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STORY PLACEMENT

THIS STORY TAKES

PLACE BETWEEN THE

TV EPISODES "THE LODGER" AND "THE PANDORICA OPENS."

  

WRITTEN BY

MICHAEL MOORCOCK

   

RECOMMENDED PURCHASE

OFFICIAL BBC HARDBACK

(ISBN 1-846-07983-2)

RELEASED IN OCTOBER 2010.

 

CLICK TO ENLARGE

  

BLURB

THERE ARE DARK TIDES RUNNING THROUGH THE UNIVERSE - SO STRONG THEY SWALLOW LIGHT AND THREATEN CAPTAIN CORNELIUS'S FAMILIAR

EXISTENCE; IF UNCHECKED THEY WILL ABSORB THE WHOLE OF CREATION.

 

BUT FOR NOW HE TACKS INTO THE SOLAR WINDS, CONTINUING HIS LONG SEARCH FOR SOMEONE

TO GUARANTEE HIS LIFE, HIS SHIP'S LIFE AND THE LIFE OF THE UNIVERSE THAT HE LOVES.

 

HE SAILS FROM THE RIM, SEARCHING FOR THE ONLY BEING HE ACKNOWLEDGES AS HIS PEER, WHO MIGHT JOIN HIM; WHO IS KNOWN SIMPLY AS 'THE DOCTOR.'

 

Copyright © Daniel Tessier 2010

 

Daniel Tessier has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

 

 

 

                                                         

 

 

I don’t recall any Doctor Who novel ever being afforded the fanfare that The Coming of the Terraphiles has been. Since Virgin started publishing original Doctor Who fiction in 1991, a number of fantastic authors have been given their first break writing for Who, and thereafter have gone on to accomplish wonderful things. But never before has a name from the bestseller lists been brought into the fold, a ready made-draw.

 

As one of the world’s most respected peddlers of science fiction, Michael Moorcock has been afforded a much larger word count than is common in a new series tie-in novel, and the range’s typically obvious artwork has been forsaken in favour of an altogether subtler crimson dust jacket that, were it not for the prevailing Doctor Who logo and insignia, one might easily mistake for a “proper book”. Indeed, this is a release that has been carefully marketed to set it apart from the continuing young adult range. As distasteful as the term “proper book” may be, the overriding feeling amongst those that have read The Coming of the Terraphiles seems to be that it is a work of real weight and consequence; one built to last, rather than please a few kids for a few hours.

 

Although I read quite widely, I’m not generally a fan of science fiction beyond that tied in to the various television series and movie franchises that I’m obsessed with, and so despite having more than eighty works of fiction and almost as many awards to his name, I’ve never tackled a Moorcock story before; short, long or otherwise. For me, then, this book is not just The Coming of the Terraphiles, a heavily-hyped Who tie-in – it’s Pirates of the Second Aether, my first bona fide Moorcock novel. I may not be able comment on the elements of Moorcock’s multiverse that cross over into the Whoniverse that I know so very well, beyond those that have been pointed out to me, nevertheless this book is a window into a rich and cavernous world; one that’s clearly been many years in the making and is as dimensionally-transcendental as any time machine.

 

However, the first thing that I fell in love with here wasn’t the depth or the splendour, but the good-old fashioned English. I’m all for the fancy and the florid, and Moorcock’s peerless prose manages to teeter on the verge of poetic yet remain incredibly descriptive. And it’s not just the words that he chooses, it’s the manner in which he describes – at one point a female character spins on a heel that seemed “specifically designed for the manoeuvre”, for instance. It’s just beautiful. Most impressive of all though is the literal interpretation of the uninterpretable. The events of this tale see realities pressed against one other; possible futures, presents and pasts flowing around and through our heroes, the words on the page fluctuating as they slip from one reality in the next. Now and now colliding in words.

 

The narrative itself strikes a lovely balance between fear and frivolity. It has such epic scope, and the stakes are so incredibly high, yet the tone is generally lighthearted; often downright comic. The titular Terraphiles are amiable and amusing in equal measure. In the very distant future, with all knowledge of humanity’s past having been lost to the tides of time, those obsessed with the departed Earth and its pastimes seek to re-enact them. Hilarious blunder follows hilarious blunder as Moorcock revels in Wodehousian pastiche. Characters borrow their names from legends, and their nicknames from the pages of Jeeves, whilst plot threads revolve around the destruction of all creation – and the theft of an aristocrat’s hat. The Doctor and Amy embark on a quest for the “Arrer of Law”, locking horns with multiversal miscreants who sound like they belong to the 1980s pop circuit (Freddie Force and the Anti-Matter Men) on the way, while the Judoon crack nuts, drink beer and sing mucky songs with as much gusto as if they were a university rugby team. It’s just the sort of thing that you’d expect from a man with an eccentric bow-tie and proud, flourishing beard – possibly even a little madder.

 

One thing that I was most anxious to see was how Moorcock would handle the Doctor and Amy. Not only had Moorcock never written any Doctor Who before, but he was writing for a Doctor and companion team that, when he started, he’d probably never even seen on the telly. Now - bearing in mind that this is the first eleventh Doctor novel that I’ve read - I was pleasantly surprised with the characterisation. Moorcock does a sterling job of capturing Matt Smith’s unique brand of peculiarity, nailing many of his mannerisms, a few of his stock phrases - howzat? – and even having him use his trademark bow-tie as a prop in a science lecture. Better still, Moorcock really gets across the magnitude of Smith’s performances – those cold moments where the Doctor is suddenly the most important man in creation, and probably the most dangerous too. Moorcock’s Doctor is more than just a Time Lord; he’s a force of nature, more a part of Time than someone with mastery over it. I love that.

 

Amy is, some ways, even more interesting. Again, I had no problems in believing that this Amy is the same fiery Scots redhead that I’ve been watching on television but as she isn’t cast in a typical role, it’s easy to see why some have found the rendering a little discordant. Compare The Coming of the Terraphiles to any Series 5 story and note the difference – this is the deep end. Amy isn’t back in time, on futuristic space ship or even in a cavern full of lethal statues – she’s adrift in a surreal and magnificent space opera that blows away anything that she’s seen before, and as if that weren’t enough, she’s drowning in an infinity of possible wases, ises and will bes. One minute she’s Amy Pond, adventuress in space and time, and the next she’s on the front lines in the contemporary Middle East.

 

This, in many ways, sums up all my feelings about the book. Rather than present its readers with instant sunshine, it makes them work; makes them think. I’d even go so far as to state that it has something to say. I won’t spoil the ending, save for to say that it’s truly masterful – it has a moral to it which pulls the ostensibly asinine tomfoolery of the story into sharp focus, living up to its ‘adult’ billing without having to resort to swearing or shagging. For that alone, it should be applauded.

 

Inevitably, the prospect of two cult universes colliding was always going to divide opinion. Had it not, Moorcock wouldn’t have been doing his job right. He was brought in to put an indelible Moorcock stamp on the Whoniverse, and set the standard for any future releases of this type, and I certainly don’t think that he could have acquitted himself any better than he has done. Is The Coming of the Terraphiles the greatest Who novel ever written? Not in my view. Probably not even close. But it is unique, and it is provocative, and like its author’s bow-tie, it’s incredibly cool. If BBC Books want to improve on this little gem, they’re gonna have to wheel out good old JK.

 

Copyright © E.G. Wolverson 2011

 

E.G. Wolverson has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

 

Moorcocks portrayal of Amy suggests as late a placement as possible during Series 5. We have therefore placed this novel in between the television episodes The Lodger and The Pandorica Opens.

 

 

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