Virgin Missing Adventure 28: The Plotters, by Gareth Roberts

Hm, I've just got a few uncoordinated notes to round off this series of reviews:

As usual with the Missing Adventures, the cover of this book is no great shakes. That's not the end to the artwork this time, though, because there are also two 'woodcuts': one of Iananbarbara at the start, and one of the Doctor and Vicki at the end. These are rather good at conjuring up the feel of those old images. I always think that there is a childlike quality to the figures, and these manage to capture that sense swell.

Similarly, any author of a novel set in a past era of the show has to make a key decision: to what extent do you try to match the style and tone of the era in question? There are advantages to hewing closely to history, but some things can only be done by injecting an up-to-date viewpoint and attitude, and whatever you do will lose you some fans. Like another of my favourites, Mark Gatiss' The Last of the Gaderene, The Plotters is right up the 'match closely' end, and Roberts' amusing Author's Note tells us up front that the traditionalism even stretches to historical accuracy (or rather, lack of it).

I like Roberts. He's written or co-written some good TV episodes, one of my favourite audios (The One Doctor), my favourite new series novel (Only Human), the best-received ninth Doctor comic, and the amusing serialised short story What Has Happened to the Magic of Doctor Who?, making him one of the very few writers to hit the heights in every format (he's also written for every Doctor, as well as for The Sarah Jane Adventures). This, however, is the first classic-era novel of his that I have read - I will definitely be seeking out more.

Getting back to the story, it's quite odd to insert this between The Space Museum and The Chase, but I can see the reasoning: it divides up two SF stories, whereas placing it before The Crusade makes for a run containing historicals. That was in the 1990s, though, and if The Rocket Men had been released earlier this could have fitted after The Web Planet with only a little tweaking. As it is, I think it has to go here; but in terms of the marathon I still feel like I'm waiting for the Daleks arrival!

Published:
Date: November 1996
ISBN: 978-0-426-20488-6

Rating:
Mine: 9.5/10.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 8.67, 1st out of 33 Missing Adventures, 8th out of 264 overall.

Next Time:
No, not the Daleks: it seems like I have to postpone their arrival Every Day...