The Depths of Despair

Doctor Who: The Darksmith Legacy #4

by Justin Richards

The Doctor arrives in an underwater base on the planet Flydon Maxima - known locally as 'Despair' because hope is lost for all life there. The scientific base has for centuries been monitoring the results of planetary warming - the slow melting of the glaciers at the south pole and subsequent rise in sea levels. Curiously their most advanced monitoring equipment was created and donated by Varlos. The Doctor is helped by a little girl called Gisella. Why did Varlos risk coming here? What has caused the ice to crumble so rapidly now? Can the Doctor evade the rampaging Dreadbringers, and sort out the attacking sea monsters? Who is Gisella and will she and the Doctor manage to escape in the TARDIS? Don't miss this thrilling fourth installment of the Darksmith Legacy!

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Childrens

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 2009

About the author

Justin Richards was a British writer of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure fiction. He wrote science fiction and fantasy novels, including series set in Victorian and early 20th-century London, as well as contemporary adventure stories. He was best known for writing numerous spin-off novels, reference books, and audio plays based on the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. Richards served as Creative Consultant for the BBC Books range of Doctor Who novels until 2017.

Reviews

[Ian]

Book 4.
The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) travels to the planet Flydon Maxima AKA Despair seeking the fugitive Darksmith Varlos. Trapped in an undersea base, he and the scientists there are caught between the Darksmiths' enforcers and the deadly local wildlife.

This is where this series of younger reader books starts to drag and this book feels very much life filler, barely advancing the larger storyline at all. That wouldn't be so bad if the episodic story here was a bit more interesting, but it's not.

A science team trapped in an underwater base on a planet of melted glaciers has plenty of potential, and the possibility of an environmental message, but none of it really comes to anything and there's never the feeling of claustrophobia and (literal) pressure that a story like this should have.

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *

[K]

命を創り出すという"永遠のクリスタル”を発明したダークスミスのヴァロスを探しに、惑星フライドン・マキシマを訪れたドクター。氷と水だらけの地表に降り立った途端、で突然現れた巨大生物ブラスカにターディスを水没させられそうになり、慌ててターディスに引き返し、今度は水底にある調査基地に到着する。
そこで出会った調査チームのリーダーのジセラは幼い少女の見かけながらすでに150年かけてこの星の調査を続けている。ジセラからこの基地をつくる機材を提供してくれたのがヴァロスときき、ドクターはジセラがヴァロスとクリスタルについてもっと何か知っているのではないかと推測。
しかし、聞き出そうとしたところを、突然怒り狂ったブラスカ達が基地に押し入ってくる。
加えてダークスミスが放った追手ドレッドブリンガーも基地に侵入してくる。
ドクターは調査チームの面々を守りながら、調査チームが珍しい形の岩とおもい発掘し持ち帰ったそれが実はブラスカの卵であることに気がつく。ブラスカとドレッドブリンガーが衝突している間に、ドクターは調査チームを安全な場所に避難させたうえで、基地全体に水を流し込むことでブラスカをドレッドブリンカーから救い、そのまま本来の住処にかえらせることに成功。ドレッドブリンカーの追撃に調査チームを巻き込まないようそのままターディスで出発しようとするが、ジセラがヴァロスの娘であることが判明。ヴァロスがクリスタルの恐ろしさに気がつき、破壊する方法を同じく探していたときき、ジセラとヴァロスと最後に会った場所である1895年の地球フランスのパリにともに向かうことにする。

[Ivana Richards]

This is the worst book so far in the Darksmith Legacy set. The non-existent plot is tried to be covered by endless chases and escapes. Unfortunately, it's not possible to skip this one as it does add to the ongoing story arc quite a bit - but only in the final few pages.

[Tracy Smyth]

Loving this series. The books are interesting and easy to read

[Erika]

More fun with my son

[Kylie Abecca]

A very fun read with activities throughout that keep you engaged.

[Mithi]

I really want to read more from this collection

[Grace]

so much fun, a lot of excitement and a possible new favourite character

[Luke Nyul]

A nice enough continuation of the previous books though I felt this one was trying too hard to make a story out of the idea that the Doctor has to pick up a character called Gisella (though I'm excited that she is sticking around for the next book). Overall nice enough underwater base story to keep this Darksmith Arc going.

[Elena]

This book was ok. Not bad, but not especially good either. My main problem with this story was, that I never felt that any of the characters were in any danger. This was disappointing, because the main part of the story is that they're supposed to be in great danger. The Doctor and the scientific team are trappend in an underwater base, that is under attack from giant sea creatures and troops sent by the Darksmiths. Children may find this story much more dramatic.

The best part was when the identity of Gisella was revealed. It's soon very clear that she knows much more than she says, but I wasn't expecting her to be who she turned out to be. I can't say much more about her without spoiling the whole thing though.

[Michael Kelly]

Another great 'base under siege' story in this series. Three of the four books in the ten part series thus far have been absolute corkers, with great monsters and genuine tension. The other (#3) was less intense, but progressed the plot very nicely. For such short books, they're very impressive. It's just a pity the sorry series of 50th anniversary ebooks couldn't have learned a lesson or two from them.

This present volume takes place in an undersea base, with rising floods, tentacled beasts and invading warriors, also adding a fresh little mystery to the main plot arc.

[Paul Emily Ryan]

Review written: sometime before April 20, 2015

The Depths of Despair by Justin Richards

Why I read it: Even more Doctor Who.

Rating: 3/5

What I thought: The Doctor goes to space again, except this time he's underwater. Same difference really. I'm pretty sure this one was mostly more running around, and intersected weirdly with the ongoing story arc. Not brilliant, still not quite terrible.

[Scott Barwell]

The 4th part of the Darksmith Legacy and like the first 3 it impresses with the tension and constant danger it keeps you entertained from beginning to end. Yeah like the others its short but well written with great characters, monsters and plot. In this chapter the plot develops slowly but very dramatically while set in a very claustrophobic environment expertly taken advantage of with some of the action moments.

[Mikael Kuoppala]

After the revelation heavy "Colour of Darkness" The Darksmith Legacy-series offers another more standard adventure, this time set in a claustrophobic underwater base. The story is a bit more dramatic and innovative than the first two in the series, and some of the additional characters are nicely fleshed out. And the bigger picture is addressed a little bit as well.

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1313060...

[Char]

4.5 stars

[Angela]

Suitable for 8 - 11 year olds.
This is a slightly better story, an underwater seabase being attacked by giant sea creatures. It is kind of fun in a traditional Who way.

[Andrea]

So, apparently Justin Richards got his mojo back between the first book and this one. A nice base-under-siege story. Very classic Who.

[Nicola]

Again, another good story in the Darksmith Legacy series.