Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma

"You really will not believe what you are about to do!"

Writer: Tony Attwood

Format: Novel

Released: May 1986

Printed in: Target: The Companions of Doctor Who 01

Featuring: Turlough

Synopsis 

Of all the companions ever to travel with the Fifth Doctor in the TARDIS, Turlough was the most enigmatic and the most disturbing. Exile from his home world, he saw the Doctor as a means of escape from Earth – and for that he was prepared to kill.

But just who was Turlough? And what happened to him after he left the Doctor?

Now Turlough has returned to Trion, but to a Trion much changed since his exile. Who are the mysterious Gardsormr? What is their secret purpose? And what is the shocking and terrifying link between Trion and planet Earth?

Verdict

Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma was a really brilliant novel! I must admit I was very sceptical going into this book as I’m aware it doesn’t have the best reputation in fandom and it’s such an intriguing and unique title to serve as the very first original Doctor Who novel. Of course, the Doctor doesn’t actually feature here as we catch up Turlough following the events of his departure in Planet of Fire. It is clear that Turlough developed and matured considerably during his time with the Doctor and having him return back to Trion after his exile as a hero and almost a martyr was really good. I thought his history and relationship with Juras was tremendous and I was massive fan of her character. She seemed able to match Turlough in terms of intellect and they had very clearly shared the same educational upbringing. There was a lot of tension there with Turlough seemingly more interested in his own theories than rekindling a relationship with Juras, and she was understandably annoyed with his lack of trust towards her as he wasn’t explaining or giving any hints as to what he was up to. Having him touring the famous sights of Trion was good and I liked that he wasn’t embellishing himself in his newfound fame and status. That fitted Turlough well. I have to say that Turlough ranks very low down on my list of favourite companions, but this was a brilliant attempt and adding depth to his character. We got so much background to his planet and the makeup there with him being a Clansman which was just lovely to read. It’s no secret that this book is very heavy on science and whilst I won’t pretend to try and have even a slight understanding of what was being discussed regarding the numerous theories on gravity, time travel and a unification of both. The equation relating to that was repeated on numerous occasions and whilst I was unaware of the science, I found it mightily intriguing. It was certainly dialogue heavy but I was very happy with that. Whilst the Doctor was absent, he was talked about a lot as you might expect given everything Turlough experienced with him. Exploring his connection with Earth was fun to attempt and whilst the reason put forward regarding the gravity generator was specific to the plot of this story, that was still good to try and tackle. I loved the idea of Turlough trying to create his own time unit based on his understanding of the TARDIS and it was amusing to know he found the lack of chameleon circuit function very annoying. Putting his knowledge to the test in the most extreme of situations was brilliant as if his time unit failed, the gap left in the spaceship would have meant instant death. The conversation between Turlough and Juras after she had stowed away on the ship was magnificent and the confrontation of the trust issues was sensational. Learning of the revolution and the overthrowing of Rehctaht was fascinating stuff and I can’t believe I didn’t realise until after reading that the villain was Thatcher spelled backwards! I knew this happened at some point in a Doctor Who novel but I’m actually glad I didn’t realise as the ridiculousness and audacity of it is both wonderful and silly. She was actually a really strong character and the revelation that she had hid herself in Juras was fantastic. She was ruthless and the desire for an ultimate unified theory that would actually allow control of the waves and particles that make up the universe was sublime! Talk about aspirations. I thought the inclusion of the Magician was a nice oddity and I loved that he was a Time Lord who claimed he followed the rules and didn’t interfere, almost acting as a tourist to experience firsthand the greatness that Turlough would create in the form of the ARTEMIS. That was really interesting and I enjoyed the frustration he provided to Turlough when giving vague answers regarding the future, or just flat out refusing. His presence felt a little bit like cheating when it came to Turlough’s safety and he caught onto that fact. Whilst the Magician didn’t really reveal details of the future, the fact he was calm and not worried for the most part suggested that all would be okay. His role in bringing Rehctaht out into the open was good though and he actually helped initiate the fight between her and Turlough, one that ended with her death in brutal and simple fashion. The description of how he just removed her jugular vein was quite incredible! The book really did span a vast distance having Turlough venture from Trion back to Earth and his former public school, before then heading to New Trion. Piloting an entire island that would then cause the total destruction of his entire planet was quite something, and I’m not entirely sure that his blaming of that on the Gardsormr was logical or warranted. The truth regarding that unseen race was excellent though as Turlough realised his future self was part of it! That encounter was really good and the shift in timelines as Turlough encountered Rehctaht for himself and let him inside his mind to then destroy her with the Slot’s psychological power was really bold and quite impressive! It was a fitting and convulsed ending but one I liked. There was a lot going on here but as a whole I thought this was a brilliant read! A fantastic way to explore Turlough and give him more depth and background that we didn’t see on television.

Rating: 9/10