24 - Tragedy Day

Tragedy Day, like The Highest Science before it, is the result of Gareth Roberts throwing a lot of sci-fi concepts at the wall at once and seeing what sticks.  However, unlike his first novel, this story misses the mark more often, with a predictable plot that seems shallow compared to the incredible alternate universe cycle.  There are still things to like - Roberts’ humor makes this novel a romp at times even when the plot is nothing to write home about, and he’s definitely kicking around some interesting ideas - but I found it to be a largely forgettable entry in the series.

The Doctor, Bernice, and Ace, having resolved all of their disagreements in No Future, land on a planet the Doctor visited six incarnations earlier. They find themselves in the midst of a strangely 20th-century-seeming dystopian society, where a cult called Luminus is replacing celebrities with robot duplicates to control the population.  The cult is led by a young prodigy named Crispin, whose goal is to generate a massive psychic pulse and impose a utopia based on his favorite sitcom.  Meanwhile, a trio of beings called the Friars of Pangloss send assassins after the Doctor, trying to reclaim a piece of red glass he stole from them as the First Doctor long ago.  It seems like Roberts is trying to tell a story about media manipulation and the glossy facades of celebrities, but unfortunately he doesn’t spend enough time developing this central theme, instead focusing on subplots such as the Friars and the assassination plots on the Doctor.  This is a general problem with the novel; while it introduces a lot of interesting plot points and themes, it divides its time far too much.  It’s still a fun romp, but I came away disappointed because of how great it could have been with some refining.

Tragedy Day isn’t anything special, but it’s still a romp that has some very fun moments.  Keep an eye out for Forgwyn and his assassin mother, who are a particularly charming addition to the story  It’s also very approachable for new readers, since all of the baggage of previous stories was resolved in No Future, so I recommend it as a very middle-of-the-road light read.