Novel

The Pit by Neil Penswick

The novel “The Pit” by Neil Penswick was published for the first time in 1993. It’s No. 12 in the “New Adventures” range by Virgin Publishing and follows “The Highest Science”.

Bernice Summerfield is bored and asks the Seventh Doctor to take her to the Althosian system, home to the Seven Planets, a collection of human colonies that eventually became independent from Earth. Before Bernice was born, the system vanished, and no one ever discovered the reason.

The Doctor finds no reference to that system in the TARDIS’s memories, and he knows nothing about it. This is decidedly abnormal, and the Doctor decides to investigate. However, the TARDIS suffers a mysterious interference that causes it to make a rough landing.

Observer by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress

The novel “Observer” by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress was published for the first time in 2025.

Caro “Caro” Soames-Watkins sees her career as a neurosurgeon derailed after reporting to her bosses the harassment she suffered from a highly respected colleague at her hospital. Instead of obtaining justice, she sees her report dismissed and she ends up at the center of a social media shitstorm. Her great-uncle Samuel Watkins, who is a Nobel Prize winner but barely known to her, offers her a job in the Caribbean.

When Caro visits the facility her great-uncle and his partners have set up, she gradually discovers that their research is truly radical. Their project is based on the concept of quantum biocentrism, which views the universe as the expression of an observer. They need a neurosurgeon to implant a chip in their volunteers that will allow them to literally create a new universe in which they can even see their deceased loved ones again.

Devil's Gun by Cat Rambo

The novel “Devil’s Gun” by Cat Rambo was published for the first time in 2023. It’s the second book in the Disco Space Opera series and follows “You Sexy Thing”.

Nicolette “Niko” Larsen and her staff want to get as far away as possible from the pirate king Tubal Last. Traveling to another galaxy seems like a good idea, but the nearest portal has stopped working. This is an unprecedented event, and other starships are nearby, with doubts and fears spreading among their crews.

Among the people in the area, there’s Jezli Farren, who claims to be an archaeologist who has studied ancient artifacts such as intergalactic portals. She’s accompanied by Roxana, a paladin who was created from one or more corpses. Farren suggests to Niko a solution: a trip to a site where she might find the Devil’s Gun, a weapon that could stop Tubal Last. The search for that weapon could be more dangerous than the pirate king himself.

Killshot by Lee Gimenez

The novel “Killshot” by Lee Gimenez was published for the first time in 2022. It’s part of the Rachel West series.

When an assassination attempt on the US president narrowly fails, only a few trusted individuals are included in a highly sensitive investigation. New attempts to kill the president fail, but they indicate that someone with intimate knowledge of his movements is providing highly classified information to the would-be assassins.

Alex Miller is one of the very few people the president trusts and is forced to lift the suspension of Rachel West, his best but least disciplined agent. Even the White House staff is scrutinized with every means the CIA can muster to find the mole. Concerns for Rachel grow when her boyfriend J.T. Ryan disappears.

The Beast aka Moonbeast by A.E. van Vogt

The novel “The Beast”, also known as “Moonbeast”, by A.E. van Vogt was published for the first time in 1963, fixing up stories published in previous years.

Jim Pendrake lives a secluded life after fighting in the war and losing an arm in the crash of his airplane. When he finds a strange engine that seems much more efficient than the ones he knows very well, he can’t help but wonder who could have designed it. His investigations are discreet, but not sufficiently so.

In addition to its extraordinary performance, the engine seems to have strange effects on Jim Pendrake. His physical strength seems to increase, and he notices that his missing arm has started growing back. However, someone seems determined to get their hands on it at all costs. Jim and his wife are separated, but when she gets threatened to force him to hand over the engine, Jim realizes he’s crossed paths with a powerful organization.