Instruments of Darkness by: Gary Russell

 

Instruments of Darkness is the final book in Gary Russell’s trilogy of Doctor Who novels dealing with the Pale Man and the Irish Twins.  While not the most connected trilogy, there are ideas in all three novels of using alien technology to improve oneself and build power which are interesting but sadly, Instruments of Darkness is the weakest.  This was a novel that was delayed when Russell suffered from writer’s block and was initially replaced in the Past Doctor Adventures schedule with The Shadow in the Glass at the last minute and honestly while the extra time allowed for the novel’s completion it didn’t entirely work with what Russell had done so well before.  The Scales of Injustice and Business Unusual are classics and both I’d highly recommend to fans of their respective eras and Doctor Who in general.  Instruments of Darkness, on the other hand, doesn’t quite come together, though that isn’t to say it isn’t at least worth one read though with tempered expectations.  When the novel shines, it really does shine, but it’s more the connective tissue that doesn’t hold together as well as it really should.  This is the first novel to really acknowledge Big Finish Productions, bringing in the character of Evelyn Smythe to meet the Doctor and Mel long after she’s finished traveling and that’s where one of the big issues of the novel occurs.  The idea that the Sixth Doctor would abandon Evelyn over a decade before they initially met honestly feels wrong.  Okay, at this point Big Finish had only released up to Bloodtide (though Russell would have had access to the upcoming audios) and there wasn’t a clear ending to her story in mind until at least 2004, but it feels wrong for the companion immediately after Peri whom the Doctor couldn’t save and Grant Markham who gets a mention here, would just be put into live isolated for a decade.

 

The characterization of the Sixth Doctor in the first third or so of the novel also feels off.  Oddly enough it feels like the way Terrance Dicks mismanaged the character in The Eight Doctors, having him obsess over food and feel really annoyed at his companions existence which feels more flanderized than anything the television show did with the character at his worst.  Luckily by the time things settle in Russell builds this great dynamic between the Doctor, Evelyn, and Mel and you’re able to really enjoy their time together (with the novel ending with the three of them travelling together which is sadly not really followed up on).  Mel in particular is continually well characterized as she was in Business Unusual from the word go and her active role in the plot really shows how Russell understands the possibilities her character could have.  The plot itself is a bit odd: there’s a being trapped that is being released back into the world by a mysterious John Doe on the orders of the Magnate, a shadow Government that seems to be connected with C19.  This is a simplified version of the plot as Russell adds and removes elements and subplots on his own whims which is a shame as simplicity would have helped make the book flow.  The identity of John Doe is also interesting, due to some of the implications of the character being an obscure companion given a genuinely horrific fate, though thankfully that is implications and not confirmed.  The exploration of the Irish Twins, Ciara and Cellian, here is perhaps where the novel is at its best, allowing both of them to break away from their previous deeds and attempt a redemption.  Sadly this is lost in the sheer number of characters and the fact that you really need context from The Scales of Injustice and Business Unusual for it to work.

 

Overall, Instruments of Darkness is a book that probably needed an editor if it was to reach the heights of the previous two in the trilogy, but in a lot of aspects managed to work while in many others it fell flat.  The characterization of the regulars starts rocky but eventually comes together really nicely and deals with the ideas of the entire trilogy but there’s still that sense of things being held back to make the final experience just fine.  5/10.