The Taking of Planet 5 (novel)

File:RealWorld.png

 ←Previous

***The Taking of Planet 5*** was the twenty-eighth release in the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures series. It was written by Simon Bucher-Jones and Mark Clapham. It featured the Eighth Doctor, Fitz Kreiner, and Compassion.

## Publisher's summary

Twelve million years ago, a war touched the Earth briefly. Now, in Antarctica, an archaeological team has discovered the detritus of the conflict. And it's alive.

Twelve million years ago, a creature evolved that was capable of consuming all life in the universe. Now someone, or something, is desperate enough to want to revive it.

Outside the ordered universe, things move. They're hungry. And something has given them the scent of our space/time.

In the far future, the Doctor has learnt of the war and feels he must intervene -- but it's more than just a local conflict of interest. One of the groups of combatants is from his own future, and the other has never, ever, existed.

## Characters

* The Eighth Doctor
* Fitz Kreiner
* Compassion
* Professor Nathaniel Hume/Homunculette
* Marie

### Gallifreyans

* The Hermit
* Xenaria
* Allopta
* Holsred
* Neinthe
* Erasfol
* Machtien
* Urtshi
* Ventak
* Tachon
* Vuilp

### Celestis

* Lord of the Smoked Mirror
* Duke of Knives
* Lord of the Red Moon
* One
* Two

### Humans

* Professor Mary Schneider
* Thomas Jessup
* McCarthy
* Nurse McGovern
* Frances Muerte
* Capitano Julian Esparza

## References

* One implies that the Obverse is a construction of the Celestis' making.
* Parallel Cannons were weapons developed by the Time Lords.
* Xenaria uses an ur-box.
* One mentions pin galaxies.
* Fitz thinks of himself as "James Bond in space".
* Compassion is so dispassionate that she can calmly eat toast while observing someone conducting an autopsy.
* The Doctor corresponded with H. P. Lovecraft and thought about offering him a quick trip in the TARDIS.
* H.P. Lovecraft wrote about the Old One, a.k.a. Elder Thing in *At the Mountains of Madness*, first published in *Astounding Stories*, in February–April 1936. The Old One was "regarded as real by 25th century fringe archaeologists, particularly Bendecker, Vildson and Urnst".

## Notes

* This story is a sequel to the television story *Image of the Fendahl*.

## Continuity

* Vorg the Magnificent (TV: *Carnival of Monsters*) is mentioned by the Doctor whilst at the Museum of Things That Don't Exist.
* A temporal anomaly disgorges the Borad (TV: *Timelash*) and is dealt with by temporal investigators.
* *Alien Bodies*, *Unnatural History*, *Interference - Book One*, *Interference - Book Two* and *The Shadows of Avalon* are all points where when the Doctor (and companions) have encountered elements of the Time Lord's Future War with the Enemy and/or the Faction Paradox.
* The Doctor recalls his adventure in the Obverse. (PROSE: *The Blue Angel*)
* Yartek and the Voord are mentioned by the Doctor. (TV: *The Keys of Marinus*)
* Reflecting back on old ideas that the Doctor may have built the TARDIS, the Doctor reveals that he substantially modified/rebuilt it after leaving Gallifrey to achieve control of the TARDIS without using a direct mental link, allowing him to bypass the feature on most TARDISes which sent a tracking signal to the Time Lords.
* Compassion notes that the Doctor has burnt out the TARDIS's tractor beam at some point, noting that he must have been doing something stupid like trying to lasso a star (TV: *The Creature from the Pit*).
* Compassion jokes about the Doctor being a Great Old One on his mother’s side. (PROSE: *All-Consuming Fire* et al.; TV: *Doctor Who*)

## External links

* ***The Taking of Planet 5*** at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
* The Discontinuity Guide to: **The Taking of Planet 5** at The Whoniverse
* The Cloister Library: **The Taking of Planet 5**