Timewyrm: Apocolypse

Summary: 4/10 A rather boring affair by Nigel Robinson. The best thing going for it was it was short. It may only be the third New Adventure, but it isn't particularly engaging.

I might have like Timewyrm: Apocalypse if it was the third New Adventure I had read. But, it isn't. The best description of it is a Target novelization for a story that was never televised. It's short, rather disposable and for completists only.

Among the problems it has, it combines two themes that are now certainly Doctor Who cliches, the pacifistic civilization with a paternalistic leader [see The Krotons] and the big supermind [Time and the Rani, Deceit]. If these elements are going to work in a Doctor Who story written in the 1990's, they need to be combined with a strong, engaging plot or outstanding characterization. Apocalypse does neither.

This book is the third part of the Timewyrm series, and it, like Exodus, only used the Timewyrm as one slight twist to an already existing story. The main difference is that Exodus was good, where this one wasn't.

Another problem I had with the book was the inclusion of the second Doctor in a cameo role -- first of all, I'm bothered by the ability of the Timewyrm to be able to travel back through the Doctor's own personal timeline; the consequence of that is she could have theoretically attacked the Doctor at any point in his past -- why should she bother with some elaborate plot?

Apocalypse is for completists only, I'm afraid. It's unnecessary for understanding the Timewyrm series as a whole, and is rather irrelevent. One of the complaints some people have made is that too many Adventures are based on Earth colonies or on Earth. Apocalypse isn't, but it also isn't very interesting. Of course, they chose a big font, so it's easy to read. 4/10