RTD's New Adventure novel, Damaged Goods

[Whofan]

With all the RTD talk going back and forth, has anyone read this book? I'm told it's very rare. Here's a summary from drwhoguide.com

http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_na55.htm

Just browsing over the summary, the novel seems more like a Torchwood story than a WHO one although there's sort of some hints of Nuwho in there such as the name Tyler and the N-form, which RTD later wrote into his history of the time war (although never mentioned in the series itself).

Quite the gross cover there...

 

[Starkers]

It sounds really bad...

 

[Bones2]

I've not read it (I mean, come on), but as I understand it it's got a Tyler on an estate, some gay oral in the back of a cab, and the same plot resolution as New Earth. And this is meant to be one of the betters NAs. Oh to be a Who fan in the early 90s.

 

[23skidoo]

I've heard that it's pretty good, though it's one I haven't been able to obtain (it came out near the very end of the line, by which point the books weren't being widely distributed in Canada). I hope to read it sometime if I can track down a copy, or if it's reprinted (a possibility since Virgin Books and BBC Books are now not only owned by the same company, Random House, but are even part of the same division, Eubery).

The thing about the NA books is from the very beginning the idea was to create Doctor Who for adults. The very first book, Timewyrm: Genesys had sexual content that made a lot of people uncomfortable. And Ace became a regular Jim Kirk during her time in the books. They were also progressive in introducing gay companions (take a bow RTD, but it wasn't just him). And the very last book - the only one featuring the Eighth Doctor - remains controversial as to whether or not he and Bernice Summerfield get it on. The only people who think Torchwood was the groundbreaker in "adult Doctor Who" are those who've never read the New Adventures novels.

Frankly, though, I find the more controversial aspects of the books to be the rewriting of the Doctor's history, as the books followed the so-called Cartmel masterplan. And while I've yet to obtain a copy of Lungbarrow, one of the last books (I saw a battered copy for sale in a shop a few months ago for $75!), apparently it just goes wild in ways that makes "Ferengi on Star Trek: Enterprise" look like a hiccup.

At the same time, the NAs gave us Human Nature, which was adapted by its writer, Paul Cornell for TV. And Bernice Summerfield, thanks to being revived later by Big Finish, is the longest-running spin-off character in the franchise's history. And many of the writers of the TV series entered the world of Doctor Who through the New Adventures. Including that RTD guy. So the NAs form a valuable part of the franchise's history, one I respect greatly.

Alex

 

[Andrew_Kearley]

I've read every Doctor Who book, so yeah, I've read this one. It was pretty good, as I recall. It may not be the best book, but it didn't feel out of place in the range. The New Adventures were, by and large, one of the greatest eras of Doctor Who storytelling. The Cartmel Masterplan which has been commented on, is nothing of the sort. It's really a few ideas that Marc Platt and Ben Aaronovitch had, that remain fairly low key in a couple of their books. Yes, even Lungbarrow, where it's all left pretty ambiguous. Perhaps significantly, there's nothing of it in Andrew Cartmel's own books - so much for the masterplan then.

 

[Andrew_Kearley]

Oh to be a Who fan in the early 90s.

Yes, those really were the halcyon days. We won't see times like those again, more's the pity.

 

[Piper]

The New Adventures were, by and large, one of the greatest eras of Doctor Who storytelling.

This. With Damaged Goods being one of the best books from the last golden era of the range before Virgin sadly lost the license.

 

[Starkers]

Well I was just going on the synopsis. It just felt like a story that was somewhat overloaded, too many ideas etc. Plus the Doctor and cocaine in the same story? Just doesn't feel...well doesn't feel very Doctory. I know the NAs were much more adult in tone, and I recall reading at least one at the time but the notion didn't really grab me.

RTD isn't the only writer to reuse names....have done it myself and so have others (Moffat for example!)

 

[Allyn Gibson]

And the very last book - the only one featuring the Eighth Doctor - remains controversial as to whether or not he and Bernice Summerfield get it on.

Really? People are still questioning whether or not the Doctor and Bernice made like bunnies in a book that came out almost fifteen years ago? I genuinely didn't think that was in any doubt.

Parkin's made it pretty clear that the eighth Doctor and Bernice do the bumpety-bump (and with some regularity) in some of his other works, from the pregnant-with-his-child Benny the Doctor sees in The Infinity Doctors to Parkin's charity anthology stories to Benny's "Ahem" moment in The Company of Friends. Benny is the eighth Doctor's semi-regular booty call.

 

[Blamo]

What's funny is that the New Adventures books (as well as some of the past Doctor stories) did "adult Doctor Who" far far better then the first two seasons of Torchwood.

 

[Bones2]

Oh to be a Who fan in the early 90s.

Yes, those really were the halcyon days. We won't see times like those again, more's the pity.

Getting cancelled was the best thing that ever happened to the show. The NAs were like getting 22 Ghost Lights a years. It's a shame it had to come back and we couldn't have EDAs ad infinitum. Had the Beeb held out another 5 years, we'd probably have got a Faction Paradox TV show instead.

 

[sidious618]

I haven't read it but I wish I had a copy because I understand it's quite good. Lawrence Miles was always my favorite NA/EDA writer, though. Wish he put out more stuff.

 

[Bones2]

He still writes Faction Paradox stuff, so I understand. And there's his infamous blog of course. Obviously he should be writing for new Who, but him and Moffat don't get one; Miles has a habit of speaking his mind which doesn't fit in with the luvvie culture of the times.

 

[sidious618]

He hasn't written much in the way of Faction Paradox lately either.

 

[Bones2]

On the subject, he updated his blog the other day with the notes he sent to Tat Wood while writing About Time III (the Pert era). Very funny and insightful.

http://beasthouse-lm2.blogspot.com/

Lonemagpie gets a brief mention, as he often does in these things.

 

[Sci]

^^ I could only get through a little bit of that update. As usual, Miles is too busy self-importantly telling us why everyone who disagrees with him is either an asshole or an idiot to actually know what he's talking about. When people note that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was an influence on RTD-era Doctor Who for instance, he assumes they're talking about character relationships and goes off on a large rant about the differing character dynamics between Whedon's and Davies's works. Which is all well and good, except that the influence specifically cited on RTD's Doctor Who came from Buffy's use of seasonal arcs driven by villains that are defeated in the season finale -- a structure that RTD clearly used in all four seasons, especially in Series Three.

 

[Lonemagpie]

On the subject, he updated his blog the other day with the notes he sent to Tat Wood while writing About Time III (the Pert era). Very funny and insightful.

http://beasthouse-lm2.blogspot.com/

Lonemagpie gets a brief mention, as he often does in these things.

Not often. ISTR he once thought it'd have been better if his Dalek story Valentine's Day had come out in place of Wages Of Sin - and from his bank account's POV he's right, and from mine me having the book was right! - and he once said something about me having "put Koschei in Face Of The Enemy whether we wanted him to or not", and that's about it. As for his comment in the latest blog - I've never heard me called sentimental before either! Which means I must suspect that Tat Wood was referring to Terrance and Barry's Island Of Death rather than my FOTE...

I just wish he'd get on with writing some proper original novels where he fucking belongs, instead of skulking around the internet wasting all his talents. Use it or lose it doesn't seem to be his watchphrase, unfortunately...

 

[FredH]

Read this when it was originally published, and thought it was a really damn superb novel. Although elements of the later RTD palette are there, I remember it as being much more strongly plotted than almost any of his later television scripts. Very, very, very dark, but not pointlessly so.

 

[Bones2]

...is too busy self-importantly telling us why everyone who disagrees with him is either an asshole or an idiot to actually know what he's talking about.

Hmm...

 

[sidious618]

I just wish he'd get on with writing some proper original novels where he fucking belongs, instead of skulking around the internet wasting all his talents. Use it or lose it doesn't seem to be his watchphrase, unfortunately...

I agree. Although I am always amused by his hatred of Moffat.