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The Fantasy Bookworm

@fantasybookworm42.bsky.social
165 followers 134 following 1.2K posts

I read nerdy books and share my thoughts on them, usually in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, and especially #DoctorWho tie-ins. YouTube: www.youtube.com/@FantasyBookWorm42 He/they, autistic, poly, kink-positive. #TransRightsAreHumanRights #BookSky

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Jess O'Thomson @jessothomson.co.uk · 5h
Please don't forget about us trans people. Facing the worst attack on our rights in this country due to Labour's current transphobia. Don't forget my community. That's all I ask. Please.
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Cwiar Cymru @cwiar.org · 01/09/2026
More appalling behaviour from the BBC. ⬇️ A trans person interviewed about their horrific experience having their surgery cancelled whilst in the hospital described as 'biologically female'. And then half the article devoted to praising the work of an unemployed transphobe. 🗣️ DEFUND THE BBC 🗣️
bbc.co.uk
Welsh Gender Service: Transgender patients told surgery cancelled in hospital
One patient said they were "heartbroken" after being told their surgery was called off 24 hours before.
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Katy Montgomerie 🦗 @katymontgomerie.com · 4h
Ahh, unlucky mate. Turns out trans healthcare is still the scientifically and morally correct thing to do. I assume you'll be apologising now? Not sure why you thought the last 5 years would be different to the nearly 100 before that but ok
Some prick from Twitter exactly 5 years ago saying "I do hope in five years when this has been consigned to the rubbish heap that your apology to the legions of mutilated 20somethings will be fulsome and abject, Katy. You're going to have a LOT of explaining to do."

