The Lost Ones

"He did not like insects."

Writer: Walter Howarth

Format: Short Story

Released: September 1965

Printed in: Dr Who Annual 1966

Featuring: First Doctor

Synopsis

When the TARDIS is drawn to the mysterious planet Vortis, the Doctor encounters the Menoptera and Zarbi for the first time. But it's the presence of eight Atlanteans that are the true cause for concern...

Verdict

The Lost Ones was a tremendous short story to continue my reading through the very first Doctor Who Annual! This was another very intriguing read and I find it so strange still to have the Doctor referred to as Dr Who and the title of doctor not being capitalised when referring to our Time Lord hero. Of course, for contemporary readers of the time the Time Lords were a few years off even being revealed in The War Games and the Doctor on more than one occasion here referred to himself as being from Earth. That's amusing almost every time but I did like that one such reference had an asterisk and footnote suggesting that the Doctor was just prevaricating. It would make sense as the red headed beings he encountered here on Vortis weren't exactly typical Earthmen, and their truth was actually rather sensational! Of course, before we met them we had the Doctor's apparent first visit to Vortis pre-dating The Web Planet which is a really fun and somewhat unexpected prospect! I must admit that my memory on one of my least favourite serials ever is a little sketchy on specific dialogue regarding the Doctor actually being on Vortis and if he recognised the Menoptera and Zarbi, but the continuity seemed to work well. I liked learning again about the uprising of the Zarbi and their Queen who led them to revolt up which sent the Menoptera away from their own planet, but here they were scouting to see if they could return home. Their reaction to the Doctor was excellent and I absolutely adored the Doctor's thoughts on him being treated as a test subject by the giant butterflies. The characterisation of the First Doctor here was strong with the stubbornness and blunt nature of his personality very much evident on the page. That always makes a story better in my estimation! I really liked how he put his foot in it as well when the Menoptera asked the Doctor what his people did with butterflies and the answer of them being collected and trapped in glasses to be gassed was hilarious. He had to stop himself as he realised his own fate might be something similar now! He was flabbergasted by the idea of him being dissected and opened up to see how his organs worked, but things actually got even more disturbing when he escaped and fell into the hands of the Atlanteans. I liked how right from the off these supposed humans were instantly a little different with their appearance, but expecting them to be from the mythical lost city of Atlantis was not something I anticipated! I thought it was brilliant and even the Doctor was stunned. The way they spoke seemed to suggest that they viewed Atlantis as the entire planet and had a will to conquer the entire universe, but alas they had failed now and had been lost for a decade. The way they treated the Doctor was honestly appalling as in a bid to confirm he was man, they stripped him literally naked! I can never recall a moment where the Doctor in any incarnation has been treated like that and in such a position of vulnerability. I had to re-read to make sure that it had actually happened! There were understandably no visuals there, and I do think this adventure was a little lacking in the volume of illustrations but the artwork was really impressive. The colours were very vibrant! There was an abundance of positivity which helped with some of the disturbing content in the story, but alas the Doctor left the Atlanteans to their fate in running like he never had before to the TARDIS and not repairing their controls. He would return to Vortis and the war between Zarbi and Menoptera, but for now he just needed to get out! Overall, a superb read.

Rating: 9/10