Made of Steel (novel)

Made of Steel is a BBC Books original novella written by Terrance Dicks, featuring the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones. It is the second release in the Quick Reads initiative, a series of shorter works aimed at promoting literacy.

Publisher's summary

A deadly night attack on an army base. Vehicles are destroyed, building burned, soldiers killed. The attackers vanish as swiftly as they came, taking highly advanced equipment with them.

Metal figures attack a shopping mall. But why do they only want a new games console from an ordinary electronics shop? An obscure Government Ministry is blown up - but, in the wreckage, no trace is found of the secret, state-of-the-art decoding equipment.

When the TARDIS returns The Doctor and Martha to Earth from a distant galaxy, they try to piece together the mystery. But someone - or something - is waiting for them. An old enemy stalks the night, men no longer made of flesh...

Characters

References

Individuals

Martha indicates that she is the cousin of Adeola Oshodi, a Torchwood Institute employee who died during the Battle of Canary Wharf (as seen in DW: Army of Ghosts).

Notes

This was the second release in the BBC Books paperback-only Quick Reads series, and the first New Series-related work to be written by prolific Doctor Who novelist Dicks; Dicks also served a script editor for the series in the early 1970s and wrote numerous episodes in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, making this the first time a writer from the original series has been involved in a New Series-related product. The book marked Martha Jones' public debut as it was not only released prior to her debut in the standard hard cover book series, but also prior to her first television appearance in Smith and Jones.
This was the only Quick Reads novella of the five to feature an enemy which is not featured in another New Series Adventure novel. The Daleks appered in Prisoner of the Daleks, the Judoon appeared in Judgement of the Judoon, the Sontarans appeared in The Taking of Chelsea 426 and the Krillitanes appeared in The Krillitane Storm. The Cybermen, however, do not feature in any other such novel. This is the only time the Pete's World varient has featured in print, and the only time so far any Cybermen have featured in a new series novel.

Continuity

The events of the book must take place after DW: The Lazarus Experiment as Martha says something about facing mad scientists again.
Martha is forced to wait outside the TARDIS in the Doctor's absence, placing the events of the book before DW: 42 (when Martha receives a key to the TARDIS).
One of the Cybermen says: "Promises made to inferior species have no meaning", similar line is said by a Cyber-Leader in The Five Doctors ("Promises to aliens have no vadility."), also written by Dicks.

Timeline

This story occurs after NSA: Sting of the Zygons
This story occurs before DW: 42

External links