The novel “Timewyrm: Apocalypse” by Nigel Robinson was published for the first time in 1991. It’s No. 3 in the “New Adventures” range by Virgin Publishing.
The Seventh Doctor finds a new trace of the Timewyrm in the distant future on the planet Kirith. When the Tardis takes him and Ace to Kirith, they find very peaceful, friendly, and beautiful inhabitants. It seems like a utopia, but the two travellers aren’t convinced by what they see.
The Doctor suspects something is wrong and discovers that the locals can live in complete tranquility because the Panjistri take care of them, providing them with all the food they need. The Panjistri are an alien species who, according to the natives, saved them long ago. The Doctor wants to uncover the truth, but is tormented by flashbacks of the Second Doctor.
“Timewyrm: Apocalypse” continues the mini-cycle that inaugurated this Virgin Publishing series of books, which continues the Doctor’s adventures after the classic “Doctor Who” series was cancelled. The search for the creature called the Timewyrm resumes from “Timewyrm: Exodus” by taking the Doctor and Ace to a planet far away in space and time. The planet Kirith is home to a seemingly utopian community that actually hides dark secrets. If this seems like a huge cliché, not only is that true, but it’s not even the only flaw in this novel.
The stories told in these books contain references to classic “Doctor Who” serials, and from this point of view, “Timewyrm: Apocalypse” is heavier than the previous novels. The prologue references a moment from “Logopolis,” and there are several moments connected to the Second Doctor. Other “Easter eggs” are included here and there, but they aren’t connected to this novel’s plot.
The important moments connected to the Doctor’s past are rather fragmented because they’re inserted here and there. On the bright side, they add some substance to a rather thin and often predictable plot. The ending is rushed, which is perplexing because this novel is much shorter than the previous two, so there couldn’t have been any problem with its excessive length.
Another problem is the characters, who are mostly flat. Of the natives of the planet Kirith, only a couple of them are given any real development: one is Raphael, who becomes a sort of temporary companion to the Doctor. Raphael plays a major role in the plot and, as a result, has enough space to give him proper characterization.
The Timewyrm barely appears, which means that this novel can even be skipped, and the story could have worked without it. Over the course of the novel, the Doctor and the readers eventually discover the Timewyrm’s new plan, but in the end, the situation remains unchanged, meaning that the resolution of the conflict between the two opponents seems simply postponed until the next book.
Throughout the novel, the Doctor seems more focused on trying to understand the meaning of the flashbacks with the Second Doctor than on uncovering the planet’s secrets. In the end, Ace is the character that shines the most because she acts in a way that is in her nature.
I can’t really say this novel is bad; it just seems to have been written by throwing together very basic ideas, which, as a result, have a bland result that leaves nothing to be excited about. The final impression is of a hastily written story, as if the decision to include it in the mini-cycle came very late, leaving Nigel Robinson very little time to develop the various narrative elements with any depth.
Overall, “Timewyrm: Apocalypse” seemed like a step back in the Doctor’s adventures as told in this series of novels. It’s the third chapter of a mini-cycle that concludes the storyline on the planet Kirith, leaving the storyline about Timewyrm open. It might be of interest to fans curious about those stories, but you have to be a big fan of the saga to want to get it. You might find a copy on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
