Evolution (novel): Difference between revisions

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:''For the scientific theory of the same name, see [[Evolution]].''
{{title dab away}}
{{real world}}
{{Infobox Story SMW
|image          = Ma-2.jpg
|series          = [[Virgin Missing Adventures]]
|range          = Virgin Missing Adventures
|number in range = 2
|number          = 2
|doctor          = Fourth Doctor
|companions      = [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]]
|enemy          = [[Percival Ross]], [[Tobias Breckinridge]]
|setting        = {{il|[[Dartmoor]], [[1880]]|[[Andromeda (galaxy)|Andromeda Galaxy]]}}
|writer          = John Peel
|cover          = [[Alister Pearson]]
|publisher      = Virgin Books
|release date    = 15 September 1994
|format          = Paperback Book; 13 Chapters, 256 Pages
|isbn            = ISBN 0-426-20422-0
|prev            = Goth Opera (novel)
|next            = Venusian Lullaby (novel)
}}{{prose stub}}
{{dab page|Evolution (disambiguation)}}
'''''Evolution''''' was the second novel in the ''[[Virgin Missing Adventures]]'' series. It was written by [[John Peel]] and featured the [[Fourth Doctor]] and [[Sarah Jane Smith]].


{{Infobox Novel|
== Publisher's summary ==
novel name= Evolution |
''"Someone is tampering with the fabric of the [[human]] [[Cell (biology)|cell]]," [[Fourth Doctor|the Doctor]] said darkly, "perverting its secrets to his own dark purposes."''
image= [[Image:Ma-2.jpg|250px]] |
series=[[Doctor Who]] -<br/>[[Virgin Missing Adventures]] |
number= 2 |
doctor=[[Fourth Doctor]] |
companions= [[Sarah Jane Smith]] |
enemy= [[Percival Ross]], [[Breckinridge]] |
year=<ul><li>[[Dartmoor]], [[1880]]</li><li>[[Andromeda Galaxy]], time unknown</li></ul>|
writer= [[John Peel]] |
publisher= [[Virgin Books]] |
release date= [[September]] [[1994]] |
format= Paperback Book, ? Pages |
isbn= ISBN 0426204220|
previous story=[[Goth Opera]]|
next story= [[Venusian Lullaby]] }}


==Publisher's summary==
[[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]] wants to meet her fellow [[journalist]] [[Rudyard Kipling]], and the Doctor sets the co-ordinates for [[England]], [[Earth]], in the [[Victorian era|Victorian Age]]. As usual, [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] materialises in not quite the right place, and the [[time travel]]lers find themselves pursued across [[Devon]] [[moorland]] by a huge feral hound.
''''Someone is tampering with the fabric of the human cell,’ [[Fourth Doctor|the Doctor]] said darkly, ‘perverting its secrets to his own dark purposes.''''


[[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah Jane]] wants to meet her fellow journalist [[Rudyard Kipling]], and [[Fourth Doctor|the Doctor]] sets the co-ordinates for [[England]], [[Earth]], in the [[Victorian era|Victorian Age]]. As usual, [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] materializes in not quite the right place, and the time travellers find themselves pursued across [[Devon]] moorland by a huge feral hound.  
[[Child]]ren have gone missing; at the local [[boarding school]], the young Rudyard Kipling has set up search parties. Lights have been seen beneath the waters of the [[bay]], and [[fishing|fishermen]] have been pulled from their [[boat]]s and mutilated. [[Grave]]s have been robbed of their [[corpse]]s. Something is going on, and [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], the ship's [[doctor]] from a recently berthed arctic [[whaler]], is determined to investigate.


Children have gone missing; at the local boarding school, the young Rudyard Kipling has set up search parties. Lights have been seen beneath the waters of the bay, and fishermen have been pulled from their boats and mutilated. Graves have been robbed of their corpses. Something is going on, and [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], the ship’s doctor from a recently berthed arctic whaler, is determined to investigate.  
The Doctor and Doyle join forces to uncover a macabre scheme to interfere with human [[evolution]] — and both Sarah and Kipling face a terrifying transmogrification.


