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Down, by Lawrence Miles

A big improvement on (the already quite acceptable) Christmas on a Rational Planet, Down is very much in the laconic / ironic Bernice NA tradition. With that great pulp fiction 'hero' Mister Misnomer (very subtle...), and his search for a suitably dim but pretty companion to ask questions and get rescued, it's clear that if Lawrence's tongue was any further ensconced, his cheek would rupture. The pacing is spot-on, though the fact that most of the story is actually related by Bernice to her captors as flashback can be a little distracting, mostly because Miles cleverly refuses to then use Bernice as an actual narrator, telling the main story exactly as though it were the full narrative. Until, fully engrossed therein, we are suddenly jolted back to the interrogation cells. It's an interesting idea, if a little self-defeating, and allows for some classic moments of Benny-angst later on. I'm rewriting this review having finished the book, and traditional last page damp squib notwithstanding, events leading there do not disappoint. Is Bernice a Nazi? (Hint: No.)

Ship of Fools, by Dave Stone

Dare I suggest that the law of diminishing returns is now taking its toll on the estimable Mr. Stone? While frequently hilarious, his fourth Whoish book lacks the bite of Sky Pirates, the wit of Death & Diplomacy, or the Peri -in-leather effect of Burning Heart. At times it also wears its PC heart on its sleeve. Sadly, I feel that this intrusive flaw is a reaction to negative fan reaction to his previous output, as anytime anything remotely dodgy hits the page, Stone uses Bernice's narrative voice to make it clear that neither she, nor, by extension he, approves of the attitude implied. Even despite this, Stone has once again been accused of homophobia by at least one reviewer, a suggestion as offensive as it is ludicrous, especially if it leads to the dilution of content seen here. For all this, though, and despite his main influence having seemingly been transferred from Pratchett to Adams, Ship of Fools is undoubtedly very funny. It's just that unlike his earlier books, it will be a while before I get round to reading it again.

Mean Streets, by Terrance Dicks

Most of you already know, and cheerfully/violently disagree with, my opinions of Tel's written work, and to a large extent this novel is the mixture as before. Mean Streets is, loosely speaking, the sequel to Dicks' own Shakedown, more specifically the Chris / Roz subplot therein. It's also a pastiche of the American '30s private eye genre, with a genetically enhanced Ogron gumshoe called Garshak narrating much of the story in typical first-person prose. This is where Dicks is at his strongest, effortlessly slipping into the character of the cop turned PI, with his dry wit and constant nicotine-free cigarette ("I'd walk a mile for a Drashig"). It is written simply but effectively, with the occasional wry nod towards the fourth wall (Garshak explains his survival when heavily outnumbered by armed assassins: "Everyone knows Wolverines can't shoot straight.") It's a salient reminder of Dicks' talent and ability to get a job done well, so long as it is a job he's familiar with, the very qualities that made him an ideal script editor. This is not, however, a Bernice Summerfield New Adventure. To be fair, this is signalled pretty well by a back cover blurb which ignores her until three lines from the end, but even where she does feature, she seems to be playing Sarah-Jane Smith to Chris Cwej's Doctor: sharp, but not bright enough to move the plot along to any noticeable degree. Would the Bernice of Down or Ghost Devices really come out with lines like "Those charges are false, Chief. All of them. They're designed to put us in the hands of our enemies so they can murder us."? It's almost as if Dicks has given her the character of one of the plucky but essentially helpless female protagonists from his Spacequest series, and as a Bernice devotee I can't help but hold this against him. For all this, Mean Streets is still probably Dicks' best novel since Exodus, and certainly a big improvement on Shakedown. For us Bernice purists, all I should add is that the Benny of Mean Streets is of course not the Bernice Summerfield we know and adore, but a distant cousin, or better still an alternate universe replica. For those without such qualms, well you've probably already read it anyway.

Decalog 5

This came as quite a pleasant surprise. The first two Decalogs were often entertaining and occasionally sublime, but were very much set in the contemporary New/Missing Adventures mould. I skipped over volumes three and four, but coming across this new set almost by accident, I took a chance. Good Call.

The new Decalog ethos seems to be to mix some of the most original N/MA writers (Stephen Marley & Lawrence Miles) with the cream of contemporary British SF and some old hands thrown in for gravitas (Ian Watson on this occasion.) For the most part, it succeeds wildly. As in any compilation, there is the occasional stinker: Jeanne Cavalos is as dreary here as in here Babylon Five novel, while Liz Sourbut's interesting concept fizzles out somewhat, as though it needed a novella to itself rather than the 30 pages here. Miles' Bernice story (the only one here featuring our favourite archaeologist) is vintage Benny, though, while Marley's Bibliophage is reminiscent of the best of 2000 AD's weird/funny strips (think Michael Cane.)

