The plot also has the problem of not being anything
special. Picking up from the ending of The Dalek Invasion of Earth, the Doctor
gets an invitation to the funeral of a Venusian friend of his and they get embroiled
into observing the dying planet Venus as an alien race is helping them getting
to Earth but not really as they want to eat them. Honestly it’s a story that is really average
as it feeds off the desperation of an alien race. This may be the first time this plot was
done, but it was dragged out over a long novel compared to the hour long audio
drama Orbis which instead of making
the characters not relatable, it makes them sympathetic and has the Doctor
right in the middle of events with his own stakes in proceedings. Here the Doctor and his companions are just
on the sidelines except for the fact that they make the aliens go away. This said the way the main characters are
done here is the main focus of the story causing some of the novel’s shining
moments.
The novel isn’t about the plot, but about how the
three main characters are recovering from Susan being left behind on Earth with
David and they act in three different ways.
The Doctor’s main reaction to Susan’s departure has him become a lot
grouchier. In the opening scenes to the
TARDIS, he is really reserved and he wants to be left alone to grieve. The trip to Venus allows him to see just how
much Ian and Barbara mean to him as he doesn’t want to see them hurt in the
same way he didn’t want to leave Susan.
Leonard gets Hartnell’s mannerisms down to a near perfection as the last
adventure took a lot out of him and he is ready to move on. Ian on the other hand spends most of the
novel in apprehension on Venus as he is afraid that the Doctor is going to
strand him and Barbara on the planet. He
also has to be the audience surrogate as he is the only one who doesn’t get
high on the Venusian’s brains. He knows
something is wrong with this situation and eventually has to accept the alien
environment for the first time as the television series is usually focusing on
Barbara reacting to things. He also has
to realize his feelings for Barbara as he alone gets stranded for about a month
realizing how much he loves her. Barbara
gets the least amount of development in this story. She spends a lot of it on the Venusian’s
brains which does allow some interesting scenes as her mind is in
confusion. This story is basically The Aztecs, but with alien interference.
To summarize, Venusian
Lullaby is a good enough book from a first time writer, but it doesn’t
allow its supporting characters to be relatable as everyone is an alien. It’s a beautiful character piece to see how
different characters react to loss. The
novel hits story beats that have been touched upon after this was published and
done a lot better. Some of you may like
it, but be warned how it is very long.
55/100
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