Festival of Death (novel): Difference between revisions

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{{real world}}
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{{Infobox Story
{{Infobox Story SMW
|image= Festival of Death.jpg  
|image       = <gallery>
|series=[[BBC Past Doctor Adventures]]  
Festival of Death.jpg|2000 edition
|number= 35
Doctor Who Festival of Death 50th.jpg|2013 edition
|doctor=Fourth Doctor
</gallery>
|companions=[[Romana II|Romana]], [[K9 Mark II|K9]]
|series       = [[BBC Past Doctor Adventures]]
|enemy= [[Repulsion]], [[Koel Paddox|Paddox]]
|number       = 34
|setting=[[Festival of Death]], [[2815]] and [[3012]]
|doctor       = Fourth Doctor
|writer= [[Jonathan Morris]]
|companions   = [[K9 Mark II]], [[Romana II]]
|publisher= BBC Books  
|enemy       = [[Repulsion]], [[Koel Paddox|Paddox]]
|cover=[[Black Sheep]]
|setting     = [[Festival of Death]], [[2815]] and [[3012]]
|release date= [[4 September (releases)|4 September]] [[2000 (releases)|2000]]
|writer       = Jonathan Morris
|format= Paperback Book, 20 chapters, 284 Pages  
|publisher   = BBC Books
|isbn= ISBN 0-563-53803-1  
|cover       = [[Black Sheep]]
|prev=Imperial Moon (novel)
|release date = 4 September 2000
|next=Independence Day (novel)
|format       = Paperback Book, 20 chapters, 284 Pages
|isbn         = ISBN 0-563-53803-1
|prev         = Imperial Moon (novel)
|next         = Independence Day (novel)
}}{{prose stub}}
}}{{prose stub}}
{{you may|Festival of Death|n1=the titular festival}}
{{you may|Festival of Death|n1=the titular festival}}
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the thirty-fifth [[BBC Past Doctor Adventures]] novel. It featured the [[Fourth Doctor]], [[Romana II]] and [[K9 Mark II]].
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the thirty-fourth novel in the [[BBC Past Doctor Adventures]] series. It was written by [[Jonathan Morris]], released [[4 September (releases)|4 September]] [[2000 (releases)|2000]] and featured the [[Fourth Doctor]], [[Romana II]] and [[K9 Mark II|K9]].


== Publisher's summary ==
== Publisher's summary ==
Line 36: Line 39:


=== 2013 BBC Books edition ===
=== 2013 BBC Books edition ===
The [[Beautiful Death]] is the ultimate theme-park ride: a sightseeing tour of the [[afterlife]]. But something has gone wrong, and when the [[Fourth Doctor]] arrives in the aftermath of the disaster, he is congratulated for saving the population from destruction – something he hasn't actually done yet. He has no choice but to [[Time travel|travel back in time]] and discover how he became a hero. And then he finds out. He did it by sacrificing his life.  
The [[Beautiful Death]] is the ultimate theme-park ride: a sightseeing tour of the [[afterlife]]. But something has gone wrong, and when the [[Fourth Doctor]] arrives in the aftermath of the disaster, he is congratulated for saving the population from destruction – something he hasn't actually done yet. He has no choice but to [[Time travel|travel back in time]] and discover how he became a hero. And then he finds out. He did it by sacrificing his life.


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
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* [[Romana II|Romana]]
* [[Romana II|Romana]]
* [[K9 Mark II|K9]]
* [[K9 Mark II|K9]]
* [[Biscit]]
* [[Byson]]
* [[Byson]]
* [[Dunkal]]
* [[Dunkal]]
Line 50: Line 54:
* [[Evadne Baxter]]
* [[Evadne Baxter]]
* [[Gallura]]
* [[Gallura]]
* [[Harkan Batt]]
* [[Harken Batt]]
* [[Hoopy]]
* [[Hoopy]]
* [[Jeremy (Festival of Death)|Jeremy]]
* [[Jeremy (Festival of Death)|Jeremy]]
* [[Koel Paddox]]
* [[Koel Paddox]]
* [[Liesa (Festival of Death)|Liesa]]
* [[Metcalf]]
* [[Metcalf]]
* [[Nyanna]]
* [[Nyanna]]
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* [[Tarie]]
* [[Tarie]]
* [[Vinnie]]
* [[Vinnie]]
* [[Xab]]


== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Alcoholic beverages ===
=== Alcoholic beverages ===
* Hoopy and his friends drink [[Old Bizzarre]].
* Hoopy and his friends drink [[Old Bizzarre]].
=== Cultural References ===
* [[ERIC]] sings ''Don't Dilly Dally on the Way'' by Charles Collins.