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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 4h
Today's charity shop find. Larklight, one of the very few books by Philip Reeve that I've not actually read yet #BookSky 📚🪐
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James Goss @gossjam.bsky.social · 19h
Didn't get Glastonbury Tickets? Why not come to #DoctorWho #TargetBookClub on October 24th. We've a line-up of talks, readings, interactive prose poetry and Free Tea. bit.ly/smallbluebox
Gary Brannan - Exterminations In The Library
Steve Cole - The Vampire Mutation
Robert Crighton - Zerbi-Ye-Ye!
James Goss - Young Men Are Dying For It
John Grindrod - Revenge Of The Blurboids
Simon Guerrier - The Six Doctors
Paul Kirkley - The Revolting Rutan Will Not Be Televised
Esther MacCallum-Stewart  - The 5-FINGERED BOOKMARK
Jonathan Morris - Literal Targets
Bruce Nicholson - Chapter One
Andrew Orton - The Changing Face of Doctor Who
Phil Pascoe - « Et zut ! Ça recommence ! »
Julian Richards - Father In The Mirror
Robert Shearman - Power of Kroll
James Cooray Smith - The Timeless Pieces
Paul MC Smith - Drawing Inspiration
Dr Matthew Sweet - LYLE AND A TIME LORD
Jason Thompson - AND THE MYSTEROUS IMAGERY
STEPHEN WYATT - THE STALLSLADY IS BBC ENTERPRISES
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Robert Llewellyn @bobbyllew.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Anyone in the Oxford area, or in Oxford. This coming Tuesday I'm appearing at the lovely Caper Bookshop in east Oxford. Talking Red Dwarf, Scrapheap, books, electric cars and general nonsense. It might be fun. Come along. checkout.square.site/merchant/ML2...
checkout.square.site
An evening with Robert Llewellyn - Caper
description
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The initial scenes between the Doctor and Sarah in School Reunion are great. Then it all goes downhill with the bitchy rivalry with Rose which feels incredibly contrived. Rose being like that, fine, she's a teenager, but Sarah Jane shouldn't also be regressing to that level of immaturity #DoctorWho
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The vast majority of us don't possess the wealth to have any real tangible positive impact on the world as individuals. Why is it that those who do have to be fascist nutjobs.
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Theatre Goer @theatre-goer.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Trapsters recruit a podcast novice. It’s me. We discussed a terrific new book about the gay creatives and themes associated with Doctor Who.👍🏿 It was a lovely evening of interesting conversation.👏🏿 Check out the podcast and the amazing book, It’s packed full of wonderful anecdotes. 🩷🩷➕🟦🏳️‍🌈📚 🚶🏿‍♂️🎧📻
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
There's a difference between outrage and actually caring about something. Outrage is shallow and impulsive. A lot of people are capable of outrage. Not many people are capable of caring.
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Trap One🎙Podcast @trapone.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
On the brand new Trap One🎙Podcast @drwhonovels.bsky.social, @denisery.bsky.social, @lucymccaul.bsky.social & @quarkmcmalus.bsky.social explore The Peter Davison Collection, out now on record and CD: Apple Podcasts: tinyurl.com/5dky5r2z Spotify: tinyurl.com/mr3zsbez Podbean: tinyurl.com/6u8ym9d8
The packaging for the Peter Davison Collection vinyl release. The cover, record sleeves and artwork for the vinyls.The CD cover. The packaging, CDs and booklet for the CD edition.
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Jeff Goddard @jeffgoddard.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Fuck off with this shit. Look, I know Doctor Who is, well, Doctor Who. But this speaks to a broader problem which is essentially 'Fuck the arts and artists, they cost too much.' Which is some mealy mouthed bullshit, especially coming from an institution like the BBC. Ffs.
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
A question for fellow #DoctorWho book fans. Do Ghosts of India and The Glamour Chase have any real relation to the 12th Doctor "Glamour Chronicles" trilogy of books? I know they both feature something called the Glamour, but the wiki article for the trilogy doesn't seem to reference them.
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Running Through Big Finish @runningtofinishbig.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Doctor Who - The Main Range 37: The Sandman Written by Simon A Forward Directed by Gary Russell Sound Design by Gareth Jenkins Music by Russell Stone Cover by Lee Binding Released 24 October 2002 Recorded 4-5 March 2002
Cover to The Sandman featuring the Sixth Doctor, Evelyn Smythe, a lizard man, and lots of scaly textures.
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Finished Colony by Rob Grant. I enjoyed this book, though I'd say that it is less laugh out loud comedy, more dark sci-fi absurdism #BookSky 📚🪐 www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 28/09/2026
It really gives the game away when the anti trans orgs are calling the election of the neo nazi party in Germany a "glimmer of hope."
​A screenshot of an online article headline from "Inspecting Gender" by Genspect. The main heading reads: "Germany: A Glimmer of Hope for Sex Realists?" Below the title, the summary text asks: "Is the victory of the AfD in Germany a dark day for democracy or a glimmer of hope for sex realists? By David Allison." The bottom metadata displays the Genspect logo, "5 hours ago," and a "Listen" audio option button. In the top right corner, there is a teal "Subscribe" button alongside a circular profile avatar.
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ᖴᗩIᒪᗷᗝᗩ丅 ᑕᗩᑭ丅ᗩIᑎ @failboatcaptain.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
This. Nobody cared about bathrooms or women's' sports or any of this anti-trans garbage until a well funded organized campaign told them to. None of this was ever organic.
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
10 years ago in my country trans people were existing just the same as they do now. People could use whatever bathrooms they wanted. It wasn't a problem. Largely nobody really cared or thought it was "harming women" or any such thing. The outrage was entirely manufactured.
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Jacob Licklider CR: The Hobbit @newt5996.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The Company of Friends: Benny’s Story by: Lance Parkin: Big Finish’s 2009 anthology is all about the Eighth Doctor’s less featured companions, at least on audio. First up is Prof. Bernice Summerfield in a story all about an aristocrat who thinks she can free the TARDIS from its oppression.
Cover of Doctor Who: The Company of Friends featuring the Eighth Doctor looming over Bernice Summerfield, Fitz Kreiner, Izzy Sinclair, and Mary Shelley, all in purple.
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Don't know if this comparison has been made before but watching the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer kind of reminds me of season two of the Owl House. After the first season was mostly fun and episodic, now it feels like I'm being pummelled emotionally every five minutes
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The Amazing Worlds of Doctor Who @worldsofdrwho.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
"...the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common..." "Doctor Who: The Face of Evil" part 4 (1977). #DoctorWho
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elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
As someone with AuDHD, this can mean the difference between life or suicide. And they just decided people can wait *at least* 2 years. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
NHS bodies in England impose two-year minimum wait for ADHD and autism assessments
Patient groups decry ‘scandalous’ delays as four integrated care boards take step due to soaring demand for diagnoses
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Alex Will Resurrect That Werewolf Pic 🔸🏳️‍🌈 @alexwilcock.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
If you’re feeling like a rewatch of The Sarah Jane Adventures, now is a good time. The Whoniverse on iPlayer was launched three years ago in RTD’s plan to collect everything Who-ish in one place. Some programmes had limited options but were renewed annually (Torchwood, IIRC) while RTD was in charge.
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Caroline Litman @alicemydaughter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
UK government is calling for evidence on puberty suppressing hormones for children and young people with gender incongruence. It’s asking: what research has emerged since 2023. How has the evidence base changed? What makes the evidence hard to generate, evaluate and use in clinical/policy decisions?
post.parliament.uk
Puberty-suppressing hormones for children and young people accessing gender identity services
How has evidence on puberty suppressing hormones for children and young people with gender incongruence evolved since 2023, and what challenges affect its interpretation and use?
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Ben Williams @wenbbilliams.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The thing about the current state of BBC and British TV is it's extremely complicated, there are many factors, nobody on Bluesky has the answer, that answer certainly isn't "just make Doctor Who cheaply", and we should let the experts sort it out. Unless you do, in fact, have a better plan.
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The gaslighty "you will love AI" adverts are really starting to irritate me now. Will tech companies give over already. I get you've invested a fortune in this but we don't care. Constantly telling us we do is not going to change that.
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James Goss @gossjam.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Here's a list of talks for #DoctorWho #TargetBookClub on Saturday October 24th. Tickets bit.ly/smallbluebox
Target Book Club - The Abbey Centre, Westminster Saturday 24th October
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This may be an out there opinion, but I think utopia, or something approaching utopia would actually be pretty easy to achieve, if we could all just start being compassionate. A mind boggling amount of what makes the world we live in not a utopia is so blatantly, needlessly self-inflicted by us.
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QueerAF @wearequeeraf.com · 22/09/2026
The guidelines set out a wealth of detail about how schools in England “should” treat Trans+ pupils and address Trans+ topics
wearequeeraf.com
Section 28 2.0: A complex web of anti-trans guidance that will make it vastly harder to overturn
Anti-trans rhetoric has been spread across a growing myriad of guidance and documents, with Trans+ children headed back to school facing segregation and teachers banned from “encouraging” them to question their gender.
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Reecy Pontiff @reecypontiff.com · 22/09/2026
Were the Doctor Who TV movie ratings -actually- bad? Was the shooting set a safe space? Might we finally get new Grace Holloway material? Find out that & more in my recent #LIWho 1996 TV movie panel w/co-star Daphne Ashbrook & producer Phil Segal! youtu.be/OUzAwJ43acQ #DoctorWho #8thDoctor
youtu.be
Doctor Who TV movie panel w/Daphne Ashbrook & Phil Segal @ LI Who
YouTube video by the A/V of Reecy Pontiff
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This is somewhat refreshing when it feels like every mainstream end of the political spectrum right now is adopting the policy of being horrifically bigoted about trans people
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I love that we have Big Finish but can't help feeling like there's an over-saturation of content when it comes to Doctor Who, especially with the enormous backlog of audio dramas that already exist now. Like it's great, but do we really need SO MUCH of it?
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Katelyn Burns @katelynburns.com · 21/09/2026
For my newsletter, I wrote about Democrats coming out against "trans surgery for kids" (which do not happen) and how the myth took over our politics. www.burnsnotice.com/the-trans-ki...
burnsnotice.com
The "Trans Kid Surgery" Myth
The big lie worked because it played on your protective instincts
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QueerAF @wearequeeraf.com · 21/09/2026
Unlike Section 28, these rules are spread across a myriad of documents, which will make it harder for LGBTQIA+ groups to fight to overturn their harmful impacts Read our full analysis 👇
Section 28 2.0 begins
Children in England are back at school, in a new era of strict rules on what teachers can say about LGBTQIA+ identities.
Schools have begun implementing guidance and curricula which require them to segregate Trans+ pupils, while teachers are banned from “encouraging” pupils from ‘questioning their gender’. Many view the new rules as directly parallel to Section 28, the now-revoked law that banned schools and local authorities from “promoting” gay identities until 2003.
