- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: BBC Books (1 Nov 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0563486236
- ISBN-13: 978-0563486237
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 604,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Thirty years ago, the Earth was covertly attacked by the alien Myloki who brainwashed humans and seeded them into Earth society as terrorists and assassins. Earth governments pooled their resources and financed Operation PRISM to fight - and win - the secret war against the Myloki. Now, the successor to PRISM, the SILHOUETTE organisation, runs a series of Early Warning devices in space, should the dreaded Myloki return. But the financial burden of the war has caused global financial meltdown and Earth stands on the brink of anarchy. The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe discover the war was in fact faked by a corrupt Earth dictatorship that has turned the planet into a tightly controlled utopia. Drugs keep the population under strict and docile control. Humanity is reduced to little more than work units. With the help of war hero Captain Grant Matthews, a PRISM agent accidentally made indestructible during the war, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe gradually discover the truth - but in doing so they face the opposition of a whole planet.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Simon Messingham has made no secret about the fact that this novel is a homage to Gerry Anderson's various TV series, but while fans of Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Stingray, UFO et al may find this little more than an exercise in gratuitous continuity references, for non-Anderson fans like myself The Indestructible Man turns out to be a surprisingly solid and enjoyable piece of science fiction. Considering the source material, you may be expecting a rather light and fluffy romp, but this is a quite serious and dark novel, with the 2nd Doctor, Jamie and Zoe getting a number of physical and mental scars (one of them is shot in the head, one of them is forced into virtual slavery and gains and loses a fiancé, and one goes psychotic!) and the Indestructible Man of the title is presented in a tragic light. A good solid read, with some truly alien aliens, and an understated and moving finale - as long as you don't find the Anderson influences distracting this is a good read.
When three strangers were found on the almost derelict Sky Home PRISM was shocked out of its slough of despair for although two got away, the third had been nearly fatally wounded and PRISM medics were expecting him to die. Only he didn't and only twice before had PRISM seen something like that and that had heralded the arrival of the mysterious Myloki and they had only been beaten back with extreme cost. Now it would seem as if the Myloki were back!
With the Doctor being held by PRISM in an unknowable condition and Zoë having abandoned him in what passed for a hospital, Jamie was persuaded that Mackenzie's militia was the best place for him.
With the Doctor probably dead and Jamie abducted from the hospital, Zoë reckoned that being a slave for the City Government probably wasn't the worst fate, especially when her boss was so personable.
When the Doctor recovered, Commander Bishop's worst fears seemed to be realised but he soon found that reality could be worse than even his nightmares!
With the Doctor being held by PRISM in an unknowable condition and Zoë having abandoned him in what passed for a hospital, Jamie was persuaded that Mackenzie's militia was the best place for him.
With the Doctor probably dead and Jamie abducted from the hospital, Zoë reckoned that being a slave for the City Government probably wasn't the worst fate, especially when her boss was so personable.
When the Doctor recovered, Commander Bishop's worst fears seemed to be realised but he soon found that reality could be worse than even his nightmares!
This book is largely told from the point of view of the members of PRISM (known as SILOET after PRISM had been compromised). You may also find a knowledge of the Gerry Anderson series 'Captain Scarlet' and 'UFO' useful :-) though a few other of his series get a mention as well!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Messingham Toys With The Emotions
28 July 2008
Amazon Verified Purchase
"The Indestructible Man" is a solid and quick-paced Doctor Who adventure featuring the second incarnation of the Doctor, Zoe and Jamie. It takes the reader on a journey into an Earth future where an unseen enemy seems to mounting a new attack in a war that supposedly ended thirty years before. The Doctor and his companions are mistakenly believed to be agents for this enemy, the Myloki, and become separated from each other during an attack.
Commander Hal Bishop, who has always expected a second attack by the Myloki, readies his group, SILOET, for battle. He's captured a man who should be dead, but recovers from his "fatal" wounds over a six month period. Bishop has seen only one other person similar to this and he's the Indestructible Man. Are the two somehow connected?
