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The Deviant Strain was the fourth novel in the BBC New Series Adventures series. It was written by Justin Richards and featured the Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler and Jack Harkness.
Publisher's summary
The Novrosk Peninsula: the Soviet naval base has been abandoned, the nuclear submarines are rusting and rotting. Cold, isolated, forgotten.
Until the Russian Special Forces arrive -- and discover that the Doctor and his companions are here too. But there is something else in Novrosk. Something that predates even the stone circle on the cliff top. Something that is at last waking, hunting, killing....
Can the Doctor and his friends stay alive long enough to learn the truth? With time running out, they must discover who is really responsible for the Deviant Strain...
Plot
to be added
Characters
- Ninth Doctor
- Rose Tyler
- Jack Harkness
- General Grodny
- Colonel Oleg Levin
- Sofia Barinska
- Ilya Sergeyev
- Lieutenant Krylek
- Igor Klebanov
- Pavel Vahlen
- Valeria
Worldbuilding
Foods and beverages
- Rose isn't used to Russian-style vodka.
Groups
- The crashed spaceship comes from an obscure group or race called the Arcane Collegiate.
Mythology
- The locals blame the deaths on the folkloric Vourdulak.
Story notes
- The "Deviant Strain" is also the name commonly applied to the Doctor Who font, which was seen many times during the revived series, including on the covers of the New Series Adventures.
- Though the Doctor only says they've landed in the "early 21st century, General Grodny reveals that 20 years ago, the Cold War was ending. This would place the story sometime near 2010.
- Later reprints of this book removed the image of Billie Piper from the cover, presumably due to use-of-likeness issues after she had left the programme.
- This story was also released as an ebook available from the Amazon Kindle store.
Continuity
- Jack sings "Pack Up Your Troubles...", which was previously sung by Mrs Pobjoy. (PROSE: Winner Takes All)
- The Doctor and Jack mention "volcano day". (TV: The Doctor Dances)
Additional cover images
Alternate cover without Rose
Editions published outside Britain
- Published in China by New Star Press in 2020 as a paperback edition.
Audiobook
- This novel was released as an audiobook in August 2012 by BBC Audio and read by Stuart Milligan. The audiobook was exclusive to the AudioGo website before the company went into administration.
Audiobook cover
