Doctor Who: Timewyrm - Genesys

Find out what I think of the first Doctor Who New Adventure novel after the cut! The continuation of the seventh Doctor and Ace's adventures starts here!

Timewyrm: Genesys

Written by John Peel

                After Doctor Who left the airwaves in 1989 there was a large gap between then and the 1995 movies. Many questions were left unanswered, such as what happened to Ace and a few questions about who the Doctor really was. Fear not, because in comes the Doctor Who New Adventures line of books, taking place right after the last episode of 1989, Survival. When Doctor Who was gone from the airwaves these books became the main way to continue on with the seventh Doctor and his companion Ace’s adventures in time & space. And what better way to start a fresh new series than a four book story arc called Timewyrm.

                The first book in the New Adventures in Timewyrm: Genesys is set in ancient Mesopotamia. The TARDIS has landed Ace and the Doctor to that era because of a warning the fourth Doctor left about an upcoming danger. This danger is an unknown entity known as the Timewyrm. The problem is that the seventh Doctor remembers nothing of this message his past incarnation has sent him. Upon landing they encounter none other than the legendary hero, and king, Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is in the heat of battle when they arrive so Ace being the lovely young woman she is unleashes some Nitro-9 explosives on the attackers saving not only Gilgamesh, but his Neanderthal friend Enkidu. The Doctor and Ace are then heralded as the gods Ea and Aya for their brilliant display of godly powers in fending off Gilgamesh’s attackers. All is not so simple as swords and battle though in Mesopotamia as the neighboring city, Kish, has a divine goddess of their own and she has plans for everyone on earth that won’t end to pleasantly for anyone if she succeeds. It looks like the Doctor and Ace have found themselves in a rough spot as they search for the mysterious Timewyrm.

                This isn’t just the first in a long line of Doctor Who books; this is actually the first Doctor Who book I’ve read. I was a bit nervous as it was stepping into a whole new sector in the Doctor Who fandom.  Hearing good things about the New Adventures and doing a bit of research made me less afraid and more excited to hunt down these rare books that were now out of print. As I started to read this particular book it became clear I was off to a good start, while the book does a good job of introducing people who may be unfamiliar with the seventh Doctor and Ace it also accomplices this job in an interesting way. Before the TARDIS lands in Mesopotamia Ace wakes up from a peaceful sleep and she can’t remember anything. She literally has amnesia, which is actually do to the Doctor’s fault as he has accidently removed her memories while cleaning up some useless clutter in his own head using the TARDIS. Ace’s memories just happened to get temporally thrown away in the process. Through, this we’re given a bit of an introduction to both characters, albeit a bit subtly. It’s definitely an interesting way of getting the ball rolling on introducing the characters for those who aren’t familiar with the Doctor and Ace.

                An interesting recurring theme in this book is the Doctor trying his best to keep Ace safe. He’s constantly worried for her safety and reminisces about past companions who have died while traveling with him like Sara Kingdom, Katarina and Adric. The seventh Doctor is known for being manipulative, constantly planning ahead and using people as one would pawns on a chessboard. While he tries not to use Ace in such a fashion it’s in his nature to plot and scheme. In this book as he is constantly afraid for Ace’s safety his thoughts dwell on those he’s lost. Rather than use her as a pawn in his games he tries his best to manipulate her off the chess board into safety and out of harm’s way. The only problem with his plans to keep Ace safe is that she doesn’t want to be safe; she wants to be in the thick of action throwing bombs everywhere she goes. Explosions galore!

 I found Gensys to be very character driven, especially by its secondary characters. While I didn’t find the overall story itself to be too gripping, characters such as the main villain, Ishtar, keep the book not just interesting, but also paddle my interest along until the end. I didn’t want to know so much where the story itself was going, but what would happen to the Doctor, Ace and their new friends and enemies. Ishtar, the villain, much like the Doctor and Ace is perceived by the time periods people as a god. Since she is looked upon as a god in Kish she has her own temple and her own followers. In reality though Ishtar doesn’t need to have willing followers ,she can mentally control anyone she comes into physical contact with by inserting her will into them expanding her mind into theirs and taking control. This very unique ability of control allows her to slowly strengthen her hold over the city, who inhabitants are putting up strange metal plating all around the city for some nefarious scheme she has. Just in case it wasn’t obvious by her unique powers, she’s not from earth, much like the Doctor.  I relished how throughout the book Ishtar seems like a threatening force to be reckoned with. Of course, the Doctor beats most of his foes, but every once and a while it’s nice to feel a sense of danger that things might not end as well as they normally do. The character Gilgamesh is someone else I really enjoyed, despite being a bit of a lecherous ruffian. As much as I’m sure people will be annoyed with Gilgamesh himself I actually found him pretty entertaining. Part of his charm though comes from his constant clashing with Ace. Ace hates how he treats women, let alone his attempts to persuade her into his bed. Ace and he aren’t exactly good friends, and they thrash and bash every chance they get. It’s not only humorous but it actually gives you a better understanding of both characters. While Gilgamesh may be a bit of a sleaze ball when it comes to his lust for the flesh of women, his heart is in the right place when it comes to the bigger picture. He does try to do what’s best to help his kingdom and has an interest in helping Ace and the Doctor. Being the king even married women throw themselves at him so it’s understandable why he thinks everyone wants to go to bed with him. He’s not just a king, he’s muscular sword wielding hero to his people. He’s a one man buffet and any woman is welcome to feast on him. Everyone wants a piece of him; even his enemies want him too. Except they want him so they can kill him, but still everyone normally clamors for him, one way or the other.

Introducing this series with a 4-part story was a great move by the publishing company. While, thus far, the main story itself isn’t too catching, the characters certainly are entertaining and I’m excited to see where things will go with them in the following three books. It is also quite obvious throughout the book that the Doctor’s and Ace’s relationship as adventuring partners has a few bumps coming up that hopefully they’ll be able to get through. Ace can’t always be dashing about into danger throwing explosives everywhere she goes, and the Doctor can’t manipulate his friends, even if it’s with their best interests in mind. Gensys is an enjoyable read, and I definitely recommend it to anyone looking to start into the world of Doctor Who novels, it’s not perfect, but it definitely worth a gander!

Rating 4 out of 5.