The Book of the Still (novel)
- You may be looking for the titular book.
The Book of the Still was the fifty-sixth novel in the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures series. It was written by Paul Ebbs (with the title page saying it is "from a story by Paul Ebbs and Richard Jones"), released 6 May 2002 and featured the Eighth Doctor, Fitz Kreiner and Anji Kapoor.
Publisher's summary
The Unnoticed are bound to keep themselves isolated from all history, or face a complete collapse from existence.
The Book of the Still is a lifeline for stranded time travellers — write your location, sign your name and be instantly rescued. When the Unnoticed learn that within the book someone has revealed both their existence and whereabouts they are forced into murderous intercession to find it.
Fitz knows where it is, but then he's the one who stole it. Carmodi, addicted to the energies trapped in frequent time travellers, also knows where it is. But she's the one who's stolen Fitz. Anji, alone on a doomed planet, trying to find evidence of a race that has never had the decency to exist, doesn't know where anybody is.
Embroiled in the deadly chase, the Doctor is starting to worry about how many people he can keep alive along the way...
Plot
An unknown figure falls through the skies of Lebenswelt, falling towards "The Library of Closed Books". Using a stasis field, they tunnel through the various floors of the Library until they reach the exhibit for The Book of the Still. Once they reach it, they use a nanovirus that simulates dysentery to take out the robotic guards and prepare to escape the Library using the same stasis field. Unfortunately, one of the robotic guards has survived and jams the stasis field. Guards surround the figure - who is revealed to be the Doctor.
A young native of "Sirius One Bee" named Rhian Salmond (who declares that she is DEFINETLY NOT the kind of girl to be thrown in prison) is brought to a Lebensweltian prison. While waiting to be brought to her cell, she sees a prisoner being brought into the prison in a bag. After being processed and fed (an extremely meager gruel), Rhian is brought to her cell. Unfortunately, the prisoner in the bag (who seemingly scares the guards at the prison) is also in the cell. Rhian is thrown into the cell with the prisoner, who reveals himself to be the Doctor.
Shortly before the Doctor's attempt to steal the Book of the Still, he (along with Fitz and Anji) arrive on Lebenswelt. Almost instantly, Anji is disgusted with the planet due to its filth. The Doctor notices an observatory tower (purposefully built to give the appearance of falling apart to thrill those who use it) and with his companions in tow, rides an elevator to its top. Once on the top, the Doctor spots the Museum of Locks (which the TARDIS' map of Lebenswelt has highlighted) before he has an epileptic fit. Fitz and Anji are just barely able to save the Doctor from falling off the tower. Once the Doctor recovers, he reveals that he could feel a "presence" in his mind and then demands that Fitz and Anji return to the TARDIS while he stalks off with the map.
Shortly after the Doctor tries to break into the Library of Closed Books, he is dragged before a court. Though the Doctor tries to escape, his escape attempt is stopped by a security droid. To try to get the Doctor out of jail, Anji tries to buy him out (using a new movement that tries to deal with overcrowding in Lebensweltian prisons by letting prisoners be released if sufficient funds are raised) but discovers that the "funds" are actually certain vital organs. While meeting with Anji in prison, the Doctor reveals that he only has fragmentary memories of the break-in.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to "learn the local culture", Fitz takes a job from a newspaper advert that turns out to be a rather shady escort gig - one that uses fast-chain memory acids - named the Introlnductions Escort Agency. In a simulation created by the runners of the escort gig (Svadhisthana, Darlow, and Darlow's hired muscle Gimcrack), "Fitzgerald" saves a damsel named Carmodi Litian from being married off to the evil Duke Doctori. Though Carmodi is nearly slain by Doctori, the duo are saved in the nick of time by Fitz's jetpack-wearing adjutant Connery. Darlow soon discovers that Fitz - along with the real Carmodi Litian - have gone missing, along with a large chunk of his money (presumably swiped by Carmodi). In an attempt to find this missing money, Darlow looks through Carmodi's memories but soon stumbles onto something so horrible that it makes him throw up and destroys the equipment he is using.
