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The Black Archive #12
Pyramids of Mars
‘Your evil is my good. I am Sutekh the Destroyer.’
Pyramids of Mars (1975) inherits not only the mythology of Ancient Egypt, but a long tradition of Gothic fiction. Late-Victorian imperial guilt, and a fascination with mummification and the afterlife, led to stories of reverse colonisation, later reincarnated as 20th-century horror movies. These in turn inspired the alien gods and robot mummies of Pyramids of Mars, including one of the Doctor’s most frightening adversaries: Sutekh, the enemy of all life.
Kate Orman has written or co-written 13 Doctor Who novels, and a chapter in Doctor Who and Race.
Pyramids of Mars (1975) inherits not only the mythology of Ancient Egypt, but a long tradition of Gothic fiction. Late-Victorian imperial guilt, and a fascination with mummification and the afterlife, led to stories of reverse colonisation, later reincarnated as 20th-century horror movies. These in turn inspired the alien gods and robot mummies of Pyramids of Mars, including one of the Doctor’s most frightening adversaries: Sutekh, the enemy of all life.
Kate Orman has written or co-written 13 Doctor Who novels, and a chapter in Doctor Who and Race.
- GenresDoctor WhoNonfiction
116 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2017
About the author
Kate Orman
65 books43 followersKate Orman studied biology at Sydney University and worked in science before becoming a professional author. Orman is known for her sci-fi work, and especially her frequent collaborations in the "Doctor Who" universe. For Virgin Publishing and BBC, she wrote more than a dozen full-length novels, as well as numerous short stories and non-fiction pieces related to "Doctor Who". She was the only woman and only Australian to write for the initial range of novels, the Virgin New Adventures.
As of 2022, Orman lives in Sydney and is married to fellow author Jonathan Blum.
As of 2022, Orman lives in Sydney and is married to fellow author Jonathan Blum.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 15, 2022
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/pyramids-of-mars-by-kate-orman-and-robert-holmes-and-terrance-dicks/
These books have varied quite a lot in the attention they give to the script vs the performance. This one is unusual in that there is very little discussion of the actual TV programme. A quick search reveals that the main text does not mention director Paddy Russell, or of the stars Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen, or most of their acting colleagues, at all. (Three of the guest cast are mentioned briefly, once each.) Orman has concentrated almost entirely on the script and its sources, with a few references to casting, design and effects, but none at all to acting or cinematography. Everyone must write the book they want to write, of course, but this is the least complete guide to any story that I have yet read in the Black Archive series.
On the plus side, it’s a very deep dive into the roots of the script, which as noted above was originally written by Lewis Greifer and then heavily revised by script editor Robert Holmes. I love the story, as repeatedly stated above, but it invites and deserves critique of its treatment of race and gender (Sarah is the only woman seen, all the other characters, including non-speaking extras, are men).
The chapters cover:
* Briefly, the question of why the story is set in 1911
* At length, Egpytian mythology and its depiction of Set, rather different from what we are told about Sutekh in the script.
* At length, mummy fiction.
* Briefly, Mars in science fiction.
* At length, the links between pyramids and the occult.
* a conclusion which finishes with a personal reflection.
These books have varied quite a lot in the attention they give to the script vs the performance. This one is unusual in that there is very little discussion of the actual TV programme. A quick search reveals that the main text does not mention director Paddy Russell, or of the stars Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen, or most of their acting colleagues, at all. (Three of the guest cast are mentioned briefly, once each.) Orman has concentrated almost entirely on the script and its sources, with a few references to casting, design and effects, but none at all to acting or cinematography. Everyone must write the book they want to write, of course, but this is the least complete guide to any story that I have yet read in the Black Archive series.
On the plus side, it’s a very deep dive into the roots of the script, which as noted above was originally written by Lewis Greifer and then heavily revised by script editor Robert Holmes. I love the story, as repeatedly stated above, but it invites and deserves critique of its treatment of race and gender (Sarah is the only woman seen, all the other characters, including non-speaking extras, are men).
The chapters cover:
* Briefly, the question of why the story is set in 1911
* At length, Egpytian mythology and its depiction of Set, rather different from what we are told about Sutekh in the script.
* At length, mummy fiction.
* Briefly, Mars in science fiction.
* At length, the links between pyramids and the occult.
* a conclusion which finishes with a personal reflection.
January 17, 2022
My enjoyment of this one was slightly lower, but I think that's mainly because I don't have the same enthusiasm for Pyramids of Mars as I do Ghost Light or Image of the Fendahl. Still some very interesting stuff here about Hammer horror, British colonial anxieties, and Egyptian mythology though, and it does a great job of placing Pyramids in the broader contexts which Holmes so often draws from and which Doctor Who is frequently enmeshed in.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews