14 - Lucifer Rising

Lucifer Rising tries to be several things at once, and somehow still succeeds at all of them.  That’s the best way I can describe it, because this one was exhilarating all the way through - a must-read for anyone perusing the early VNAs.

The Doctor, Ace, and Benny arrive on a moonbase orbiting the planet Lucifer, where they are quickly sucked into a whodunit with many moving parts and some proper Holmesian deduction.  What is the purpose of the alien structure upon which the base was constructed?  Who is the saboteur on the base, if there is one?  Why do the “Angels” who reside on Lucifer stay below its surface and avoid communication?  What is Ace hiding?  So many questions, and they’re almost all answered by the end.  The murders are presided over by an Adjudicator (seen in Colony in Space) named Bishop, followed shortly by a vessel from the same serial’s Interplanetary Mining Corporation.  Before long, it’s revealed that Ace has been working with the IMC in the future, sent to investigate the Lucifer system’s strategic importance in the future.  With the help of this agent, an alien named Legion, the IMC hopes to drain Lucifer’s atmosphere and mine its core for resources, trampling the ancient alien technology held within and slaughtering its natives.

The world-building in this story is absolutely top-notch.  First of all, it takes place in the lead-up to the 22nd century Dalek invasion, as the outer colonies of an unaware Earth are attacked one by one, and the Doctor ends the story by directly preparing Earth for the invasion via a defense against the plague.  But it’s not just the classic continuity; we get snippets of a truly dystopian vision of Earth’s future, one with “eugenic lotteries” and smog-filled skies ruled by a group of corporations.  The base is staffed with a wide array of supporting characters, the most notable of whom being Alex Bannen, a scientist wracked with guilt after leaving behind his young son on a bleak Earth.  After the feedback mechanisms of Lucifer’s moons begin to collapse, it’s Bannen who saves the day by sacrificing himself, and I found his plotline particularly enthralling.

I also want to highlight the imagery at play, because the latter half has some cosmic horror elements that were truly delightful.  There are the mysterious Angels of course, who we never truly learn about in detail, but the Doctor and company also get a view of the naked singularities of black holes, and the main villain is a seven-dimensional being named Legion who occupies a nonlinear plane of existence.  The resolution of the story even features Annihilation-like mutation caused by the manipulation of humanity’s morphic field, with the Doctor and his companions briefly merging into one being and sharing their memories and emotions at the climax.  For better or for worse, the three of them are stuck together now - the universe doesn’t stand a chance!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! 

“LUCIFER RISING: A DEADLY MYSTERY IN THE DEPTHS OF SPACE”

Before Andy Lane and Jim Mortimore became seasoned Doctor Who writers, they crafted Lucifer Rising—a novel that blends hard sci-fi with a classic whodunit, resulting in one of the most engaging and detailed settings in the Virgin New Adventures range so far.

Set on the gas giant Lucifer and its orbiting moons—two of which are connected by a stunning rainbow bridge—this story follows a group of scientists attempting to uncover the planet’s secrets, only to be drawn into a deadly conspiracy. Their investigations suggest the presence of enigmatic, unseen beings known as the Angels. But when a key member of the expedition, Paula Engado, is found dead on the planet’s surface, an Adjudicator is called in to investigate. The sudden arrival of the Doctor, Ace, and Bernice only complicates matters, as they begin to suspect that Paula’s death may not have been an accident at all…

With its slow-burn mystery, its richly detailed worldbuilding, and its fascinating take on high-stakes corporate intrigue, Lucifer Rising is a gripping novel that effectively blends traditional Doctor Who adventure with elements of films like Gravity and Armageddon—but with significantly more blood, detached limbs, and exploding heads.

