David A. McIntee

A seventh Doctor and Ace novel. This one takes place in America, specifically New Mexico, just before the launch of Sputnik. I grew up in Alamogordo, NM in the early seventies and still live in the next valley over. I will give the author credit for at least looking at a map- he got the names of the towns mostly correct but he seems to think the area is much more closely spaced and densely inhabited than it actually is. For example, it is impossible to stand on a dune in White Sands and look down on the airstrips of Holloman Air Force Base. This makes me wonder what other errors are in the book.
The plot is fairly consistent and there is lots of action with Ace even acting as a pilot. Benny does not get much time in this one.
Amusingly, phased pulse rifles are due to be invented in 2024.

re-read 12/19/2023… (more)

Do you want a Doctor Who novel that hardly features the Doctor, is angsty and squalid for no reason, casually kills the most important companion in the show's history and all hinges upon an extremely cliched story?

Then this is the Doctor Who book for you. McIntee may be the worst of the repeat Doctor Who novelists. He seems actively hostile to the show, to science fiction and to the idea that these books should be entertaining.

I liked his book about The Master, for some reason, but the others I've read of his are terrible.… (more)