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{{ | {{Infobox Story SMW | ||
|image = <gallery> | |||
Ten Little Aliens.jpg|2002 edition | |||
Doctor Who 10 little aliens 50th.jpg|2013 edition | |||
series=[[BBC Past Doctor Adventures]] | | </gallery> | ||
number= | |series = [[BBC Past Doctor Adventures]] | ||
doctor= | |number = 53 | ||
companions=[[ | |doctor = First Doctor | ||
enemy= The Ten-Strong| | |companions = [[Polly Wright|Polly]], [[Ben Jackson|Ben]] | ||
|enemy = The [[Ten-Strong]], [[Morphiean]]s | |||
writer= | |setting = [[Planetoid (Ten Little Aliens)|Unnamed planetoid]], [[Earth Empire]]-[[Morphiea]] border | ||
|writer = Stephen Cole | |||
release date= June | |publisher = BBC Books | ||
format= Paperback | |cover = [[Black Sheep]] | ||
isbn= ISBN 0-563-53853-8 | | |release date = 3 June 2002 | ||
|format = Paperback, 18 Chapters, 320 pages | |||
|isbn = ISBN 0-563-53853-8 | |||
|prev = Warmonger (novel) | |||
|next = Combat Rock (novel) | |||
}}{{prose stub}} | |||
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the fifty-third novel in the [[BBC Past Doctor Adventures]] series. It was written by [[Stephen Cole]], released on [[3 June (releases)|3 June]] [[2002 (releases)|2002]] and featured the [[First Doctor]], [[Ben Jackson]] and [[Polly Wright]]. | |||
'''''Ten | == Publisher's summary == | ||
=== 2002 BBC Books edition === | |||
Far out in space, on the ragged edges of [[Earth Empire|Earth's bloated empire]], an elite unit of [[soldier]]s is on a training mission. But deep in the heart of the hollowed-out [[planetoid]] that forms their battleground, a chilling secret waits to be discovered: ten alien [[corpse]]s, frozen in time at the moment of violent, bloody death. | |||
The [[body|bodies]] are those of the empire's most wanted [[terrorist]]s, and their discovery could end a war of attrition devastating the [[galaxy]]. But is the same force that slaughtered them still lurking in the dark [[tunnel]]s of the training ground? And what are its plans for the people of Earth? | |||
When [[First Doctor|the Doctor]] arrives on the planetoid with [[Ben Jackson|Ben]] and [[Polly Wright|Polly]], he soon senses a net tightening about them. And as the soldiers begin to disappear one by one, paranoia spreads; is the real enemy out there in the darkness, or somewhere among them? | |||
=== 2013 BBC Books edition === | |||
Deep in the heart of a hollowed-out moon the [[First Doctor]] finds a chilling secret: ten alien corpses, frozen in time at the moment of their death. They are the empire's most wanted terrorists, and their discovery could end a war devastating the galaxy. But is the same force that killed them still lurking in the dark? And what are its plans for the people of Earth? | |||
== Plot == | |||
In the distant future, Marshal [[Nadina Haunt]] is training trainees of Earth's Anti-Terror elite at a training facility. Haunt takes a group of them to a barren planetoid for a mock battle against [[Kill-Droid]]s, however they find a complex architecture from the Earth conquered [[Schirr]] homeworld. | |||
Meanwhile, the [[First Doctor|Doctor]], [[Ben Jackson|Ben]], and [[Polly Wright|Polly]] arrive in the [[TARDIS]] and begin examining a central chamber within the Schirr complex. Haunt's troopers are surprised by the presence of the trio but are distracted by the discovery of the corpses of the [[Ten-Strong]], a magic-wielding Schirr terrorist cell, sealed behind a force field. Haunt's group explains that the Ten-Strong previously learned magic from the discorporial [[Morphiean]]s, then assaulted Earth forces with various 'spells'. The assembled humans ponder how the Ten-Strong came to be lying dead on the Barren planetoid. The complex they are in suddenly breaks away from the planetoid and rockets towards the [[Morphiean quadrant]]. | |||