Still in their cell, the Doctor and Rhian begin talking. It is here that the Doctor learns that Rhian is a non-linear anthropologist. He also learns that the Book of the Still is a lifeline for stranded travellers and that the Museum of Locks (which the Library of Closed Books is a part of) is a museum for elaborate security systems which just so happens to have the Book as the "bait" in one of its exhibits. As the Doctor and Rhian stand in the yard (and after talking to two ex-phDs), a sentinel crashes into a Warderbot. While in the hospital, the governor of the prison interrogates the Doctor and (not believing that it is a coincidence) sentences him with death. The attempted execution is stalled by a power failure long enough for the Doctor and Rhian to escape the prison. Once outside of the prison, Rhian slaps the Doctor and reveals that she did not want to escape.
After rooting through Fitz's room, Anji is able to find the advertisement for Svadhisthana and Darlow's operation. She travels to their base and sneaks up on them but is attacked by a rat and screams - leading her to be shot at by Darlow. She runs from them, but is cornered by the two. She escapes after kicking Svadhistana.
Gimcrack catches up with Fitz and Carmodi but the duo are able to escape after jumping out of the window of their apartment and a bystander points Gimcrack in the wrong direction. During Fitz and Carmodi's escape, most technology on Lebenswelt stops working. After losing sight of Gimcrack, Carmodi proposes to Fitz as a pretence to leaving Lebenswelt. Before the two of them can leave the planet, Carmodi returns to the apartment where she is found by Darlow and Gimcrack - who try to find out where their "Subject" is. Carmodi is able to escape from their clutches using a wire from her destroyed TV. Immediately after escaping, Carmodi (alongside Fitz) jumps into a cab. While the cab drives towards the spaceports, Carmodi has a seizure - which causes the driver to throw her and Fitz out of the cab - and starts talking about the "Unnoticed" and the Book of the Still. On recovering, Carmodi finds that Fitz is missing. Fitz - whose brain has reverted to the "Fitzgerald" persona programmed by Svadhisthana - wanders through the streets of Lebenswelt looking for the Museum of Locks. Once inside, Fitz finds that the Museum's defences have shut down due to the power failure. He also finds the Book of the Still - returning to his normal psyche right before the base's defences power back up.
The Doctor is able to convice Rhian to join him in finding the Book of the Still. After fleeing from a restaurant after a broadcast shows that they are convicts, they hear a bus crashing nearby. Entering onto the scene, the Doctor and Rhian help to save the passengers trapped inside before they are attacked by swarms of bats. Meanwhile, Anji escapes her pursuers and returns to the hotel. Due to the power failures, she is unable to enter her room. Though she tries returning to the TARDIS, she finds that she has left her key behind.
Characters
Worldbuilding
People
- Albrecht was a "non-linear anthropologist" who wrote about the culture of "Seekers" and "Finders" that revolves around the Book of the Still. While trying to reach the Dream Time on the planet of Hej, he accidentally erased three of his own ancestors after crossing song-lines. He was saved due to his forethought, having time-coded his later life decisions.
Materials
- Time travel causes many types of exotic particles including bockatrons, harminum and artron oxidants.
Locations
- Lebenswelt is an extremely wealthy Earth colony which, despite its extreme wealth, is filled with filth and grime due to nobody actually wanting to clean up the filth and grime of the streets. The largest city on the planet is also called Lebenswelt and has a Gothic aesthetique. Red, bat-like creatures tear each other to shreds in the atmosphere as the people of Lebenswelt mindlessly party.
- The planet Porconine is uninhabited.
- Sirius One Bee (presumably Sirius 1B) is a human colony world. Rhian Salmond is a native of the planet.
- In an effort to bring the Book of the Still onto Lebenswelt and into the Museum of Locks, the entire planetoid that it was previously on was bought.
Notes
to be added
Continuity
- The Doctor tells Rhian about his amnesia and one hundred years spent trapped on Earth. (PROSE: The Burning)
- Fitz happily thinks about Lebenswelt's lack of clockwork people. (PROSE: Anachrophobia)
- The Doctor learns to dance, something he previously did in his Sixth incarnation (PROSE: Teach Yourself Ballroom Dancing)
External links
- The Book of the Still at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Discontinuity Guide to: The Book of the Still at The Whoniverse
- The Cloister Library: The Book of the Still
- Outpost Gallifrey - Interview: Paul Ebbs (archived)
