The novel “Deceit” by Peter Darvill-Evans was published for the first time in 1993. It’s No. 13 in the “New Adventures” range by Virgin Publishing and follows “The Pit“.
The Seventh Doctor seems more lost than ever. Bernice Summerfield is concerned, also because the TARDIS appears to be having some stability issues. An infection is plaguing the TARDIS and, by extension, the Doctor, who must find a way to eliminate it. A contact from an old friend leads the travellers to the planet Arcadia.
Agent Isabelle Defries of Earth’s Office of External Operations leads an expedition to the planet Arcadia. Her team includes a so-called Dalek Killer, a criminal used to fight the Daleks. However, there are no Daleks on Arcadia, but a more sinister threat. It’s not the kind of threat that can be attacked with weapons like those wielded by the group’s explosives expert, Ace.
“Deceit” picks up several narrative threads from previous novels in this range. Author Peter Darvill-Evans was the range’ editor and personally brought a sort of story arc to its ending. He does so by writing a story that had a prequel set on Arcadia, published in an issue of “Doctor Who Magazine.” I haven’t read that story, but I didn’t feel like I was missing any important information while reading the novel.
The character of Abslom Daak had already been the protagonist of comics. In “Deceit,” he isn’t exactly developed, as he’s awakened from cryogenic stasis and his main activity is to participate, albeit in his own way, in the actions of Isabelle Defries’ team. When he’s waiting to take action, he flirts with Ace, again in his own way.
The story revolves primarily around the strange events taking place on the planet Arcadia. The human colony has a utopian facade, but beneath that thin veneer lies a society where strange things happen and people die while still young.
The basic plot is a classic of “Doctor Who” stories and is also used by Peter Darvill-Evans to tell the stories of various characters. In particular, the first half of the novel seems more like an excuse to advance the protagonists’ stories and introduce some of the characters invented specifically for this story.
The parts involving the Doctor and Ace connect to events told in previous novels and may be perplexing if you haven’t read them. It’s easy to understand, however, that the Tardis is afflicted by some sort of infection, and the Doctor is suffering the consequences as he tries to cure it. The developments in his relationship with Ace require an understanding of what happened between them, and at least, the key information is included during their confrontation.
I understand why this novel has a controversial reputation, with readers considering it boring due to a story that’s stretched out in ways of questionable value. My impression is that the reader needs to feel involved in exploring the mysteries surrounding the planet Arcadia to truly appreciate the story. There’s also the problem with Ace’s development, which honestly seems to me to be full of clichés that end up flattening the character.
Overall, “Deceit” struck me as a novel in which Peter Darvill-Evans included several ideas and connections to stories published in other magazines, but with questionable results. For this reason, I recommend reading it only to “Doctor Who” fans who want the complete collection of these books. You might find a copy on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
