Dying in the Sun

A decent beginning that quickly falls apart.

A fine novel that sort of stumbles when it steps away from its main setting.

The Doctor, Ben and Polly are staying in 1940s Hollywood. It quickly turns into more than a relaxing vacation, however, when a film director is murdered. On top of that, a new mysterious movie premieres which seems to be irresistible to all that see it. Does it all still count as “movie” magic?

Let’s start with the good: I love the early chapters of this book. They feel incredibly creative and revel in the setting. High hotels overlooking rainy streets, where everybody still wants to make it big. It paints a real picture!

But as the book goes on, it seems less and less interested in its environment. While we learn more about the plot, it grows more and more generic. Fancy restaurants and movie theaters are replaced with generic castles and caves, which don’t feel like they connect to our main setting at all. The transition feels sloppy and almost makes it feel like we went to a different country.

But it’s not only the environment that seems to stumble. There are points in the story where characters feel distinctly out of character. At one point, Polly goes out to investigate on her own. No one seems to think this is dangerous or unsafe. Not even when she is missing for DAYS! All Ben and the Doctor say is “Oh, she will turn up eventually”.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I think Polly can’t be alone. But when she goes to check in on wanted criminal in a bar, and she disappears for 6 days with only a little note now and again.  It goes on for such an unnatural amount of time that it starts to feel like lunacy. And it’s not the only time characters feel off.

One of our other main characters, Chate, is a criminal who is suspected to have murdered the director. He is our main focus for a good while at the start, but the story seems to flip-flop in his portrayal. One moment he’s a misunderstood small-time criminal who wants to get out, the next he is one of the main mind-controlled supervillains. He is stuck in an awkward position between the two storylines and never really finds his place in either. At the end we just decide he is good again, so we can leave him alone.

All these mishaps point to one main problem: flow. This story does not flow well. It has two storylines it doesn’t know how to balance, so it has to overcorrect on all sides to make it work. It makes events feel random and unconnected. It makes character feel out of character.

Which is a shame because beneath it all is a good idea that’s trying to get out. The main villain of it all is the Selyoids. A sort of bacterial entity. Everyone who comes into contact with characters or materials with Selyoids on them, sees them as the perfect being. Combine this with Hollywood films and actors that live on adoration, and you can see how something really interesting could be made here.

The story even makes some small points on the benefits of a mind-controlled utopia and why that might be preferable to a world filled with hate. It gives a little nuance to the concept that makes you doubt the Doctor’s resistance, even if it is just for a second. That’s good stuff, but it just can’t get its time in the limelight here.

So instead, we just have to live with this bungled package. It’s by no means insulting or terrible, but it is pretty incoherent and it wastes a lot of opportunities. Ah well, let’s hope another story does this setting better.