The plot whizzes along, and the reader is met with cliff hanger after cliff hanger, with excellent action and horror in the old Tom Baker/John Pertwee mould.

Colin Baker was one of my favourite doctors who seemed to be let down by weak scripts and stories, but I'd have loved to have seen this on the telly! must for any fans of Doctor who. What are you waiting for? BUY IT!


The Sixth Doctor the way he should have been   July 10, 2000
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is, without doubt, the best Doctor Who story I've read, outside the broadcast stories. For me to say that is quite a feat, when I confess that the Sixth Doctor was probably my least favourite! Justin Richards has not only captured the characters of The Doctor and Peri, but manages to improve on them, making them more likeable and "real" than they appeared on TV. The dialogue is perfect, particularly for the Doctor: you can hear Colin Baker's voice every time, but again I have to emphasise that the Sixth Doctor in this story is a far more rounded character than the "Doctor Whooligan" we saw on TV - he has affection for Peri and cares about the people involved in the "Grave Matter" of the title. Peri, too, does not spend the entire story moaning at The Doctor or moping about - she's in there, investigating the mystery with (and without) The Doctor. If that wasn't enough, the story's rather good, too! Borrowing elements from various Hammer horrors in order to enhance the sinister mood, but explaining the horror in Doctor Who/SF terms, the book succeeds on every level. Richards also has a very easy, authoritative writing style - the first two chapters in particular I found unputdownable! You've probably realised from the cover that this can be summed up quickly as "Doctor Who Meets the Zombies", but it's more than just that. When I think that I hesitated when deciding whether or not to buy this... Do yourself a favour and read it soon!