The Dust of Ages (novel)
From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
The Dust of Ages is the first book in The Darksmith Legacy series.
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?
Characters
- The Doctor
- Professor Dollund
- Clinton Seymour
- Roberta "Bobby" Goodman
- Henderson
- Lisa Summerton
- Drakon
- Hallan
- Talen
- Ardos
- Stemnos
- The Agent
References
- Sister Clathine
- High Witan
- Brother Varlos
- Snorkellians - 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
- Chapter four, "The Hand of Fear" shares its name with the Doctor Who serial TV: The Hand of Fear.
- Interspersed with the main fiction is;
- 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
- The Doctor is travelling alone, suggesting events in the Darksmith legacy occur after TV: 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 and Partners in Crime or between The Runaway Bride and Smith and Jones.
- Polymos (the Nestene homeworld) was first mentioned by name in PROSE: Synthespians™.
- The TARDIS Databank states that the Moon is the only other world the humans have travelled to by the year 2010, however; TV: The Ambassadors of Death features man landing on Mars in the 1970s, though PROSE: The Dying Days later implies this was mostly a forgotten chapter in Earth's history of exploration. Also, see UNIT dating controversy.