When will the Myloki strike? Where is Zoe? What happened to Jamie? Can the Doctor make sense of it all before the Myloki destroy Earth? You'll have to read Simon Messingham's book in order to find out.
In this tale, Messingham is giving a nod to the marionette creations of Gerry Anderson (think "Thunderbirds"). If you aren't familiar with Anderson's work, however, you're enjoyment of this book will not be hindered. For those in the know, I'm sure you'll pick up on the inside joke. It will also make your visualization of the tale a lot funnier when you picture the Doctor and everyone else dangling from strings.
Despite this bit of light humor, though, "The Indestructible Man" has a very, very dark quality to it. Messingham takes Zoe and Jamie to depths of their respective characters that just might make fans of the classic series shudder. Zoe and Jamie enter realms of their own minds that make them both terribly human. Out of their own time, alone, confused and scared, they go where no companion has gone before.
When Zoe finally catches up to the Doctor, she somewhat returns to her old ways. In fact, she becomes almost too normal after what she goes through in the book. Jamie on the other hand, takes a very disturbing turn that makes you wonder if he'll ever be the same again. Much like Zoe, though, when he does return to his normal mindset, it happens almost too easily.
"The Indestructible Man" is one of the darkest tales I've ever encountered in the Doctor Who universe. Messingham's portrayal of the Doctor is excellent and he builds up a number of the secondary characters to excellent levels also. Loyal fans of Zoe and Jamie might be turned off by the dark shadows cast upon their characters, but give the story a little bit of time and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
I highly recommend this book to fans of the original and new Doctor Who series. Fans of Gerry Anderson might also get a kick out of this. Despite a small font size that's crammed into too few book pages, this story reads very quickly and is not at all boring. Overall, a good read.
Commander Hal Bishop, who has always expected a second attack by the Myloki, readies his group, SILOET, for battle. He's captured a man who should be dead, but recovers from his "fatal" wounds over a six month period. Bishop has seen only one other person similar to this and he's the Indestructible Man. Are the two somehow connected?
When will the Myloki strike? Where is Zoe? What happened to Jamie? Can the Doctor make sense of it all before the Myloki destroy Earth? You'll have to read Simon Messingham's book in order to find out.
In this tale, Messingham is giving a nod to the marionette creations of Gerry Anderson (think "Thunderbirds"). If you aren't familiar with Anderson's work, however, you're enjoyment of this book will not be hindered. For those in the know, I'm sure you'll pick up on the inside joke. It will also make your visualization of the tale a lot funnier when you picture the Doctor and everyone else dangling from strings.
Despite this bit of light humor, though, "The Indestructible Man" has a very, very dark quality to it. Messingham takes Zoe and Jamie to depths of their respective characters that just might make fans of the classic series shudder. Zoe and Jamie enter realms of their own minds that make them both terribly human. Out of their own time, alone, confused and scared, they go where no companion has gone before.
When Zoe finally catches up to the Doctor, she somewhat returns to her old ways. In fact, she becomes almost too normal after what she goes through in the book. Jamie on the other hand, takes a very disturbing turn that makes you wonder if he'll ever be the same again. Much like Zoe, though, when he does return to his normal mindset, it happens almost too easily.
"The Indestructible Man" is one of the darkest tales I've ever encountered in the Doctor Who universe. Messingham's portrayal of the Doctor is excellent and he builds up a number of the secondary characters to excellent levels also. Loyal fans of Zoe and Jamie might be turned off by the dark shadows cast upon their characters, but give the story a little bit of time and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
I highly recommend this book to fans of the original and new Doctor Who series. Fans of Gerry Anderson might also get a kick out of this. Despite a small font size that's crammed into too few book pages, this story reads very quickly and is not at all boring. Overall, a good read.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
A good read but not quite on the mark
19 Feb 2005
First off, I have to state that I'm an American and don't know so much about Gerry Anderson's body of work (I watched Thunderbirds when I was little but retain little memory of it; enough to understand some of the references at least). This being a loving tribute to Anderson's own particular oeuvre, one would think, then, that the book held no interest. I found to my delight that was not the case at all!
