Beltempest (Doctor Who S.): Amazon.co.uk: Jim Mortimore: Books

Amazon.co.uk Review

Doctor Who has generally been about the small stories--individual acts of heroism and courage which make life better for the majority. Only occasionally does the Doctor have to make one of those impossible decisions where he must sacrifice the lives of the few in order to save the lives of many.

One of the problems with Beltempest is the immense loss of life which is simply glossed over. The Doctor and other characters are simply onlookers as entire planets are torn apart and space craft wrecked, their inhabitants and occupants dying instantly. This story must have the highest death-count in a Doctor Who novel and yet it all seems so cold and unemotional. There are other problems as well: the Doctor seems at odds with previous characterisations and often does not appear to be the 8th Doctor at all. Sam also undergoes some strange developments, even becoming immortal at one point.

The plot is another interplanetary adventure involving suns not behaving quite how they should, and this more overtly science-fiction approach may be part of the problem. If the Doctor is going to get involved in this sort of adventure then the lives of millions of humanoids do become insignificant compared to the events unfolding around them. Do construction workers worry about the lives of ants as they cover their nests with concrete in order to build? Are humans concerned about the death of microscopic bacteria every time they clean the kitchen? This is the dilemma here. Jim Mortimore has painted his canvas too large, and any human interest has been shunted to one side in favour of the incredible science fiction concepts he is describing.

Beltempest could just as easily have been a story told through the eyes of Captain Kirk/Picard/Janeway and crews, or something encountered by the assorted folks on Babylon 5. It lacks that hard-to-define Doctor Who-ness. --David J Howe

Product Description

When the people of Bellania II witness a triple eclipse of their sun, Bel -- an impossibility, as they only have one moon -- it is the beginning of the end for an entire solar system. Their sun is shrouded in night for a month -- then returns to them a younger, brighter, hotter star. But how?

100,000 years later, the Doctor and Sam arrive on Belannia IV, where 20,000 people are under threat as a catastrophe threatens -- immense gravitational and dimensional disturbances are rioting through their sector of space. Sam is swept away by desperate crowds trying to get off their world, and becomes involved in daring rescue attempts. The Doctor tries to stabilize the local gravity fields and help halt the devastation, but the TARDIS is lost to him.

Meanwhile, a religious suicide-cult leader attempts to destroy himself on the deadly heated surface of Belannia II, but he does not die. He returns stronger, and with a new religion he is determined to spread through Bel's system. His word may prove more dangerous even then the terrible forces brought into being from Bel's sun. Just what has happened to the star Bel -- and will the Doctor hive time to do anything about it?

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stuff happens 20 July 2006

By Paul Tapner TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE

Jim Mortimore is an incredibly variable writer. he's done some very good books. And some very bad ones. This is one of the latter.

The worst thing about it is that it totally lacks in plot. Bad things happen on a planet. The doctor and sam are there to get caught up in them. They react to them. Philosophise a bit. And the book ends.

The tardis crew are characitures rather than characters, and the supporting characters can't even be called that as they're so badly drawn they might as well be cardboard cutouts. A disappointing read that isn't worth your time

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Doctor What? 21 Feb 2003

By Mr. Derek Pike

There are a number of factors that make Doctor Who so enjoyable, amongst those are humanity, humour, credibility and fun. Beltempest lacks all of these things and instead goes for a hard core science fiction approach which was simply unintelligable for most of the book. I'm sure there is a place for Beltempest in the vast Science fiction canon, but it should not be a Doctor Who book. The characters of the Eighth Doctor and Sam have developed nicely through the previous books, but Mr Mortimore seems to ignore this and almost creates new characters for this story. The Doctor dances around with glee at the birth of a new planet, despite the millions of deaths that are occurring and Sam becomes immortal and then (maybe I missed something here) returns to mortality after a few wise words from The Doctor.
This is a complete mess and possibly the worst BBC Doctor Who book I've read, unless you're a true Doctor Who fan or a lover of deep and intelligent Sci fi, avoid at all costs.

Disappointing as a Doctor Who story 15 Feb 2012

By Keen Reader TOP 1000 REVIEWER

I picked this book up by chance, and was about to read it when I decided to look at the other reviews so far on Amazon - hmm, not filling me with confidence. However, onwards we go, and let's see what we make of it.

I like a good Doctor Who novel, but unfortunately they do seem to be a bit hit and miss. This one seems to be more miss than hit. I really found it hard to get into; I think that bothered me the most was that the Doctor, as characterised in this novel, seems much more like the Tenth incarnation - bouncy, almost manic; terrible puns; dashing about the place like a whirlwind - it just didn't gel as the Eighth Doctor at all. And I found it hard, then, to place "the Doctor" in the story. Sam, as companion, just seemed to be there as a plot contrivance. The story could have been good, but it really did remind me of a Star Trek episode - I almost expected Mr Spock and Captain Kirk to turn up.

Not one of Mr Mortimore's better outings. Quite a disappointment, really. Pity.