The novel “Timewyrm: Exodus” by Terrance Dicks was published for the first time in 1991. It’s No. 2 in the “New Adventures” range by Virgin Publishing.
The Seventh Doctor attempts to pinpoint the time period when the entity known as Timewyrm arrived, but it is difficult to obtain a precise result. The TARDIS transports the Doctor and Ace to 1951, to the Festival of Britain in London. The travelers soon realize they have ended up in a London ruled by the Nazis.
The comments Doctor and Ace exchange are overheard by someone who alerts the local authorities, and the two are arrested. They manage to escape, but the TARDIS is no longer where they left it. To understand when history was altered to help Germany win World War II, the Doctor finds himself in the awkward position of collaborating with the Nazis.
“Timewyrm: Exodus” continues the mini-series that inaugurated this Virgin Publishing book series, continuing the Doctor’s adventures after the original “Doctor Who” series was cancelled. “Timewyrm: Genesys” chronicled the events that led to the birth of the entity known as the Timewyrm, and this sequel recounts its attempt to exact revenge on the Doctor by interfering in Earth’s history.
The strength of “Timewyrm: Exodus,” in my opinion, lies in the plot development, which focuses on the consequences of the changes in the history of World War II and the difficult task the Doctor must undertake to set things right. Terrance Dicks had already accumulated many years of experience in various roles connected to the Doctor Who saga, so he had all the skills needed to develop this novel to its full potential, including his portrayal of the Seventh Doctor and Ace.
You could say this is a story of manipulation: someone manipulated the history of World War II, and the Doctor sees an unusual sophistication for the Timewyrm; The Doctor finds himself having to manipulate the Nazi hierarchy; Adolf Hitler manipulates the Germans to convince them that the Third Reich is an empire that will last a millennium.
The tension is inevitably high in a story with dark tones in which the Nazis won World War II. The idea of including themes suitable for a more adult audience than those of television adventures is more evident than ever with the centrality of Nazism and its horrors. In the end, the Timewyrm plays an important but limited role.
Even the Seventh Doctor must tread carefully when forced to deal with the leaders of the Third Reich, including Hitler. Terrance Dicks offers a glimpse into the power structure that existed around Hitler and, among other things, delves into the regime’s obsession with mythological and religious elements in its search for supernatural powers that could make it invincible.
The Seventh Doctor repeatedly showed a certain cynicism, but working alongside the leaders of the Third Reich is tough even for him. Putting history right means restoring years of Nazi horrors, from concentration camps to World War II, but the alternative is worse than the evil. Ace is always by his side and is certainly not happy with the situation.
Some readers might not like this novel because it ends up attributing the rise of Nazism and its consequences to alien intervention. It must be said that Terrance Dicks maintains the importance of Hitler’s will and the role of his collaborators in the horrors of the Nazi regime, so certain dark sides of humanity are not hidden.
Overall, “Timewyrm: Exodus” seemed to me to be a step forward in the Doctor’s adventures as told in this series of novels. It’s the second chapter of a mini-cycle that concludes the plot connected to the Nazi regime while leaving the Timewyrm’s story open. It may be of interest to fans curious about those stories. You might still find a copy on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
