Andrew Cartmel also uses
this novel as his own version of Birthright
as the Doctor doesn’t feature prominently in the novel, only appearing at the
beginning to get the plot going and sending Ace and Benny off on their own
little plot threads, and the end to defeat warlock and save the day. This is a double-edged sword as on one hand
he can be the master manipulator in the background moving the pieces along as
was the case in Birthright or he
could just not be important to the plot at all like Strange England. Warlock actually gives us a mix of that
as there are several points where he is working from behind the scenes, but
there are also moments where he is nowhere to be found. When he is in the forefront, the Doctor has
the best moments of the novels.
Cartmel also gives us the
best portrayal of the New Ace yet. Yes
he was better than Andy Lane and Jim Mortimore’s portrayals. Here she is sympathetic to the cause of Shell
and Jack as she despises animal experimentation. Her shining moments are in the first chapter
where she recounts her relationship with her cat Chick who is a character in
his own right. She and the Doctor helped
a cat give birth and it led her to take affection to the cat which we haven’t
seen in ages. The first chapter alone
gives us a great look into her mind and processes as she serves as the closest
thing to a main character in this novel.
The way Cartmel portrays her makes me want to see this adapted into a
Big Finish play, even if it would have to be toned down extremely for a more
general audience. Sadly this cannot be
said about Benny, who is really bland here mainly because Cartmel doesn’t know
what to do with her. She goes to America
for several chapters to get a sample of warlock for the Doctor which is
pointless as Ace ends up getting one so that is pretty much pointless.
The novel also has a lot
of interesting supporting characters.
Vincent and Justine reappear here halfway through the novel which is one
of Cartmel’s best moves for the novel as he develops them both into mature
adults. Justine has a baby on the way
and they are now married which makes the stakes higher when Justine is captured
and tortured. Luckily the baby will
survive to see another day. Ace in the
novel meets up with Shell and Jack, a hippie couple who invade the research
labs as animal rights activists. Shell
is the more interesting of the two as it is eventually revealed she was mugged
and nearly raped when she was younger so she tattooed her body to make it her
own and show control. Her damaged psyche
is fascinating and only get more so when she is on warlock as the drug makes
her have visions. Jack while being well
developed is just less interesting as a character. The least interesting side character is Creed
McIlveen who is your stereotypical detective character even though he gets a
good introduction.
The final points I’d like
to make on this novel are the two aspects of genius that Cartmel inserted into
the novel. First is the titular warlock
which is revealed to be an alien being that serves as a drug which allows for
Cartmel to experiment with its affects.
It varies from person to person as the drug reads their mind and
emotional state allowing it to become either heaven or hell for them. It’s a brilliant idea and used for a lot of
tense moments especially for Creed’s introduction as he is put under the
influence with a group of people trying to discover who a cop is. The thing is he is the cop and if he lets his
emotions show it he is dead. It is a
terrifying sequence which I love. The second
of these aspects is the portions of the novel that are written in the
perspective of animals, mainly Ace’s cat Chick.
It really makes you care for Chick and gives a unique perspective for
when some of the human characters have their minds transferred into animals
which I love.
To summarize, Warlock is the first Virgin New
Adventure to really shine in its quality.
I love its plot and the writing style of Andrew Cartmel which is always
fun to read. It is full to the brim with
good ideas and in many places it shines out its predecessor. Sadly there are quite a few problems with its
length and pacing along with a human villain who just isn’t very interesting to
read about. I recommend it as with these
flaws it is just as good as Cat’s Cradle:
Warhead. 80/100.
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