"I don' sell gun. I sell frock only."

There's surely no denying So Vile a Sin is a messy novel.

Famously, this book was the victim of circumstances. The NAs was a monthly series, so when Ben Aaronovitch's hard drive crashed, this book missed its slot in November 1996. Which was unfortunate because this novel not only wraps up a storyline that had run for several volumes, but farewells a major character and leaves a stain that will be dealt with by the characters for the next few books.

Still, these things happen, and Aaronovitch tried to continue his work, but ultimately a mix of what seems to have been writer's block and the challenges of plotting it meant that he simply couldn't complete it in a timely manner. Which was becoming a problem. The BBC had not renewed Virgin Publishing's license for Doctor Who fiction, so this novel had to come out by the end of May 1997 or it wouldn't come out at all. Kate Orman, whose other novels for the range were among its highlights, was given Aaronovitch's half-complete draft files, combined with some printed pages of what had gone before, and had all of two months to complete a novel for publication.

"I'm proficient in hand-to-hand combat, blades, custard pies, and the Bohemian teaspoon."

Generally, So Vile a Sin still works, but it's absolutely a mess. Kate and Ben call back to much of the latter half of the NAs (since Chris and Roz joined the cast) and do justice to the rich 30th century world that has been conjured up. There are some strong character moments, action sequences, and tonal shifts, with my favourite being the Lewis Carroll-esque trial of the Doctor for regicide. Yet ultimately the character arcs are all over the place, especially for Roz, and the novel has the feel of a lengthy television script, cutting too often between locations, creating a story that is full of ideas and political intrigue but hasn't been properly cooked. It's a shame, but under the circumstances no-one can really complain. ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2327116.html

So, poor old Roz, eh? Having done due service to the Seventh Doctor for 18 books, she dies in battle defending her high-powered family, one of whom is an even closer relative than she first seems, against a peculiar shape-shifting alien threat. I'm afraid the plot rambled a bit too much for me, but I did like the lifting of the veil to Roz's background - rather as we were told about Turlough back in 1984, only done better this time. Not one of the great New Adventures unfortunately, but an important building block of the (soon to be completed) series. ( )