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DECEMBER 2008

1. THE EYES OF A CHILD      2. UNLESS

Lance Parkin has really carved out a niche for himself in the Doctor Who world

as one of the principal purveyors of the ‘event’ novel. Take, for example, Cold Fusion, The Infinity Doctors, and The Gallifrey Chronicles to name just a few. Each are brilliant, imag-inative and wholly enthralling novels in their own right, but each is also of greater significance to the Whoniverse.

The Eyeless, on the other hand, is a novel written to tie-in with and complement the new television series, and as such it couldn’t reasonably be expected to push the envelope in

the same sort of ways that many of Parkin’s previous novels have. Indeed, any semblance

of continuity would doubtless be frowned upon by both editors and publishers alike, not to mention those readers unfamiliar with the ‘classic’ television series and its various offshoots.

All the same, in the months leading up to its

release, I found myself getting very excited

indeed about The Eyeless even in spite of the

restrictions that I felt would inevitably come to

bear on the author. Event novel or otherwise, Parkin is one of the most respected Doctor Who novelists out there - not to mention one of my personal favourites - and here he is, writing for the tenth Doctor!

But there is a little more to it than that. Never before have I

been able to follow the writing of novel so closely - thanks to

Parkin’s online blog (which is a fascinating read, particularly

for aspiring writers), I have been able to keep tabs on The

Eyeless since day one. You might think that this would spoil

the magic somewhat, but I found that it did the exact opposite,

serving only to increase the anticipation (a bit like watching pre-release web documentaries about the making of some blockbuster movie).

And last but not least, The Eyeless is the first novel in the range to feature the Doctor travelling alone – another quality that really seemed to set it apart as being something

a bit special. And special it most certainly is.

The plot is riveting, and much more daring than I would have thought possible for a novel in this range. The Doctor has tracked down one the most powerful weapons deployed in the Time War to a dead planet with the intention of putting it permanently out of commission. This weapon has apparently wiped out everybody who lived on the planet, together with everybody who had ever heard of them - about as ultimate and as thorough a weapon as one could conceive of. The trouble is, the weapon didn’t quite wipe everybody out. And

those that are left, do not necessarily want it destroyed…

“There was a flash as bright as the sun for the merest moment,

annihilation so profound it stretched deep into the past and far into the future.

Then Gallifrey was gone.”

The Eyeless is also afforded a little extra weight owing to the implications of the above quotation, which I gather Parkin fought to keep in as “it is smack in the middle of what The Eyeless is about”. If, as implied, the weapon housed in the Fortress was indeed the same type of weapon that destroyed the Doctor’s world (the second time around!), it really gives

a depth to the Doctor's dilemma in this story beyond the obvious ‘weapons are bad’.

And whilst we’re on the subject, it has to be said that Parkin writes for the tenth Doctor so very beautifully. Not only does he have the character’s speech patterns and mannerisms nailed (for which Steve Tribe can take some credit, I understand), but he also captures the loneliness of the character exquisitely. Here the Doctor will often look up to explain some-thing, only to realise that he is alone (a bit like he did in Partners in Crime on television, but in print we see it more from his point of view, which really makes it sting that little bit more).

“Oh, you know… I stole an infinitely powerful super-weapon,

exchanged text messages with the dead, had an ethics debate with a

psychotic teenage girl and a fight in pitch blackness with an army of glass men.

An average sort of Saturday, really.”

And thankfully Parkin does not follow up the above by dropping a makeshift companion into the next scene to accompany the Doctor for the rest of the story. Instead, despite the funda-mental structural headaches that this must have caused him, he maintains the notion of the lone Doctor throughout, and I for one am very glad that he did so. It works superbly and gives the novel a very distinctive feel.

That said, Parkin does allow himself a slight measure of fun in at least teasing the Doctor with a few potential new friends or even travelling companions… only to have them knock him out with rocks or something equally amusing! Young Alsa is particularly good example

of this, as she swings wildly from being a potential companion to a credible threat and then back again. It is really entertaining stuff that will keep even adult readers guessing through-out.

The eponymous Eyeless themselves are also a captivating bunch, and extra credit has to be given as I cannot think of another race like them that has ever appeared in Doctor Who. Utterly, utterly alien and chilling in the most instinctive of ways, the Eyeless are a race that I would love to see grace our television screens one day, budget permitting. They were certainly not what I was expecting though, as for its tenth anniversary last month I re-read (and reviewed) The Infinity Doctors, which features a character that had had both of his eyes forcibly removed. ‘Eye-less’, I thought. I wonder…

In summary then, I fully expect that The Eyeless will go on to be hailed as one of the most popular of the new series novels, perhaps even the most popular to date. All the same, I feel a little disenchanted with it on some level; sentiments that I’m unable to adequately explain given how much it impressed me, and that are most likely indicative of my great esteem for Parkin’s preceding works, rather than of any pitfalls of The Eyeless (of which I can’t point to one). As such I would certainly encourage readers new and old to rush out and purchase a copy of this one, and I cannot help but wonder what those new to Parkin, who are able to approach it without prejudice, will make of it. Indeed, I envy them.

