This story is set in one of the more interesting decades of Imperial Roman times - the 70s - which saw the Siege of Jerusalem, the eruption of Vesuvius and a particularly unstable period for the throne. (Though it must be said, the 60s were pretty eventful too!) I've read books and seen documentaries on various events from the time, but what connected it all together for me was a children's historical mystery series - Roman Mysteries, by Caroline Lawrence - which is a good read but has also been well adapted for CBBC. Obviously the books have more detail, but both forms are fun and informative.
The Siege of Masada, however, is one of the events not covered (at least, in the ones I've read). As with The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance, we join our heroes partway through: interestingly, about the time Barbara returns to consciousness after an extended period.
We don't start with Barbara, though. Instead, the opening paragraph has the Doctor exhorting the Romans on to greater efforts against the Jewish rebels. This struck a slightly painful chord, as William Hartnell has sometimes been accused of anti-Semitism. It seems unlikely to me that his was a severe case, given how well he got on with Carole Ann Ford and Verity Lambert (both Jewish); but I suspect he would not have hesitated to use "Jew" as an insult for someone who had annoyed him. I'm sure he was not above using other slurs, too, but then I don't believe in sharp dividing lines between anti-Semitism, racism, sexism or homophobia and their absence. Such distinctions don't help; you should be able to criticise someone's behaviour without lumping them in with Heinrich Himmler and threatening to "ship 'em back where they came from, along with the rest of the bigots."
Anyway, rant aside, this story completes the trilogy of historical intervention begun in The Aztecs and continued in Farewell, Great Macedon. Although they find themselves on opposite sides of the siege, the Doctor and Barbara are now on the same side in the matter of historical inevitability. Both are working to make history come out as it should. It's Ian who rails against it this time, and he has one very good line, even if it's only in his head: "Barbara might have read the history books, but he knew these people's names." Lovely.
It's an ugly chapter in history, and in some ways it's portrayed sensitively, with combatants on both sides shown to be human; but the involvement of the travellers can't help but trivialise the subject to an extent. And the way Ian is made to suffer is almost sadism on the part of the author, with the reader as voyeur. I don't like it. Not that it's necessarily a bad place to go with a story - Lois McMaster Bujold once said that her plotting often relied on thinking "what's the worst thing I can do to this character now?" - but the way it's done, and how it's linked to the real, historical suffering of people in ancient Judaea, mean that it's really not for me.
Published:
Date: March 1998
ISBN: 0-563-40560-0
Rating:
4.5/10.
Next Time:
There may be a slight delay, either before the next review or before the one after that. As usual in school holidays, I've done hardly any writing; and since I kept on posting last week I've used up my buffer. Still, on the plus side, I did get to go down to London and see friends - and while I was there I caught the Doctor Who Experience before its closure next Wednesday. Expect a review here in about another quarter-century.
Anyway, whenever it arrives, the next entry will be sticking with short trips but stepping sideways for Nothing at the End of the Lane...
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