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Plague of the Cybermen (novel): Difference between revisions
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'''''Plague of the Cybermen''''' was the fifty-first novel in the [[BBC New Series Adventures]] series. It was written by [[Justin Richards]] and featured the [[Eleventh Doctor]]. | '''''Plague of the Cybermen''''' was the fifty-first novel in the [[BBC New Series Adventures]] series. It was written by [[Justin Richards]] and featured the [[Eleventh Doctor]]. | ||
It was the first full-length [[BBC Books|BBC novel]] of the revived era to pit [[the Doctor]] against the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]]. Although they had also featured in print in the [[2007 (releases)|2007]] [[Quick Reads]] novella ''[[Made of Steel (novel)|Made of Steel]]'', as well as numerous short stories, their last appearance in a standard novel had been in ''[[Illegal Alien (novel)|Illegal Alien]]'' in [[1997 (releases)|1997]]. | |||
== Publisher's summary == | == Publisher's summary == | ||
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== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
* | * This is the fifth prominent appearance of the Cybermen in an extended print format, following ''[[Iceberg (novel)|Iceberg]]'', ''[[Killing Ground (novel)|Killing Ground]]'', ''[[Illegal Alien (novel)|Illegal Alien]]'' and ''[[Made of Steel (novel)|Made of Steel]]''. | ||
* No regular [[companion]] is featured in this story (as is the case in ''[[The Dalek Project (comic story)|The Dalek Project]]'', ''[[Dark Horizons (novel)|Dark Horizons]]'' and ''[[The Dalek Generation (novel)|The Dalek Generation]]''). Olga serves as a one-off companion. | * No regular [[companion]] is featured in this story (as is the case in ''[[The Dalek Project (comic story)|The Dalek Project]]'', ''[[Dark Horizons (novel)|Dark Horizons]]'' and ''[[The Dalek Generation (novel)|The Dalek Generation]]''). Olga serves as a one-off companion. | ||
* It is not made clear which variant of Cyberman the Doctor encounters in this novel, a running problem with many of [[Matt Smith]]'s Cyberman stories. The Doctor's mention of the [[Telos]]ian [[Cyber-tomb]]s imply they are [[Cyberman (Mondas)|the ones]] from [[Mondas]]. However, the Cybermen are heard using the term "Delete", have [[Cyber wrist blaster|blasters on the wrists]], and are linked via the [[Cyber-network]] like the [[Cybus Industries|Cybus]] [[Cyberman (Pete's World)|variant]]. As seen on the cover, they are the same Cybermen of the [[Cyber Legion]]s from ''[[A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)|A Good Man Goes to War]]'', ''[[Closing Time (TV story)|Closing Time]]'', ''[[Assimilation² (comic story)|Assimilation²]]'' and ''[[The Eternity Clock (video game)|The Eternity Clock]]''. [[Neil Gaiman]], writer of ''[[Nightmare in Silver (TV story)|Nightmare in Silver]]'', has suggested the two separate Cyberman variants have become the same race.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113193137/http://www.sfx.co.uk/2013/05/07/exclusive-neil-gaiman-talks-doctor-who-and-cybermen/|title=EXCLUSIVE – Neil Gaiman Talks Doctor Who And Cybermen|date of source=May 7th, 2013|website name=SFX|accessdate=January 5th, 2014}}</ref> ''[[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|The Doctor Falls]]'' later introduced the concept of [[parallel evolution]], which suggests the different Cybermen are all part of the same species regardless of their [[Genesis of the Cybermen|origin]]. The episode also suggested different Cybermen evolve for different purposes; the ''Nightmare in Silver'' variant, for example, is a "weapons-grade version". | * It is not made clear which variant of Cyberman the Doctor encounters in this novel, a running problem with many of [[Matt Smith]]'s Cyberman stories. The Doctor's mention of the [[Telos]]ian [[Cyber-tomb]]s imply they are [[Cyberman (Mondas)|the ones]] from [[Mondas]]. However, the Cybermen are heard using the term "Delete", have [[Cyber wrist blaster|blasters on the wrists]], and are linked via the [[Cyber-network]] like the [[Cybus Industries|Cybus]] [[Cyberman (Pete's World)|variant]]. As seen on the cover, they are the same Cybermen of the [[Cyber Legion]]s from ''[[A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)|A Good Man Goes to War]]'', ''[[Closing Time (TV story)|Closing Time]]'', ''[[Assimilation² (comic story)|Assimilation²]]'' and ''[[The Eternity Clock (video game)|The Eternity Clock]]''. [[Neil Gaiman]], writer of ''[[Nightmare in Silver (TV story)|Nightmare in Silver]]'', has suggested the two separate Cyberman variants have become the same race.