=== Drugs ===
=== Drugs ===
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=== The Doctor ===
=== The Doctor ===
* The Doctor has met General [[George Armstrong Custer]].
* The Doctor has met General [[George Armstrong Custer]].
* The Doctor failed his [[Time Travel Proficiency test]] at the [[Time Lord Academy|Academy]] because he didn't turn up for it.  
* The Doctor failed his [[Time Travel Proficiency test]] at the [[Time Lord Academy|Academy]] because he didn't turn up for it.
* The Doctor carries in his pocket a copy of [[Bor Pollag]]'s ''[[Book of Alien Monsters]]'', which includes illustrated entries on [[Akker-Takker]]s, [[Algolian Sithersback]]s, [[Apostles of Grarb]], and the [[Arachnopod]]s.
* The Doctor carries in his pocket a copy of [[Bor Pollag]]'s ''[[Book of Alien Monsters]]'', which includes illustrated entries on [[Akker-Takker]]s, [[Algolian Sithersback]]s, [[Apostles of Grarb]], and the [[Arachnopod]]s.
* The Doctor, as he is about to die, quotes multiple final phrases:
** "It is a far, far better thing that I do now, than I have ever done. And it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known" from ''[[A Tale of Two Cities]]'' by [[Charles Dickens]].
** "If I should die, think only this of me..." from the poem ''The Soldier'' by Rupert Brooke.
** [[Oscar Wilde (writer)|Oscar Wilde's]] last words "Either that wallpaper goes or I go!"
** "How's the empire?", from the morning of [[George V|King George V's]] death.
** [[Goethe|Goethe's]] last words "More light! More light!"
** '''''"'''''And so to bed," an expression often used by [[Samuel Pepys]] at the end of his day's diary entry.
** "[My life] is conquered at last", a misquote of the poem ''For Annie'' by [[Edgar Allan Poe]].
** "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come", a line from the [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] play ''[[Hamlet]]''.
** "Out​, out, brief candle!" a line from the [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] play ''[[Macbeth]]''.
=== Famous Persons ===
* Romana quotes [[Richard Dawkins (in-universe)|Richard Dawkins]]' saying "However many ways there may be of being alive, it is certain there are vastly more ways of being dead."
* The Doctor and Romana quote [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] line "What's past and what's to come is strew'd with husks, and formless ruin of oblivion." The Doctor also misquotes "Alas, poor Yorick!", a line from [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] ''[[Hamlet]]''.
* The Doctor quotes "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated," a quote attributed to [[Mark Twain]].


=== History ===
=== History ===
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=== Literature ===
=== Literature ===
* The co-pilot of the Montressor reads ''[[Shrieking Boy Veepjill - The Myth Behind the Truth - An Autobiography]]''.  
* The co-pilot of the Montressor reads ''[[Shrieking Boy Veepjill - The Myth Behind the Truth - An Autobiography]]''.
* [[Magazine]]s available in the year [[3012]] include ''[[Guards and Guarding and Holding Captive]]''.
* [[Magazine]]s available in the year [[3012]] include ''[[Guards and Guarding]]'' and ''[[Holding Captive]]''.
* The Doctor quotes multiple passages from the Bible, including:
** "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." from Psalm 23:4
** "Oh grave, where is thy victory?" from 1 Corinthians 15:55


=== Planets ===
=== Planets ===
* In 3012 [[Earth]] colonies include [[Third Birmingham]] and [[Nudism Four]].  
* In 3012 [[Earth]] colonies include [[Third Birmingham]] and [[Nudism Four]].


=== Species ===
=== Species ===
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=== Spaceships ===
=== Spaceships ===
* [[Yetraxxi]] spaceships have a [[hairdryer]] design to them.
* [[Yetraxxi]] spaceships have a [[hairdryer]] design to them.
=== Time Lords ===
* Academi Plurix coined the term pre-jà vu, the sensation that one is going to have been somewhere before. It applies only to Time Lords.
* The Doctor and Romana make multiple mentions of the [[Web of Time]] and the [[First Law of Time]].


