DW: Fear of the Dark

Hi Guys,

It is the fifths book of the 50th Anniversary Collection (Past Doctor Adventures) and is featuring the fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) with his companions Nyssa and Tegan. It takes places after adrics death, Tegans departure and meeting again and before they met Thourlough.

At the beginning we have a insight of Nyssa and Tegan. We will learn more about their feelings or so it seems. What is really interessting. But i don’t like the beginning of the book. I mean the written things are good, but the splitting is not my  taste.  For some stories this works well but here i don’t see the sense in it. I will try to describe what i mean. So the book start with Nyssa and the nightmare and than the next part takes place in a mine and Nyssa is hurt. Than the next part is placed after the nigthmare in the TARDIS and than we have the part in the mines with talking. Than we land after this talk thing on a moon and they go out and the earth crubbeld. Than again the mines and Nyssa is awaiking. We are jupping in time with no really reason because know we are in the same time. The earth crubbled and they fall in the mines and than the mine parts take place.

So form my taste it is just annessesary jumping in the time levels.

The persons i find interessting did have much screen time. We have an alien with the crew and find out a little about there life and culture. This is something i find very interessting. How they thing and feel. I just can’t get them totally but it is totally one of the strong points in this book. Also we see the Doctor getting near to lose. Nyssa was nearly dying in his arms. We can see totally what Adric had left in him. I really like to see this other side of the Doctor.

What i really find interessting is Nyssa. We totally get much more about her character, her feelings and so on. Even if she is not really doing anything. Also the book shows a side of the Doctor that everyone often forget. He is using Nyssa and her ill state for his goals.

So we also see the worst fear of the Doctor – losing his friends, letting them down.

I really love the book. After the confusing beginning it really is an interessting story and really amazing. The end is a little ansatisfied. But it is really worth a read.