Trading Futures (novel)
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Trading Futures was the fifty-fifth novel in the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures series. It was written by Lance Parkin. It featured the Eighth Doctor, Fitz Kreiner and Anji Kapoor.
Publisher's summary
"Welcome to the future."
The early decades of the twenty-first century. All the wars have been won. There are no rogue states. The secret services of the world keep the planet electronically monitored, safe from all threat. There is no one left for the United States and the Eurozone to fight. Except each other.
A mysterious time traveler offers a better future — he has a time machine, and with it, humanity could reach the next stage of evolution, they could share its secrets and become the new Lords of Time...
...either that, or someone could keep the technology for themselves, and use it to fight the ultimate war.
Characters
- The Doctor
- Can use a gun to to deflect bullets in mid-air by shooting them.
- Fitz Kreiner
- Fitz can still speak Chinese.
- Is mistaken for the Eighth Doctor and successfully defeats the alien invaders on his own, acting as the Doctor.
- Anji Kapoor
- Tries to use Baskerville's time machine (which isn't) to contact Dave.
- Jonah Cosgrove
- Deputy Head of Eurozone Secret Service.
- Baskerville
- Is the richest man in the world.
- Is not a time traveller.
- Possesses his own personal stealth Concorde.
- Jaxa
- Sabbath's Time Agent mercenary.
- She's a historian.
- Roja
- Sabbath's cabin boy and Time Agent mercenary.
- Bermuda Atkins
- Dee Gordon
- Felix Mather
- Has become President of the United States since the Doctor last met him.
- Malady Chang
- A CIA agent, working for Control.
- Penny Lik
- Relker
- Pad
- Onihr Leader
- Onihr Deputy Leader
References
- The Doctor uses the Bocca Scale to measure time disturbances.
- The Eurozone, or EZ, is one of the larger superpowers in the "near future". Britain is part of the EZ.
- Fitz uses a RealWar robot in what he thinks is an arcade game. Later Anji meets Baskerville, the owner of RealWar.
- Anji thinks about "current" technology in relation to Hitchemus's.
- This marks another appearance of humans with access to time travel technology, highlighting the destruction of the Time Lords.
- The Onihr are among many alien races seeking time travel in the post-Gallifrey universe, and have discovered some Time Lord relics (including the high-collared robes) in their quest.
- The Onihr mention that the Earth acts as a magnet to "time travellers and other fourth-dimensional beings", but don't know why.
- Baskerville's time machine (which several parties try to get throughout the novel) isn't. It's a coffee machine...more or less.
- The Onihr are large rhinoceros-like alien humanoids similar in description (but not in character) to the later Judoon.
Notes
- Stylistically (right down to the cover), Trading Futures is a little bit like a James Bond movie, with the Doctor blowing up spy boats, car chases and international travel, bombs in interesting places...plus some genuine (non-coffee machine) time travel (and space alien rhinos).
- The "dancing flame women" on the cover is a reuse of the fire image from PROSE: The Adventuress of Henrietta Street; you can see the silhouette of the Doctor in one of the women.
- BBC Books has announced that a "print on demand" reprint edition of this novel will be made available as of 31st August 2011 as the imprint revisits adventures featuring the first eight Doctors. This book is also available as an ebook from the Amazon Kindle store.[source needed]
Continuity
- Fitz learnt to speak Chinese during his time brainwashed for Communist China. (PROSE: Revolution Man)
- Fitz wanders the TARDIS corridors and hears something scratching behind the walls. The source of the noise is revealed in PROSE: The Gallifrey Chronicles.
- The Doctor first met Felix Mather while hijacking the Atlantis space shuttle. (PROSE: Father Time)
- Mariah Learman and the Eurozone also appear in AUDIO: The Time of the Daleks.
- The Doctor remembers meeting Time Agents in 1933. (PROSE: Eater of Wasps)
External links
- Trading Futures at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Discontinuity Guide to: Trading Futures at The Whoniverse
