Timewyrm: Exodus

"Hitler couldn't lose because the devil was on his side."

Writer: Terrance Dicks

Format: Novel

Released: August 1991

Series: New Adventures 02

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace

Synopsis

Verdict

Timewyrm: Exodus was an excellent novel to continue my reading of the New Adventures books and served as a great second instalment of the Timewrym series! I really enjoyed this one and so much so that after planning to read it over two days, I was so enthralled that I barely put the book down and read in one sitting! It was a great start to Terrance Dicks and his writing of original novels and he more than lives up to his reputation from the novelisations. It's such a great read and I liked how this was split into four parts, although it was actually more like two given the small lengths of parts two and four. I liked how we started things in 1951 with the intention being to visit the Festival of Britain, but it was a much changed London to what established history showed and Ace's reaction almost immediately to find a swastika adorned across a tower was brilliant. Whilst I really enjoyed Timewyrm: Genesys, I thought this book had much stronger characterisation of the Doctor and Ace and they just felt more like the characters from TV. That was a big bonus. The manipulative nature of the Seventh Doctor was still very much present, so much so that he actually got Ace arrested and interrogated which resulted in her getting quite the bruise from a backhanded slap, but she understood and I loved how strongly she was written in shaking that off as being nothing worse than what she had once endured on the playground. I thought the incorporation of the Timewyrm into the book was clever in that it was always present, but not prominent or even a big part of the plot. The Doctor continued to believe that it wasn't she that had interfered in time and put history off the beaten track, and his instincts turned out to be correct! Instead, the culprits were the War Lords once again headed by the War Chief which was an unexpected treat! We had some loose follow on from The War Games which I really enjoyed and I loved that we had that as a chapter title as well. The explanation as to how the War Chief survived was good and I liked how the War Lord here was the son of the one we saw the Second Doctor encounter. The description of the maps and control room was reminiscent of what we had previously seen with the War Lords which I really enjoyed. I thought the arrogant confidence of the Doctor in establishing himself as a figure of authority to the Nazis of both 1951 and 1939 was excellent and that really did feel at home with the seventh incarnation. The reference to Planet of Giants with the Doctor recalling nearly going down the plug hole was amusing, and he really was in the land of giants here playing with life and death. History had gone so wrong and what we saw depicted in 1951 was so intriguing. The BFK were roaming free and doing as they pleased, threatening the Jewish pop-up cafe owner and coming full circle with that once history was put right was delightful bookending. Hemmings was a very good character and he wasn't best pleased with how the Doctor had treated him, believing him to be a fake all along. His annoyance at the Doctor evading the rigged microphones in his room was wonderful. From 1951, we headed to Munich in 1923 which was pivotal for Hitler and the rise of the Nazis, and the idea of the Doctor giving Hitler hope and belief to go on and conquer Germany is a scary prospect. I think that could possibly go unnoticed given the involvement of the Timewyrm and the War Lords in his rise. The Doctor having always believed Hitler was aided was intriguing and it's fun to explore Doctor Who's take on history's most controversial and horrific figure. Ace was ready to blast him to pieces with nitro-nine-a, but the Doctor was almost comforting at times which felt a little uncomfortable! But he was seeing the bigger picture. The link from 1923 back to 1939 was excellent and I liked how Hitler was trusting the Doctor. I thought the conclusion was good and exciting, but perhaps a little rushed with the War Chief and War Lords perishing in the battle with the SS, only to come back as zombies and then be blown up by the castle reactors. We then headed to 1940 and the Doctor convinced Hitler to not advance at Dunkirk and restore established history, whilst also prizing the Timewyrm out of his head in sheer mockery. The speed in which that was dealt with felt very quick and needed more explanation, and was probably my only qualm with the book and why it doesn't get full marks. We learned that it was essentially extending the TARDIS forcefield, and I liked that the Timewyrm was sent into many pieces but its will was so strong that it would be restored. The ending with the Timewyrm appealing to Hemmings was interesting, because should he technically not exist anymore? At least in the way we experienced him? I'm intrigued to read what's ahead! Overall, a fantastic book.

Rating: 9/10