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113193137/http://www.sfx.co.uk/2013/05/07/exclusive-neil-gaiman-talks-doctor-who-and-cybermen/|title=EXCLUSIVE – Neil Gaiman Talks Doctor Who And Cybermen|date of source=May 7th, 2013|website name=SFX|accessdate=January 5th, 2014}}</ref> ''[[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|The Doctor Falls]]'' later introduced the concept of [[parallel evolution]], which suggests the different Cybermen are all part of the same species regardless of their [[Genesis of the Cybermen|origin]]. The episode also suggested different Cybermen evolve for different purposes; the ''Nightmare in Silver'' variant, for example, is a "weapons-grade version". | ||
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* This is the second Cyberman story of the revived series in which no head Cyberman – [[Cyber-Leader (Mondas)|Cyber-Leader]], [[Cyber-Lord]], [[Cyber-controller|Cyber-Controller]] or [[Cyber-Planner]] – is identified, the first being ''[[The Mazes of Time (video game)|The Mazes of Time]]''. Only standard Cybermen are featured, although it is possible that there originally was a commander but it did not survive the crash. [[Oracle (Plague of the Cybermen)|The Oracle]] plays an important role in helping the Cybermen recover, however. | * This is the second Cyberman story of the revived series in which no head Cyberman – [[Cyber-Leader (Mondas)|Cyber-Leader]], [[Cyber-Lord]], [[Cyber-controller|Cyber-Controller]] or [[Cyber-Planner]] – is identified, the first being ''[[The Mazes of Time (video game)|The Mazes of Time]]''. Only standard Cybermen are featured, although it is possible that there originally was a commander but it did not survive the crash. [[Oracle (Plague of the Cybermen)|The Oracle]] plays an important role in helping the Cybermen recover, however. | ||
* On a [[Twitter|tweet]], author Justin Richards stated that the character of Lord Ernhardt was "played" by [[Peter Cushing]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/CWhoFan/status/345680906360610816|title=Justin Richards' Twitter page|date of source=June 15th, 2013|website=Twitter|accessdate=January 9th, 2014}}</ref> | * On a [[Twitter|tweet]], author Justin Richards stated that the character of Lord Ernhardt was "played" by [[Peter Cushing]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/CWhoFan/status/345680906360610816|title=Justin Richards' Twitter page|date of source=June 15th, 2013|website=Twitter|accessdate=January 9th, 2014}}</ref> | ||
* The novel's mention of [[Karn]] from ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'' preceded the planet's return to the TV series later that same year in ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]''. | * The novel's mention of [[Karn]] from ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'' preceded the planet's return to the TV series later that same year in ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]''. The novel's other two sibling releases also contain brief connections to ''[[Doctor Who]]''<nowiki/>'s then-upcoming 50th anniversary: ''[[The Dalek Generation (novel)|The Dalek Generation]]'' ends with the Doctor declaring "No more," and ''[[Shroud of Sorrow (novel)|Shroud of Sorrow]]'' is set on [[23 November]] [[1963]]. | ||
=== Audio release === | === Audio release === | ||
[[File:Plague of the Cybermen audiobook.jpg|thumb]] | [[File:Plague of the Cybermen audiobook.jpg|thumb]] | ||
* This story was released as an audiobook read by [[David Warner]], with [[Nicholas Briggs]] providing the voice of the Cybermen. It was the first audiobook of an original novel featuring the Cybermen to employ Briggs in this fashion, although he had been doing the same for the [[Audiobooks of novelisations|novelisation audiobooks]] since the [[2009 (releases)|2009 release]] of ''[[Doctor Who and the Cybermen (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Cybermen]]''. | * This story was released as an audiobook read by [[David Warner]], with [[Nicholas Briggs]] providing the voice of the Cybermen. It was the first audiobook of an original novel featuring the Cybermen to employ Briggs in this fashion, although he had been doing the same for the [[Audiobooks of novelisations|novelisation audiobooks]] featuring both [[Dalek]]s and Cybermen since the [[2009 (releases)|2009 release]] of ''[[Doctor Who and the Cybermen (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Cybermen]]''. | ||
== Continuity == | == Continuity == | ||
