Cold Fusion [PROSE/1996.12.5]

★★★★☆

  It's astounding how resonant and relevant Cold Fusion is, almost 26 years since its first publication. There are mentions of an alternate reality in which Gallifrey is no more (well, seems that reality was a bit closer to the Doctor than they were expecting...), whispers of past lives beyond the First Doctor with the introduction of Patience and the mystery surrounding her husband (the TV show would delve into this with the Timeless Child), and blendings of sci-fi-oriented classic series sensibilities with the more magical and fantastical with the Ferutu, genuinely one of the most terrifying alien races to have been conceived in Who (the extended universe seems to love magic in all forms). All in all, I'd say this is a pretty packed book that sets out to achieve many things and -- miraculously -- achieves them with style. 

  Season 19 is fascinating to capture on prose form, because it so clearly stands out by the TARDIS team's lack of coordination -- at least in their first few serials. It was mainly the nonchronological production order that bled into the finished product, but it thematically worked nonetheless; the newly-regenerated Doctor and his merry band of misfits try to find peace in their dynamic as they (somewhat uncertainly) carry themselves along the universe. It makes for riveting fiction, if not equally assured and electrifying telly, and Lance Parkin captures that tone perfectly in this novel. By pitting the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Adric against one of the harshest environments ever seen in Who -- an ice planet with hostile weather and even deadlier UNIT offshoot fanatics and ecoterrorists -- a camaraderie starts to develop within the group, a real understanding. Great showcase for Adric, Nyssa, Tegan and the Fifth Doctor. Truly.

  As for the Seventh Doctor and his associates, they honestly don't get the spotlight as much as Five's crew (Roz and Chris are there pretty much all the time, but not the Doctor), but why should they? This is by all rights a Fifth Doctor novel with sprinkles of Seven for dramatic purposes, and the smaller presence works very well with the story. A generally gripping technobabble extravaganza with an added layer of mysterious allusions to the Doctor's past (in particular, their secret incarnations before One) and an alien race which adds so much to the extended universe of Doctor Who at large? How could I give it a lower score? I implore everyone who's into an adventure with a bit more bite (for a multi-Doctor story that mainly concerns itself on cosmic ideas, it's surprisingly gritty and bloody) to give Cold Fusion a chance.