I found the book to be well written, engaging (even with no understanding of 2/3 of the references) and the characters get some amazing character development. But, the question remains: did these characters need this kind of development? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for mature Who (which the BBC line is pulling off miles better than Virgin ever did, I must say!) but...
... Zoe attempting to slit her wrists?! Jamie gone psychotic? I kept hearing all of this brouhaha about Zoe getting engaged, some even called him her husband. An interesting idea. He gets shot within two pages of proposing to her. She then attempts in no uncertain terms to off herself multiple times over this character we've really no chance to get to know save for a couple of pages of Zoe's inner monologues.
I understand what Messingham was trying to do: to show a companions total isolation when they truly believe they are stranded and the Doctor's dead. Each takes to a Father/Doctor in desperation and dependence to fill that role in their lives. Quite an interesting idea to explore, and a solid concept at that! And I won't say anything drastic like 'these are innocent characters Messingham spoilt!' but it does feel... wrong somehow to see both Jamie and Zoe behaving this way.
That said, Zoe's arc is far more believable and Messingham gives us more reason and more understanding as to why she'd turn the way she did. Jamie's not so lucky though I did enjoy his 'Dawn of the Dead'-esque scene with the Shiners which only left me wanting to learn more about them!
As for the wonderful characterization of the second Doctor I kept hearing about, I'm ashamed to admit that at time when I would pick it up again, I'd forget which Doctor I was reading. Yes, he's well characterized but it really made me realize how similar the authors have fallen into writing the Second, Fourth and Eighth.
As for sympathetic characters, well, I really found none outside of our heroes. Yes, well developed, intriuging personalities but is Bishop really supposed to be sympathetic? Matthews? Didn't really give a toss about either of them, honestly, not in any sort of empathetic way.
I did actually like the book and highly recommend it as sci-fi entertainment and to fans of the characters but, as a Who novel, it just has too many faults.
I found the book to be well written, engaging (even with no understanding of 2/3 of the references) and the characters get some amazing character development. But, the question remains: did these characters need this kind of development? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for mature Who (which the BBC line is pulling off miles better than Virgin ever did, I must say!) but...
... Zoe attempting to slit her wrists?! Jamie gone psychotic? I kept hearing all of this brouhaha about Zoe getting engaged, some even called him her husband. An interesting idea. He gets shot within two pages of proposing to her. She then attempts in no uncertain terms to off herself multiple times over this character we've really no chance to get to know save for a couple of pages of Zoe's inner monologues.
I understand what Messingham was trying to do: to show a companions total isolation when they truly believe they are stranded and the Doctor's dead. Each takes to a Father/Doctor in desperation and dependence to fill that role in their lives. Quite an interesting idea to explore, and a solid concept at that! And I won't say anything drastic like 'these are innocent characters Messingham spoilt!' but it does feel... wrong somehow to see both Jamie and Zoe behaving this way.
That said, Zoe's arc is far more believable and Messingham gives us more reason and more understanding as to why she'd turn the way she did. Jamie's not so lucky though I did enjoy his 'Dawn of the Dead'-esque scene with the Shiners which only left me wanting to learn more about them!
As for the wonderful characterization of the second Doctor I kept hearing about, I'm ashamed to admit that at time when I would pick it up again, I'd forget which Doctor I was reading. Yes, he's well characterized but it really made me realize how similar the authors have fallen into writing the Second, Fourth and Eighth.
As for sympathetic characters, well, I really found none outside of our heroes. Yes, well developed, intriuging personalities but is Bishop really supposed to be sympathetic? Matthews? Didn't really give a toss about either of them, honestly, not in any sort of empathetic way.
I did actually like the book and highly recommend it as sci-fi entertainment and to fans of the characters but, as a Who novel, it just has too many faults.
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