The soldiers and the TARDIS team all set about investigating how to turn the asteroid around and why the corpses are present. [[Gisel Denni|Denni]] is suddenly dragged away in the dark from an unseen force, as is [[Stace Lindey|Lindey]] later on. They later find out that this was done by stone angels and cherubs, which are identified as [[Morphiean construct]]s. Over time the group realises that they are all transforming into [[Schirr]], with [[Mel Narda|Frog]] being the most advanced into this process. The process seems to be beneficial to some: removing shrapnel from [[Adam Shade|Shade]]'s face, healing [[Mel Narda|Frog]]'s voice, and removing a cyst from [[Nadina Haunt|Haunt]], however the end process is that their bodies will become Schirr. [[Eiji Shel|Shel]] is revealed to be an [[android]]; the group ponders on whether he was sent to sabotage the mission or investigate someone else who might want to do so. | |||
The remaining soldiers and the TARDIS crew set up a neural-net between them: a means of looking through each other's perspective to forcibly link the minds of all present. Eventually, the [[Ten-Strong]] revive, having faked their demise behind a time-stasis field. The Doctor realises that Haunt, a Schirr sympathizer, deliberately lead her troopers to the asteroid as fodder for the Ten-Strong. Weakened from their recent escapades, the Ten-Strong plan to use Morphiean magic to convert Haunt's soldiers into Schirr flesh, then absorb them to regain their health. If successful, the Ten-Strong intend to cast their greatest spell to date - a ritual that will let their allies, a group of Morphiean extremists, seize control of the Morphiean host mind. United, the Ten-Strong and renegade Morphieans will crush the Earth empire: gaining the Schirr revenge and the Morphieans a plethora of physical hosts. | |||
For the ritual to be successful, a specific number of beings must be present for the final spell, the [[Morphiean constructs]] (in the form of bugs swarmed together to form stone angels and cherubs) kill off a few of Haunt's troopers throughout the plot, including: Denni, Lindey, Joiks, and the cyborg Shel. When the correct number are present, the Ten-Strong usurp the trooper's neural net. Finally, the Ten-Strong leader [[DeCaster]] consumes Haunt and readies for the final incantation. | |||
The | The Doctor discovers that when the cyborg Shel previously interfaced with the network, a trace element of his AI personality was left behind. As the Ten-Strong make their final casting, the Doctor begs Shel's digitized persona to mentally resist the incantation. Shel's disruptive presence ruins the chant, causing an energy backlash that obliterates the Ten-Strong and ruins the renegade Morphiean's protection spells from the hive-mind, allowing the [[Morphiean]] authorities to detect and eliminate them. | ||
With the threat to Earth ended, Haunt's remaining soldiers steer the wayward complex towards home and the Doctor, Ben, and Polly leave in the TARDIS. | |||
== Characters == | == Characters == | ||
* [[First | * [[First Doctor]] | ||
* [[Ben Jackson]] | * [[Ben Jackson]] | ||
* [[Polly Wright|Polly]] | * [[Polly Wright|Polly]] | ||
=== Soldiers === | === Soldiers === | ||
* Haunt | * Marshal [[Nadina Haunt]] | ||
* Shel | * [[Eiji Shel]] | ||
* | * [[Adam Shade]] | ||
* Gisel Denni | * [[Gisel Denni]] | ||
* Joiks | * [[Dav Joiks]] | ||
* Mel | * [[Mel Narda|Mel "Frog" Narda]] | ||
* Tovel | * [[Ralph Tovel]] | ||
* | * [[Stace Lindey]] | ||
* | * [[Joseph Creben]] | ||
* | * [[Dax Roba]] | ||
* [[Cellmek]] | |||
* [[Ashman (Ten Little Aliens)|Ashman]] | |||
=== Schirr === | === Schirr === | ||
* [[ | * [[DeCaster]] | ||
* [[Pallemar]] | * [[Pallemar]] | ||
== | == Worldbuilding == | ||
' | === Individuals === | ||
* Polly spent a week in [[1963]] working at a [[charity shop]]. | |||
=== Locations === | |||
* Earth colonies include the [[Little Europe]] [[star system]], the [[Indochina system]], the [[Thai system]], the [[Commonwealth Belt]], [[planet]]s [[Toronto (planet)|Toronto]], [[New Jersey (planet)|New Jersey]], [[the Argentines]], [[Buenos Aires (planet)|Buenos Aires]], [[Paris II]] and [[Beijing Minor]]. | |||
* The Schirr homeworld was renamed [[Idaho (planet)|Idaho]]. | |||
=== Culture === | |||
* [[Human]]s [[born]] on [[Earth]] are referred to as [[Earthborn]]. | |||
=== Species === | |||
* Earth's empire annexed the [[Schirr]] homeworld. | |||
* Schirr terrorists use [[Morphiean]] [[magic]] against the empire. | |||
