Dark Horizons

"A world lit only by fire."

Writer: Jenny T. Colgan
Format: Novel
Released: July 2012
Series: NSA 50

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

'Now, you may or may not have noticed, but we appear to be on fire...'

On a windswept Northern shore, at the very tip of what will one day become Scotland, the islanders believe the worst they have to fear is a Viking attack.

Then the burning comes. They cannot run from it. Water will not stop it. It consumes everything in its path - yet the burned still speak.

The Doctor is just looking for a game on the famous Lewis chess set. Instead he encounters a people under attack from a power they cannot possibly understand. They have no weapons, no strategy and no protection against fire sent to engulf them all.

Add in some marauding Vikings with very bad timing, a kidnapped princess with a secret of her own and a TARDIS that seems to have developed an inexplicable fear of water, and they all have a battle on their hands.

The islanders must take on a ruthless alien force in a world without technology; without communications; without tea that isn't made out of bark. Still at least they have the Doctor on their side... Don't they?

Verdict

Dark Horizons was a very good novel! Jenny T. Colgan presented a very enjoyable story with a great style and I liked how this was set between The Angels Take Manhattan and The Snowmen and had the Eleventh Doctor travelling alone. That's something we barely saw on television so it was interesting to get a whole adventure here with that being the case. The setting of what would become Scotland was really good and I liked that the Vikings were present. Two bands of them! The differences between them were quite striking though and I liked how they developed. Erik wasn't having any of Henrik's compassion for the locals of Corc and co and wanted to ravage and loot in the proud Viking way. I thought Luag was a magnificent character and I really loved his relationship with the Doctor. The moment where they just ran around making silly noises was lovely and I don't think that would have occurred with any other incarnation of the Doctor. The characterisation of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor here was really good throughout which was a big positive and I liked how he was mistaken for a god once again. This time it was Loki and Freydis really continued to be sceptical of his true intentions. The Arill were really intriguing enemies (or is it enemy?) and their desire to continue the line was a prominent theme. It consumed them and was all they cared about. It burned within them. Freydis struggling to comprehend why the Doctor wouldn't fight against the Arill was fantastic and I thought she was just a superb character. She stood up for herself and didn't understand why her opinion as a woman meant less than her male counterparts. Her relationship with Henrik and her desire to be with the farmer boy was marvellous. They became a couple in a very good way. The death of Eoric was shocking and seeing how well Corc dealt with that was unexpected, but I liked that the Doctor reminded him that he had another son to look after. The little cameo of the Fourth Doctor, Leela and K9 was a magnificent touch and I also thought the reference to The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon was good. Brogan and Braan were another great couple but the death that meant they couldn't be together was heartbreaking too. The TARDIS sinking underwater was quite unexpected but really good and I liked how non-fussed Henrik was with the Doctor's ship. He was a God, of course it was bigger on the inside and an extraordinary colour. The Doctor battling with the pressure of half a mile of sea on top of him was incredible but his determination was brilliant. The way he gave the Arill a warning and a chance was perfectly typical of the Doctor's character but his reaction once they used that to attack and deceive was superb. He was having none of it now. The way the storm came and Luag told him his ears had popped was great and the Doctor using that and a chain of swords to shun the Arill into the upper atmosphere was very good. I did like that resolution. Overall, I thought this was a great novel. The playing of chess was terrific and I liked that the Doctor was placed in a time without technology with an alien that fed on electrical power. All there was the electrical current of human brains.

Rating: 8/10