Doctor Who: The Space Age Book

Steve Lyons is an author who usually delivers a chuckle or two, but there is little to smile about in his new Doctor Who novel The Space Age.The Doctor, Compassion and Fitz arrive on Earth in the future and, as Compassion is being strangely uncommunicative and unreactive, the Doctor and Fitz head off to explore a fantastic space-city they can see in the distance. There they become involved in the ongoing battles of two rival groups: mods and rockers, snatched from a 1950s Brighton and relocated to this futuristic city for reasons unknown.This then is the sum of the novel: two opposing gangs, grim and meaningless rivalry, relationships and family conflict, all played out against the backdrop of a space-age city in Earth's future. Compassion hardly appears and does nothing to advance the plot, Fitz tries hard but becomes lost in the plot, and the Doctor is left to try and figure out what the plot really is.It's an undemanding read and introduces another powerful time-aware alien race, but ultimately it's perhaps a little simplistic. It ends with some thought-provoking decisions for the protagonists, but it's all too late. The book marks time rather than revelling in it. --David J HoweRead More