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
[[File:Doctor_Who_Festival_of_Death_50th.jpg|thumb|The cover of the [[2013]] re-release.]]
* This novel was re-released on [[7 March (releases)|7 March]] [[2013 (releases)|2013]] with a new cover to celebrate the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' 50th anniversary.
* This novel was re-released on [[7 March (releases)|7 March]] [[2013 (releases)|2013]] with a new cover to celebrate the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' 50th anniversary.
* Romana quotes Richard Dawkins and tells the Doctor that the quote was by someone he wouldn't know. This is a reference to Lalla Ward being married to Richard Dawkins after previously in a relationship with Tom Baker.
* The novel shares a title with a track from The Residents' 1979 album, ''Eskimo''.


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* Romana states that if not for his [[sonic screwdriver]], he would probably still be trapped in a cellar in [[Paris]] in [[1979]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[City of Death (TV story)|City of Death]]'')
* Romana states that if not for [[The Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]], the Doctor would probably still be trapped in a cellar in [[Paris]] in [[1979]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[City of Death (TV story)|City of Death]]'')
* [[The Doctor's TARDIS|The TARDIS]] previously jumped a [[time track]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Space Museum]]'')
* [[The Doctor's TARDIS|The TARDIS]] jumps a [[time track]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Space Museum (TV story)|The Space Museum]]''; [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Aquitaine]]'', ''[[Renaissance of the Daleks (audio story)|Renaissance of the Daleks]]'')
* The Doctor mentions to Romana that as Time Lords, they have a unique sensitivity to distortions in time. ([[TV]]: ''[[City of Death (TV story)|City of Death]]'')
* The Doctor refers to the Repulsion as "an ancient evil from the dawn of time", a term he would later use to describe [[Fenric]] in his [[Seventh Doctor|Seventh incarnation]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Curse of Fenric (TV story)|The Curse of Fenric]]'')
* The Doctor says "Sorry, must dash," a phrase often used in his fifth incarnation. ([[TV]]: ''[[Time-Flight (TV story)|Time-Flight]]'', ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]] et al'')
* Romana was trained in the Academy to stop her hearts beating for a short time, and enter a state of suspended animation. ([[TV]]: ''[[Destiny of the Daleks (TV story)|Destiny of the Daleks]]'')
* The Doctor tracks Romana's time trail in the [[TARDIS]], something he would do again in his [[Eleventh Doctor|Eleventh incarnation]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Random History (comic story)|Random History]]'')
* This would not be the last time the Doctor travels back multiple times in his personal timeline and in the same adventure. Most notably, the [[Eleventh Doctor]] would do so to release his past self from the [[Pandorica]] and leaving notes for [[Amy Pond|Amelia Pond]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Big Bang (TV story)|The Big Bang]]'')
* The Doctor throws away the textbook for his basic time travel proficiency test in annoyance. The [[Eleventh Doctor]] similarly admitted that he'd disagreed with the [[TARDIS Instruction Manual|TARDIS instruction manual]] so much that he threw it into a [[supernova]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Amy's Choice (TV story)|Amy's Choice]]'')
* The Fourth Doctor and Romana discuss the possibility of travelling elsewhere for months and years and avoiding the Doctor's death. They ultimately decide against it and return immediately.
** The [[Eleventh Doctor]] would also know about his upcoming death at [[Lake Silencio]], but unlike the Fourth Doctor spends time delaying his arrival there and putting his affairs in order. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)|The Impossible Astronaut]] et al)''
** [[Clara Oswald]], in a similar situation, also decided not to return to the fixed point of her death immediately but to travel in a [[Clara's TARDIS|TARDIS]] with [[Ashildr|Me]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'')
* Upon sacrificing himself,the Doctor tells Romana to "keep Australia beautiful". The Doctor previously spent time spreading this message across Australia in [[1979]] to help save the continent from environmental destruction. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dr. Who For Keep Australia Beautiful (TV story)|Dr. Who For Keep Australia Beautiful]]'')
 
== Additional cover images ==
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
Doctor_Who_Festival_of_Death_50th.jpg|2013 edition. Cover by [[Two Associates]].
</gallery>


== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{Penguin|1093759/doctor-who--festival-of-death/}}
{{dwrefguide|whobbk35.htm|Festival of Death}}
{{dwrefguide|whobbk35.htm|Festival of Death}}
*{{whoniverse|pd35|Festival of Death}}
* {{whoniverse|pd35|Festival of Death}}
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20060324071340/http://www.gallifreyone.com/interview.php?id=morris Outpost Gallifrey - Interview: '''Jonathan Morris''' (archived)]
{{PDA}}
{{PDA}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}
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[[Category:Romana II novels]]
[[Category:Romana II novels]]
[[Category:K9 novels]]
[[Category:K9 novels]]
[[Category:50th Anniversary Collection PDA reprints]]

Latest revision as of 19:44, 18 May 2024

RealWorld.png

prose stub
You may be looking for the titular festival.

