Goth Opera
Encyclopedia
Goth Opera is an original Doctor Who
novel, published by Virgin Publishing in their Missing Adventures
range of Doctor Who novels. It was the first book in that series and a sequel to the New Adventure
book Blood Harvest
, but it can be read separately.
they get caught up in a scheme by the Time Lord Ruath to resurrect the vampire Yarven (from Blood Harvest
). Ruath sends a vampire baby to attack the Doctor and turn him into a vampire, but the child instead attacks and converts Nyssa. Unable to provide Yarven with the Doctor's Time Lord blood, Ruath gives her own blood to Yarven, causing her to die and regenerate into a vampire Time Lord.
Nyssa, while trying fight her new vampire nature, is drawn to Yarven's castle, where she learns more about Ruath's plan. Ruath has created a genetically enhanced mist that can turn normal humans into vampires, and kill those who use traditional methods (garlic, crosses, etc.) to protect themselves. Ruath has also invented a Time Freeze, a small Time Loop that can hold the Earth in a perpetual night, leaving the vampires free to roam and feed.
Nyssa contacts the Doctor and aids him in entering the castle, which turns out to be Ruath's TARDIS. Ruath captures the Doctor and Tegan. She informs Yarven that his brain, now enhanced by Time Lord blood, will become the controller of the Time Freeze mechanism, and offers the Doctor the change to become her vampiric consort. Yarven, however, decides he doesn't want to sacrifice himself, and places the Doctor in the Time Freze. The Doctor manages to use Ruath's command ring to take control of her TARDIS and force it to materialize on a distant planet, where the rising sun incinerates Yarven and his vampire hordes. The death of the vampire child cures Nyssa of her vampirism. Ruath survives the dawn, but is sucked into the Time Vortex after Nyssa opens the doors to the Doctor's TARDIS while it is in flight.
in a fight against Dracula
. Cornell revised the story to use the Fifth Doctor for this first Missing Adventure.
Goth Opera is both a sequel to the 1980 television story State of Decay
, which first mentioned the war between the Time Lords and the Vampires, and to the New Adventure Blood Harvest
, which introduced the vampire Yarven.
Using faith as a method of fighting vampires was first mentioned in the serial The Curse of Fenric
.
The Doctor and Ruath were classmates at Prydonian Academy on Gallifrey, along with Mortimus, a.k.a., the Meddling Monk
(who first appeared in The Time Meddler
).
Ruath sees a point in the future where Gallifrey does not exist. This is the first time in any medium that it is hinted that Gallifrey will destroyed at some point, an event which occurs in the novel The Ancestor Cell
and again during the Time War
prior to Rose
.
insisted that they would not stock the book in that form.
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
novel, published by Virgin Publishing in their Missing Adventures
Virgin Missing Adventures
The Virgin Missing Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which had been cancelled in 1989, featuring stories set between televised episodes of the programme. The novels were published from 1994 to 1997, and...
range of Doctor Who novels. It was the first book in that series and a sequel to the New Adventure
Virgin New Adventures
The Virgin New Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who...
book Blood Harvest
Blood Harvest
Blood Harvest is an original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features vampires in common with Dicks' 1980 television serial State of Decay and makes reference to that story's events as well as to those of The...
, but it can be read separately.
Plot
As the Fifth Doctor and his companions vacation in TasmaniaTasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
they get caught up in a scheme by the Time Lord Ruath to resurrect the vampire Yarven (from Blood Harvest
Blood Harvest
Blood Harvest is an original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features vampires in common with Dicks' 1980 television serial State of Decay and makes reference to that story's events as well as to those of The...
). Ruath sends a vampire baby to attack the Doctor and turn him into a vampire, but the child instead attacks and converts Nyssa. Unable to provide Yarven with the Doctor's Time Lord blood, Ruath gives her own blood to Yarven, causing her to die and regenerate into a vampire Time Lord.
Nyssa, while trying fight her new vampire nature, is drawn to Yarven's castle, where she learns more about Ruath's plan. Ruath has created a genetically enhanced mist that can turn normal humans into vampires, and kill those who use traditional methods (garlic, crosses, etc.) to protect themselves. Ruath has also invented a Time Freeze, a small Time Loop that can hold the Earth in a perpetual night, leaving the vampires free to roam and feed.
Nyssa contacts the Doctor and aids him in entering the castle, which turns out to be Ruath's TARDIS. Ruath captures the Doctor and Tegan. She informs Yarven that his brain, now enhanced by Time Lord blood, will become the controller of the Time Freeze mechanism, and offers the Doctor the change to become her vampiric consort. Yarven, however, decides he doesn't want to sacrifice himself, and places the Doctor in the Time Freze. The Doctor manages to use Ruath's command ring to take control of her TARDIS and force it to materialize on a distant planet, where the rising sun incinerates Yarven and his vampire hordes. The death of the vampire child cures Nyssa of her vampirism. Ruath survives the dawn, but is sucked into the Time Vortex after Nyssa opens the doors to the Doctor's TARDIS while it is in flight.
Background and continuity
The plot for the novel was originally developed from an unproduced comic strip for Doctor Who Magazine, which would have featured the Fourth DoctorFourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
in a fight against Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
. Cornell revised the story to use the Fifth Doctor for this first Missing Adventure.
Goth Opera is both a sequel to the 1980 television story State of Decay
State of Decay
State of Decay is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 22 November to 13 December 1980. The serial was the second of three loosely connected serials known as the E-Space trilogy...
, which first mentioned the war between the Time Lords and the Vampires, and to the New Adventure Blood Harvest
Blood Harvest
Blood Harvest is an original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features vampires in common with Dicks' 1980 television serial State of Decay and makes reference to that story's events as well as to those of The...
, which introduced the vampire Yarven.
Using faith as a method of fighting vampires was first mentioned in the serial The Curse of Fenric
The Curse of Fenric
The Curse of Fenric is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 25 October to 15 November 1989...
.
The Doctor and Ruath were classmates at Prydonian Academy on Gallifrey, along with Mortimus, a.k.a., the Meddling Monk
Meddling Monk
The Meddling Monk, or simply The Monk, was a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Played by the British comic actor Peter Butterworth, the character appeared in two stories: as an adversary of the First Doctor.Other than the...
(who first appeared in The Time Meddler
The Time Meddler
The Time Meddler is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 3 July to 24 July 1965...
).
Ruath sees a point in the future where Gallifrey does not exist. This is the first time in any medium that it is hinted that Gallifrey will destroyed at some point, an event which occurs in the novel The Ancestor Cell
The Ancestor Cell
The Ancestor Cell is a novel by Peter Anghelides and Stephen Cole, based on the science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz Kreiner, Compassion and Romana III- as well as a brief appearance of the Third Doctor in a ghost-like state due to the Faction's...
and again during the Time War
Time War
Time War can refer to:*Time War , an event in the fictional Doctor Who universe.*Time War, a module in the Nintendo game Meteos.*Time War, a fantasy novel by Lin Carter, published in 1974....
prior to Rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
.
Cover
The novel's cover was originally to feature a far more graphic image of Nyssa's shirt covered in blood. The artwork had to be adjusted and the blood airbrushed out when retailer W H SmithW H Smith
WHSmith plc is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It is best known for its chain of high street, railway station, airport, hospital and motorway service station shops selling books, stationery, magazines, newspapers, and entertainment products...
insisted that they would not stock the book in that form.