The Doctor and Doyle join forces to uncover a macabre scheme to interfere with human evolution - and both Sarah Jane and Kipling face a terrifying transmogrification.
== Plot ==
 
==Characters==
*[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]]
*[[Sarah Jane Smith]]
*[[Rudyard Kipling]]
*[[Arthur Conan Doyle]]
*[[Sir Edward]]
*[[Sir Alexander Cromwell|Sir&nbsp;Alexander Cromwell]]
*Josh Andrews
*Ben Tolliver
*Ross
*Billy
*Breckinridge
*Captin Grey
*Alice
*Lucy The Mermaid
*Colley
*
*
 
==References==
''to be added''
''to be added''


==Notes==
== Characters ==
*The Doctor is the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle's creation of Sherlock Holmes (and, possibly, Professor Challenger, as mentioned in the novel's coda). Specifically referenced are Holmes's choice of dress (the Doctor wears a Deerstalker cap and long cloak), his methods of deductive reasoning, and close reading of footprints to determine events at a crime scene.
* [[Fourth Doctor]]
 
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]]
*The relationship between The Doctor and Doyle, himself a ship's surgeon, parallels that of Holmes and Dr. Watson.
* [[Rudyard Kipling]]
 
* [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]
*There are also numerous references to ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'', especially in the early parts of the novel, concerning a great dog-like beast claiming victims on the moors.
* [[Edward Fulbright|Sir Edward Fulbright]]
* [[Alexander Cromwell|Sir Alexander Cromwell]]
* [[Josh Anders]]
* [[Ben Tolliver]]
* [[Edmund Ross]]
* [[Abercrombie]]
* [[Percival Ross]]
* [[Billy (Evolution)|Billy]]
* [[Tobias Breckinridge]]
* [[John Gray|Captain John Gray]]
* [[Roger Bridewell]]
* [[Alice Fulbright]]
* [[Lucy (Evolution)|Lucy]]
* [[Cherry (Evolution)|Cherry]]
* [[Brogan (Evolution)|Brogan]]
* [[Raintree]]
* [[Jen Walker]]
* [[Jack Lamb]]
* [[Bernard Faversham]]
* [[Jim Brackley]]
* [[Martinson (Evolution)|Martinson]]
* [[Jack Kinney]]


*It is also possible that the relationship between Edmund and Percival Ross is an oblique reference to the relationship between Holmes and his older brother, Mycroft Holmes, who, like Edmund Ross, was the more intelligent of the two and in some clandestine service to the Crown.
== Worldbuilding ==
* Sarah swims in the "tub" in the "[[TARDIS swimming pool|bathroom]]" of [[the Doctor's TARDIS]]. The merchildren also stay in the "tub" on the trip to [[Andromeda (galaxy)|Andromeda]].
* Colonel Ross claims to be a special agent working directly under the command and authority of Her Majesty [[Victoria|Queen Victoria]] and it is his job to investigate those matters that lie outside of the conventional.
* The Doctor can speak fluent [[dolphin]].


