Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #222829 in Books
• Published on: 1992-08-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Synopsis
A story featuring the further adventures of the time traveller Dr Who, as he journeys through time and space with a variety of companions. This is one of about four or five Dr Who stories which are simply novels, and have not been filmed.

Customer Reviews

Silent...but Deadly!
Mark Gatiss has long been an acclaimed playwright, actor, writer and creator of TV shows (most notably the surreal BBC comedy ' The League Of Gentlemen'), but this, his first foray into the world of Doctor Who novelisations, is arguably his most impressive contribution. The Doctor and Ace arrive on earth and become mixed up in the sinister machinations of an alien consciousness that harnesses the memories of the local inhabitants and brings them to life, to horrific effect.
Gatiss offers sensitive portrayals of institutionalised racism, lost love and heroism, whilst giving Ace a decent role and showing The Doctor in an uncomfortable light - snatching away his companion's new-found happiness, seemingly for his own selfish ends. The monsters are fanatstic: manipulative shape-changing horrors and foul-smelling mansize cockroaches; plus there are nods towards the popular TV show's heritage, in the form of an aging ex-TV star who battled aliens in the eponymous show and a village that no-one can leave, (this time no forcefield but a sickness-inducing invisible barrier).
All-in-all a terrific slice of classic WHO; now that Mark Gatiss has signed-up for scriptwriting duties on the 2005 TV series all we can ask is...More of the same please!

A classic Gatiss novel
Nightshade by veteran Dr Who author/actor Mark Gatiss is a welcome first stand alone novel from the defunct New Adventures range. Reading the novel is very haunting and Mr Gatiss does well to grip the suspense of the reader.
Mr Gatiss obviously uses The Daemons as an inspiration for this novel as the people of Crook Marsham cannot leave their town.
It is apparent that the cancelled TV series Nightshade was meant to be a parody of the Dr Who itself. The novel features scenes from the English Civil War, a period of history that Mr Gatiss obviously likes as he later wrote the Roundheads for BBC Books.
While this is an enjoyable novel, continuity buffs may be bothered by the fact that when The Doctor mentioned Susan, Ace does not recognised the name. This contradicts the later BBC 7th Doctor/Ace novel Matrix which is set before the New Adventures but after Survival, when the Doctor mentions Susan's name in front of Ace.
Overall this is a well done work by Mark Gatiss.