TITLE

The Tomorrow Windows

AUTHOR

Jonathan Morris

PREVIOUS FORM

for the defence: Anachrophobia (EDA, and quite as scary as The Empty Child!)

for the prosecution: Well, until I read The Tomorrow Windows, nothing!!

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT ALFIE?

On the one hand we have a man building Tomorrow Windows, allowing people to see the probable future of their worlds and mend their ways before it's too late; on the other we have an egomanic actor posing as various Gods in order to set various otherwise perfectly happy civilisations on a path that will ultimately lead to their self-destruction. Obviously, both men are dealing with the same planets, and consequently excitement, adventure and really wild things ensue in a story in which one or more characters may, or may not, bruise their upper arms.

From the book's acknowledgements: "This book is dedicated to Douglas Adams. It is not, however, intended to be a pastiche of his work." This is untrue. "Any imitation of his style would inevitably be a pale one." This, however, is true. On the plus side, the second half of the book is vastly superior to the first, and the fact that this book is soooo different to Morris' previous book says a great deal for his flexibility. Nevertheless, this one was a real struggle, an uneven hotch-potch which, despite some very interesting ideas in the mix, never really gelled.

In respect of the EDA range there is very little in the way of continuity, at least in the sense of referring back to past events. There are, though, some significant insights into both Trix and Fitz, which may well become important over the next few books. In the case of Fitz, he begins to worry about the future (arguably something that was hinted at as long ago as Camera Obscura and Time Zero when he turns 33) and consider the fact that he has no roots, no 'real life'. He begins to think it possible that he could one day give up the time-travelling life and settle down...

In the case of the elusive Trix, there are hints about her past, indications that her addiction to acting as somebody else (as she did blatantly in Time Zero and Sometime Never..., and a habit she explicitly admitted to in Half Life) is a reaction to a troubled childhood. Although most of these recollections or possible memories are couched ambiguously, the strong suggestion is that she was abused by her father, which ended when she fought back, putting him in hospital. Trix, however, seems to be uncertain herself as to whether this is the truth or just another invented persona, presumably indicating at suppressed trauma.

The character of aging thespian Prubert Gastridge appears to be mainly based on Brian Blessed's post-Flash Gordon persona of a big, booming, bombastic, larger-than-life figure. Prubert's main, cultish, claim to fame is as Vargo, king of the Buzzardmen, in "Zap Gordon" - his classic line being "What do you mean, Daniel's not dead?" which crops up with great regularity. We meet him in the twilight of his career (by which time apparently he has done the convention circuit and "voiced Zagreus for that interactive cartoon thing, and narrated The Dalek War - In Colour.") There's also, though, a hint of our very own Tom Baker in the character, when he declines to reprise the role of Vargo for a series of spin-off audios, and when he says on page 209 that he was "adored!"

There is also an inordinate, even indecent amount of 'real world' name-dropping. Chapter One alone, as well as featuring Ken Livingstone (who turns out to be well-acquainted with the Doctor, and also then turns out to be a bomb) bombards us with a celebrity guest list at Tate Modern: "Salman Rushdie, Ricky Gervais, Joanne Rowling, Bill Bailey, Stephen Fry, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton". Whether this is intended to be a nod to the swanky guests at a similar do in the final NA The Dying Days (that particular list including Lalla Ward amongst others) or was simply written while under the influence of the Radio Times, I'm not sure, but it seems a rather pointless list of names. Mr Lalla Ward (or Richard Dawkins as the rest of the world knows him) also rates a mention, but not an appearance, later in the book. And as if you care, Benny Hill, Eric Cartman and Jenny Agutter all get a name check too. Oh and Peter Cushing.

Within the fictional Who world (sorry to break it to you like that, but you do realise it's all fiction don't you?) there is also a lot of casual name-dropping, with many instances of characters reeling off lists of planet names. Some are invented solely for this book (I think) but amongst them are such previously-visited worlds as Dido, Exxilon and Tigus (from the TV series); Dronid, Hitchemus, and Hyspero (from the EDAs); Perfugium and Puxatornee (from the BF audios - the latter from Morris' own Flip-Flop, cheeky monkey); and even Esto, which is mentioned as the home of telepathic plants in The Keys of Marinus and which may or may not be the world that features in the comic strip in the second William Hartnell annual! Even Venus rates a mention, although whether that's a nod to its mentions on TV, its appearance in Venusian Lullaby (MA), or simply as a token real planet, I wouldn't like to say. And topping the list is the planet Stavromula, which is a sort-of planet (but not really) from the The Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy.

What else? Daleks and Krargs are mentioned (the latter being from Adams' own Shada) in the same breath as the Wrarth Warriors (from the DWW strip The Star-Beast). K9 rates a mention on page 31. The Doctor muses over a collection of his old enemies on page 71, the list comprising Sabbath, Silver (from Hope), Ferran (from Father Time) and rather surprisingly the Kandyman (from The Happiness Patrol). Amnesia wearing off is it? Ah, maybe not - when Ken Livingstone regales us with his past involvements with the Doctor, the Doctor seems surprised that it was him. Those adventures, incidentally, are blatantly The Web of Fear, Spearhead from Space and Invasion of the Dinosaurs from the TV, The Dying Days (NA) and an as yet untold tale concerning a 1980s set Voord invasion of Penge. Hmm...

There are throwaway references to The Chase, City of Death, and the various destructions of Atlantis, on page 278; and finally, chapter 5 appears to be a bizarre mix of the plots of Genesis of the Daleks, Destiny of the Daleks, and The Armageddon Factor, with the concept of the Cybermen, and elements of the EDA Alien Bodies, thrown in for good measure. If Mr Morris invites you around for a meal, make sure not to have the pudding - he's sure to have over-egged it!

It's perhaps inevitable, reading these EDAs now after having seen the new TV series, that occasionally the Doctor of the books seems eerily like the Doctor on TV. But I have to admit that it really did take me aback when the Doctor on page 197 whipped out his autograph book to add another famous scrawl to his collection - it's all too easy to imagine him asking old Charlie to sign his book during The Unquiet Dead. And if you think that's eerie, on page 181 his assessment of the acting talents of Prubert Gastridge is unequivocal: "He was fantastic!" Mind you, on page 279 he recollects having met Charles Dickens already, so make of that what you will!

All in all, the Doctor is fairly consistent here. Arguably he leaves too many planets to their doom in the early part of the book, without seeming to worry over it too much, and even when the horror of what Prubert Gastridge has (unwittingly) been involved in is finally revealed the Doctor's anger, although very laudable and morally outraged and all that, doesn't seem to last very long. But for all that, he is at least clearly the hero, and comes across as such. As I've already indicated, the author seems to have taken a bit of a casual and relaxed attitude to the Doctor's amnesia, which is all very fine, but doesn't sit comfortably coming immediately after a book which reinforced the point that the Doctor cannot remember ANYTHING of his former life.

This Book: Another brand new one from Play, saving another £1.00.

Running Score: £113.80 saved against RRP to date.