Product Description

A novel featuring the eighth Doctor Who and Sam, and Fitz Kreiner, a roguish dreamer from the 1960s. The Doctor and Sam become involved in the psychological experiments being performed by one Charles Roley, who is probing the psyches of people who believe they've been possessed by the devil.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #586137 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 288 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Michael Collier's previous book The Longest Day featured some good characters (especially the inspired Nashaad) and an interesting alien in the Kusk. With The Taint all we get is very confused indeed as a group of inadequately described loonies take over the asylum. It's very difficult to keep track of who is who early on and so at the end knowing who lived or died is impossible.

The idea of alien mind parasites is good if unoriginal, and the two robotic guardian-types are neat but their function in the novel is unclear. The new companion character Fitz remains something of an enigma although he does have some fine moments and some appealing defining characteristics.

There are some interesting concepts in The Taint, but unfortunately the writing never manages to rise above the level of competent and the plot gets a little submerged under a surfeit of characters. It's a pity, especially after the excellence of The Janus Conjunction, Vanderdeken's Children and The Face-Eater. Overall, a disappointing novel. --David J Howe

Customer Reviews

Tainted Love
Back cover blurb:
The TARDIS has finally brought the Doctor and Sam back to Earth - and straight into danger.

It is 1963. Six very different people have been gathered together for study by parapsychologist Charles Roley in his stately home outside London. All of them claim to have been possessed by the devil, and all have shared similar delusions - they describe the same bizarre 'death cave' riddled with demons.

Roley's experiments are having a gradual yet terrifying effect on his subjects, and the Doctor and Sam discover the connections between those tainted with the madness are more disturbing than anyone could guess.

For the Doctor, too, has seen the cave they describe - on a dead world, billions of years ago.

The Taint is an Earthbound Eighth Doctor adventure that introduces the laddish but troubled Londoner 'Fitz'. The story is pretty middle of the road really; it sags a little in the middle but then picks up at the end. Michael Collier has created an interesting companion in the form of Fitz, but doesn't really seem to know what to do with him; hopefully future writer's will improve on this.

Could have been better
For a novel written to introduce a new companion, it could have been better, but it serves it's purpose. It's 1963, and there are strange things happening on Earth. People are sharing a dream about a mysterious cave. One of these is the mother of Fitz, the aforementioned companion. He's a bit of a lad, but with a troubled past. Unfortunately, the novel seems to take too long to get going, throws a few revelations at you, then stumbles to a conclusion. I think this book suffers from being released at the same time as the much better "Wages of Sin", and in another month might have fared better.

welcome fitz!!
i like the way, so far, that the eighth doctor series of books has returned to the shows TV history to find new companions (sam in totters yard, coal hill and now fitz in 1963) - and i think it's worked well - as an introduction for a new character this book is very good - although you never get a crystal clear description of fitz you can picture him very well (as a kind of real-life dylan the rabbit), although i have to comment that if by the first page of her written life, you didn't know that sam was small with short blonde hair then you've obviously not been reading - a little sexist perhaps?? the other plot? hmmmmmm well i think i'd would've much rather watched this story than read it, as i feel the scenes with the "mad" people at roley's, potentially, were terrifying, what clouded it a little for me was what was actually behind their madness - in the end i think the same explanation could've been got across with much less complexity - that said though, i enjoyed the book and was glad to have got hold of it (after much trying!!) - not a NECESSARY read as an introduction to fitz - i read THE TAKING OF PLANET FIVE a couple of years ago out of sequence and although i hated the book (my own fault i know for not waiting) i did really like fitz, so i'm glad i've been formally introduced to him now