Empire of Death (novel)
Empire of Death was the sixty-third novel in the BBC Past Doctor Adventures series. It was written by David Bishop, released 1 March 2004 and featured the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa.
This was the first and only novel to feature this line up of Doctor and companion, although it would be a pairing that Big Finish Productions used for several audio stories starting with The Land of the Dead in January 2000.
Publisher's summary
In 1856, a boy discovers he can speak with the voices of the dead. He grows up to become one of England's most celebrated spiritualists.
In 1863 the British Empire is effectively without a leader. Queen Victoria is inconsolable with grief following the death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert. The monarch's last hope is a secret séance.
The Doctor and Nyssa are also coming to terms with loss following the death of Adric and Tegan's sudden departure. Trying to visit the Great Exhibition of 1851, the time travellers are shocked when a ghost appears in the TARDIS, beckoning them to the Other Side.
What is hidden in a drowned valley guarded by the British Army? Is there life after death and can it be reached by those still alive? And why is the Doctor so terrified of facing his own ghosts?
Plot
to be added
Characters
- Fifth Doctor
- Nyssa
- Queen Victoria
- Benjamin Morrison
- Charles Vollmer
- Eric Hawthorne
- George Doulton
- Henry Ponsonby
- Mr Lees
- Martha Lees
- James Lees
- John Lees
- Josiah Lees
- Lovesey
- Mary
- Nicholas Johnson
- Peter Kempshall
- Reginald Ashe
- Robert Kirkhope
- Sylvia Walker
Worldbuilding
- The Trakenites considered patience, tolerance, inquisitiveness and a wish for harmony and tranquility to be the best qualities for people.
Foods and beverages
Notes
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- This story was previewed in Doctor Who Magazine issue 340 with an illustration by Mike Collins.
- This story marks the Doctor's earliest recorded direct meeting with Queen Victoria; the Fifth Doctor will again experience an adventure where Victoria plays a prominent role in the novel Imperial Moon, although he avoids directly meeting her, and the Tenth Doctor has another encounter with her in the television story Tooth and Claw.
Continuity
- Nyssa speculates that the Doctor has foreknowledge of her future life. (PROSE: Asylum)
- Nyssa refers to Adric's death in 2526. (TV: Earthshock)
- The Doctor recalls meeting Adric's elder brother Varsh on their native Alzarius in the 32nd century. (TV: Full Circle)
- The Doctor tells Nyssa that the TARDIS contains a place of remembrance where he keeps mementos of his previous companions, including a copy of The French Revolution, (TV: An Unearthly Child) Sara Kingdom's Space Security Service badge (TV: The Daleks' Master Plan) and the remains of Adric's Badge for Mathematical Excellence. (TV: Earthshock)
- Nyssa has often thought of asking the Doctor to take her to Traken before its destruction in 1981 but she has yet to do so. (AUDIO: Primeval)
External links
- Empire of Death at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Discontinuity Guide to: Empire of Death at The Whoniverse
- The Cloister Library: Empire of Death
- Writing Empire of Death
- Vicious Imagery: My novels #7: Empire of Death
