''The Gallifrey Chronicles'' is a

BBC Books BBC Books (also formerly known as BBC Publishing) is an imprint majority-owned and managed by Penguin Random House through its Ebury Publishing division. The minority shareholder is BBC Studios, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasti ...

original novel written by

Lance Parkin Lance Parkin is a British author. He is best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular '' Doctor Who'' (and spin-offs including the Virgin New Adventures and Faction Paradox) and as a storyliner on ''Emmerd ...

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 was the last of the

Eighth Doctor Adventures The ''Eighth Doctor Adventures'' (sometimes abbreviated as EDA or referred to as the EDAs) are a series of Doctor Who spin-offs, spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and published unde ...

range and features the

Eighth Doctor The Eighth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Paul McGann. The character was introduced in the 1996 TV film ''Doctor Who'', a back-door pilo ...

Fitz Kreiner This is a list of fictional characters who were companion (Doctor Who), companions of the Doctor (Doctor Who), Doctor, in various Doctor Who spin-offs, spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction on television, science fict ...

, and

Trix MacMillan This is a list of fictional characters who were companions of the Doctor, in various spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series, ''Doctor Who''. A Amy Amy, portrayed by Ciara Janson, is a companion ...

Plot

The

, accompanied by

and

, overthrows the tyrant Mondova on an alien world, prevents a time-travelling alien from interfering in Ancient Roman history, and stops a

Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Who'' ...

(never named as such, but heavily implied) invasion of

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

. Against this backdrop, Fitz and Trix have begun a relationship and decide to leave the TARDIS. The Doctor returns to Earth in 2005, materialising at the grave of Sam Jones. When the Doctor claims not to remember his former companion, Fitz becomes angry and leaves with Trix. As the pair attempt to readjust to normal life, it is revealed that Trix has been secretly passing information gained on their travels to another former companion,

Anji Kapoor This is a list of fictional characters who were companion (Doctor Who), companions of the Doctor (Doctor Who), Doctor, in various Doctor Who spin-offs, spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction on television, science fict ...

, who has used the information to manipulate the stock market and thus built up a considerable fortune. The Doctor discovers that another

Time Lord The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', of which the series' main protagonist, The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, is a memb ...

, Marnal, had also survived the destruction of

Gallifrey Gallifrey () is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It is the original home world of the Time Lords, the civilisation to which the protagonist, The Doct ...

, and has been living for the past hundred years as a human science-fiction writer (whose books are actually the history of the Time Lords and their homeworld). Marnal, who also claims to be the original owner of the Doctor's TARDIS, blames the Doctor for the cataclysm, and takes him and the TARDIS captive while the insectoid

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

Vore invade the Earth. The Vore attack leaves millions dead or missing, including Fitz, who apparently dies trying to save Trix. After a cold fusion explosion guts the interior of the TARDIS, the Doctor discovers that

K-9 Mark II K9, occasionally written K-9, is the name of several fictional robotic canines (dogs, the name being a pun on the pronunciation of "canine") in the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', first appearing in 1977 ...

has been aboard ever since Gallifrey's destruction, hidden behind a false wall, with orders from Lady President Romana of Gallifrey to kill him. However, K-9 pauses once it scans the Doctor's mind and discovers the reason why the Doctor has lost his memory. It transpires that, just prior to destroying Gallifrey, the Doctor (with the help of his former companion

Compassion Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as being sensitive to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on n ...

) had downloaded the entire contents of the Gallifreyan

Matrix Matrix most commonly refers to: * ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise ** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film ** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...

— the massive computer network containing the mental traces of every Time Lord living and dead, more than 140,000 Time Lords – into his brain, with his own memories suppressed to make room for the data. Gallifrey had not actually been erased from history, but an event horizon in relative time prevented anyone from Gallifrey's past from travelling beyond Gallifrey's destruction, and vice versa. Both the planet and the Time Lords could be restored, along with the Doctor's memory, if a sufficiently sophisticated computer could be found to reconstruct them. Before that could be done, however, the problem of the Vore must be dealt with. Marnal is wounded while fighting the Vore, and being on his last regeneration, he dies. The Doctor tells him that he is his hero, and Marnal dies in peace, confident that the Time Lords will be reborn. The Doctor reveals that the Vore have not actually killed their victims, but sprayed them with a chemical that makes them invisible to humans; Fitz is still alive and the Doctor brings him back for Trix, claiming he brought the dead back to life on his first day on the job. The Doctor, Fitz, Trix and his allies travel to Africa with a Royal Navy Battle Group to confront the threat of the Vore. The novel and the

end uncertainly, as the Doctor leaps into the very heart of the Vore hive.

Continuity

*This is the last novel of its series (which began with ''

The Eight Doctors ''The Eight Doctors'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was the first of the Eighth Doctor Adventures range and features the Eighth ...

