''Peculiar Lives'' is the seventh in the series of

Time Hunter Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to co ...

novellas and features the characters

Honoré Lechasseur Honoré Lechasseur is one of two main characters in the '' Doctor Who'' spin-off ''Time Hunter'' series published by Telos Publishing Ltd. He is a time sensitive, which means that he possess the ability to see into people's pasts and futures whe ...

and

Emily Blandish Emily may refer to: * Emily (given name), including a list of people with the name Music * "Emily" (1964 song), title song by Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer to the film ''The Americanization of Emily'' * "Emily" (Dave Koz song), a 1990 song ...

from

Daniel O'Mahony Daniel O'Mahony (born 24 July 1973) is a half-British half-Irish author, born in Croydon. He is the oldest of five children, his siblings including Eoin O'Mahony of the band Hamfatter, and Madeleine O'Mahony, who has designed and made hats for Ca ...

's ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

The Cabinet of Light ''The Cabinet of Light'' was the ninth novella published by Telos Publishing Ltd. as part of its Doctor Who novellas series. It was written by Daniel O'Mahony and was published as a standard edition hardback and a deluxe edition with a frontispi ...

''. It is written by

Philip Purser-Hallard Philip Purser-Hallard (born 1971 as Philip Hallard) is a fantasy, science fiction and crime author described by the British Fantasy Society as "the best kept secret in British genre writing".

, author of the

Mad Norwegian Press Mad Norwegian Press is an American publisher of science-fiction guides and novels. The company has worked with authors such as Harlan Ellison, Peter David, Diana Gabaldon, Tanya Huff, Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear, Mary Robinette Kowal, Seanan McGu ...

Faction Paradox ''Faction Paradox'' is a series of novels, audio stories, short story anthologies, and comics set in and around a "War in Heaven", a history-spanning conflict between godlike "Great Houses" and their mysterious enemy. The series is named after a ...

novel '' Of the City of the Saved...'' The novella is also available in a limited edition hardback, signed by the author (). (The series is not formally connected to the

Whoniverse The Whoniverse is the non-narrative name given to the fictional setting of the television series ''Doctor Who'', ''Torchwood'', ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' and ''Class'' as well as other related media.Lofficier (1992Foreword/ref> The word, a p ...

Themes

''Peculiar Lives'' is written as if by Erik Clevedon, who is based on the real-life author

Olaf Stapledon William Olaf Stapledon (10 May 1886 – 6 September 1950) – known as Olaf Stapledon – was a British philosopher and author of science fiction.Andy Sawyer, " illiamOlaf Stapledon (1886-1950)", in Bould, Mark, et al, eds. ''Fifty Key Figures ...

. The story draws particularly from Stapledon's novels ''

Last and First Men ''Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future'' is a "future history" science fiction novel written in 1930 by the British author Olaf Stapledon. A work of unprecedented scale in the genre, it describes the history of humanity from t ...

'' (1930), ''

Last Men in London ''Last Men in London'' (1932) is a science fiction novel by British writer Olaf Stapledon. The narrator is the same member of the eighteenth and final human species who purportedly induced Stapledon to write ''Last and First Men''. ''Last Men ...

'' (1932), ''

Odd John ''Odd John: A Story Between Jest and Earnest'' is a 1935 science fiction novel by the British author Olaf Stapledon. The novel explores the theme of the ''Übermensch'' (superman) in the character of John Wainwright, whose supernormal human me ...

'' (1935) and ''

Sirius Sirius is the list of brightest stars, brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinisation ...

'' (1944). The book also features the characters of Gideon Beech, a fictionalised

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

, and (briefly) John Cleavis, a fictionalised

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

character originally created by

Paul Magrs Paul Magrs (pronounced "Mars"; born 12 November 1969) is a writer and lecturer. He was born in Jarrow, England, and now lives in Manchester with his partner, author and lecturer Jeremy Hoad. Early life Magrs was born in Jarrow, Tyne & Wear, on ...

. Purser-Hallard studied Stapledon's, Shaw's and Lewis' work in his doctoral thesis, and draws on them for the key themes of ''Peculiar Lives''. These concern

eugenics Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...

and the

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

of mankind within an

eschatological Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that negati ...

context.

Synopsis

Honoré Lechasseur and Emily Blandish become embroiled in the endgame of a plot which began a generation ago, with the birth of the superhuman children known as "the Peculiar". While Emily encounters their chronicler, the elderly science-fiction novelist Erik Clevedon, Honoré is pitched against his will into an unimaginably distant future.

Literary References

John Cleavis first appeared in Paul Magrs' ''Doctor Who'' novel '' Mad Dogs and Englishmen'' (2002) and then in the standalone ''To the Devil — a Diva!'' (2004). He is included in ''Peculiar Lives'' with Magrs' permission. ''Peculiar Lives'' also name-checks J. D. Beresford's ''

The Hampdenshire Wonder ''The Hampdenshire Wonder'' is a 1911 science fiction novel by J. D. Beresford. It is one of the first novels to involve a wunderkind. The child in it, Victor Stott, is the son of a famous cricket player. This origin is perhaps a reference to ...

'' (1911).

Audiobook

''Peculiar Lives'' was released as an audiobook in November 2011, read by

John Leeson John Francis Christopher Ducker (born 16 March 1943), known professionally as John Leeson, is an English actor, voice artist and freelance wine educator. He is known for portraying Bungle in ''Rainbow'' and voicing K9 in ''Doctor Who'' and s ...

and published by Fantom Films.

External links

Telos Publishing - ''Peculiar Lives''

(including essays on the literary contexts of the novella and some additional material)

Time Hunter 2005 British novels Novels by Philip Purser-Hallard British science fiction novels {{DoctorWho-stub