Doctor Who: Time and the Rani [Paperback]

Pip Baker (Author), Jane Baker (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Carol Pub Group (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0426203313
• ISBN-13: 978-0426203315
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,930,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A new Doctor? Break out the loyhargil and asmalp!, February 24, 2001

By 

"grrreg" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doctor Who: Time and the Rani (Paperback)

The TARDIS is carrying the Doctor and Mel through the vortex, when it is suddenly drawn off course, and the Doctor is thrown to the floor, regenerating. The TARDIS lands on the planet Lakertya, and the Rani enters the TARDIS, having her alien allies take the Doctor back to her base. What is her plan?

Written by Pip and Jane Baker in both formats, it features the return of a renegade Time Lord, the Rani, and introduces her new race of allies, the Tetraps. Unlike her original appearance ('The Mark of the Rani'), she has a big plan and she'll do whatever she needs to to achieve it. The Rani is always untroubled by ordinary morals.

Into this plan, insert a Doctor disoriented by his regeneration, a race of pleasure-seekers, and a companion with more enthusiasm than sense, and you have a volatile mix.

Having said that, the story is pretty straightforward and in the traditional Doctor Who vein, probably a politic move given the casting upheaval that it was somewhat overshadowed as a TV serial by the ousting of Colin Baker from the title role and the introduction of Sylvester McCoy, the novel benefits from some distance from this highly questionable decision by the BBC (well, the ousting of Colin - Sylv plays a great Doctor!). Having said that, the actual joy of watching Kate O'Mara playing the Rani playing Mel is actually a real treat - so you may want to watch the video for that reason alone.

The Bakers also have an annoying habit of scrambling letters to create words rather than just making it up. The Rani is after loyhargil (otherwise "holy grail" - which is no hint at the true nature), and the Tetraps' cries at the end need only be read backwards top reveal what they are really after...