THE DOCTOR, ACE, AND BENNY – FRACTURED TRUST AND CHANGING DYNAMICS

At its core, Lucifer Rising is as much about its characters as it is about its mystery. This is one of the strongest depictions yet of the Seventh Doctor’s manipulative tendencies and the consequences they bring. His strained relationship with Ace continues from Love and War, and it reaches breaking point here. Ace, still embittered by his betrayals, no longer trusts him. In a rare twist, she actively opposes him by siding with IMC, the infamous space-mining corporation first introduced in Colony in Space. It’s a fascinating development—one that finally gives some weight to the VNAs’ attempts at continuity.

Ace’s space mercenary training is also put to good use here. She operates largely independently from the Doctor, using her hardened skills to follow her own agenda. Meanwhile, Benny proves her worth as the Doctor’s more rational and dependable companion. After Ace’s apparent death (a brutal moment that adds to the novel’s relentless tension), the Doctor opens up to Benny in an unexpectedly emotional scene, discussing themes as simple as the lyrics of a Venusian lullaby but as deep as the burden of his actions.

The Doctor himself is in fine form. His Chessmaster persona is still in play, but it’s softened here—he’s more clownish at times, especially when creating distractions. Yet, for once, he’s the one being outmanoeuvred. When he discovers that Ace has been using him to alter IMC’s future, it’s a rare moment where the great strategist has been played at his own game.

A BRILLIANTLY DETAILED SETTING AND A GRIPPING MYSTERY

Few VNAs have felt as immersive as Lucifer Rising. The novel paints a rich, textured setting, from the Norse mythology-inspired rainbow bridge and its enigmatic guardian to the treacherous, deadly surface of Lucifer. The base itself is also vividly realised, complete with a mushroom farm and a complex hierarchy of scientists, researchers, and corporate overseers. The multinational crew—reminiscent of The Moonbase—adds an extra layer of believability, ensuring that even minor characters feel like real people rather than interchangeable names.

The novel’s structure plays out like a traditional murder mystery, with the Doctor in the role of detective. Paula’s death is just the beginning, and as more bodies pile up, the tension escalates. The book cleverly follows classic whodunit patterns, complete with shocking revelations, hidden agendas, and plenty of suspenseful chapter cliffhangers. The Adjudicator’s presence adds to the intrigue, reinforcing the sense of a larger mystery at play.

However, Lucifer Rising isn’t just a mystery—it’s also a full-blown disaster thriller. As the base begins to catastrophically break down, the novel shifts into high-stakes survival mode. The sense of impending doom is palpable, made all the more effective by the knowledge that many of the deaths could have been prevented had corporate greed not taken precedence over safety.

THE ANGELS AND CORPORATE GREED – A COMPLEX THREAT

The mysterious Angels are one of the book’s most intriguing elements. Existing in seven dimensions at once, they are incomprehensible to humans—only appearing as fragments, glimpsed in two or three dimensions at a time. Their ability to fuse with humans, their alien nature, and their lack of understanding of basic human traits (such as fingers) make them deeply unsettling. Yet, they are not outright evil. Instead, they are intelligent, business-minded entities willing to negotiate, but only on their terms.

Their representative, Legion, is a compelling antagonist—both alien and ruthlessly pragmatic. The Angels are not the true villains here; instead, that role is filled by IMC, whose greed and cost-cutting measures result in deadly consequences. Their use of a computer virus to sabotage the base is a pointed critique of real-world corporate negligence.

The novel works its way towards an intense final act, with multiple moving pieces colliding in a whirlwind of revelations, desperate survival efforts, and moral dilemmas. The Doctor, Ace, and Benny ultimately put aside their differences to save the day, but the consequences of their choices linger. A small but satisfying touch is the Doctor’s final act—using the situation to subtly assist his past self during the events of The Dalek Invasion of Earth.

📝VERDICT: 8/10

An ambitious mix of sci-fi, murder mystery, and disaster thriller, Lucifer Rising delivers a gripping and atmospheric story packed with complex characters, rich worldbuilding, and thought-provoking themes. While its middle section drags at times, and the sheer number of moving parts in the climax can feel overwhelming, the novel’s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. A must-read for fans of the darker, more mature Seventh Doctor era.