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{{Infobox Novel|
{{title dab away}}
image=[[Image:DL1DustofAges.jpg|250px]]|
{{real world}}
novel name= The Dust of Ages|
{{Infobox Story SMW
series= [[BBC Tenth Doctor Adventures]] - [[The Darksmith Legacy]]|
|image = DL1DustofAges.jpg
number= 1 |
|series= [[The Darksmith Legacy]]
doctor= [[Tenth Doctor]]|
|number= 1  
companions= |
|doctor= Tenth Doctor
enemy=<ul><li>Dust animated by [[Eternity Crystal]]</li><li>[[The Darksmith Collective]]</li><li>[[Darksmith Agent|The Agent]]</li></ul> |
|companions=  
year= [[The Moon]], [[30th century]]<br>[[Karagula]], [[30th century]]|
|enemy={{il|Dust animated by [[Eternity Crystal]]|The [[Darksmith Collective]]|[[Darksmith Agent|The Agent]]}}
writer= [[Justin Richards]]|
|setting= [[The Moon]], [[21st century]]<br />[[Karagula]], [[30th century]]
publisher= [[BBC Books]]|
|writer= Justin Richards
release date= [[29th January]] [[2009]]|
|publisher= BBC Books
format= paperback book|
|release date= 29 January 2009
isbn= ISBN 978-1-405-90513-8|
|format= paperback book
previous story= |
|isbn= ISBN 978-1-4059-0513-8
next story= [[The Graves of Mordane]]|
|next= The Graves of Mordane (novel)
}}
}}'''''The Dust of Ages''''' is the first book in [[The Darksmith Legacy]] series.
'''''The Dust of Ages''''' is the first book in [[The Darksmith Legacy]] series.  


==Publisher's Summary==
== Publisher's summary ==
It is a few years into our future, and there are bases on the [[Moon]]. A recent survey has shown something unusual, an unknown power source. when a tall, skinny spiky-haired stranger turns up and announces he's from the '''Bureau of Alien Technology''' doing a spot check, the survey team know they've found something special. But is this special power source a blessing or a curse?
It is a few years into our future, and there are bases on [[the Moon]]. A recent survey has shown something unusual, an unknown power source. When [[Tenth Doctor|a tall, skinny spiky-haired stranger]] turns up and announces he's from the Bureau of Alien Technology doing a spot check, the survey team know they've found something special. But is this special power source a blessing or a curse?
<br>
This amazing ten-book series follows the Doctor on his exciting journey to discover the origins of the so-called [[Eternity Crystal]] and the powerful artisans who created it - the [[The Darksmith Collective|Darksmiths]].
<br>
Continue the amazing adventures online at www.thedarksmithlegacy.com


==Story Summary==
== Plot ==
On its way to [[Earth]], the [[the Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] is drawn off-course and lands on the surface of the [[Moon]]. Below the surface, [[Clinton Seymour]] of [[Survey Four]], registers the arrival on his scanners and warns [[Dollund, Professor|Professor Dollund]] of the new arrival in Sector 8. The undetected arrival leads Dollund to suspect that the ship is military so orders Clinton to put up a [[force field|force bubble]]. On the surface, [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] steps out of the TARDIS and wonders what drew him off course. Suddenly, a trapdoor opens in front of him, down which he is greeted by [[Roberta Goodman]] and Dollund. Posing as [[Aliases of the Doctor#John Smith|Doctor Smith]] of the '''Bureau of Alien Technology''', the Doctor asks for a brief explanation of what they are doing as part of his "inspection". Bobby reveals that the survey team are on the Moon mining for valuable minerals to mine in light of a shortage on Earth. However, they have just found something new, a crystalline power source.
[[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] lands on the [[Moon]] in 2010. As he steps out he remarks "Not where I expected, I wonder what drew me off-course?" indicating that he meant to land on [[Earth]]. He is guided downstairs into a research facility beneath the lunar surface. He is greeted by [[Dollund|Professor Dollund]] and [[Roberta Goodman]], using the psychic paper to pass as Inspector Smith from the Bureau of Alien Technology. Goodman explains that they are running Survey 4: a mission, started by the 'big industries', to discover natural resources on the Moon as the Earth has been "depleted". As the Doctor is led into the mining room, [[Clinton Seymour]] announces news that their drill has found a power source deep underground.


