(mild spoilers only)

I used to read Dr Who novelisations vociferously in my teens. However, since about 1985 I've read exactly three Dr Who stories:

"The Also People" by Ben Aaronovitch, this one because it's a thinly disguised Culture novel. I have no idea whether or not Iain M Banks knew of its existence, but I suspect he'd have been chuffed if he did.

"Nothing O'Clock" by Neil Gaiman, because it was in the collection "Trigger Warning" and, hey, it's Neil Gaiman.

Which brings us to the third story, "Harvest of Time" by Alastair Reynolds. Reynolds is one of my favourite authors and I was tossing up between the sequel to "Blue Remembered Earth" and the sequel to "Revenger" when I decided on this one instead.

A third Doctor story featuring Jo Grant, the Brigadier and UNIT, and the Master. You might think the latter would be the villain of the tale and you'd be right... up to a point. The real enemy turns out to be the Sild, an ancient enemy the Time Lords saw fit to, well, exterminate in an act of genocide. Turns out the Sild aren't as extinct as first thought and they're back. What they really need to fulfil their nefarious plan is the Master and they will stop at nothing to get him. Quite what they need for him for is unclear and is actually quite horrific. Reynolds actually succeeds in making the reader feel for the Master.

The Doctor is thus compelled to protect, and side with, the Master against the Sild. Hijinx ensue.

If you're a Reynolds fan, this is worthwhile checking out, doubly so if you're into Dr Who. The story has the sensawunda Reynolds is known for and his sometimes mediocre characterisation isn't a problem, here as the characters have been well fleshed out for decades, leaving Reynolds much to build on.. The Sild don't need characterisation; they're in the category of 'vague menace' that Reynolds does so well.

-Moriarty

On 08/11/2023 20.33, Moriarty wrote:
> (mild spoilers only)
>
> I used to read Dr Who novelisations vociferously in my teens. However, since about 1985 I've read exactly three Dr Who stories:
>
> "The Also People" by Ben Aaronovitch, this one because it's a thinly disguised Culture novel. I have no idea whether or not Iain M Banks knew of its existence, but I suspect he'd have been chuffed if he did.
>
> "Nothing O'Clock" by Neil Gaiman, because it was in the collection "Trigger Warning" and, hey, it's Neil Gaiman.
>
> Which brings us to the third story, "Harvest of Time" by Alastair Reynolds.

Wow! I just went to the ISFDB to confirm that this is the same Reynolds
that wrote such light-hearted works as _Revelation Space_ and _Absolution
Gap_. A Doctor Who story just seems mind-bogglingly far from his usual
oeuvre.

I'll have to put it on my to-buy list -- something that I've never done
for a Doctor Who novelization before. Oh, I'm sorry; I should have said
"novelisation", I suppose.

--
Michael F. Stemper
A preposition is something you should never end a sentence with.

On 9/11/23 15:33, Moriarty wrote:
snip

> Which brings us to the third [Dr Who] story, "Harvest of Time" by
> Alastair Reynolds. Reynolds is one of my favourite authors and I was
> tossing up between the sequel to "Blue Remembered Earth" and the
> sequel to "Revenger" when I decided on this one instead.
>

I would have said Reynolds was a favourite of mine but after your post,
a trip to Fantastic Fiction informed me that he has published an awful
lot that I haven't read and by the covers and names they all look to be
SF. I have read all of Revelation Space, all his novels except
Permafrost but none of the other series so am beginning with the Dr Who.
I could easily identify a Dalek in a dark alley but remember nothing
else from the hours invested in Dr Who TV.
Which Reynolds series would be best to start next?

On Friday, November 10, 2023 at 4:11:44 PM UTC+11, Titus G wrote:
> On 9/11/23 15:33, Moriarty wrote:
> snip
>
> > Which brings us to the third [Dr Who] story, "Harvest of Time" by
> > Alastair Reynolds. Reynolds is one of my favourite authors and I was
> > tossing up between the sequel to "Blue Remembered Earth" and the
> > sequel to "Revenger" when I decided on this one instead.
> >
> I would have said Reynolds was a favourite of mine but after your post,
> a trip to Fantastic Fiction informed me that he has published an awful
> lot that I haven't read and by the covers and names they all look to be
> SF. I have read all of Revelation Space, all his novels except
> Permafrost but none of the other series so am beginning with the Dr Who.
> I could easily identify a Dalek in a dark alley but remember nothing
> else from the hours invested in Dr Who TV.
> Which Reynolds series would be best to start next?

Of the two I mentioned above, I greatly preferred "Blue Remembered Earth" over "Revenger". It has that grand scope, big picture stuff Reynolds does so well. I didn't like the story "Revenger" had to tell but I did like the setting which was why I was considering it. That, and that it's a much shorter story which was what I was in the mood for.

"Permafrost" is a great novella, but very un-Reynolds like in that it's essentially a time travel yarn. Apart from the Dr Who story, I *think* it's the only Reynolds that is so, although I've certainly not read them all. And unlike the Who, where Reynolds was constrained within the bounds of decades of backstory, in "Permafrost" he's free to make it his own.

-Moriarty

Moriarty wrote:

>I didn't like the story "Revenger" had to tell
>but I did like the setting which was why I was considering it. That,
>and that it's a much shorter story which was what I was in the mood
>for.

That sort of thing happens to me. I like the background and perhaps the
way the story starts, then the "big picture" stuff takes it on a
different track. With Revenger, I would have liked a story where the
original crew took on various "baubles" and had adventures with various
stops at the habitats.

Brian