Ghosts of India

"It is not safe for an English gentleman to walk alone at night."

Writer: Mark Morris
Format: Novel
Released: September 2008
Series: NSA 25

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna

Synopsis

India in 1947 is a country in the grip of chaos – a country torn apart by internal strife. When the Doctor and Donna arrive in Calcutta, they are instantly swept up in violent events.

Barely escaping with their lives, they discover that the city is rife with tales of "half-made men" who roam the streets at night and steal people away. These creatures, it is said, are as white as salt and have only shadows where their eyes should be. With help from India's greatest spiritual leader, Mohandas "Mahatma" Ghandi, the Doctor and Donna set out to investigate these rumours.

What is the real truth behind the "half-made men"? Why is Gandhi's role in history under threat? And has an ancient, all-powerful god of destruction really come back to wreak his vengeance upon the Earth?

Verdict

Ghosts of India was an excellent novel that has finally seen me introduced to Donna Noble as a companion in prose form! Her time in the TARDIS has obviously been extended by a number of Big Finish audios and some comic strip outings in DWM, but I was delighted to be reading a novel featuring her as she is just a magnificent companion. I really enjoyed the characterisation of her character in this one with Mark Morris pretty much nailing her traits and humour. The relationship with the Doctor throughout was really good and I loved how she didn't want to be left behind, even if the Doctor was heading for trouble. The setting of Calcutta in 1947 was brilliant and I am really glad that I never got around to reading this book at the time of its release in 2008 as I just wouldn't have appreciated it enough. The copy I have is actually an old library copy from my comprehensive school that I conveniently never returned and since then I have gone on to achieve a Master's Degree in History with a module on the British Empire taken along the way so I definitely know about the Partition period post-World War Two now. I think even Demons of the Punjab educated me regarding that as well which shows just how positive of an impact that episode had. However, the Doctor visited Calcutta rather than Punjab and got to meet the famed Ghandi. The plan being for 1937 was very good and I was quite disappointed Donna never got her curry! The Doctor's reaction to being in the presence of a man and historical figure that he clearly adored and thought was incredible was marvellous and the essence of the Tenth Doctor and David Tennant's portrayal shone through in those moments. Once Donna was introduced to him, her blurting out how he looked exactly like he was portrayed in a film was hilarious. Even she was pretty much gobsmacked to be in his presence which showed just how crucial of a person he was in history. I thought the use of Calcutta as a cultural and geographic location was also really good with the laughter that came from the Doctor and Donna riding elephants being a real highlight of the story. Just imaginging David Tennant and Catherine Tate atop one of those each was quite something! When it came to images that showed what you were most scared of, I was very intrigued to find that Donna saw the Empress of Racnoss. That took us back to The Runaway Bride and with her losing her husband there, it probably wasn't that much of a surprise. The Gelem Warriors were a very good aspect of the story and I liked how they were referred to as half-made. Their abilities to shimmer in and out of a location were very helpful and the moment they took the TARDIS was terrific. I thought the characters that made up this story were all pretty much fantastic with the likes of Ranjit and Cameron really standing out with their courageous childhood relationship. They were excellent together in showing that friendship transcended the boundaries of race and nationality. Donna pretty much destroying Mary's thoughts on the Indian population was superb. The Jal Karath was an interesting dynamic into the adventure and the enemy being revealed as Darac-7 all along after the initial expectation of it being Veec-9 was a good little twist that I didn't see coming. The way the Doctor accepted he was being told the truth was great and I loved the humour that came with him explaining his rationale to Donna. His desire to create a 10,000 strong army of Gelem Warriors meant 50,000 humans would have to be sacrificed. The added danger that came with killing Ghandi here a year before his assassination was deadly and the desperation in the voice of the Doctor was palpable even in prose. He needn't have worried though, because Ghandi was literally one in a billion and the nature of the extractor that he was placed in worked against the Jal Karath as he didn't actually have an ounce of badness in him, something that the machine fed off. That sent a feedback loop back on Darac-7 and destroyed him. The analogy with the kettle and the kitchen utensils was terrific. I loved Donna's reference to Planet of the Ood when she helped free those already caught and her reaction to being told the fate of Ghandi was a strong and powerful way to end the book. Overall, this was a fantastic novel!

Rating: 9/10