The Doctor is taken to the control room just as one of the base's drills reaches the chamber the crystal is in. The Doctor speculates that it's what drew the TARDIS off course. [[Henderson (The Dust of Ages)|Henderson]], the chief mining technician, contacts the control room to tell them that the drill has broken through into a vast chamber.
The team of 3 begin the descent into the new tunnels to locate the power source. There is a nod to the Doctor's elevator trip in ''[[The Impossible Planet (TV story)|The Impossible Planet]]'' during a scene in which the team are squished into a small mine elevator. Upon entering the chasm, Professor Dollund almost falls into a chasm after miscalculating the load-bearing ability of a rock under Earth gravity. They are greeted in the new cavern by [[Lisa Summerton]] and [[Henderson (The Dust of Ages)|Henderson]], two archaeologists. Tracing the energy signal to the wall, the Doctor begins to scoop away at the packed dust. It's not long before he discovers a stone hand - the source of the power.


Professor Dollund, Bobby and the Doctor descend through the elevator and the drill shaft to the chamber where they meet Henderson and [[Lisa Summerton]], chief and junior mining engineers respectively. The Doctor and Bobby start to dig away the wall that the crystal resides behind. However, rather than finding a crystal, they find a human hand made of dust, sticking out of the wall.
Whilst examining the hand, Bobby accidentally snaps the hand from the wall. Dollund puts the hand in a box in his rucksack in order to take it back from analysis with Seymour. He and the Doctor walk back through the mines to the lab room. Upon arrival, Dollund unpacks his bag and to his amazement, the hand is gone. All that remains is a pile of dust. Bobby and her team call in and report that the hand has rematerialised in the wall. The Doctor and the Professor, dumb founded, make their way back with tools and vacuums. They begin to clean the statue and reveal more and more until they cause the wall to collapse. It’s revealed that the stone statue is an exact replica of the Doctor, with a Crystalline rock in its throat.


When Bobby attempts to excavate the rest of the statue, the hand snaps off. She stores it in a specimen box and gives it to Dollund and the Doctor to take back up to the control room for analysis so that she can continue to dig out the statue and the energy source. When they get back to the base, Clinton has set up all the equipment to run tests on the hand. However, when Dollund opens the box, the hand is gone and all that exists at the bottom of his bag is dust. Before they can investigate any further, Bobby calls up from the chamber to tell them that the hand has mysteriously regrown.
Back in the control room, Seymour notices that dust keeps piling up on his desk and has formed a thick layer on the wall. The Doctor is examining the statue when he hears a scream over the comms. The hand has appeared in the control room and is trying to strangle Seymour. The Doctor races back to help but Seymour manages to attack the hand with a chair, reducing it to dust. Bobby calls urgently with news that the statue has changed and is now her mirror image. Meanwhile, on the distant planet of [[Karagula]], 3 figures convene over the re-emergence of the Crystalline.


The Doctor and Dollund head back to the cavern with vacuum hoses to aid with the excavation of the statue. Dollund concludes that the statue must have been there for centuries and upon further examination, the body appears wearing a suit. As more of the dust around the statue is sucked away, the chest is uncovered. Set into is the [[Eternity Crystal]] - the source of the power. Lisa tries to ply the crystal from the dust but this causes the wall to collapse, the Doctor pulling her out of the way just in time. The collapse of the wall, however, reveals the rest of the statue, and it's in the exact image of the Doctor.
The statue in the wall begins to change shape and soon takes a vague outline of a human. It becomes animated and reaches out, attempting to grab at the team. They manage to escape but not before it begins to move. Slowly, the rest of the walls give birth to more shapeless creatures. The teams meet up in the access tunnel where the forming has accelerated and now limbs and whole bodies are emerging. The floor begins to shift and the team lock themselves inside the base. The generator goes down leaving Henderson & Lisa to investigate whilst the Doctor attempts to send an SOS. Henderson discovers that the generator is clogged with dust and figures emerge, capturing him & Lisa.