=== Technology === | |||
* Imperial soldiers use [[webset]]s and [[Kill-Droid]]s in their training. | |||
* The Schirr use [[crystal]]s with cartographic information in them to pilot their ships. | |||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
The novel's title is | * This adventure is set between ''[[The Smugglers (TV story)|The Smugglers]]'' and ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]''. It is the only novel in a very small number of stories to feature the First Doctor travelling with Ben and Polly. ''[[The Three Paths (short story)|The Three Paths]]'', a [[2006 (releases)|2006]] [[Short Trips: Farewells|short story]], establishes a solid narrative gap between the two TV serials which allows for this. | ||
* The novel's title is an allusion to the [[Agatha Christie]] story {{wi|And Then There Were None|Ten Little Indians}}. | |||
* The book was re-released with a new cover by [[Two Associates]] on [[7 March (releases)|7 March]] [[2013 (releases)|2013]] for the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' 50th anniversary. | |||
* The story is set in May '90, but the millennium and century are unspecified. The reference book [[AHistory|A''History'']] places the year as circa [[2890]], as it is set during a time when Earth's empire is strong. | |||
* The spacesuits worn here are the ones later seen in the television story ''[[The Moonbase (TV story)|The Moonbase]]''. | |||
* The book includes an in-universe dossier giving the biographies of the Anti-Terror Elite soldiers featured in the main narrative. Stephen Cole writes in the author's notes that he wrote this as a frame of reference for the characters, and decided to include it in the book proper for the reader's benefit. | |||
* The book takes on an unusual format from pages 196 to 244, taking on the style of a '[[Decide Your Destiny]]' book during the sequence when the characters are linked in the [[neural network]], allowing the reader to switch between the first person perspectives of each of the characters, excluding the Doctor | |||
== Continuity == | == Continuity == | ||
* The Doctor can sense his upcoming | * The Doctor can sense [[First Doctor's renewal|his upcoming regeneration]] into his [[Second Doctor|second incarnation]], telling Ben that he will soon feel a new person. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]'') As will be the case with his [[Tenth Doctor|tenth incarnation]] considerably later in his personal timeline, he is apprehensive about the inevitable change, ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'') which will later result in his refusal to regenerate entirely. ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon A Time]]'') | ||
* The Kill-Droid reminds Ben of the [[War Machine]]s. ([[TV]]: ''[[The War Machines (TV story)|The War Machines]]'') | |||
* Creben refers to [[spectrox]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'') | |||
* '' | * Haunt says to the Doctor that the pioneers used to say that our destiny is in the stars. The First Doctor said this in France. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Reign of Terror (TV story)|The Reign of Terror]]'') | ||
* '' | * In order to stop [[Polly Wright|Polly]] from looking at his thoughts, the Doctor produces the image of a penny farthing. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Space Museum (TV story)|The Space Museum]]'') | ||
* The Doctor mentions civilisations which eat the bodies of the dead in order to remember them. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Venusian Lullaby (novel)|Venusian Lullaby]]'') | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
* {{dwrefguide|whobbk54.htm|Ten Little Aliens}} | * {{Penguin|1093755/doctor-who--ten-little-aliens/}} | ||
* {{whoniverse| | {{dwrefguide|whobbk54.htm|Ten Little Aliens}} | ||
* {{whoniverse|pd54|Ten Little Aliens}} | |||
* [http://mysite.science.uottawa.ca/rsmith43/cloister/tenl.htm The Cloister Library: '''Ten Little Aliens'''] | |||
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[[Category:E-books]] | |||
[[Category:50th Anniversary Collection PDA reprints]] | |||