Paradox Lost

"Events in the future impact on events in the past."

Writer: George Mann
Format: Novel
Released: June 2011
Series: NSA 47

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

"The Squall feed on psychic energy. They spread like a plague and if they are not stopped they will strip the Earth clean..."

London 1910: an unsuspecting their finds himself confronted by grey-skinned creatures that are waiting to devour his mind. London 2789: the remains of an ancient android are dredged from the Thames. When reactivated it has a warning that can only be delivered to a man named "the Doctor".

The Doctor and his friends must solve a mystery that has spanned over a thousand years. If they fail, the deadly alien Squall will devour the world.

Verdict

Paradox Lost was a very good novel! I always expect great things from George Mann and I can't quite pinpoint why I feel this way, but this was not quite what I expected from him. That's not a bad thing at all and as my rating reflects I still very much enjoyed what I read. The spanning across two different time periods was done well and quite different to what I was expecting (a common theme!). I fully expected it to be something more on the lines of going back and forth, but splitting the TARDIS trio up across the time zones was something that worked wonderfully and probably should have lasted a little longer if I'm being honest. Professor Angelchrist was a magnificent character and I really liked that he had a bit of history in the Doctor Who universe. Having him now meet the Doctor took his alien knowledge to a whole new level and that was terrific. His love of seeing the stars was a marvellous moment and it was just great to read how much he liked knowing that there was so much more. He was just so grateful throughout and his suspicions of the Doctor quickly turned to admiration. His private reaction when the Doctor unknowingly revealed himself to not be human was terrific. I was a big fan of the characterisation of all three main characters and what permeated throughout was just how much they all love being in each other's company. That makes for such a likeable team and that peaks my interest. It's nice knowing how much they care. The Squall made for an intriguing enemy and whilst I wasn't overly fussed on their booming voice, their psychic abilities were really good and their abilities to manipulate the TARDIS made them quite unique. I liked that about them. Playing with paradoxes is something I always love and it worked fantastically well in this novel. Having Rory as the one that couldn't quite grasp the concept because of the whole cause and effect shindig was brilliant and the way the Doctor reacted as if it was child's play to him was gold. It was so subtle but showed just how more intelligent he was and how he understood things. Amy and Rory, along with Arven, making their way from the 28th century to 1910 in the experimental time ship was very good. I fully wasn't expecting Gradius to die before we met her, but Amy playing the 'you were expecting a man' card was good, but I'll admit that I was also guilty. The plot, despite all of the paradoxes, was actually a relatively simple one. I loved that it was Amy and Rory in the time ship being the thing that burst a hole and passage for the Squall. Rory couldn't comprehend that, but it was just great. I thought it would have been better to have more time with them when they arrived a few days early, but that was largely skipped over which was a shame. Arven being a little more than a typical AI was very good and the emotional attachment everybody had with him because they knew his fate was to be in the Thames for a millennium was quite wonderful. He was loved! The epilogue with the Doctor, Amy and Rory returning to Angelchrist in 1921 was just lovely and they returned Arwen in a brand new body to keep him company. I thought the conclusion was good, but implemented a little quickly. It could have been paced a little longer and been a tad clearer, but I liked how it was plan b. That moment was very good indeed. Amy and Rory momentarily believing they had lost the Doctor for good again showed how much they all cared about each other and that was just magical to read. Overall, a very good novel!

Rating: 8/10