Back in the control room, Clinton registers an increase in the energy readings and radios down to the cavern for an update. Whilst on the radio he notices that the control room is covered in dust and then, suddenly, he spots the statue's hand on the floor. But before he can say anything more, the hand jumps up and attempts to suffocate him.
The Doctor & Bobby discover Lisa & Henderson almost suffocated on dust. They manage to restart the generator and re-enable the power systems to send a signal.
Meanwhile on Karagula, the [[Darksmith Collective|Darksmiths]] have fashioned a robot out of all their remaining resources, including plastic from the [[Nestene Consciousness|Nestene]] homeworld, [[Polymos]]. [[Darksmith Agent|The Agent]] is capable of flying through the [[time vortex]] and navigating the time winds in order to retrieve the now called [[Eternity Crystal]]. It was lost when a member of their community fled and lost them the “contracts” they depend upon.


Realising something is wrong, Henderson and the Doctor run up the access tunnel back towards the control room. Clinton, in the meantime, manages to wrench the hand off his face and smashes the hand back to dust with his chair. When the Doctor and Henderson arrive, they radio back down again to tell everyone that it's all right, but Lisa replies to tell them that the statue has changed appearance. It now looks like Bobby.
The dust inside the base is beginning to take shapes. The Doctor and his team endure a risky journey down the main corridor as the dust begins to mount up. Seymour is able to close off sections and increase air conditioning just enough to get them into the control room. The dust begins to press against the door and it eventually gives way, leaving space for dust to fill the room. A hand forms and takes hold of Seymour’s mouth.


Meanwhile, on [[Karagula]], a meeting is taking place between three members of [[The Darksmith Collective]]: [[Darksmith Collective|High Minister Drakon]], [[Darksmith Collective|Sister Hellan]] and [[Darksmith Collective|Brother Talen]]. Brother Talen reveals that they have detected the Eternity Crystal after many centuries of looking and that they are homing in on its location as they speak.
The dust begins taking more finite shapes, prying at the team. They are battling to fight it off and the Doctor has no solution. He is rendered powerless, in the grip of the dust with no [[Sonic screwdriver|Sonic Screwdriver]]. On Karagula, the Darksmiths have set the location for the Agent’s pod. It departs from their planet on its course to retrieve the crystal from the lunar landscape.


Meanwhile, back on the Moon, Dollund speculates that the statue is trying to find the most effective shape and form based on what it touches. As they watch, it begins to morph again, but this time it just stays as a vaguely humanoid form. As Bobby tries to explain what is happening over the intercom, however, the statue begins to walk towards them menacingly.
Pinned down by the dust, the Doctor is fighting for his life. He eventually manages to grab a hold of his Sonic Screwdriver and destroys the dust. He then uses “wave cancellation” to prevent the Eternity Crystal from transmitting anymore signals to the dust. On Karagula, the Darksmiths pick up the termination in transmission signals and tell the Agent to use extreme force, if necessary, against the Doctor.


Lisa, Dollund and Bobby begin to run back towards the control room, away from the statue, and Clinton, Henderson and the Doctor begin to run back towards the cavern to meet the others half way. When they meet, the wall near them begins to bulge and another shapeless humanoid made of dust steps out of the wall towards them. They all run back towards the control room, hounded by several dust statues.
The Doctor begins to say goodbye to the team and contemplated leaving them behind, but succumbs to the guilt. He locks the Eternity Crystal in a stasis box to prevent any further transmissions. Whilst he is downstairs, saying his final farewells, [[The Doctor's TARDIS|his TARDIS]] is stolen by a moon buggy. He traces the buggy but only finds the Agent. It picks him up and throws him around. It precedes to say: “Brother Varlos. You have been found guilty of treason.” The Agent has confused the Doctor with the Darksmith who fled Karagula with the Eternity Crystal, and is going to kill him. The book ends with the Doctor in the Agent's fist.


When they return to the relative safety of the control room, however, the lights go out and Henderson reveals that the main generator has stopped and they will only continue to receive oxygen if the backup generator remains operational. While Henderson and Lisa go to reset the generator, the Doctor and Clinton prepare a mayday signal to send to the nearby Moonport Five once the power has been restored.
== Characters ==
 
* [[Tenth Doctor]]
Upon inspection, Lisa notices that the generators main air filters are clogged with dust, causing the breakdown, despite having cleaned them the week before. However, before they can clean the filters, they are attacked and choked by two dust figures.
* [[Dollund|Professor Dollund]]
 
Realising that something is wrong, Bobby and the Doctor run to the generator room to find the unconscious bodies of Henderson and Lisa. Whilst Bobby removes the dust from their mouths and ensures their airways are clear, the Doctor resets the generator and changes the cooling system to use water instead of air - less efficient but can't get clogged up with dust.
 
Meanwhile, on Karagula, Brother Ardos demonstrates his new invention, [[Darksmith Agent|The Agent]], to High Minister Drakon. The Agent will be dispatched to recover the Crystal as soon as its location is known.
 
As the Doctor, Bobby, Lisa and Henderson leave the generator room they are attacked again by the dust statues. The Doctor radios Clinton and asks him to close the shutters behind them as they run towards the control room, and then to turn the air conditioning on to blow the dust away. The plan works long enough to allow them to get back into the control room.
 
==Characters==
* [[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]]
* [[Dollund,Professor|Professor Dollund]]
* [[Clinton Seymour]]
* [[Clinton Seymour]]
* [[Roberta Goodman|Roberta "Bobby" Goodman]]
* [[Roberta Goodman|Roberta "Bobby" Goodman]]
* [[Henderson (The Dust of Ages)|Henderson]]
* [[Henderson (The Dust of Ages)|Henderson]]
* [[Lisa Summerton]]
* [[Lisa Summerton]]
* [[Darksmith Collective|Drakon]]
* [[Drakon]]
* [[Darksmith Collective|Hallan]]
* [[Hellan]]
* [[Darksmith Collective|Talen]]
* [[Talen]]
* [[Darksmith Collective|Ardos]]
* [[Ardos]]
* [[Darksmith Collective|Stemnos]]
* [[Stemnos]]
* [[Darksmith Agent|The Agent]]
* [[Darksmith Agent|The Agent]]


==References==
== Worldbuilding ==
* [[Sister Clathine]]
* [[Snorkellian]]s are snouted creatures that suck up dust and dirt, digest it and expel it as pellets which apparently are good for growing tomatoes
* [[High Witan]]
* Brother [[Varlos]]
* [[Snorkellian]]s - snouted creatures that suck up dust and dirt, digest it and expel it as pellets which apparently are good for growing tomatoes
* The TARDIS Data Bank on the Moon mentions that the Moon is the only other world the humans have travelled to by the year [[2010]].
* The TARDIS Data Bank on the Moon mentions that the Moon is the only other world the humans have travelled to by the year [[2010]].
* The Agent's metal bodywork is augmented with plastic salvaged from the wreckage of the [[Nestene]] homeworld; [[Polymos]].
* The Agent's metal bodywork is augmented with plastic salvaged from the wreckage of the [[Nestene]] homeworld, [[Polymos]].
* The Agent is programmed with innate understandings of the [[time Vortex]] that were found in a deactivated [[Gundan]] robot. This allows the Agent to travel on [[time wind]]s.
* The Agent is programmed with innate understandings of the [[time Vortex]] that were found in a deactivated [[Gundan]] robot. This allows the Agent to travel on [[time wind]]s.


==Notes==
== Notes ==
* Chapter four, "The Hand of Fear" shares its name with the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial [[DW]]: ''[[The Hand of Fear]]''.
* Chapter four, "The Hand of Fear", shares its name with the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial [[TV]]: ''[[The Hand of Fear (TV story)|The Hand of Fear]]''.
 