Festival of Death was the thirty-fourth novel in the BBC Past Doctor Adventures series. It was written by Jonathan Morris, released 4 September 2000 and featured the Fourth Doctor, Romana II and K9.

Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

2000 BBC Books edition[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Beautiful Death. The ultimate theme-park ride. For twenty galactic credits, you can find out what it's like to be dead.

But something has gone wrong. Visitors expecting a sightseeing tour of the afterlife have been transformed into mindless zombies, set on a killing rampage.

The TARDIS arrives in the aftermath of the disaster and, to the Doctor's baffled delight, he is immediately congratulated for saving the population from certain and terrible destruction.

The only problem is, he hasn't actually done it yet.

Aided and abetted by a drug-addled hippie lizard, a hard-hitting investigative reporter and a suicidal ship's computer, the Doctor has no choice but to travel back in time and discover exactly how he became a hero.

And then he finds out. He did it by sacrificing his life.

2013 BBC Books edition[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Beautiful Death is the ultimate theme-park ride: a sightseeing tour of the afterlife. But something has gone wrong, and when the Fourth Doctor arrives in the aftermath of the disaster, he is congratulated for saving the population from destruction – something he hasn't actually done yet. He has no choice but to travel back in time and discover how he became a hero. And then he finds out. He did it by sacrificing his life.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Alcoholic beverages[[edit] | [edit source]]

Cultural References[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • ERIC sings Don't Dilly Dally on the Way by Charles Collins.

Drugs[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

Famous Persons[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Romana quotes Richard Dawkins' saying "However many ways there may be of being alive, it is certain there are vastly more ways of being dead."
  • The Doctor and Romana quote Shakespeare's line "What's past and what's to come is strew'd with husks, and formless ruin of oblivion." The Doctor also misquotes "Alas, poor Yorick!", a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
  • The Doctor quotes "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated," a quote attributed to Mark Twain.

History[[edit] | [edit source]]

Literature[[edit] | [edit source]]

Planets[[edit] | [edit source]]

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

Spaceships[[edit] | [edit source]]

Time Lords[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Academi Plurix coined the term pre-jà vu, the sensation that one is going to have been somewhere before. It applies only to Time Lords.
  • The Doctor and Romana make multiple mentions of the Web of Time and the First Law of Time.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This novel was re-released on 7 March 2013 with a new cover to celebrate the Doctor Who 50th anniversary.
  • Romana quotes Richard Dawkins and tells the Doctor that the quote was by someone he wouldn't know. This is a reference to Lalla Ward being married to Richard Dawkins after previously in a relationship with Tom Baker.
  • The novel shares a title with a track from The Residents' 1979 album, Eskimo.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Additional cover images[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

v • e
BBC Past Doctor Adventures
 
First Doctor
Susan, Ian, Barbara
Ian, Barbara, Vicki
Steven, Dodo
Ben, Polly
 
Second Doctor
Ben, Polly
Ben, Polly, Jamie
Jamie, Victoria
Jamie, Zoe
Serena
 
Third Doctor
Liz, UNIT
Jo, UNIT
Jo, Liz
Jo
Sarah
 
Fourth Doctor
Sarah, Harry
Harry
Leela
Romana I
Romana II, K9
Nyssa
 
Fifth Doctor
Adric, Nyssa, Tegan
Nyssa
Nyssa, Tegan
Tegan, Turlough
Turlough, Kamelion
Peri
 
Sixth Doctor
Peri
Frobisher
Mel
Mel, Evelyn
The Brigadier
 
Seventh Doctor
Ace
Solo travels
 
Eighth Doctor
Solo travels
Fitz, Anji
 
Other novels
The Master, Ian, Barbara
"Infinity Doctor"
Shalka Doctor, Shalka Master, Alison
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