Doctor Who: Business Unusual

Past Doctor Adventures #4

by Gary Russell

A security force with no official identity... a managing director with no name... a sinister creature on guard patrol resembling some kind of hellhound... SenéNet is no ordinary multinational company.

The Doctor arrives in Brighton, 1989, travelling alone. He soon discovers his old friend, the Brigadier, has gone missing investigating SenéNet, whose new interactive games console is soon to be released at an absurdly reasonable price. He was last seen at their headquarters - based in the picturesque Ashdown Forest...

Investigating further, the Doctor becomes more and more entangled in a deadly web of intrigue. Together with Mel, a plucky computer programmer from Pease Pottage, the Doctor must overcome the conspiracy of silence, rescue the Brigadier and save the world once again - something that would be a lot easier if he just knew where to start...

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Media Tie In, Ebooks, Tv

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1997

About the author

Gary Russell is a British freelance writer, producer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media. As an actor, he is best known for playing Dick Kirrin in the British 1978 television series The Famous Five.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Doctor arrives in Brighton and soon discovers the Brigadier has gone missing whilst investigating SenéNet, a computer game company.
With the help from Mel a computer programmer from Pease Pottage, the pair attempt to rescue the Brigadier and discover the mystery of the sinister tech company.

The TV show never revealed how The Doctor and Mel met so it was interesting to finally read their first story together.
With the Timey-Wimey nature of ‘Trial of a Timelord’ means that The Doctor already knows who she is and does he’s best to discourage her from joining him along the way.

It was also a nice moment for The Sixth Doctor and the Brigadier to finally meet, even though it was only brief.

[Gareth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most Gary Russell novels, this one juggles continuity and sudden bursts of violence. It has the distinction of introducing Melanie Bush (a companion we only saw meet the Doctor out of her own time), and she’s quite well written here. The Brigadier is also in it, ostensibly so he can meet the Sixth Doctor, but that event barely registers. Again though, the Brigadier is a strong presence when he’s in it.

Where Business Unusual is lacking is the story, which uses elements from Russell’s earlier Scales Of Injustice (a baddie who collects bits of alien technology) and puts them to entirely obvious use. The villain barely even strings together a motivation for taking over the world, making it hard to really invest in the creepy goings on.

There’s good stuff here, but the novel as a whole doesn’t amount to much.

2.5

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Business Unusual is an interesting piece of Literature, serving a Debut story for Melanie Bush and Gary trying to capture the Sixth Doctor Characteristics that Colin what his Incarnation wanted to be, and this book is just nothing but Fanservice but I rather did enjoy reading this Book, and gave me this We Are the Daleks-esque feel but less Political.

But there are downfalls, the book quite slows down at the end, The Bigrader is nothing but a Plot Device till the end. So basically it's trying to be a Character Piece and a traditional Doctor Who Story at the same time but leaving some dents but not crashing to something, and as I do like Character Piece Stories and as I don't dislike Mel, it's a decent one, I definitely like the moments with her and the Doctor were at it each other as they met, the Doctor being mean and cruel just so Mel won't choose to travel with him because the whole thing with him fearing that he will become like the Valeyard

But other than that I like it and I highly recommend to any who like Mel and the Autons. I really like the story concept in this, with Companies like Game Companies, have Alien Involvement but since I said that this Reminds me of We Are The Daleks, It loses that Authenticity because it has been done before.

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the time of writing this review I have read three of Gary Russell’s books so far, and this is the latest one of his that I’ve read. I have to say, out of the three I’ve read, this is hands down my favourite!

I’ve read quite a few sixth Doctor novels over the years and each one has been really really good. The weakest I’ve read was Players but I still enjoyed that.

I absolutely love the setting of the story and how the story takes place over three days with no real chapters but captions with a time, a place and I think a date. This was quite a unique reading experience for me as I felt this format really helped drive the story a long.

I actually struggled to put this book down at times as I found the plot so Interesting. Speaking of the plot, it does have slight similarities to Winner Takes All (a ninth doctor adventure) with the video game plot.

This was a book that Gary Russel wanted to write for Colin Baker with his doctor being the doctor Colin Baker would’ve liked to have seen on screen, and in this book, the sixth Doctor is fantastic. I’ve never been a huge Mel fan but this was an amazing book for her.

Not going to say too much else for Business Unusual as I really want people to go out and experience this great book, especially if you’re a Sixth Doctor fan.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aside from existing solely to provide a proper fanwank first story for 6th Doctor companion Mel, there is simply too much plot here; too much going on with too many characters. That said, it's mitigated by the unadulterated love Gary Russell has for the 6th Doctor and Mel, and the character work alone lifts this above the actual story. Enjoy it as the ultimate 6th Doctor & Mel mood piece.

[Jason Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the classic series on trial in 1986 , the programme mirrored this by putting the Doctor himself on trial by a prosecutor who turned out to be a composite of his darker nature , created to cover up a conspiracy.

The Doctor encountered a companion from his future who was brought in to defend him, but due to the series taking an enforced change of direction at that point, these ideas were were never followed up. The lines between the Valeyard and the Doctor. Avoiding a future companion who may be linked to the Doctor’s future battle with his own darkness.

And so the offscreen versions of the series have worked to plug the gaps. Plot wise, this is an Auton story by numbers, reminding one of some of the new series episodes that offered an emotional journey tacked onto a bog standard plot - watch the journey not the story , we were implicitly told. This doesn’t work as. A character journey means little devoid of its circumstances, and so while this reconciling of continuity could have had a better story to work with, it still makes this book worth the time.

[James Haigh-Kenworthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an absolute treat for fans! Mel's first story which we never got on-screen and lots of other Easter eggs and continuity along the way! There's lots going on so you won't put the book down however sometimes there is a bit too much and I did struggle to follow at times hence the 4 stars but still all round a great addition for any fan!

[Edward Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was expecting a forgettable read that merely patched a gap in narrative continuity, but this turned out to be probably the best Doctor Who novel I've read; they should really find a way to get it back into print.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Business Unusual is from the BBC Books Past Doctor Adventures paperback series. I finished the series a few years ago, and started in on the Virgin Publishing Missing Doctors series, but Business Unusual was one of the ones that was out of print. I received an e-book copy, so this is a review of the e-book. Business Unusual features the Sixth Doctor as played by Colin Baker. For The Doctor it's just after his trial at the hands of the Time Lords, so he's determined to prevent that from happening at all. As a result, he's travelling alone, though the book opens with the Doctor on Earth helping a police captain defeat the Master. He's wrapping that up, and is to meet an human computer programmer who will finish off the virus to destroy the Master's planned computer take-over. Meeting Mel by accident, the Doctor is determined to not have her become his companion.
Taking place in Brighton, the main story involves Sené-Net, a computer gaming entertainment company, with it's fingers in prosthetics, human enhancements, and a number of other fields, including a fast-food burger chain. Mel is working at one of their subsidaries as an intern, and she's the programmer the police have called in to finish cleaning-up the Master's mess. The Doctor also witnesses a psychic attack on a young man, who turns out to be Mel's family's house guest. Also, the Brigadier, though retired, had been called in by UNIT and Department C-19 to investigate a missing operative. He's promptly captured by Sené-Net.
So, despite his best intentions to stay out of things - the Doctor is drawn in, and meets Mel anyway. Mel and the Doctor investigate Sené-Net, and find that it's CEO is more computer and cybernetics than human - plus he's working the the Nestene Consciousness. Or to be precise, the Nestene are using him to launch a beachhead against Earth. From different angles, the Doctor, Mel, Mel's family and friends, and the Brigadier uncover the plot - and stop it, but not without cost.
Business Unusual is a fun story that manages to combine the Jon Pertwee-Era feel of an alien invasion on Earth story, with really good characterization of the Doctor and Mel. The Doctor's pain, anxiety, and worry underlies everything in the story. He really does not want to become the Valeyard. Meanwhile, Mel is shown to be an intelligent, professional, computer professional. Yes, she is health conscious, and even a bit pushy about it with her co-workers, but she's not the whiny, overly cheerful screamer she was in the series. She's even a bit of a pragmatist. The scenes between the Doctor and the Brigadier are not to be missed. And the supporting cast is fun.
Overall, I'd give this book a 3.5 stars if I could. It's a fun, quick read and recommended.

[Camilasc · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main story of this book is just ok, it's an standard invasion story (with a main villain that's extremely similar to the sequel book I read previously, Millenium Rites). But what makes this book shine is it's extremely competent telling of Melanie Bush's first adventure, and subsequent TARDIS recruitment.
___
In a very clever twist, the novel explores the idea that after the events from "Trial of a Time Lord", the Sixth doctor is going to try his best to put off that particular Valeyard-shaped future at all costs. And when he crosses paths with a red-haired computational that was a witness in that trial, he'd try his damn best to avoid her.

It's very amusing to watch the doctor try and avoid Mel, and watch all his efforts amount to nothing since circumstances keeps forcing them together- like a wraped version of "Partners in Crime". Mel is unbelievably charming as a character (with the story fleshing out her interests, family life, class-idiosyncracies, and whole personality)...much to the doctor's disdain, as he uselessly tries to ignore Mel's "companion" aptness.

Aside of that, there's a lot of great introspective scenes that explore The Brigadier's character, his friendship with The Doctor, and the weight his years on UNIT have left on his shoulders. The inclusion of UNIT always serves to ground these invasion stories very well.
__

But putting aside the larger context of the Doctor Who Universe...

The pacing of the story itself is slow (althought it doesn't downgrade the suspense much, and simply makes the read feel more like an long-investigation than a thriller). Some elements of violence seem pretty pointless at times, however. Like the hitman character "Jones", who feels really out of place and does not fit the tone of a story as whimsical as this. And, althought The Stalker is a cool monster, there really isn't much exploration on his creation.
__
When expanded material in the DW universe tries to fill in gaps, it sometimes succeeds... but many times doesn't, since it gets lost trying to tangle who-knows-how-many continuity lines there are in this messy expanded universe. In this case however, there's a solid invasion story that serves as a backdrop to the main objective of the book. The best supplementary materials are the ones that could be swapped in with a real story from the original source without seeming glaringly off, and indeed, it's a great shame that there was never a serial like "Business Unusual" made for the tv show.

[Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where am I supposed to start with this book? Perhaps how I came in with high expectations. Old Doctor Who books tend to hold up more for me (Hey, this is from 1997, making it nearly 24 years old at the time of this review.) Books that aren't about Gallifrey or the Eighth Doctor, are even better. So I expected a lot from this book, and I got something, alright, but it was quite a mixed bag.

The sentences aren't really as complex as I would expect from a Doctor Who book. Younger readers would have little issue with this, until police-related and scientific words come up. Descriptions weren't painted extraordinarily vividly; if this book were done in a painting style, it'd be impressionism. And that's fine! Some like it a little vague. But to me personally, it also felt a bit lacking because of this.

The characterization is great in places- for example, the Sixth Doctor is painted as a pompous-yet-gentle giant, capable of making mistakes but also capable of great mental gymnastics. It is probably one of the best characterizations I've seen of him, which is a relief considering how many people write him incorrectly. I was utterly pleased with how nice of a portrait is painted of the Brigadier in places; friendly, fatherly (But not in a weird way), capable, human. I wish that the one sentence about his mental health having failed had been expanded on, for the sake of mentally ill people like me who want to know how he survived the challenges we face.

But the characterization gets fan-service-y in places. The Brig thinks the same sentence about his wife and daughter ("Where is she now?") at LEAST three times in this book, almost word-for-word in each reoccurrence of it. It was alright the first time, odd the second, and cringey from there on out. This is the only thing I can remember making me cringe, so the rest of the characterizations only faltered slightly at various moments.

The plot is both interesting and unbearably morbid. I started reading this book once in 2017 but was forced to quit because the children dying by being suffocated by toys took my OCD and batista bombed it, and I couldn't sleep for days without medication. It took me quite a while to pick up the book again and restart it, and when I did, I was faced with a similar issue (Albeit on new medications and thus under new management, so to speak.) There are other moments of gross morbidity such as people having their blood drained out and replaced with Nestene-able material, or people dying and the material sputtering everywhere like yellow vomit. These didn't bother me as bad, but perhaps it's because I'm used to that scene in "Jane Austen's Mafia" where the mobsters start projectile vomiting yellow and brown fluids at the funeral. It seemed more risible with that in mind.

Would I read this again? Maybe out of curiosity in a few years. Maybe because it feels like some reassurance and a warm hug from the Brigadier in some parts. Would I suggest it? Not unless you're brave.

And, one more thing... I am definitely not at liberty to speak about the presumed sexual orientation of the author, despite being a flaming homosexual myself... But he writes hetero relationships SUPER awkwardly, and gay relationships VERY well. Related, there were a few almost gay moments between the Doctor and Brig that shocked me. The fact that the word "FRIENDSHIP" was very nervously thrown into those scenes was laughable to me, but I see Doctor/Brig content on Tumblr every day, and it doesn't bother me terribly despite the fact I don't see them as a couple. Regardless, it was interesting to see it published... Wonder if the editor forced him to put the word "friendship" in?

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Past Doctor Adventure set after the 'Trial of a Time Lord' series and featuring the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker).
Whilst spending some time alone in 1989 Brighton, the Doctor begins to realise that coincidences are mounting up in order to push him into investigating the mysterious tech company SeneNet. It starts with the disappearance of his old friend Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart but ultimately leads him into contact with the one person in all of time and space he wants to avoid; his companion from the future Melanie Bush.

The introduction to this book has the author saying that he knows Colin Baker and decided to try to write the sort of story that the actor would have enjoyed starring in before his unceremonious sacking by the BBC. What follows feels very much true to that mission statement but has both positive and negative results.
The positive is that the version of the Sixth Doctor we get here is the somewhat more charming, less abrasive and more self-aware version that Baker was slowly developing the character into. It makes a sometimes hard-to-love incarnation far more accessible than he was in his early days (much like how the First Doctor developed, really).
The negative aspect is that this book totally fails to capitalise on the potential offered by its medium. What we get instead is an Earth-bound, 1980s-set story featuring characters and antagonists that could feasibly have appeared in the onscreen adventures of the Doctor without taking up the whole production budget. This leaves the book feeling somewhat small and limited in a way it needn't have been.

There is one really great element to this book and, to my surprise, it relates to the inclusion of Mel Bush, who is probably the worst-ever onscreen companion (Russell uses the phrase 'underrated' in his intro, but I don't feel that was ever earned).
Curiously, we never saw on TV how the Doctor and Mel started travelling together; her first appearance being one in which she's pulled back from a future in which she's already travelling with the Doctor. Here, in an attempt to avoid the future in which he becomes the Valeyard, the Doctor is desperately trying to avoid having any contact with Mel.
There's a surprising amount of depth to their growing friendship here and you can tell it's actively paining the Doctor to restrain his impulse to invite Mel into his life wholesale. As a result, I found myself really pleased when he does finally take the plunge, despite not actually liking Mel as a companion. Kudos to Mr. Russell for that.

Also worthy of praise is the way in which the author manages to keep the true antagonists, long-running Who villains, secret for more than half the book. All too often the return of a classic villain is headlined up front as a selling point, but here Russell gives us some clues that are in such plain sight that they're easily overlooked and we then share the Doctor's metaphorical forehead slap when the pieces come together.

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

[Bad Wolf One · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a missing introduction story for Mel, with the added bonus of the sixth Doctor finally meeting the Brigadier, and a familiar foe, this book appealed to me as some colourful fan wank that I'd love. I certainly wasn't completely disappointed.
It gave me pretty much everything I wanted in terms of 'Sixy' and Mel content, capturing their voices well and bringing their characters accurately to life. It definitely felt right in bridging that gap in the series of Mel coming on board.
The Brigadier stuff was great too and his meeting with Colin's Doctor was lovely but so brief. A favourite classic villain felt underutilised for me but satisfactory enough.
The main focus seemed to be on the arch villain of the piece and his various hench people and he and they all just felt so generic. Said main villain, a original creation of Gary Russell (and I'd see this as more as a warning for completists like myself than a spoiler) was returning from a previous story by Gary, The Scales of Injustice, so this was kind of a sequel, which I wish I'd known as I'd have aimed to read that first. But this book explained enough about them and their background, plus they were a pretty dull character anyway, so that that element didn't bring my enjoyment grinding to a halt. Just a little frustrating for a nerd like me that likes everything in order if possible.
This was vibrant, readable and nostalgic enough for me to definitely recommend giving it a look. There's some super sexy representation for us gays too, if that appeals.

[William Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gary Russell perfectly captures The Sixth Doctor in this entertaining story that fills a gaping hole in The Doctor’s timeline. Giving us a proper meeting for Mel and Colin’s Doctor, working around the problems created by the turbulent state of the show during the 1980s. This story does a great job of establishing Mel’s character and background, akin to the approach NuWho would go on to use for introducing companions.

Filled with a plethora of unsavoury characters that Russell portrays in fabulously horrible fashion, alongside the usual fodder characters we expect to see in Doctor Who to be gruesomely killed or possessed etc. Unfortunately this also works against the story as the bloated cast detracts from the pacing and ultimately could have been heavily trimmed down to allow for a more focussed narrative, without too many loose ends to tie up by the end. As it is a lot of characters are introduced and their stories are resolved with contrivance and not enough time given to them to allow them to flourish and feel satisfying.

There’s a lot to enjoy in this book though, the moments between The Doctor and Mel particularly stand out and the fashion in which she joins him on his travels is great, I really liked the chemistry the two characters have in this story and it’s a shame we never got to see these two really show that sort of rapport on screen.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed on this one. A lot of, even for these older books, a bit outdated language (a japanese character is referred to as 'the oriental' and by the J slur multiple times), and there's some rather dark af moments which I personally felt went a bit too far.

Also whilst I like both Six and Mel, I like them both entirely based on expanded universe material, and Gary Russell seems to have focused more on getting down there characterization from the tv as closely as possible. The Doctor is even bulshier than this incarnation usually is and Mel frankly comes off as a rather bossy, judgemental type underneath all that surface level sweetness.

Still, not all bad. Russell's a good writer, there's a reason he went on to be in charge of Big Finish, and it was nice to get the story of Mel's 'first' meeting with the Doctor.

[Cynical_Whovian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the prime example of a 6/10 for me at least. I got pretty disinterested during the middle of the novel and believed it should have ended a bit sooner ,but my main problem with this novel was the fact that I have seen (or rather heard) better sixth doctor stories that portray him in way similar to this book. I bet this book was great back when it was first published ,because no one had cared to give six a softer side ,but now that big finish has given six justice I just can't justify giving this book a read unless you are following the pale-man trilogy and in that case it only gets worse from here.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

In his Introduction to this book, the author claims he wanted to write a Sixth Doctor story that Colin Baker would want to appear in, which is a laudable ambition.

But apparently he thinks Colin's preferred type of story is one where his Doctor barely appears at all for the first two-thirds of the book and the main focus is on the the villain and his henchpeople.

I appreciate that the books give a better chance for character development in supporting characters, but I didn't think the change of heart from a couple of the bad guys was particularly well done.

Second star is for the appearance of the Brigadier. Not impressed.

[Dan J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been my favorite Sixth Doctor Story. Unfortunately I made an error in chronology, so now I have to go back to stories that are post Trial and pre-Mel, so hopefully they wont be as useless as "Time of Your Life" was

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much of anything this story other than the sixth doctor teaming up with Mel. The story is about an evil tyrant looking to take over the universe but nothing memorable really happens. We do have the Brigadier though.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

While some of the terminology in this story has aged badly (hence 3 instead of 4), this is the story and writing the Sixth Doctor deserved.

[John Parungao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nearly a decade before Doctor Who came back to television thanks to Russel T Davies and the Nestene autons breaking through shop windows, Gary Russell brought back the Nestene.

This novel does a great job of making the Sixth Doctor entertaining. It is also a great mystery/conspiracy tale. The Doctor must look for his old friend the Brigadier. The Brigadier has gone missing while investigating SeneNet, a software company which seems like something out of a cyberpunk novel.

The fact that SeneNet is a software company is the perfect excuse to include computer programer Melaine Bush(known as Mel)in the plot. It's a good introduction for Mel. Again Gary Russel has taken a character most Doctor Who fans despise and made her likeable and entertaining.

The main reason to read this novel however is for the diabolical plan the Nestene are about to unleash. It includes a scene that reminded me of the TV story "Terror of the Autons", but is way creepier. Imagine using the toy surprise from a kids meal as a weapon! Remember the Nestene can make anything plastic into a living weapon. The creepiest scene of the book comes when the toy surprise from a kids meal comes to life and walks into the mouth of a sleeping toddler. An unthinkable choking hazzard. Beats the Troll doll from "Terror of the Autons" and is almost as outragous as the attack of the garbage bin seen years later in "Rose".

[David Layton · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the loose ends of the TV series that the Virgin Missing Adventures books never got to tie up was how the Doctor met Mel. Gary Russell has taken the opportunity to clarify that point in "Business Unusual," his sequel to "The Scales Of Injustice." Mel's brief was never given enough detail in the series, for various reasons, which left her an unsatisfactorily developed character throughout her period in the series (she is much better managed in the CD adventures). Though we get to see some of Mel's homelife, including clashes between her rather progressive social views and her parents' conservative ones, she still does not quite come through as a full character in this book. Russell is now getting away from sticking too closely to the TV series in style, giving himself more novelistic opportunities to develop characters and complexify scenes, yet this one is very much a Doctor Who story and could easily have been filmed as one. The bad guy is a stock bad guy, megalomaniacal and misguided. The Doctor is suitably outraged at appropriate moments. The side characters get themselves into fixes and the Doctor must rescue them. Entertaining at its level, it still feels as though more could have been done with the basic premises.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2540605.html

I came to this just after reading Volume 6 of TARDIS Eruditorum, which has a chapter excoriating this book. It's not as bad as all that. I think Gary Russell is one of the better Who writers currently in action; granted, this book is from 18 years ago, his first for the Past Doctors range, but it shows his potential. I'm also a bit baffled by the criticism that it exists only to be a Sixth Doctor-Brigadier story, and/or a Mel origin story. Granted, I think that The Spectre of Lanyon Moor did the former better, and The Wrong Doctors did the latter better, but Who has an unspoken history of recycling ideas sometimes. I'll concede that Busines Unusual isn't going to be i many people's top ten or top twenty spinoff novels, but I thought it did at least take the Brigadier to some interesting places. (I admit that I can't really say the same for Mel's back-story as told here.)

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sixth Doctor, Mel & The Brigadier. Between Trial of a Time Lord & Time and the Rani.
Helping C.I.D. this time in similar fashion to the way earlier Doctors helped UNIT, the Doctor starts out at the end of foiling a nefarious plan of the Master's. There are elements that are carried forward from the Virgin Missing Adventure The Scales of Injustice by the same author but it's not essential to have read that book to enjoy this one. Whenever I come across a reference to Business Unusual I think of the 'Doctor gets burger' scene. I can just imagine Colin Baker playing that scene for all it's worth. Brilliant. Actually all of the Doctor's scenes are good. I loved the idea of a Time Lord desperate to avoid his future in the shape of a certain carrot juice swilling redhead from Pease Pottage. Oh, and the Brig's in it. What more could you want?

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book that deals with a bunch of loose threads from the sixth Doctor's run.
We learn how he met Mel and when she started to travel with him, the Sixth Doctor gets to meet the Brigadeer and we find out what happened to that secret government team that was using alien tech from the third Doctor book 'Scales of Injustice'.

Fun read, with nice use of Who history and good characterization of the three leads. Mel was never that great a TV companion, but the books have really fleshed her out.

If only the sixth Doctor's TV episodes had been as good as some of his novels.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 6th Doctor is in Brighton having just beaten the Master. Mel is there too,and he really wants to avoid her because they have not met yet. Meanwhile a strange games company is up to something, and the Brigadier is investgating. This book has all the elements to be really good. For some reason, it didn't gel with me like it should have. A slow read, which was surprising.

[KP · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice to get more of a background and origin story about how Mel joined the Doctor. Also always nice to have the Brigadier thrown in there! The story was a little all over there for me and I found it hard to keep track of what was going on sometimes or reading a page or two and realizing I didn't know what I read but overall an entertaining read and some good quips from the Doctor and Mel!

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. So far my favourite of the Past Doctor Adventures books. The Sixth Doctor is more like how Colin Baker wanted to take the character (according to author Gary Russell) and more like the Big Finish version. Thumbs up.

[Barry Bridges · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really just scrapes 2 stars and I started to skim read to get to the end - without any loss in plot. Basically it's supposed to be the story of how 6 meets Mel (and that bit of the book was quite amusing) and it simply meets that criteria...

[Simon Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rare to get a Sixth Doctor novel that is unenjoyable, and this isn't one.