* Interspersed with the main fiction is;
*Interspersed with the main fiction is;
:* '''TARDIS Data Bank''' (extra information on 'the Moon' and 'Analysis of Crystal')
:* '''TARDIS Data Bank''' (extra information on 'the Moon' and 'Analysis of Crystal')
:* '''Activity pages x4''' (The puzzle solutions give the reader the chance to think like the Doctor!)
:* '''Activity pages x4''' (The puzzle solutions give the reader the chance to think like the Doctor!)
:* Next installment cover preview and opening chapter.
:* Next instalment cover preview and opening chapter.
:* '''The Darksmith Legacy's''' overall story was devised by [[Justin Richards]] who contributed four of the ten titles.
:* '''The Darksmith Legacy's''' overall story was devised by [[Justin Richards]] who contributed four of the ten titles.
:* '''The Darksmith Legacy''' was certificated to 13, with under 13's needing parental approval.
:* '''The Darksmith Legacy''' was certificated to 13, with under 13's needing parental approval.
:* This first book in the series was released along with the second before the remaining titles saw a monthly release throughout 2009.
:* This first book in the series was released along with the second before the remaining titles saw a monthly release throughout 2009.
:* Each book in the series had a foiled cover with illustration by [[Peter McKinstry]]
:* Each book in the series had a foiled cover with illustration by [[Peter McKinstry]]
 
* By visiting the website and participating in '''the Quest''' participants can unlock additional content like computer [[The Darksmith Legacy: Wallpaper Gallery|wallpapers]] to download.
*By visiting the website and participating in '''the Quest''' participants can unlock additional content like computer [[The Darksmith Legacy: Wallpaper Gallery|wallpapers]] to download.
The Quest itself features; games - (like finding a specific target in an image, by using the sonic screwdriver as a detector, to hone in (to register 100 on the scale). Once located the 'Target' then provides additional information used in further puzzles involving both words and numbers.
The Quest itself features; games - (like finding a specific target in an image, by using the sonic screwdriver as a detector, to hone in (to register 100 on the scale). Once located the 'Target' then provides additional information used in further puzzles involving both words and numbers.


==Continuity==
== Continuity ==
* The Doctor is travelling alone suggesting events in the Darksmith legacy occur after [[DW]]: ''[[Journey's End]]'' as with the majority of media released in [[2009]]. However, as yet none of the books in this arc indicate this precisely; the storyline could just as easily take place during one of the Tenth Doctor's companionless intervals, such as between [[DW]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'' and ''[[Partners in Crime]]'' or between ''[[The Runaway Bride]]'' and ''[[Smith and Jones]]''.
* The Doctor is travelling alone, suggesting events in the Darksmith legacy occur after [[TV]]: ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'' as with the majority of media released in [[2009]]. However, as yet none of the books in this arc indicate this precisely; the storyline could just as easily take place during one of the Tenth Doctor's companionless intervals, such as between [[TV]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]]'' and ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]]'' or between ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'' and ''[[Smith and Jones (TV story)|Smith and Jones]]''.
*Polymos (the Nestene homeworld) was first mentioned by name in [[PDA]]: ''[[Synthespians™]]''.
* Polymos (the Nestene homeworld) was first mentioned by name in [[PROSE]]: ''[[Synthespians™ (novel)|Synthespians™]]''.
*The TARDIS Databank states that the Moon is the only other world the humans have travelled to by the year [[2010]], however; [[DW]]: ''[[The Ambassadors of Death]]'' which features man landing on [[Mars]] in the [[1970s]], though [[NA]]: ''[[The Dying Days]]'' later implies this was mostly a forgotten chapter in Earth's history of exploration. Also, see [[UNIT dating controversy]].
* The TARDIS Databank states that the Moon is the only other world the humans have travelled to by the year [[2010]], however, this contradicts stories; [[TV]]: ''[[The Ambassadors of Death (TV story)|The Ambassadors of Death]]'' features man landing on [[Mars]] in the [[1970s]], though [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Dying Days (novel)|The Dying Days]]'' later implies this was mostly a forgotten chapter in Earth's history of exploration. It is also established that [[Victorian era]] soldiers inhabit Mars in the year 1881 in [[TV]]: ''[[Empress of Mars (TV story)|Empress of Mars]]'', which is a direct contradiction. Also, see [[UNIT dating controversy]].


