Review | Doctor Who: Vampiric Science by Kate Orman and Jonathan Blum

Team: 8 drSam Jones
space: San Francisco, USA
time: 1976 and 1997

Maybe because of the weight of the drama Eight doctors And because of the basic appeal of that story, Terence Dix He didn’t have the time or intent to really develop Sam and thoroughly explore his first encounter with the Doctor. That’s why I understood Vampire scienceNext work Eight doctorsthe book that first appeared in the series Adventures of the Eighth DoctorBecause there we see the text exploring the personality of the new companion and showing more details of the Time Lord’s personality, which literally says that three years have passed since his regeneration in Lord of time🇧🇷 It is also worth noting that the geographical area chosen by the duo Kate Orman And the Jonathan Blum To represent the new battle of the Doctor against the vampires could not be better, given the history of this incarnation: the city of San Francisco, in the United States.

The title of the book already says who the antagonists will be, and yes, we’re talking Vampires On the ground, those who first appeared in the series at state of decay and whose arrival on Earth has been explored in the books Bloody harvest 🇧🇷New Virgin Adventures #28) And the Gothic opera 🇧🇷The Adventures of the Lost Maiden #1), both from 1994. In Two Times, my authors Vampire science Showing an attempt at coexistence and moral corruption within the vampire community in San Francisco, making the first half of the book a drama of dark tension (with hints of political drama) without the strong presence of the villains, who really appear in the second half of the work. The starting point is a scene in 1976, when Caroline McConnell, a medical student with dreams of finding a cure for cancer, encounters a vampire attack on a British girl (Sam), which puts the student in contact with the doctor. .

The time jump to 1997 facilitates the story, and the authors used the atmosphere of the late 1990s to explore the very horrific paths of vampires, some of which were inspired by Interview with the vampirein Ann Rice🇧🇷 The plot here is related to the ancient dilemma of coexistence between species, which is divided between a group that wants and can use its amazing abilities to control humans; And another group is doing research in the field of genetic engineering to clone humans or to make artificial blood to serve them as food. It’s a very interesting dilemma that the authors manage to fit perfectly into the Eighth Doctor’s voiceover. This becomes even more intense when the Time Lord makes a pact,”blood fastingA vampire, and ends up becoming very weak. By the way, this narrative trick is very important, because from the moment it takes root, it leaves the Doctor vulnerable, perhaps on the verge of death, as it really does.

One of the most interesting aspects of the work was exploring Sam’s maturity. As a character, she grows a lot, as she faces dangers that could affect her forever. While recuperating in the hospital and receiving a visit from Unit General Adrian Kramer, Companion He hears reports of a doctor he never imagined existed. I really like the way Kramer shows genuine interest in Sam, recalling Sam’s manipulative style. Seventh Doctor And to think about the effect that would have on Ace, who has already made the change – in addition to going through some psychological and emotional hardship – in the company of the Time Lord. As for the bad guys, the character who gets the most attention is Slake, a rebel for the wrong reasons who delights in the suffering of others and has an ego the size of Everest. When I read it, I was very upset about it, especially since it wasn’t written with personality differences or tendencies toward change, which made it all the more difficult.

Between Slick’s narcissism and Sam’s shocking learning, Vampire science He invites you to talk about coexistence and the possibility of changing your life regardless of the surrounding environment. The authors concluded the work with the word “interesting”.loose end“, Vampire “forgottenIn the theater where the great final battle took place and who now has to make his life choices considering everything he sees happening on that stage. Plus, it’s nice to see a UNIT give someone of another kind a chance (let’s remember that Doctor And, in the future, he will do the same with Osgood!), a construct that amplifies the rhetoric that there are good and bad individuals practically of all kinds, and that careful analysis of the situation, a vote of confidence, and an attempt at dialogue between the parties are necessary measures in many encounters with those so-called “monsters🇧🇷 Depending on the situation, you may be facing a great ally, rather than a deadly foe.

Doctor Who: Vampire Science – UK, 7 July 1997
Adventures of the Eighth Doctor (EDA) #2
Authors: Kate Orman and Jonathan Blum
the post: BBC Books
288 pages