''So Vile a Sin'' is an original novel written by

Ben Aaronovitch Ben Dylan Aaronovitch (born 22 February 1964) is an English author and screenwriter. He is the author of the ''Peter Grant (book series), Rivers of London'' series of novels. He also wrote two ''Doctor Who'' serials in the late 1980s and spin-of ...

and

Kate Orman Kate Orman (born 1968 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian author, best known for her books connected to the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Biography Orman was born in Sydney, but grew up in Canberr ...

and based on the long-running British

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

series ''

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 ...

''. It features the

Seventh Doctor The Seventh Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and the final incarnation of the original Doctor Who series. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy. W ...

Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), N ...

and Roz, Bernice,

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart is a fictional character from the Virgin New Adventures range of spin-offs based on the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. She is a descendant of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. A character called Kadia ...

. It is the conclusion of the " Psi Powers series" and the last appearance of Roz Forrester.

Synopsis

'If you step into history,' said the Doctor, 'I won't be able to protect you.'
'This isn't history,' said Roz. 'This is family.' The Earth Empire—the Imperium Humanum, upon which a thousand suns never set—is dying. The Great Houses of the Empire manoeuvre and scheme for advantage; alliances are made; and knives flash in the shadows. Out among the moons of Jupiter, another battle is just beginning, as an ancient brotherhood seeks limitless power and long-overdue revenge. The Doctor returns to the thirtieth century, searching for the source of a terrifying weapon. He fears a nightmare from his own past may be about to destroy the future. Nothing must be allowed to get in his way. But the Doctor has reckoned without the power of history—which has its own plans for the wayward daughter of the House of Forrester.

Background

The novel was originally announced as being written only by Aaronovitch, but due to a

hard drive A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with magnet ...

crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

on his computer it was delayed and taken on by Orman to complete. Originally to have been published in November 1996, it did not eventually appear until May 1997. This made it the last of the published ''New Adventures'' novels featuring the Doctor, although in terms of the ongoing narrative of the series it was followed by the five books published immediately previously to it, hence being numbered as 56 of 61. The title is taken from

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

'', Act 2, scene iv. It is the Dauphin's line "Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin/As self-neglecting."

External links

The Whoniverse's review on ''So Vile a Sin''
{{Seventh Doctor stories, selected=Books 1997 British novels 1997 science fiction novels Virgin New Adventures British science fiction novels Novels by Ben Aaronovitch Novels by Kate Orman Seventh Doctor novels