==Timeline==
== External links ==
* The Dust of Ages occurs after: Unspecified. Probably [[DW]]: ''[[Journey's End]]''
{{dwrefguide|darksmith01.htm|The Dust of Ages}}
* The Dust of Ages occurs before: [[TDL]]: ''[[The Graves of Mordane]]''
* {{whoniverse|dsl01|The Dust of Ages}}
* [http://www.thedarksmithlegacy.com the darksmithlegacy.com For further additional adventures and gameplay.]


==External Links==
{{TDL}}
* [http://www.thedarksmithlegacy.com the darksmithlegacy.com For further additional adventures and gameplay.]
{{TitleSort}}
[[Category:The Darksmith Legacy|*]]
 
[[Category:Stories set on the Moon|Dust of Ages]]
[[Category:Novels set on the Moon]]
[[Category:Activity novels]]
[[Category:TDL novels]]
[[Category:Stories set in the 30th century]]
[[Category:2009 novels]]

Latest revision as of 06:54, 1 June 2024

RealWorld.png

The Dust of Ages is the first book in The Darksmith Legacy series.

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

It is a few years into our future, and there are bases on the Moon. A recent survey has shown something unusual, an unknown power source. When a tall, skinny spiky-haired stranger turns up and announces he's from the Bureau of Alien Technology doing a spot check, the survey team know they've found something special. But is this special power source a blessing or a curse?

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor lands on the Moon in 2010. As he steps out he remarks "Not where I expected, I wonder what drew me off-course?" indicating that he meant to land on Earth. He is guided downstairs into a research facility beneath the lunar surface. He is greeted by Professor Dollund and Roberta Goodman, using the psychic paper to pass as Inspector Smith from the Bureau of Alien Technology. Goodman explains that they are running Survey 4: a mission, started by the 'big industries', to discover natural resources on the Moon as the Earth has been "depleted". As the Doctor is led into the mining room, Clinton Seymour announces news that their drill has found a power source deep underground.

The team of 3 begin the descent into the new tunnels to locate the power source. There is a nod to the Doctor's elevator trip in The Impossible Planet during a scene in which the team are squished into a small mine elevator. Upon entering the chasm, Professor Dollund almost falls into a chasm after miscalculating the load-bearing ability of a rock under Earth gravity. They are greeted in the new cavern by Lisa Summerton and Henderson, two archaeologists. Tracing the energy signal to the wall, the Doctor begins to scoop away at the packed dust. It's not long before he discovers a stone hand - the source of the power.

Whilst examining the hand, Bobby accidentally snaps the hand from the wall. Dollund puts the hand in a box in his rucksack in order to take it back from analysis with Seymour. He and the Doctor walk back through the mines to the lab room. Upon arrival, Dollund unpacks his bag and to his amazement, the hand is gone. All that remains is a pile of dust. Bobby and her team call in and report that the hand has rematerialised in the wall. The Doctor and the Professor, dumb founded, make their way back with tools and vacuums. They begin to clean the statue and reveal more and more until they cause the wall to collapse. It’s revealed that the stone statue is an exact replica of the Doctor, with a Crystalline rock in its throat.

Back in the control room, Seymour notices that dust keeps piling up on his desk and has formed a thick layer on the wall. The Doctor is examining the statue when he hears a scream over the comms. The hand has appeared in the control room and is trying to strangle Seymour. The Doctor races back to help but Seymour manages to attack the hand with a chair, reducing it to dust. Bobby calls urgently with news that the statue has changed and is now her mirror image. Meanwhile, on the distant planet of Karagula, 3 figures convene over the re-emergence of the Crystalline.

