SET somewhere between the TV adventures The Sea Devils and The Three Doctors, this full-length hard-backed novel is an adventure of The Third Doctor, along with Jo Grant and UNIT.

The Sild, a vicious life-form, who can take over and destroy everything in their path, were imprisoned by the Time Lords, but somehow they have broken free.

Meanwhile UNIT is called in to investigate some mysterious incidents at a North Sea oil rig.

The Doctor suspects a connection between the two, but at the same time, the members of UNIT seem to be having trouble keeping in mind their most high-profile prisoner – The Master.

In an ironic twist of fate, the Doctor must rescue his arch-enemy from the Sild and then join forces with him in order to save the earth from a planet in another time and place, with the help of the enigmatic Red Queen.

Written by Alastair Reynolds, who before turning to writing, was an astrophysicist for the European Space Agency; the story captures the personas of all the familiar characters perfectly, and is so written that it is almost like watching the adventure on TV.

Reynolds’ expertise means that the scientific aspects have plausibility without going too in-depth.

An excellent read with lots of action and witty by-play.

However – one gripe. Mt Reynolds may be an expert in many things, but not in the matter of the Shipping Forecasts. In Chapter One, the character Pat McGinty is listening to the forecast, but the shipping areas are in the wrong order.

Aside from that – it’s perfect.

BBC Books.
ISBN 978-1-849-90418-6.