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Paul Magrs @paulmagrs.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The last book list-gathering went well, so i thought i'd try another. Ok - novels with haunted houses at their heart. I'll start us with 'The Haunting of Hill House'. Let's compile a top ten - any genre, any era, classic or pulp. Off you go!
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
An idea for if Shearsmith and Pemberton ever want to make another Inside No. 9 episode. Broadcast it with zero publicity, listed as an episode from a previous series. The episode is titled "The Mandela Effect."
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
It's almost as though the vast majority of the public know nothing about the process of writing and producing a TV show
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Maria Rose 🏳️‍⚧️ but she’s spooky @mariarose.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Ncuti Gatwa deserved so much better. Took only one Christmas special to make him overtake David Tenant as my favourite Doctor and then he got the shortest run with some of the worst writing this side of a Moffat season. Genuinely robbed.
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The HBO Chernobyl series is so weird because the whole point of it is the Soviets scapegoating the reactor operators and covering up the truth, and yet the version of Dyatlov it portrays is a complete caricature that leans into the Soviet propaganda
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
In all seriousness though "Listen to the fans!" is almost always a terrible idea. The vast majority of fans (and yes that includes myself) know little to nothing about writing and producing a quality TV show
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Dualshocks and Daydreams @dualshockdreams.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
'Doctor Who: Fear Death by Water' (2025) was magnificent. I didn't know about the real-life history of Grace Darling but I will look her up further. 15 and co were well-written, as was the book. I love the ocean, primal forces, etc. Brilliant. Possibly my favourite 15 novel so far.
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
In case you missed it, in my most recent video I examined how novelisations of TV shows have evolved over time #BookSky #BookTube 📚🪐 youtu.be/L_0iHOWdMT0
youtu.be
Novelisations Feel Different Now
YouTube video by The Fantasy Bookworm
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Heather Paterson @heatherpaterson.co.uk · 17/09/2026
Why do authoritarian regimes target the LGBTQ+ community?
dw.com
Why do authoritarian regimes target the LGBTQ+ community?
A recent crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community in Turkey is symptomatic of a wider rights regression, according to experts. It's worse under authoritarian regimes, but why is it such a popular policy for ...
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Lord Samper @lordsamper.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
ICYMI earlier (much earlier...), have some thoughts on #DoctorWho novelization 'The Invasion of Time' 😀 lordsamperlibrary.blogspot.com/2026/09/doct...
lordsamperlibrary.blogspot.com
‘Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time’ – Terrance Dicks (Target)
Page Count: 142 Pages Apologies for the lack of blog post yesterday… I’m not quite sure why my laptop decided to act up but it got to a po...
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I've mixed feelings on the Revenge of Wormwood boxset. The point of this was always to be a nostalgic hug, but there's nostalgia and then there's ending an episode with Clyde and Rani saving the day by just shouting out random things from the SJAs. Yeah, that bit got quite cringe-inducing #DoctorWho
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The Fantasy Bookworm @fantasybookworm42.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Remembering the time that #DoctorWho made an onscreen reference to the books in the episode Boom Town #BookTube #BookTok #BookSky 📚🪐 youtube.com/shorts/KLm0I...
youtube.com
When Doctor Who Referenced the Books
YouTube video by The Fantasy Bookworm
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Heather Paterson @heatherpaterson.co.uk · 16/09/2026
I just wrote a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social letter: Restore Access to Gender‑Affirming Surgeries in Wales. Write one here: transactual.org.uk/blog/2026/09...
transactual.org.uk
Take Action to Restore Access to Gender‑Affirming Surgeries in Wales – TransActual
The Welsh Gender Service has been instructed to stop referring people for surgery, and people who already had surgery dates booked have had their surgeries cancelled without any warning. This includes people who were already in hospital ready for their operations.
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Jim Allenby @frakturedboy.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Well this was a fun little story by @unamccormack.bsky.social. It was great to revisit my favourite NuWho Doctor and the Fam - this time in print! I loved the idea of the rock people and I kept visualising a cross between Eldrad from Hand of Fear and the Rock Lords. 🙂
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Running Through Big Finish @runningtofinishbig.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I think Robert Jezek gives a fantastic performance here, sounding much more comfortable in Frobisher's skin the second time around. The script helps a lot, as the noir stylings lend themselves to a specific kind of performance.
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Doctor Who Book Club @andwbcpodcast.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Our latest episode, reviewing the 7th Doctor New Adventure “So Vile a Sin” by Ben Aaronovitch and Kate Orman, is now available. Happy reading! Web andwbcp.libsyn.com/episode-115-... Apple podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a... 💙💙➕📚 #DoctorWho
The New Adventures 
So Vile a Sin
Ben Aaronovitch 
and Kate OrmanAcknowledgements
Kate here. After Ben's troubles with writing So Vile A Sin, including a disastrous hard-drive crash, I stepped in at the last minute to finish it. Some of the book survived the crash,
other bits existed as printouts, and Ben provided me with extensive plot and background notes to complete the bulk of the story.