The statue in the wall begins to change shape and soon takes a vague outline of a human. It becomes animated and reaches out, attempting to grab at the team. They manage to escape but not before it begins to move. Slowly, the rest of the walls give birth to more shapeless creatures. The teams meet up in the access tunnel where the forming has accelerated and now limbs and whole bodies are emerging. The floor begins to shift and the team lock themselves inside the base. The generator goes down leaving Henderson & Lisa to investigate whilst the Doctor attempts to send an SOS. Henderson discovers that the generator is clogged with dust and figures emerge, capturing him & Lisa.

The Doctor & Bobby discover Lisa & Henderson almost suffocated on dust. They manage to restart the generator and re-enable the power systems to send a signal. Meanwhile on Karagula, the Darksmiths have fashioned a robot out of all their remaining resources, including plastic from the Nestene homeworld, Polymos. The Agent is capable of flying through the time vortex and navigating the time winds in order to retrieve the now called Eternity Crystal. It was lost when a member of their community fled and lost them the “contracts” they depend upon.

The dust inside the base is beginning to take shapes. The Doctor and his team endure a risky journey down the main corridor as the dust begins to mount up. Seymour is able to close off sections and increase air conditioning just enough to get them into the control room. The dust begins to press against the door and it eventually gives way, leaving space for dust to fill the room. A hand forms and takes hold of Seymour’s mouth.

The dust begins taking more finite shapes, prying at the team. They are battling to fight it off and the Doctor has no solution. He is rendered powerless, in the grip of the dust with no Sonic Screwdriver. On Karagula, the Darksmiths have set the location for the Agent’s pod. It departs from their planet on its course to retrieve the crystal from the lunar landscape.

Pinned down by the dust, the Doctor is fighting for his life. He eventually manages to grab a hold of his Sonic Screwdriver and destroys the dust. He then uses “wave cancellation” to prevent the Eternity Crystal from transmitting anymore signals to the dust. On Karagula, the Darksmiths pick up the termination in transmission signals and tell the Agent to use extreme force, if necessary, against the Doctor.

The Doctor begins to say goodbye to the team and contemplated leaving them behind, but succumbs to the guilt. He locks the Eternity Crystal in a stasis box to prevent any further transmissions. Whilst he is downstairs, saying his final farewells, his TARDIS is stolen by a moon buggy. He traces the buggy but only finds the Agent. It picks him up and throws him around. It precedes to say: “Brother Varlos. You have been found guilty of treason.” The Agent has confused the Doctor with the Darksmith who fled Karagula with the Eternity Crystal, and is going to kill him. The book ends with the Doctor in the Agent's fist.

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Snorkellians are snouted creatures that suck up dust and dirt, digest it and expel it as pellets which apparently are good for growing tomatoes
  • The TARDIS Data Bank on the Moon mentions that the Moon is the only other world the humans have travelled to by the year 2010.
  • The Agent's metal bodywork is augmented with plastic salvaged from the wreckage of the Nestene homeworld, Polymos.
  • The Agent is programmed with innate understandings of the time Vortex that were found in a deactivated Gundan robot. This allows the Agent to travel on time winds.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • TARDIS Data Bank (extra information on 'the Moon' and 'Analysis of Crystal')
  • Activity pages x4 (The puzzle solutions give the reader the chance to think like the Doctor!)
  • Next instalment cover preview and opening chapter.
  • The Darksmith Legacy's overall story was devised by Justin Richards who contributed four of the ten titles.
  • The Darksmith Legacy was certificated to 13, with under 13's needing parental approval.
  • This first book in the series was released along with the second before the remaining titles saw a monthly release throughout 2009.
  • Each book in the series had a foiled cover with illustration by Peter McKinstry
  • By visiting the website and participating in the Quest participants can unlock additional content like computer wallpapers to download.

The Quest itself features; games - (like finding a specific target in an image, by using the sonic screwdriver as a detector, to hone in (to register 100 on the scale). Once located the 'Target' then provides additional information used in further puzzles involving both words and numbers.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

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The Darksmith Legacy
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