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Terrance Dicks' recent novels in the two BBC ranges have been a bit like WHO-by-numbers - two-dimensional characters and plenty of continuity links to previous Dicks novels. Although I'm re-reading it over four years after it was published, PLAYERS exhibits both tendencies, so its clearly a trend that's been developing over time. The Sixth Doctor and Peri are featured on the cover so we know they're the novel's main pairing, but the Doctor is pretty much the generic Doctor that Dicks has often spoken of. Perhaps this is less of a loss with the Sixth Doctor (at least how we saw him on television), but it doesn't really help in capturing the spirit of the era. Peri is reasonably okay (well, apart from the seemingly obligatory rape-attempt) and she does get a reasonable amount to do. There's also a lengthy cameo from a post-WAR GAMES Second Doctor, who is notoriously difficult to capture in print. Again, Dicks' portrayal of him is fine, but nothing great, although I suppose some leeway could be allowed due to the effects of the trial. Dicks taps heavily into his previous work, with the return of Lieutenant Carstairs and Lady Jennifer from THE WAR GAMES and Dekker from his NEW ADVENTURE, BLOOD HARVEST. There's also a nod to his earlier NA, TIMEWYRM: EXODUS. To be fair, the continuity links aren't too bad, and the Doctor's relating of his earlier self's adventure is quite well done and ties in with the Second Doctor doing the same with Zoe after THE WHEEL IN SPACE. Although it might have been better to slip the story in after THE TWO DOCTORS to avoid any continuity problems... TIMEWYRM: EXODUS showed Dicks' interest in WWII, and the events leading up to that feature in PLAYERS. Winston Churchill is the novel's main guest character, appearing in the Boer War, the Great War and the mid-1930s, although he doesn't really change from one setting to the next. On the plus side, Dicks fills in enough historical information without making it seem like mere info-dumping. The Players of the title are potentially interesting, but we end up knowing about as much about them at the end of the novel. Maybe it was a simple case of not revealing anything much about them so they could be brought back for a sequel, but it's still a little frustrating. As with many Terrance Dicks novels, this isn't a particularly demanding novel, but it is a entertaining one where the continuity references are mostly fun to spot rather than overly intrusive. BACK TO THE TOP |
PLAYERS |
