Another exciting adventure in the Timewyrm arc awaits us in the second of the Doctor Who: New Adventures books!
Timewyrm: Exodus
Written by Terrance Dicks
Doctor Who has lots of Nazis!
Doctor Who has perhaps had more stories dealing with World War 2 and Nazis than
your average television show should. Few of them though deal directly with
Adolf Hitler himself. Of course I’m sure many of you reading this will
instantly have the eleventh Doctor adventure Let’s Kill Hitler pop into your head, which is an episode I do
love, but before that there was a little book called Timewyrm: Exodus which not only had Hitler in it but dealt with him
in a reasonable light, as much more than just a hated political figure who is
destined to lose World War 2. Exodus
deals with him as a person, an idol, and the man the world should rightfully
hate. Aside from this book featuring Hitler though it is also the second of the
Doctor Who New Adventures books and for those following these reviews, the
second book in the Timewyrm arc. It’s a pity though for the Timewyrm that she has
become trapped in Hitler’s mind. A dangerous man has bound the worm and the
future is now at stake!
Our book
beings with the Timewyrm searching for the right man on earth to control in order
to bring the world the Doctor loves so much to its knees and destroy it. A
strong, angry and bitter mind is needed for her goal. She’s also looking for a
time when the technology is ripe enough to achieve such a destructive goal. A
few years before World War 2 starts and the Timewyrm has found her sought after
time, as well as her sought after host. Adolf Hitler. The problem for the
Timewyrm is Adolf’s mind proves too strong for her and she is bound to it,
imprisoned deep within his thoughts. Never has such a dangerous entity been
captured by such a dangerous man. The seventh Doctor and his companion Ace
arrive hot on the Timewyrm’s trail in 1951 London, but something is gravely
wrong. The Nazi’s have won World War 2 and the world is a far different place
then it should be. The Doctor and Ace must now find out exactly when the war
went wrong, however deep in the shadows another threat is waiting. Someone the
Doctor hasn’t seen for hundreds of years, someone who wants the Doctor dead.
After
their departure from 1951 London to find when exactly the war went wrong, the
Doctor and Ace primarily stay in Germany spending a little time in pre-World
War 2 Germany and then for the rest of the book stay in 1939 at the start of
the war. Seeing the Doctor, and to a lesser extent Ace, doing their best to
stay in good graces with the Nazi party makes for quite the interesting read.
On one hand the Doctor and Ace obviously dislike the Nazi’s but have to play
nice in order to find when the war took the wrong drastic change to create such
a horrid future. While Ace’s moral are obviously crossed in the book
constantly, the Doctor keeps a cool head, I felt that the Doctor mostly just
gathered information, not only to find the source of trouble, but as a
political and historical surveyor. The nice thing about enjoying Doctor Who in
book form is we get things from the Doctor’s perspective rather than just being
an onlooker through the television screen. We hear the Doctor rave about
history constantly on television, and while many times were lucky enough to see
him take part in historical events, rarely do we get to enjoy his personal take
on them as they are happening from within his mind. Given this chance to hear
what goes on inside the Doctor’s head as he’s chatting it up with Hitler isn’t
just fascinating it’s wonderfully riveting. This book isn’t action and science
fiction all around the clock and I really found myself enjoying the historical
bits and analysis far more than anything else the book had to offer.
I am
not saying though that the books science fiction or action-packed scenes are
dull, they are quite enjoyable. I don’t want to give too much away but the
extra foe, aside from the Timewyrm, thrown into this book fits in splendidly
and those end parts of the story focusing on that are interesting and
intriguing enough to warrant their own book. This particular throwback to an
old Doctor Who foe fits in well with the World War 2 theme and even helps the
story flow more smoothly. The ball was already rolling splendidly in the story,
but by the last few chapters it’s sent off at break neck speeds for a
wonderfully wrapped up conclusion of its own story while still leading into the
third Timewyrm book.
In terms of the first Timewyrm book,
Exodus focuses less on the Timewyrm
and more on its own story. I actually find this a really good step in making
the Timewyrm storyline seem more monumental. Rather than focusing on the
Timewyrm and overexposing her, letting her presence sit ideally by in the
background of things makes her impact feel much stronger and more drawn out for
the good of her character. Having a character with such power take a back seat
lets her flourish in our minds not as an unstoppable force, but as something
that is to be constantly feared. The knife that could soon be in your back is
much more fearsome then the one being brandished in front of you.
Exodus is a wonderful Doctor
Who book that takes a rather thorough look at the beginning of World War2 from
the Nazi’s point of view. The choice to
put the Timewyrm in the back seat works well for the plot, letting the problems
with Hitler and our mysterious villain take center stage. Of course any historical
tale needs a strong emphasis on its chronological placement and emphasis on its
key players. Not only do we get to meet and great many key Nazi figures, but we
also are allowed to enjoy the Doctor’s thoughts and analysis of many of these
important figureheads. Exodus beats
out its Timewyrm predecessor, Genysis,
in not only quality but attentiveness to detail on its setting. I couldn’t put
this book down and I am now even more excited to continue this story arc to its
end.
Rating: 5 out of 5
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