I can't match Ben's prose for intelligence, wit and sheer
unpredictable style; but I hope you've found my efforts
entertaining. I was so desperate to read this book that I'd even write it myself!

I want to thank everyone for their encouragement and good wishes. Special thanks go to my beloved Jon Blum, who not only had to put up with my becoming Stress Kitten Kong as the deadline approached, but also understood the plot when I didn't!

Ben, for his patient help. Rebecca Levene and all at Virgin. Greg McElhatton and Jon again for read-through and comments. Andrew Orman, my unpaid military adviser. The experts of sci.astro for some heavenly advice. Jennifer Tifft, poet, costumier and visionary. And Karifa, for not eating his
father's telephone.

Special thanks to Special K.

This book was brought to you by the alkaloid caffeine and by the benzodiaprene alprazolam.SO VILE A SIN
'IF YOU STEP INTO HISTORY,' SAID THE DOCTOR, "I WON'T BE ABLE TO PROTECT YOU.'
"THIS ISN'T HISTORY,' SAID ROZ. 'THIS IS FAMILY.'

The Earth Empire - the Imperium Humanum, upon which a thousand suns never set - is dying.

The Great Houses of the Empire manoeuvre and scheme for advantage; alliances are made; and knives flash in the shadows.
Out among the moons of Jupiter, another battle is just beginning, as an ancient brotherhood seeks limitless power and long-overdue revenge.

The Doctor returns to the thirtieth century, searching for the source of a terrifying weapon. He fears a nightmare from his own past may be about to destroy the future. Nothing must be allowed to get in his way.

But the Doctor has reckoned without the power of history - which has its own plans for the wayward daughter of the House of Forrester.

THE NEW ADVENTURES
KATE ORMAN lives in Sydney, Australia. This is her fifth and a half novel in the New Adventures series. BEN AARONOVITCH lives in North London and is married with one son.

Cover design: Slatter-Anderson
Cover painting: Jon Sullivan
ISBN 0-426-20484-0
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