A History of the Universe (short story)

was a piece of fiction which formed the base text of A History of the Universe, laying a possible in-universe history of the Doctor Who universe which had copious non-fiction annotations explaining its reasoning. These two layers of the text were firmly separated, with the fictional component being an intentionally limited view of Doctor Who history based on what an in-universe historian would know. This mixture of fiction and non-fiction was inspired by prior reference works such as Doctor Who: Cybermen and various Doctor Who Magazine articles. Featuring a fictional version of the author recording various perspectives on history, the text notably featured cameos from various recognisable fictional voices, including Bernice Summerfield, Cybermen, and Henry Gordon Jago.
== Summary ==
Writing from the perspective of 20th century Earth as well as at a point in Gallifrey's history shortly after Romana II joined the High Council, a human author writes a history book of his universe using a variety of sources from throughout time. These sources have been vetted by Time Lord authorities to censor information related to secrets of Gallifreyan history.
The author begins his history with the Big Bang, going on to explain how Voldek's Theory explains the proliferation of lifeforms throughout the universe. As Earth forms and human history begins, numerous perspectives tell of exciting events, although these perspectives are limited and sometimes hint at but don't explain a mysterious figure sometimes called a "healer" or "doctor" who appears with a "blue box". Later, nearing the end of the 20th century, the author compares multiple sources concerning the Vorellan invasion of Earth and finds that both don't tell the whole story. Further forwards in history, the author criticises Bernice Summerfield's history of the Ice Warrior invasion involving T-Mat, saying that it clearly ignores an important figure: the Doctor.
As history progresses from here, the climate instability of the 21st century leading to a period of space colonisation leading to the Earth Empire leading to further power structures of the third millennium and beyond, sources gradually become sparser. Around the year 2000000, Woris Bossard writes Extinct Civilisations and R K Cossin writes Nasty Great Rotters of the Galaxy; past this point, only the TARDIS information system is left to comment on universal history. Billions of years after even the People of the Worldsphere, the universe ends in the Big Crunch.
The author then briefly outlines Gallifreyan history up to recent events involving the Fifth Doctor and Ruath.
== Characters ==
* Author
* Oolon Colluphid
* Worris Bossard
* Voldek
* Gustous R Thripsted
* Bernice Summerfield
* Brotherhood of Logicians
* Redvers Fenn-Cooper
* Howard Foster
* Thals
* Njeri Ngugi
* Celestial Intervention Agency
* Plato
* Barbara Wright
* Leonardo da Vinci
* Anne Daly
* Henry Gordon Jago
* Rutans
* George Reed
* Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart
* History computer
* Professor Chtaabus
* Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart
* Charles Bryce
* Anne Travers
* Percy Wolnough
* Ruby Duvall
* M Ashe
* Ramon Salamander
* Travellers
* Ven Kalik
* Stein
* Dymond
* R K Cossin
* Sonia Bannen
* David Campbell
* Karne
* Edward Nisbett
* Gustaf Urnst
* John Williams
* Scott
* Marine Space Corps
* Fran Kausama
* Grith Robtts
* Space Security Service
* Metebelis III colonist
* Sontaran Grand Strategic Council
* The Doctor
* Engin
== Worldbuilding ==
* The author quotes Flora and Fauna of the Universe, Bartholomew's Planetary Gazetteer, The Record of Rassilon, Down Among the Dead Men, The Zen Military - A History of UNIT, and The Children of Davros.
* Mysteria Press published Secrets of the Templar Sects, Voodoo Secrets of the Living Dead, Doorways of Disappearance, The Mysteries of Det-Sen, Occult Mysteries of the Nazi Black Coven, and UFO Secrets of the US Government.
* Down Among the Dead Men Again went unpublished.
* Edition XIX of Intergalactic Law states that the Armageddon Convention was organised by Irving Braxiatel and "chaired by his >word obscured<, the Doctor."
* Chtaabus was an Earth Reptile academic who criticised the human perspective on history.
* Bernice Summerfield notes that Gia Kelly and Daniel Eldred later married.
* An edition of Terra Genealogica was published in 2970.
== Notes ==
* The in-universe history book and its author cameo in Parkin's novel The Dying Days, with a brief segment replicating A Historys style discussing the events of The Dying Days.
:* Elements from this story also reappeared in other works. The Terra Genealogica features in Secret of the Black Planet. Down Among the Dead Men Again was referenced in Beyond the Sun, Seeing I, and Buried Treasures. The legal text of Intergalactic Law is referenced in The Infinity Doctors. Mysteria Press reappears in Apocrypha Bipedium.
* The story A Rough Guide would later also tell a referential history using a mixture of in-universe text and out-of-universe citations.
* The events of The Time Warrior are described through a verse written by William Keith.
* Quotes from Leonardo da Vinci's mirror diary are portrayed by literally mirroring the book's text, such that it can only be read in a reflection.
* The Brotherhood of Logicians' account of Mondas history is based off of the unproduced Genesis of the Cybermen.
* Chtaabus' name is similar to Chtaachtl from the novel Blood Heat.
== Continuity ==
* Howard Foster (TV: Planet of Fire) discusses the cave art of Za. (TV: An Unearthly Child)
* A lost tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh describes Ishtar and Utnapishtim as aliens. (PROSE: Genesys)
* A lost fragment of Plato's Critias describes the Crystal of Kronos. (TV: The Time Monster)
* In his memoir, George Reed recalls hearing about Judson's ULTIMA. (TV: The Curse of Fenric)
* Charles Bryce discusses Margaret the Yeti. (PROSE: Downtime)
* Ven Kalik was a Federation Archivist. (PROSE: Deceit)
* The Voxnic Book of All-Time Television Classics (PROSE: The Twin Dilemma) has a retrospective on the Meson Broadcasting System. (PROSE: Time of Your Life)
* Grith Robtts writes Federation History. (PROSE: Legacy)
* Channel 403 (TV: The Daleks' Master Plan) reports on Nostalgia Tours. (TV: Delta and the Bannermen)
Category:Bernice Summerfield sources
Category:Bernice Summerfield short stories
Category:Thal stories
Category:Rutan Host stories
Category:Sontaran short stories
Category:Cyberman short stories
Category:Time Lord short stories