The Room With No Doors

Summary: 9.5/10 The Doctor and Chris go to sixteenth century Japan, demoralized and lost, with the Doctor aware that his regeneration is just around the corner, and Chris not sure if he wants to be there when that time comes. A moving work, with a good sense of humor, as the seventh Doctor era begins to come to an end.

I always make a point to jump ahead and read Kate's books as soon as they are available. When the book is written on the New Doctor Who Adventures, she'll be listed prominently as one of the driving forces of the line, with her five books taking a central role in the series. It was her drive for the series that brought me to the New Adventures and back to Doctor Who a couple of years ago, and I know I'll always enjoy her books.

This book has some of the emotional tone of the first episode of Logopolis, foreshadowing the Doctor's impending regeneration. It isn't quite that gloomy, however -- Kate's books and characters, from the monks, to Chris, to the alien chicken, and yes, even that Doctor character all have a sense of fun along with the emotional side of the story. Pulling from the end of the story, it's the snowball fights that bring these characters together, and remind us why we like to read about them.

There are some great images that will stick with me -- the bird-like Talker, rudely laying an egg in the middle of a conversation, and her funny dialog style that I could see in my mind throughout the entire book. The Room With No Doors, of course, is not only a chilling nightmare to start with, but when it's origins -- and purpose -- are revealed, is an even more disturbing trick.

The primary theme of the book, as you can guess from the title, is all about imprisonment. This Doctor is a prisoner to his past -- and to his future. Chris is a prisoner to the Doctor's expectations. Penelope is a prisoner -- to history, to her husband. Joel, the Kapteynians, all are prisoners. But more important than the Rooms that THEY put you in, are the ones that you put yourself in. In one of the books -- and the series -- defining moments, the Doctor comes to terms with himself, and the blame he's put on himself since Rememberance of the Daleks, both freeing himself from physical -- and emotional -- confinement at the same time. The theme comes back, again and again, but is never forced or intrusive, and is something that fits in right into the mix. Marvelous, marvelous stuff.

The plot has some additional focus from some of Kate's earlier books -- unlike many of her past books, there is only one country and one time focused on. I take this as a sign of a an author more and more comfortable writing in the Doctor Who world -- not nearly as diffuse as something like Left Handed Hummingbird or Set Piece, not as overtly fannish as Return of the Living Dad. (I didn't forget Sleepy, but Room doesn't even have the different time periods.) It's also a nice period to set a Doctor Who story in -- one that, to my knowledge, has never been touched before. Kate also shows her talent at research -- I have a real feel for the time period, which is something a book that tries to capture a different era should really strive for.

There are a couple down moments -- I think the Professor X in-joke was pushed to the limit with the "New Adventures of Professor X" -- it's probably irresistable with a fanboy like Joel around, but I think there has to be a limit on that degree of self-referencing. Besides that Joel's still a solid, well-rounded character that could have easily degenerated into a character that was impossible to like, by either mocking -- or praising -- fans too much.

This is certainly not a book for a "new" NA reader -- obviously, the events of Eternity Weeps, So Vile a Sin (still unpublished), and Kate's previous book Return of the Living Dad are referenced, and it ties up (quite well) the internal conflict between the seventh Doctor and his previous selves, which started all the way back in Revelation, and has defined the line since that time. It's possible that there may be some readers who decide to read through the last couple of books in the Virgin line -- but I'm not sure if The Room With No Doors would be a good place to start that final run.

Fortunately, this isn't the last time Kate will write for Doctor Who -- with both So Vile A Sin and Vampire Science yet to come this year, she's gets the last word on the Seventh Doctor and one of the first words on the Eighth. The Doctor couldn't be in better hands.

Nine out of ten, Kate.