The plot involves the
Doctor, Ace and Benny arriving in New Mexico where they get wrapped in a
government conspiracy as the United States government, the Central Intelligence
Agency and the FBI have been broiled with the Tzun, a fascinating alien race
whom I will get to in a second and of course the Master, post-Survival. That premise alone is enough to get you
hooked on the novel right from the start and honestly it helps keep the story
moving along at a nice pace. Being set
on a government base for much of the novel allows for some classic interrogation
scenes where McIntee shows exactly how well he characterizes the Seventh
Doctor. The Doctor is great at giving
witty responses to the questioning tactics.
There are even explanations to why aliens in the movies are depicted as
grey. The Tzun are a fascinating alien
race. Imagine the Sontarans taken to one
thousand and you have the vicinity of what the Tzun are. I especially find the way they speak a
refreshing change from what we usually get from alien races. The characterization of Ace and Benny are
also great as they are nearly polar opposites that somehow work together really
well. Benny gets some great moments as
she is still pretty unfamiliar to the culture of the time and her reactions to
what people think of aliens is pretty funny.
The Master is the only other decent part of the novel as McIntee
captures Ainley’s portrayal from Survival
perfectly especially considering he is degenerating into a Cheetah person.
The biggest problems with
this novel is its supporting cast who are either comical stereotypes or
forgettable. Yes there are some good
moments with them, but they are few and far between. The pacing also has some odd moments
especially as the novel is beginning. It
feels like McIntee is trying to imitate the style of Season 26 with the Doctor
jumping right into the story, but it feels a bit off. The pacing also slows down towards the end
causing a few more problems.
To summarize, First Frontier is a great refreshing
novel after a really bad turn that continues the Master’s storyline really well
and keeps the story going.
Characterization is hit or miss while the pacing of the novel is all
over the place with the bookends and causes a bit of mood whiplash. 70/100 (Note the copy I had of this novel was
in really bad condition making it more difficult to read. When I find a better copy I will reread it
and my opinion may change)
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