Grave Matter

"Who gives you the right to decide on a whim what is right and what is wrong?"

Writer: Justin Richards 

Format: Novel

Released: May 2000

Series: PDA 31

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis 

Dorsill: a group of islands shrouded in fog, the community facing economic ruin and struggling to survive.

When Christopher Sheldon buys the islands outright, the locals owe him a debt of thanks. They don't ask too many questions about what Sheldon and his friends are up to; they don't care that he seldom ventures into the one small village; they don't ask why he saw fit to spend such a large amount of money - or where he got it from...

Even when the first few people die, there's an assumption that it's down to natural causes; allergic reactions, an especially virulent strain of flu, a tragic fishing accident... And if the sheep and chickens are behaving oddly, that's hardly a worry.

No, if there's anything to arouse suspicion, it's the arrival of a retired civil servant Sir Edward Baddesley. But generally life goes on, with its little triumphs and upsetting tragedies.

Until the two strangers arrive...

Verdict 

Grave Matter was a very good novel and an enjoyable read on the usual train journey back home from mid to South Wales. It'll be the last time I make that journey for a while now which is a shame as I get ready to embark on my second year of university in just a few weeks. As is always the case with an original novel, I didn't finish the book during the journey as I usually do with the Target novelisations but that wasn't a problem as I finished it relatively quickly after returning home. This was actually only my second novel of any kind to feature the Sixth Doctor and it has been some time since I read Players so it was excellent to see Colin Baker's incarnation presented in the prose format. His characterisation was actually excellent by Justin Richards and that always makes the reading easier. A story has got to suit the Doctor that is featuring and I felt that was nailed with this adventure. I liked the mysterious atmosphere that came with the misty setting of Dorsill and I loved how the Doctor and Peri believed they had arrived on the isolated island in the nineteenth century rather than the twentieth. The emergence of the helicopter accompanied with the Doctor's reaction was brilliant. I thought some of the characters in the story were very good with Sheldon and Madsen particularly standing out. The latter shooting his brains out and then beginning to get back up again was really good. I thought the plot of the story was pretty decent and I liked how the intentions of the Devarians seemed to be pretty much what occurred in Miracle Day. Death was to be eradicated but the difference between this and the Miracle was that under the influence and infection of the Devarians, humanity would also quickly repair any damage and injuries. Blood was playing a big factor and the way it was congealing was the main instrument of the healing. I liked how the story was placed immediately after Vengeance on Varos as there was some brilliant continuation from that story as well as a reference or two to the adventure. Mrs Tattleshall was quite a funny character but I found it quite sad that her death was met with laughter because of the irony behind her being silent. I did find that quite touching, especially as the Doctor got on with her quite well despite her tendency to go on and on. Sir Edward, or Sir Anthony as would later be revealed, was a very good character as well and I liked his turn towards the end due to the infection. Janet was great also and I liked Hilly's minor relationship with Peri. That causing the companion to be infected was terrific and I liked how shocked she was when she realised what had happened some time later. I enjoyed the story but I felt a bit mixed about the ending. It was well paced and exciting which was very good but the Doctor pouring the antidote liquid substance from a helicopter and covering every piece of ground just seemed a bit too good to be true, even for him. I did enjoy the ambiguity behind the seagulls scene at the end though. That was a really good way to finish on. Overall, a very good read!

Rating: 8/10