was the Target editor for many years and wrote several novelisations. It shows in this book. In a sense, it's a glimpse of the alt-universe Virgin line that could have been if Peter Darvill-Evans had had a different vision of what post-TV Doctor Who novels should be like. It's short, perhaps not even reaching 60,000 words, and its prose goes between simple and simplistic. Sometimes this directness is a strength, but with characterisation it's not. The TARDIS crew particularly stink up the room. Frankly, some of this book's character moments feel childish.
However it would be a mistake to judge this book by its prose. Underneath, it's far from shallow. There's a theme of innocence, with the TARDIS landing at the end of the universe on the paradise planet of Kirith. Everyone there is perfect... but the Doctor and Ace become serpents in Eden. In this book innocence is violated in all kinds of ways, some of it by the Doctor himself for these people's own good. He himself is haunted by his second incarnation, which is so perfect thematically as to be almost beautiful. After everything we've seen, innocence destroys the beast at the climax. And p197 nearly made me cry.
This book's treatment of amnesia effortlessly blows away half a decade's 8DA-related argument. Amnesia here is the worst evil imaginable, with the author hardly having to lift a finger. (There's also a related snook at what happened to Jamie and Zoe after The War Games on p148.)
The fanwank is relatively restrained, but it's jarring in a setting billions of years in the future. I can just about imagine, for instance, that Galaxy 4's Rills (p33) might survive for millions of years, but billions? Other wanks include hat-tips to famous lines from the TV stories, which probably seemed cute in 1991 but really haven't aged well.
To enjoy this book, you've got to cut it plenty of slack. It's almost best viewed as a historical curiosity, the misshapen offspring of two opposing forces: the Virgin NAs and the Target novelisations. In particular the characterisation is something that you've just got to accept, but its story is sad, simply told and not afraid to get nasty. I even ended up caring about some of the people. It won't be for everyone, but I really enjoyed this book.
A Review by Brian May 27/10/04
Timewyrm: Apocalypse is a rather underrated New Adventure, a conclusion I made after a recent re-reading. I hadn't picked it up for about eight years, having not remembered it as anything special. I now realise that it's a fun, enjoyable, smartly paced little adventure, although far from perfect.
My first criticism is that it's too simple and straightforward. Also working against the story is its unoriginality. This may be a strange point to make, as Doctor Who is unoriginal to the core, but its success has always been in the stylish and clever ways it has ripped off or paid tribute to the original material. Apocalypse wears its sources so obviously on its sleeve that it's devoid of charm. The "trouble in paradise" story is the primary inspiration, with a seemingly utopian society concealing a dark underbelly, the strongest imagery coming from H.G Wells's The Time Machine. In addition there's the subject of eugenics (also examined in the Tom Baker tale The Face of Evil) and another lesson on xenophobia, represented by the Kirith's fear and dislike of the "others" who live in the forbidden realm of Darkfell.
The story takes another idea previously used in Doctor Who - that the situation the Doctor faces is a result of his own actions in the past - also from The Face of Evil. Although never stated on television, Terrance Dicks's novelisation of that same story places the fourth Doctor's initial encounter with Xoanon during the events of Robot, in which he was still unstable after his third regeneration. In terms of continuity, a rather neat explanation. Here Nigel Robinson makes the second Doctor culpable for all that's wrong on Kirith, shortly after his first regeneration. The only new addition to this scenario that it's the Timewyrm that's been meddling in the Doctor's past. But it's not conveyed in a dramatic way whatsoever and therefore seems like mere recycling.
Speaking of the undramatic, the story is full of such moments. Robinson fails to create any sense of tension in his scenes. The revelation that Kandasi is in fact a space station; the sea dragon's attack on the boat (with the exception of Mirli's death); the Grand Matriarch's interest in Ace; the dramas that befall the Doctor and Fetch during their space walk; even the final twist - that the Grand Matriarch is in fact the Timewyrm - falls flat. (Indeed, her inclusion is very awkward.) The title Apocalypse is inappropriate - the blurb begins with "The end of the universe. The end of everything." But nowhere is there an apocalyptic feel - not once does it seem like the fate of the universe is at stake. The Doctor's plan to reach the Matriarch on p.185 makes no sense at all. And at times it seems like the author is insulting the reader's intelligence - the Doctor encountering the false Ace across the canyon - it's obvious she's not real the moment she calls him "Doctor" instead of "Professor", which the Doctor doesn't pick up on (Robinson insults his intelligence too).
Given that the story's background draws heavily on the second Doctor, the various flashbacks are quite decently written. However the vision the seventh Doctor encounters of his previous self doesn't completely work. Robinson has some of Troughton's mannerisms right, but overall it feels a mess - especially the second Doctor's mentions of Ace. It just brings to mind the awful dredging up of the third Doctor in John Peel's Genesys. The (seventh) Doctor and Ace come across convincingly enough, but the rest of the characters are dull, with the exceptions of Mirli and Raphael.
Well, after four paragraphs of negatives, how can I justify my opening declarations - underrated, fun and enjoyable? Well, despite all its flaws, Timewyrm: Apocalypse has some good moments. The majority of the quibbles I've made are centred on the last sections of the book. The first hundred odd pages are the enjoyable parts - as the story unfolds. It's like many a televised serial, in which the first episodes are highly enjoyable but the quality drops towards the end. The fun is in the exposition and the mystery, when the reader is wondering what exactly is happening. The locations are good, and would not be out of place in a fantasy novel. The town; the forbidden realm of Darkfell; the harbour where the Panjistri arrive and leave; the mysterious "island" of Kandasi; these are all captured very well. Nigel Robinson isn't the best Doctor Who writer ever, but he's certainly not the worst. He can create an atmosphere, and his descriptions are all succinct. The short length of the story helps, with the narrative never getting bogged down. And chapter 15 is excellent! The murmurs of discontent among the people, the near revolution and its suppression are all described concisely and rapidly, without losing any of the intended impact.
As for underrated? Well, to be more accurate, it's not as bad as I remember. I was impressed as I read it again, taking in the good aspects as well as the bad. It's still rather inconsequential, and it fades from the memory shortly after you finish it. But while you're reading, it's quite fun. 6.5/10