The novel “The Glamor Chase” by Gary Russell was published for the first time in 2010.
The WSS Exalted is attempting to run from its enemies but is damaged to the point that it’s losing its structural integrity. Most of the crew are in stasis and the only hope is to bury the ship on Earth. There, two men see the spaceship crash and wonder if it’s a gift from the gods.
Millennia later, some of the crew awaken and strange events begin in the area. Oliver Marks and his fiancée Daisy encounter strange aliens. Archaeologist Enola discovers the WSS Exalted during an excavation. When the Eleventh Doctor brings Amy and Rory into the area, they discover that not all of the inhabitants are what they seem and even a ball of wool can be out of the ordinary.
“The Glamor Chase” is part of a series of novels connected to the new “Doctor Who” series. They’re targeted to a wide audience by being linear enough to be appreciated even by very young readers but sophisticated enough to interest more mature readers. With the adventures of the Eleventh Doctor, there was a small change in the size of the novels about “Doctor Who” new series’ adventures, which have become slightly larger.
The Eleventh Doctor has been trying to get Amy and Rory to Rio de Janeiro for some time but the Tardis materializes in 1930s England. They meet Nathaniel Porter, a local gentleman who happens to be quite wealthy. They soon realize that the situation is strange for a number of reasons connected to the local inhabitants.
In the TV episodes, Rory is often the butt of the Doctor’s jokes and that’s true in the books as well. Initially, this happens in “The Glamor Chase” as well but events also offer Rory one of the few opportunities to show off in a positive way.
When the travelers meet Oliver Marks, Rory quickly realizes that he suffers from PTSD, a major theme in this novel. From his experience as a nurse, Rory knows the medical history of this type of disorder and mentions what was called shell shock in World War I. Most importantly, Rory has the professional skills and empathy to find the key to helping Oliver Marks.
The mystery behind Oliver Marks’ disorder is integral to the storyline of “The Glamor Chase”. The Doctor, who for once shows that he appreciates Rory, tries to understand what could have caused the various oddities he and his companions have encountered.
The complexity of the situation is in my opinion too much for the length limitations of a book in this series and this leads to its flaws. The aliens are interesting and Gary Russell manages to develop them quite well but I think he wanted to add too much to their story. Among other things, that story is linked to the Doctor’s past but that ends up being treated superficially. There’s also a link to the Glamour technology that appeared in “Ghosts of India” but this element is also not elaborated upon. I think it would have been more helpful to avoid those links to leave more room for the ending, which feels quite rushed.
In the end, “The Glamor Chase” is a novel that’s interesting because it deals with such an important topic as PTSD and includes non-trivial aliens. Due to limitations in length, in my opinion, the result is not a complete success. I recommend it especially to fans of the group formed by the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory.
