Doctor Who #106: Vengeance on Varos

The TARDIS is travelling through the vortex when it just stops. The reason? A rare ore (Zeiton-7) essential to time travel has been exhausted and there is none left on board. However, there is just enough energy left for a jump to Varos, one of the few sources of zeiton ore in the universe. But Varos is a former prison colony and some particularly unsavoury practices are still in place, which lead the Doctor and Peri into contact with rebels...This novel is adapted by the original scripter of one of the best stories of Colin Baker's first full season as the lead in Doctor Who. Like much of that season its has a number of hallmarks which really shouldn't have been allowed to become common - violence, including and especially on the part of the Doctor, and a seeming disregard for pain and suffering.By the same token, this story introduces some good elements - Sil, one of the few recurrent foes from the Sixth Doctor's period (but given how short it was, that's hardly surprising!) and a fairly post-modern version of a Greek chorus, where minor characters Etta and Arak provide a commentary on the story which is also a critique of TV violence, advertising and other issues.

I started out watching Dr. Who at... well, about 10. Maybe I was coming close to being 12 when I saw this one. I also saw maybe half of "Mindwarp"(Trial of a Time Lord). Both had the same enemy, Sil. Since "Mindwarp" wasn't denoted as such, I believed for years that Peri had been killed in " 'Varos".Over at the bookstore, I had collected almost every book about the first five Doctors. So I (sigh) picked up the sixth Doctor books.Wow! The tale is fast, but logical. Also, we see two Varosians at home, which shows what kind of quality pubic broadcasts they enjoy. Overal, a very good book that surprised me, mainly when I couln't put it down!