Mostly, though, this is the SF of Ideas, Dominic Green and Neil Williamson especially creating wonderfully believable and truly alien environs, while Stephen Baxter's Poyekhali 3201 is very much in the classic Dangerous Visions mould of the '50s and '60s. Overall, despite the Who connection being limited to the one divine Bernice story (that's the story that's divine, not Bernice... oh, I don't know, though...) this is certainly the best Decalog compilation yet, and some of the best literary SF I ahve chanced upon for a good while too.

Tempest, by Christopher Bulis

Surprisingly readable. Bulis will never be a major talent to compare to Orman or Cornell, but he seems to have found a niche in the sub-Agatha Christie genre, and while I've never been overly fond of such books this is one of the better ones. A nice, well-plotted mystery, a typically claustrophobic environment and liberally sprinkled, reasonably fair clues to spot.

Oblivion, by Dave Stone

Dave may profess an undying love for Bernice, despite the restraining order, but there seems little doubt that the true love of his life is that charming Sloathe Sgloomi Po.

Like Ship of Fools, though, this book is at least a little disappointing. Stone is, I think, suffering from having made such a stunning debut. Love it or, well, really love it (I'm not giving anyone the option, now that Steve & Gary have left the group), it cannot be denied that Sky Pirates is a unique novel. As a (kind of) sequel, Oblivion fails in both scope and execution.

Curiously, this seems down to what is usually a first novel's fault, in that it builds up fine but then climaxes rather too quickly (and we've all been there, duckies, haven't we...) With the novel clocking in at only about 220 pages plus epilogue, there is really no excuse for this, especially given the price hike to £5.99.

Looking to the positive, Stone's style does shine through rather more here than in Ship of Fools, mostly due to the loving inclusion of Sgloomi, and his wondrous speech mannerisms. He also creates a frighteningly believable picture of an alternative Bernice who didn't run away from Space Corps, and ends up on trial for the wilful torture and murder of many millions of civilians.

Despite the generally negative tone of this review, I would be lying if I didn't admit that I still enjoyed Oblivion immensely. If you read it aware in advance of its limitations, there is no reason not to. But I still somehow expect more from the author who gave us the wonderful and utterly warped Biospace of The System.

Walking to Babylon, by Kate Orman

Perfect.

OK, you want more. The plot is perfectly paced, without a trace of padding. Benny's character is spot-on, and as usual with Kate we find out more about our favourite archaeologist's grimy past, more specifically her first horrific, character-forming solo expedition. The supporting cast is sublime, the psyche of the People as intriguing as ever. And, and... oh, everything! Kate is undoubtedly now the finest Who writer, in either the 8th Doctor or Bernice canons, and wonderfully prolific to boot. Thank you, Kate.

Medusa, by Justin Richards

Well, the pedigree is certainly there. Justin was writing for classic 'zines such as Frontier Worlds back when I was still in short pants. Moving on, he wrote one of the more complex early New Adventures, Theatre of War, and one of the most popular Missing Adventures, Sands of Time. With one successful Bernice NA already under his belt, Medusa seemed a surefire hit. Except that on reading it, ...

...it's much better than that. I'm not sure whether it was the quality of writing, or the fact that I was running a slight temperature while reading, but I was drawn into the world of the Medusa in an uncanny fashion. It benefits from that most traditional of Who-ish traits, the claustrophobic setting, and a locale that can elevate even Chris Bulis to the ranks of readability is obviously going to have an interesting effect on a better writer, but even so, this is Good Stuff.

Dry Pilgrimage, by Paul Leonard & Nick Walters

Nick Walters has not written for Virgin before, and Paul Leonard has, so he's the important one.

Or at least, so I thought on buying this book. I had always liked Paul's work: his first MA, Venusian Lullaby, remains one of my favourites from that series, while Toy Soldiers was an excellent first NA. This time, though, I'm not so sure. There is a sense of things being set up a little too didactically at times, while other situation seem just a little too pat. Nevertheless, as the story continues it gradually starts drawing you in, and the occasionally over-simplistic prose grates less with time.

A third of the way through, I was ready to give Dry Pilgrimage a fairly scathing review, but on reflection this is a worthwhile entry in the series There isn't the depth of a Kate Orman novel, or the wit of Paul Cornell, but as an added plus, there is a pretty interesting alien race explored. One thing does concern me, though, more with the series than this novel in particular, is the number of times recently that Bernice has ended up trapped in confined circumstance, whether train, spaceship or boat.