Peacemaker

"Those who pose as miracle workers are nothing of the sort."

Writer: James Swallow
Format: Novel
Released: December 2007
Series: NSA 21

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

The peace and quiet of a remote homestead in the 1880s American West is shattered by the arrival of two shadowy outriders searching for 'the healer'. When the farmer refuses to help them, they raze the house to the ground, using guns that shoot bolts of energy instead of bullets...

In the town of Redwater, the Doctor and Martha learn of a snake-oil salesman whose patent medicines actually cure his patient. But when the Doctor and Martha investigate, they discover the truth is stranger, and far more dangerous. Caught between the law of the gun and the deadly plans of intergalactic mercenaries, the Doctor and Martha are about to discover just how wild the West can become...

Verdict

Peacemaker was a fantastic novel! I really enjoyed this book and I was a little surprised that this was the case given the setting of the Wild West. I was sceptical going in because of that as it really is not a period of history I find remotely interesting and I consider The Gunfighters the worst story of the Classic era and the third Back to the Future film as comfortably the worst because of this. Now, I wasn't expecting this to be my least favourite Doctor Who novel, but I wouldn't have been surprised if it was the case. Far from it! It was definitely one of my favourite Tenth Doctor books I've read thus far and I whizzed through the pages in one day. The use of the setting was very good and I liked how things changed from Redwater to Ironhill around halfway through. That made things refreshing and injected the book with a new lease of life, not that it really needed it though. I liked the idea of Godlove and how there was a mystical healer going around curing smallpox without leaving any kind of trace. That was obviously impossible in the 1880s so the Doctor and Martha were instantly intrigued and involved in what was going on. I thought their relationship was written superbly well and was phenomenally in line with the feel of Series 3 and how the Doctor is still missing Rose. The moment where he reminisces about New Earth and how he obtained the liquid phials that save Jenny's life here was a great moment and Martha seeing her jacket made her realise once again that would never win him over, despite what she wanted. Godlove not being part of the book until the 100 page mark was a good move, but it was almost a seamless introduction after so much backstory without actually meeting him. His slave partner of Walking Crow was a really good character and I liked the moment where he betrayed his owner and it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. A really nice moment. I did think more would have been made of Martha's skin colour, but perhaps the lack of a Southern setting contributed to that not being a heavy theme. This book obviously preceded Thin Ice by a good decade where it was more heavily featured. Kutter and Tangleleg being Clades made for good enemies and their desire to find the healer was certainly interesting. I wanted to know just why they were after Godlove and what the whole connection was. The Doctor did too and that was good to read. The characterisation of David Tennant's incarnation was pretty solid throughout which is always a bonus. The cure-all actually being a Clade as well was something I did not expect but I liked that thanks to some little details that almost go unnoticed, it didn't come as a big surprise and actually made sense. The way it had basically bitten Godlove before one of his latest uses was a good example of that. The Clades tracking down one of their own was good and I really enjoyed the brief backstory concerning their species. It was definitely beneficial in understanding just what this new species was. A good introduction. They were craven for conflict and they didn't care about ruling or winning. That makes for a good opposition to the Doctor in my eyes. The Clades shooting Martha was a brilliant moment and I loved that they made sure she would die slowly with the only chance of survival being Godlove. The Doctor had no choice but to make their acquaintance. Nathan was a tremendous character and the courage and resilience he showed in aiding the Doctor and Martha on their mission despite witnessing his father die at the hands of the Clades just hours prior was commendable. The little references to The Gunfighters were excellent and I was quite surprised that Martha liked the Wild West so much. It didn't seem like her cup of tea, but it was nice to get an insight into her family history. The conclusion with the Doctor battling a Clade within his own head was good and whilst it is something that has been done before, I liked seeing the Doctor struggle for control. The revelation that he was far superior to them intellectually and could think in more than the four dimensions they were adamantly programmed to, he was able to find their weaknesses and defeat them. I think the sonic screwdriver was bordering overuse throughout the book and I think a little more clarity might have been needed regarding how the Doctor got rid of the bad dreams for everyone, but as a whole this was a really enjoyable read. Overall, a brilliant book!

Rating: 9/10