Copyright © E.G. Wolverson 2008

E.G. Wolverson has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

I’m more of a reader than a listener when it comes to novels, but every now and then I fancy an audio book. Lance Parkin’s The Eyeless is one of my favourites of the new series novel range so far, and so I decided this was one worth going for. The fact that an actor whose acclaim is rising all the time, Russell Tovey, has been chosen to read this one made the choice even easier.

While there isn’t a great deal to say about The Eyeless that hasn’t been covered in the above review, I’d like to reiterate just how effective a use of the new series adventures set-

up it is. A number of the novels have come across as rather simple, safe stories with little to mark them out from one another. Recent releases have shown an upturn in quality, however, and The Eyeless is a perfect example of this.

Utilising the solitary Doctor of the ‘specials era’ for good effect, there is a pervading sense of loneliness throughout the novel. The Doctor is travelling alone, and feeling the loss of his people more than this incarnation has before. Unusually, we really get a glimpse into the Doctor’s feelings on the matter here – they’re not dwelt upon, but rather illustrated briefly but effectively. Similarly, Alsa, the girl who seems set up here for the pseudo-companion role often used in such solo Doctor stories, is a loner – older than her gaggle of peers, younger than the parents and elders who run her village, and feeling isolated and misunderstood by all around her. Inverting the expectations and setting her against the Doctor for much of the book keeps the two characters isolated, though linked.

Aspects easily dwelt upon include the mysterious Fortress

weapon and the ‘Eyeless’ themselves. The eponymous aliens

are tremendously effective, chillingly described and portrayed.

Glass humanoids have surfaced as villains in some eighth Doctor novels – the Valceans from the Obverse in The Blue Angel, and the Council from

the later novel Sometime Never… and knowing Parkin’s love of continuity, it’s tempting

to wonder if these three races are in some way linked. In any case, the empty creatures, subsisting on the artefacts and emotions that they have stolen, are a memorable threat.

The Fortress, on the other hand, is more interesting for what we don’t learn. The concept

of a weapon so devastating that it would annihilate every being in the Universe in order to remove any trace of its target is disturbing in the extreme, and the hints of its involvement in the Time War – be it the new series Time War, or, equally as plausibly, the War in Heaven in the eighth Doctor novels – are intriguing. However, the nature of the weapon isn’t especially important to the plot. What is essential is that it deadly enough to warrant the Doctor’s quest to destroy it, and defended well enough to make this difficult for him. The novel splits happily into two halves – one set outside of the Fortress and one within.

The abridged audiobook doesn’t lose any vital information that I noticed. It holds together perfectly well over its two-and-a-half-hour running time, remaining well-paced and exciting. Tovey’s reading took me a little while to get used. While most audio books are read in a rather formal tone, Tovey’s style is rather casual, almost chatty. This fits the tenth Doctor’s style beautifully, making the whole thing truly feel like his adventure. Nonetheless, with the exception of the occasional moment when he does a direct impersonation, Tovey creates

a subtly different Doctor. As an actor recently championed for the role, and apparently even suggested by Russell T Davies himself, it’s interesting to hear him play this talkative, nervy Time Lord.

Other characters are generally well served. Alsa is well portrayed throughout, although some of the other kids who briefly appear sound very similar – not surprisingly so, considering the difficulties for a grown man in sounding like a prepubescent boy or girl. Characters among the parents are also well portrayed, especially the eccentric elder Jeffip, Parkin’s obligatory Ian Richardson character for this book – supplied by Tovey with a rich, fruity voice. The only character from this group less well served is Dallah, who becomes a bit one note. The titular Eyeless, on the other hand, are quiet, monotone and unnerving – exactly right.

Overall, this new working of The Eyeless is a good reading of a great novel.

Copyright © Daniel Tessier 2009

Daniel Tessier has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

As a rule of thumb, and provided that they fit, we generally place these tie-in novels after the most recently broadcast episode at the time of their release. As The Eyeless was released on Boxing Day 2008, this would place it after The Next Doctor. However, we understand that authorial intent would place it earlier, hence its placement here.

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