The Taking of Chelsea 426 (novel): Difference between revisions

{{Infobox Story SMW

|image       = The Taking of Chelsea 426.jpg

|series       = [[BBC New Series Adventures]]

|number       = 34

|doctor       = Tenth Doctor

|companions   = [[Jake Carstairs|Jake]], [[Vienna Carstairs|Vienna]], [[Wallace Fitch|Wallace]]

|enemy       = {{il|[[Sontaran]]s,|[[Rutan Host|Rutans]]}}

|setting      = [[Chelsea 426]] and [[Saturn]], [[26th century]]

|writer       = David Llewellyn

|read by      = [[Christopher Ryan]]

|publisher   = BBC Books

|release date = 3 September 2009

|format       = Hardcover, 241 Pages

|isbn         = ISBN 978-1-84607-758-6

|prev        = Prisoner of the Daleks (novel)

|next         = Autonomy (novel)

|cover        = [[Lee Binding]]

== Publisher's summary ==

The [[Chelsea Flower Show]] - hardly the most [[Excitement|exciting]] or [[danger]]ous event in the [[calendar]]r, or so [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] thinks. But this is [[Chelsea 426]], a [[city]]-sized future [[colony]] floating on the [[cloud]]s of [[Saturn]], and the [[flower]]s are much more than they seem.

As the Doctor [[Investigation|investigates]], he becomes more and more worried. Who is shopkeeper [[Pemberton (The Taking of Chelsea 426)|Mr Pemberton]] acting so strangely? And what is [[Professor]] [[Wilberforce (The Taking of Chelsea 426)|Wilberforce's]] [[Rutan|terrible secret]]?

They are close to finding the answers when a familiar foe arrives, and the stakes suddenly get much higher. The [[Sontaran]]s have plans of their own, and [[Rutan-Sontaran War|they're not here to arrange flowers]]..

''to be added''

* [[Alice Wendell]]

* [[Professor]] [[Wilberforce (The Taking of Chelsea 426)|Wilberforce]]

* [[Jake Carstairs]]

* [[Vienna Carstairs]]

* [[Tenth Doctor]]

* [[Brian Carstairs]]

* [[Bess Carstairs]]

* [[Mynah bird]]

* [[Pemberton (The Taking of Chelsea 426)|Mr Pemberton]]

* [[Wallace Fitch]]

* [[Sedgefield|Mr Sedgefield]]

* [[Zeke (The Taking of Chelsea 426)|Zeke]]

* [[Assistant (The Taking of Chelsea 426)|Assistant]]

* [[Bruno (The Taking of Chelsea 426)|Bruno]]

* [[Major|Field Marshal]] [[Henry Whittington Smythe]]

* [[Usher (The Taking of Chelsea 426)|Usher]]

* [[Bashford (The Taking of Chelsea 426)|Sergeant Bashford]]

* [[Sarg (The Taking of Chelsea 426)|Colonel Sarg]]

* [[Kade|General Kade]]

* [[Thomas (The Taking of Chelsea 426)|Captain Thomas]]

* [[Jenny (The Taking of Chelsea 426)|Jenny]]

* [[Strom|Commander Strom]]

== Worldbuilding ==

* The [[Rutan]]s and the [[Sontaran]]s are present.

* According to the Doctor, it is about due for the [[Third Renaissance]].

 

== Notes ==

* This book continues the theme set by the [[BBC Tenth Doctor Adventures]] line for [[2009 (releases)|2009]], featuring returning monsters from the TV series. It also continues a series of novels in which the Doctor travels without a [[companion]].

* [[David Llewellyn]] also wrote the [[BBC Torchwood Novels|Torchwood]] novel {{cs|Trace Memory (novel)}}, and would later go on to write extensively for [[Big Finish]].

* The title is a reference to the novel and film {{wi|The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974 film)|The Taking of Pelham One Two Three}}. The number is also reminiscent of [[the 456]], an alien race introduced a few months prior to the book's release in ''[[Children of Earth]]''.

* The Doctor asks Vienna, "The city or the song?" The song may be a reference to the song by [[Ultravox]], the song by Billy Joel or the Owl City song "Dear Vienna".

* Several elements introduced in this story would later be reused in Llewellyn's novel {{cs|Night of the Humans (novel)}} including the [[Hexion]]s, [[Mercutio 14]] and the ''[[Herald of Nanking]]''.

* The Doctor's dislike or pears references the [[Seventh Doctor]]'s distaste for them in the novel {{cs|Human Nature (novel)}} from the ''[[Virgin New Adventures]]''. The same reference to pears was originally filmed for the [[Human Nature (TV story)|televised adaptation of the story]] in [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 3]], but this scene was deleted. ''The Taking of Chelsea 426'', therefore, essentially preserved this characteristic into the revived era. It was eventually [[List of references to other DWU media in live-action BBC stories|directly referenced on television]] in [[Series 9]]'s {{cs|Hell Bent (TV story)}}, and again in [[Series 10]]'s [[Christmas Special]], {{cs|Twice Upon a Time (TV story)}}. Incidentally, the latter was [[Twice Upon a Time (novelisation)|novelised]] by [[Paul Cornell]], who also wrote [[Human Nature|both versions of ''Human Nature'']].

* The Sontarans last appeared on screen in [[TV]]: {{cs|The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)}} / {{cs|The Poison Sky (TV story)}} and [[TV]]: {{cs|Enemy of the Bane (TV story)}}. They last appeared in print in [[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Sontaran Games (novel)}}.

* The Rutans last appeared on screen in [[TV]]: ''[[Horror of Fang Rock (TV story)|Horror of Fang Rock]]''. To date, this is their only on-screen appearance.

* The events of [[TV]]: {{cs|The Two Doctors (TV story)}} and {{cs|The Time Warrior (TV story)}} are mentioned.

* Chelsea 426 was founded by the [[Interplanetary Mining Corporation]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Colony in Space (TV story)}})

* The Doctor mentions a [[Krynoid]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Seeds of Doom (TV story)}})

* While in the TARDIS, Jake plays with the crate of items beginning with C, last seen in [[TV]]: {{cs|The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)}}. Its contents include an [[Agatha Christie]] [[Death in the Clouds|novel]], the [[Carrionite]] globe and a [[Cyberman]]'s chest plate.

* The Doctor declares a dislike of [[pear]]s. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Human Nature (novel)|Human Nature}})

* At the end of the novel, the Doctor looks around the empty TARDIS. He also did this before his second meeting with [[Donna Noble]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime}})

* The Doctor says "For one thing I've had my fair share of angry mothers lately" ([[TV]]: {{cs|Aliens of London (TV story)}}, {{cs|The Lazarus Experiment (TV story)}}, {{cs|Partners in Crime (TV story)}})

* The Doctor mentions the [[Battle of Olympus Mons]]. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Transit (novel)}})

== Audiobook ==

* This novel was released as an audiobook in [[September (releases)|September]] [[2010 (releases)|2010]] by [[BBC Audio]] and read by [[Christopher Ryan]].

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* [http://mysite.science.uottawa.ca/rsmith43/cloister/chelsea426.htm The Cloister Library: '''The Taking of Chelsea 426''']

{{NSA}}

 

[[Category:Tenth Doctor NSA novels]]

[[Category:2009 novels]]

[[Category:Novels set on Saturn]]