The pre-industrial city of Geath comes as something of a surprise to Amy. Her preconception about alien planets is that they come complete with flying cars and rockets. The Doctor is surprised for another reason. Geath is famed for its hospitality towards strangers, but when they arrive at the city’s gated entrance, the Doctor, Amy and Rory find it locked. However, our heroic trio gain access thanks to the always handy psychic paper.
Inside the city, the Doctor receives another bolt from the blue. Geath’s fiercely democratic traditions have been usurped by the arrival of a king. And with the king comes a golden statue of a dragon. It soon becomes apparent that this dragon is the cause of Geath’s new introspection. The dragon emits an illicit substance called Enamour: a spangly material that induces feelings of wealth and well-being in its owners.
Una McCormack’s previous writing credits in terms of novels are tied-in with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (The Never Ending Sacrifice, Cardassia and Andor and Hollow Men). I found this Doctor Who novel to be an engrossing read despite its lack of action. The author’s descriptive prose is elegant and the narrative flows nicely, if a little languidly at times. I enjoyed the characterisations of the three leading players, particularly the likeable Rory who has some nice moments in this story.
Of the Geathians, the redoubtable Hilthe, an elderly and wise former councillor, is the only person not to have succumbed to the power of Enamour. It is through her that one of the alien intelligences in pursuit of this mysterious substance communicates. The king, Beol, is a well-meaning but somewhat shallow figure, while his Teller takes the role of spin-doctor with his exaggerated tales of the king’s derring-do. The politicking along with the static nature of the story may make this a bit of an ordeal for some younger readers. I was reminded of Brian Hayles’ The Curse of Peladon, a great story but one that I struggled to read as a child.
These Doctor Who novels are limited to around 243 pages in length and I think it’s fair to say that this constrains the author somewhat. Even with a slow-paced story such as this, there is not enough space for the level of intrigue that needs to be developed for it to become truly satisfying. The second alien faction, the bureaucratic Regulators, claiming ownership of the Enamour are introduced too late in the novel for any real tension to build.
Overall, though, this is a good read. I hope the author will be writing more ‘Doctor Who’ stories. Interestingly, Gary Russell’s novel The Glamour Chase which was released at the same time as The King’s Dragon also uses a mind-altering material in its plot . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment