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Illegal Alien Author: Mike Tucker and Robert Perry Review Illegal Alien features the characters of the seventh Doctor and Ace, as played on TV by Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred respectively. The book states that it is set after the events of Survival, so the relationship between Doctor and companion is well established. What we also see here is a return to Doctor Who of the Cybermen on Earth, which is a good thing as the Cybermen are often left to one side in favour of the Daleks, but are nonetheless great enemies for the Doctor. War-torn London at the height of the blitz in the Second World War is the backdrop for this adventure. The Doctor and Ace are investigating strange occurences and engage the services of Cody McBride, an American who is working in London as a private detective. There are mysterious explosions, a series of 'ripper' like murders, bombs falling that aren't bombs and wierd goings on at electronics manufacturers. It all adds up to Cybermen, but they are not really the major opponents here. The part Cyberized Mr Wall (and other associates not revealed so as not to ruin the story) are the real problems the Doctor needs to resolve. At the end, we even get treated to some war-time Nazi German soldiers as the Doctor eventually overcomes his foes. As always, the acid test for me with a novel is whether the dialogue of the main characters is realistic. Here, Tucker and Perry do a fine job and you can really visualise Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred saying the lines the authors have written. The dialogue for the other characters is also well written, and in particular the interactions between McBride, the Doctor and Mullen are a joy to behold on occasion. The plot is well thought out, although I did think the rush off to Nazi occupied Jersey at the end for the final confrontation was a little unneccessary, and the scene should perhaps have stayed in London where the remainder of the book is based. One other aspect that I like a lot is the re-introduction of Cybermats, as they appear to have largely been forgotten after the Tom Baker story 'Revenge of the Cybermen'. I like the idea of Cybermats, and am glad to see them return. In general terms though, I have a slightly mixed reaction to this book. It is relatively old, in that it was published in 1997 as part of the new BBC range of Doctor Who novels. I bought and read this book in 2001 though, and thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. For the purposes of this review though, I re-read it thoroughly in 2006 and had a much less enthusiastic response. I still enjoyed it, don't get me wrong, but when I first read it I was doing cartwheels, not so now. With the Cybermen being more of a catlyst to the troubles here rather than the direct opposition for the Doctor, it provides a good and different story than usual with the more well established monsters. Cybermen adventures are usually - Cybermen turn up to kill/opress a planet so the Doctor stops them. Here, they are lost and don't want to be where they are causing trouble, so the story is very interesting. The plot is well thought out, with enough different elements to hold the attention of the reader, but drawing everyting back to the major theme eventually gives the book a well rounded feel. Overall, Illegal Alien is a good book and one that would possibly wow someone on the first read. It isn't one that I feel can be read over and over though as is the case with some, but nevertheless is well worth a fiver of anyones money and sits comfotably on the shelf of a collector alongside other good stories. Rating:  |