The plot can only be
described as unique as the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Kameleon get dragged
into investigating a murder at the time travelling restaurant The Crystal
Bucephalus which leads to a conspiracy to take over the restaurant. The plot structure while very traditional in
style lends itself well to Hinton’s more wordy style of prose writing and the
crazier ideas he decides to include in the novel. As a writer Hinton is still pretty amateurish
in his dialogue as there is very little to stand out apart from the quote on
the back cover of the novel, the extremely witty prologue, and the last few
chapters where the style suddenly shifts to something more readable.
Hinton is clearly a
Doctor Who fan as he is able to make the Fifth Doctor come across much like the
character we saw on television. He didn’t
think investing in a time travelling restaurant would take off and when he is
captures he uses his more unassuming nature to get Tegan and Turlough to gather
information and when it is suggested the Time Lords would shut the place down
if they had the chance he makes sure they don’t even consider the possibility
of being a Time Lord. Double points to
Hinton for making the Doctor immediately recognizable after switching out of
his usual costume to a French inspired one.
I could easily imagine Peter Davison in the role. Tegan Jovanka also is given a lot to do as
she is the one to uncover much of the conspiracy and get herself into
trouble. She is sent to several
different time periods including to a McDonalds where she meets a Dorothy who
may or may not be Ms. Dorothy Ace Gale McShane.
She gets paired with the Diva, Hellenica Monroe, the girlfriend of the
murder victim who is basically an upper class future woman who Tegan has great
chemistry with. Their scenes are the
most enjoyable of the novel. Turlough on
the other hand is just as bland as he was on TV but is even more insufferable
as he trails the master of ceremonies at the Crystal Bucephalus. Kameleon also has things to do in this novel,
but he isn’t redeemed either. Hinton
just has him there to explain why he disappeared on TV.
The supporting characters
are all French and I love them. You have
the Maitre D who serves as the master of ceremonies and is very fat. He is a joy whenever he appears in the novel
and I love his character. There is the
villain Ladygay Matisse who is your standard power hungry woman, but I can’t
help but enjoy her. There is also the
murder victim who gets some great stuff.
The professor Lassiter who works with the Doctor is also great in the
comedy department. Lassiter and the
Doctor just are characters who think alike and get some great sequences
together as you see the Doctor think his companions and TARDIS is dead. That said the whole conspiracy sounds good at
first but falls apart once you start to think about it. Also there are continuity references which
cause continuity errors with earlier novel Goth
Opera.
To summarize, The Crystal Bucephalus or as the author
puts it The Crystal Bucket, is a really
good first effort for a novel even if it doesn’t have the best of plots and
does feel like it’s from a first time author.
The characters are great minus a few of the principal and the setting is
unique enough to make you feel enveloped in its world. You can even have fun playing spot the
references as some are hidden. 70/100
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