Bunker Soldiers (Doctor Who) [Paperback]

Martin Day (Author)

Book Description

Series: Doctor Who | Publication Date: March 2001

A fireball crash lands in the forests of the Ukraine and when the locals investigate, they find what appears to be a metal coffin at the center of the devastation. They superstitiously conclude that the casket contains the body of an angel sent to Earth to give hope to the people.

Centuries later the Doctor and his companions find themselves trapped in Kiev, 1240 -- a city under attack by the Mongols. They are enforced guests of the governor, Dmitri, whose assistant Yehven believes that if the coffin is desecrated, then "all who threaten us will be destroyed".

When the coffin is opened by a group of men, a terrifying, skull-faced creature is freed, and kills a member of the group before fleeing. A spate of violent deaths ensue -- but this creature certainly isn't killing indiscriminately. How is this creature choosing its victims? Where has it come from -- and most importantly, can the Doctor do anything to halt its murderous trail of destruction?

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: BBC Pubns; paperback / softback edition (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0563538198
• ISBN-13: 978-0563538196
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,390,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #65 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Series

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark tale of brooding inevitability, February 16, 2001

By 

"grrreg" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bunker Soldiers (Doctor Who) (Paperback)

The TARDIS arrives in Kiev in 1240, where they are separated from the TARDIS. What will be the greatest threat to the Doctor, Steve and Dodo - the fast approach Mongol horde, the dark angel below the city, or the palace intrigues?

It has been quite a while since a First Doctor novel was published, and so 'Bunker Soldiers' is quite welcome. Martin Day projects the atmosphere of the Hartnell era - things happen a slow pace and a great feeling in doomed inevitability hangs over the book.

The book is written from two perspectives: a third person for a large portion, but interspersed with Steven Taylor as the narrator. This helps bring Steven's character to life and, with actor Peter Purves narrating the lost Hartnell stories on CD, it is easy to imagine him doing so.

The main problem is Dodo - she really doesn't have much to do in this book. However, there is an excellent bit for Dodo quite late in the book when it becomes possible that her actions may later inspire a great tragedy, which causes Dodo a great degree of distress.

Hopefully it won't be so long until the next First Doctor novel arrives.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable 1st Doctor adventure, October 27, 2001

By 

Matt Ivy "Matt" (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bunker Soldiers (Doctor Who) (Paperback)

The 1st Doctor, Steven, and Dodo arrive in the city of Kiev in 1240, a city doomed to be overrun by Mongol hordes. Steven and the government of Kiev plead with the Doctor to help them deter their enemies. The Doctor refuses, not daring to change the course of established history. But in the city of Kiev, other citizens are preparing their own fight against the Mongols. Actions which might very well force the Doctor to interfere....

It is a shame that more William Hartnel 1st Doctor stories are not written. The 1st Doctor, and that period of Doctor Who, is so unique to the series. It has it's own style, feel, and unique charms. "Bunker Soldiers" re-establishes this feel very well: The Doctor is a mysterious stranger, with an almost alien morality and ideology, and eventually persues actions that seem impossible to achieve. Steven has his own strong part to play in this story. He delves into Kiev's society uncovering other secrets. Dodo is not given much to do (which is fine, I never liked her anyway). The story itself is chilling and terrifying, with the inevitable doom of Mongols, and the inexplicable terror that roams the halls of Kiev. "Bunker Soldiers" is a good read of the Hartnell era. I'm glad I bought it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Doctor Who and the Seal of Seventh, November 5, 2001

By 

Jason A. Miller (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bunker Soldiers (Doctor Who) (Paperback)

Let's get the preliminaries out of the way: "Bunker Soldiers" is not the best Doctor Who book ever written. It's not even the best First Doctor book ever written.

It just seems to be.

"Bunker Soldiers" comes along at a wonderful time: there hasn't been a First Doctor adventure in about a year and a half, and the two Past Doctor books before "BS" in the schedule were excessively silly, or continuity-heavy.

But Martin Day writes a simple, stripped down morality tale, centered around a minor historical event, the Mongol destruction of Kiev in the 13th century. As he Doctor tries to reason with the bloodthirsty and strangely honor-bound Khan, Steven and Dodo are besieged in Kiev and hunted by a strange angelic (or demonic) presence. Meanwhile, several citizens of Kiev grapple with problems of faith and mortality.

This "bunker soldier" stalking Kiev may indeed turn out to be some rationally-explained robot, with lots of wires and a remote control. But in the novel, it really fulfills the role of Death. It's a stark symbol, and while not as memorable as Death in "The Seventh Seal", it's comfortably close.

"Bunker Soldiers" is fast and blunt and neither too skimpy nor heavy on detail. It's not the perfect First Doctor novel, but at times, it sure seems to be.