*This novel implies strongly that Holmes and Watson are fictional characters, created by Doyle, based on the Doctor and Doyle himself. However, the novel [[NA]]: ''[[All-Consuming Fire]]'' treats Holmes and Watson as real people, fictionalized slightly by Doyle.
== Notes ==
* The Doctor is the inspiration for [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s [[Sherlock Holmes]]. Specifically referenced are Holmes's choice of dress (the Doctor wears a deerstalker cap and long cloak), his methods of [[deductive reasoning]] and close reading of footprints to determine events at a crime scene. The outfit the Doctor is seen wearing on the cover of this story is also the same one worn by him in the television story ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang (TV story)|The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]''.
* The relationship between the Doctor and Doyle, himself a ship's [[surgeon]], parallels that of Holmes and [[John Watson|Dr Watson]].
* There are numerous references to ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles]]'', especially in the early parts of the novel, concerning a great, dog-like beast claiming victims on the moors.
* The novel ''[[All-Consuming Fire (novel)|All-Consuming Fire]]'' establishes that while Sherlock Holmes is a real character in this universe, the name "Sherlock Holmes" is a pseudonym invented by [[Arthur Conan Doyle|Doyle]] to hide his true identity. This novel goes on to speculate that Doyle based some of the fictional Holmes' characteristics on the Fourth Doctor, in order to further obscure the detective's true identity. The TV story ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'' would later indicate that Holmes and his adventures were based on [[Vastra|Madame Vastra]].
* A crashed [[Rutan]] ship is key to the back-story. In the personal timeline of the Doctor, ''Evolution'' takes place before the television story ''[[Horror of Fang Rock (TV story)|Horror of Fang Rock]]'', which is also about events set in motion by a [[Rutan]] crashing in an isolated part of the English coast.
* [[Victoria|Queen Victoria]] is said to have secret agents who investigate unusual occurrences. This story was written twelve years before the television episode ''[[Tooth and Claw (TV story)|Tooth and Claw]]'', so any intentional reference to the [[Torchwood Institute]] is impossible.
* This story is set between ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'' and ''[[The Seeds of Doom (TV story)|The Seeds of Doom]]''.


==Continuity==
== Continuity ==
*In several scenes told from Sarah Jane's point of view, she refers to the planet [[Karn]] and the encounter with [[Morbius]] in ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]''. Specifically, she compares the moors to [[Karn]] and observes the effect that adventure has had on the Doctor's mood. Her observations imply this story takes place almost immediately after ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]'' concluded.
* Sarah refers to the planet [[Karn]] and her encounter with [[Morbius]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Brain of Morbius (TV story)}})
*Sarah Jane swims in the [[TARDIS]]'s "bathroom", not seen onscreen until [[DW]]: ''[[The Invasion of Time]].
* The Doctor mentions [[Metebelis III]] and [[Argolis]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Planet of the Spiders (TV story)}}, {{cs|The Leisure Hive (TV story)}})
*A crashed [[Rutan]] ship is key to the backstory; this story occurs (within the Doctor's personal chronology) prior to [[DW]]: ''[[Horror of Fang Rock]]'', which is also about events set in motion by a [[Rutan]] crashing in an isolated part of the English coast.
* Sarah compares the moors to [[Karn]] and observes the effect that adventure has had on the Doctor's mood. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Brain of Morbius (TV story)}})
* Sarah refers to her first trip in the TARDIS to [[13th century]] [[England]] and her encounter with [[Sutekh]] in [[1911]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Time Warrior (TV story)}}, {{cs|Pyramids of Mars (TV story)}})
* The Doctor would again encounter someone experimenting with human evolution. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Ghost Light (TV story)}})


==Timeline==
== External links ==
*Evolution occurs after [[DW]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]''
{{dwrefguide|who_ma02.htm|Evolution}}
*Evolution occurs before [[TVC]]: ''[[Return of the Daleks (TV comic)|Return of the Daleks]]''
* {{whoniverse|ma02|Evolution}}
* [http://mysite.science.uottawa.ca/rsmith43/cloister/evol.htm The Cloister Library: '''Evolution''']
{{MA}}
{{TitleSort}}


==External links==
*{{dwrefguide|who_ma02.htm|Evolution}}
*{{whoniverse|MA02.php|Evolution}}
[[Category:Fourth Doctor novels]]
[[Category:Fourth Doctor novels]]
[[Category:Sarah Jane Smith novels]]
[[Category:Sarah Jane Smith novels]]
[[Category:Stories set in Devon]]
[[Category:Stories set in Devon]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1880]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1880]]
[[Category:Virgin Missing Adventure Novels]]
[[Category:MA novels]]
[[Category:1994 novels]]
[[Category:1994 novels]]
[[Category:Rutan Host novels]]
[[Category:Stories set in the Andromeda Galaxy]]

Latest revision as of 00:24, 22 October 2024

RealWorld.png

prose stub
You may wish to consult Evolution (disambiguation) for other, similarly-named pages.