''). '' Fear Itself'' (by

Nick Wallace Nick Wallace (born 1972) is a novelist and short story writer based in Tunbridge Wells, best known for his work in Doctor Who spin-offs. Biography Wallace works in media consultancy in London, advising on script development and programme acquis ...

), a novel published subsequently featuring the Eighth Doctor but set before ''The Gallifrey Chronicles'', came out as part of the

Past Doctor Adventures The ''Past Doctor Adventures'' (sometimes known by the abbreviation ''PDA'' or ''PDAs'') were a series of spin-off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and published under the BBC Books imprin ...

line. *The use of the seal of Rassilon on the cover mirrors its use on the cover of the first Eighth Doctor Adventures novel, ''

''. *References are made in this novel to the

Timewyrm The Timewyrm is the name of a recurring villain from the Virgin New Adventures spin-off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The character featured in a four-novel story arc: '' Timewyrm: Genesys'', '' Timewy ...

(from the Virgin New Adventures), former companion Samantha Jones, and various events that have occurred during the course of the Eighth Doctor Adventures. *Marnal was mentioned in ''

The Infinity Doctors ''The Infinity Doctors'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The book was released to commemorate the 35th a ...

'' and ''

The Taking of Planet 5 ''The Taking of Planet 5'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Simon Bucher-Jones & Mark Clapham and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Compassion. It ...

''. *One of Marnal's written works is titled "The Giants", the opening passage of "The Giants" in ''The Gallifrey Chronicles'' is identical to the prologue of ''

Death Comes to Time ''Death Comes to Time'' is a webcast audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', produced by the BBC and first broadcast in five episodes on the BBCi Cult website from 12 July 2001, accompani ...

''. The plot of another book resembles that of ''

'', also written by Parkin. Other unused ''Doctor Who'' story titles referenced in the book include ''The Witch Lords'' (a working title for '' State of Decay'') and ''The

Red Fort The Red Fort or Lal Qila () is a historic fort in Old Delhi, Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift hi ...

'' (a proposed

First Doctor The First Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor William Hartnell. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time L ...

historical story commissioned from Terry Nation). *Possible threats to Gallifrey mentioned by Marnal include the Klade (''

Father Time Father Time is a personification of time. In recent centuries he is usually depicted as an elderly bearded man, sometimes with wings, dressed in a robe and carrying a scythe and an hourglass or other timekeeping device. As an image, "Father ...

''), the Tractites (''

Genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...

''), Tannis (''Death Comes to Time''), Centro (''The Infinity Doctors'') and the Ongoing. *Marnal gives a list of some of the Eighth Doctor's companions, including some not mentioned before: Delilah, Frank, Deborah, Jemima-Katy, Nina, and Beatrice (possibly Trix). *Larna speaks of a prophecy that, before its fall, Gallifrey will be attacked by several enemies. These include

Omega Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value of 800. The wo ...

('' The Three Doctors''), the

Sontaran The Sontarans ( ) are a fictional race of extraterrestrial humanoids principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. A warrior race characterised by their ruthlessness and fearlessness of death, they w ...

s ('' The Invasion of Time''), Tannis (''Death Comes to Time''), Varnax (from an unproduced film project), Catavolcus (the ''

Doctor Who Magazine ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the followi ...

'' comic strip story ''The Neutron Knights'', DWM #60), and the

('' Timewyrm: Revelation''). *The TARDIS interior from the 1996 telemovie is destroyed by a cold fusion device, leaving the way clear for the redesigned interior seen from "

The Day of the Doctor ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" onwards. *When Marnal is looking through the various timestreams for the Eighth Doctor, he observes that the Doctor has "three ninth incarnations" (page 62: 'As for his future. . . he has three ninth incarnations. I’ve never seen anything like it.’). *At one point in the novel, Marnal mentions that he was visited by his son in the 1970s. In the author's other story AHistory: An Unauthorised History of the Doctor Who Universe, the visit of Marnal's son, during which the unnamed son was "on the run", is set during UNIT's hunt for

the Master (Doctor Who) The Master, is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and its associated spin-off works. He is a renegade alien Time Lord and the childhood friend and later archenemy of the title character, ...

in the television story

Colony in Space ''Colony in Space'' is the fourth serial of the eighth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 10 April to 15 May 1971. The serial, wriiten by Malcolm ...

, implying that Marnal's son is the Doctor's archenemy, the Master. *At the novel's end, the Doctor,

and

are set to confront the Vore invasion force. The ultimate fates of Fitz and Trix, and whether they leave the TARDIS or not, have yet to be revealed.

Notes

External links

*
The Cloister Library – ''The Gallifrey Chronicles''
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Fan reviews

The Whoniverse's review of ''The Gallifrey Chronicles''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallifrey Chronicles, The 2005 British novels 2005 science fiction novels Eighth Doctor Adventures British science fiction novels Novels by Lance Parkin The Master (Doctor Who) novels