Evolution was the second novel in the Virgin Missing Adventures series. It was written by John Peel and featured the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith.

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

"Someone is tampering with the fabric of the human cell," the Doctor said darkly, "perverting its secrets to his own dark purposes."

Sarah wants to meet her fellow journalist Rudyard Kipling, and the Doctor sets the co-ordinates for England, Earth, in the Victorian Age. As usual, the TARDIS materialises in not quite the right place, and the time travellers find themselves pursued across Devon moorland by a huge feral hound.

Children have gone missing; at the local boarding school, the young Rudyard Kipling has set up search parties. Lights have been seen beneath the waters of the bay, and fishermen have been pulled from their boats and mutilated. Graves have been robbed of their corpses. Something is going on, and Arthur Conan Doyle, the ship's doctor from a recently berthed arctic whaler, is determined to investigate.

The Doctor and Doyle join forces to uncover a macabre scheme to interfere with human evolution — and both Sarah and Kipling face a terrifying transmogrification.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Sarah swims in the "tub" in the "bathroom" of the Doctor's TARDIS. The merchildren also stay in the "tub" on the trip to Andromeda.
  • Colonel Ross claims to be a special agent working directly under the command and authority of Her Majesty Queen Victoria and it is his job to investigate those matters that lie outside of the conventional.
  • The Doctor can speak fluent dolphin.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor is the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Specifically referenced are Holmes's choice of dress (the Doctor wears a deerstalker cap and long cloak), his methods of deductive reasoning and close reading of footprints to determine events at a crime scene. The outfit the Doctor is seen wearing on the cover of this story is also the same one worn by him in the television story The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
  • The relationship between the Doctor and Doyle, himself a ship's surgeon, parallels that of Holmes and Dr Watson.
  • There are numerous references to The Hound of the Baskervilles, especially in the early parts of the novel, concerning a great, dog-like beast claiming victims on the moors.
  • The novel All-Consuming Fire establishes that while Sherlock Holmes is a real character in this universe, the name "Sherlock Holmes" is a pseudonym invented by Doyle to hide his true identity. This novel goes on to speculate that Doyle based some of the fictional Holmes' characteristics on the Fourth Doctor, in order to further obscure the detective's true identity. The TV story The Snowmen would later indicate that Holmes and his adventures were based on Madame Vastra.
  • A crashed Rutan ship is key to the back-story. In the personal timeline of the Doctor, Evolution takes place before the television story Horror of Fang Rock, which is also about events set in motion by a Rutan crashing in an isolated part of the English coast.
  • Queen Victoria is said to have secret agents who investigate unusual occurrences. This story was written twelve years before the television episode Tooth and Claw, so any intentional reference to the Torchwood Institute is impossible.
  • This story is set between The Brain of Morbius and The Seeds of Doom.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

v • e
Virgin Missing Adventures
First Doctor
Susan, Ian, Barbara
Ian, Barbara
Ian, Barbara, Vicki
Vicki, Steven
Dodo
Second Doctor
Ben, Polly
Jamie, Victoria
Jamie, Zoe
Third Doctor
Liz, UNIT
Jo, UNIT
Jo, Yates
Sarah, Jeremy,
The Brig
Fourth Doctor
Sarah, Harry
Sarah
Romana I, K9
Romana II, K9
Fifth Doctor
Adric, Nyssa, Tegan
Nyssa, Tegan
Tegan, Turlough, Kamelion
Turlough
Sixth Doctor
Peri
Grant
Mel
Seventh Doctor
Chris, Roz
Other
Victoria, Sarah, The Brig
Second, Third, Seventh Doctors
with Dodo and UNIT
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