Demontage

by Justin Richards

Book Overview

The Doctor, Sam and Fitz land on the Vega station, a pleasure center given over to gambling, shopping and the Arts. It hangs on the edge of Battrulian Space, close to the Earth colony's frontier with... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0563555726
• ISBN13: 9780563555728
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: BBC Worldwide Publishing
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.4" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

I would have been okay if the story had stopped for an alien dog-man opera

I'll agree with the person down below who says that the title is fairly clever . . . I didn't even know that "de-montage" was a real word until this book, which just goes to show you that it's always possible to learn from anything, no matter what the source. Granted, it would have been nice to have some actual demons in this story, given the title but I don't want to come across as being overly nit-picky. I actually would like to comment about the cover before we go too much further . . . most of the covers for the BBC line have been fairly standard, nothing much to write home about. This one at first glance makes you think you're in for a werewolf story of sorts until you look closer at it and realize that the cover isn't the Doctor, but a painting of the Doctor with claw marks in it. Nice use of detail and good use of an otherwise bored looking Paul McGann. Meanwhile, back to the story. In a rare light hearted moment for the TARDIS crew, the team stops off on a casino world while Fitz and the Doctor indulge in a bet to see who can make the most money over the course of a week. Which already shows the changing dynamic between the crew members . . . while the Doctor would often take Sam places to show her stuff, it was rarely for something so whimsical. It's a subtle touch, even as the story gets some comedy moments out of the fact that as good as Fitz might think he is, Sam's got a few years of travelling and evading danger under her belt, while all he wants is a good cigarette. Of course, this is not the entire plot or else whimsical would turn into boring really quickly. The casino is set in a neutral zone between people and the Canvines, a race of dog-like aliens. There was war once but now an uneasy peace has settled in, even if not everyone is thrilled over that. This is all very nice until there's a murder on the station, with one good witness who disappears. Meanwhile an assassin appears to be stalking the corridors and what does this all have to do with the art exhibition that's opening up? Richards' has all the elements in place for a good story and it's to his credit that it reads as quite assured. There's not really a misstep or a false note, the setting is well thought out and he enjoys throwing the occasional curveball at the reader, such as making the Canvines opera lovers and not really all that war-like. I don't know if he's really all that good at conveying exactly what makes Martinique the artist so awesome but maybe he's just making fun of how pretentious it all seems. People get killed or almost get killed, there's twists as we go along and it all ends rather nicely. Thing is, it's not terribly exciting. I mean, it's entertaining enough but it lacks a certain kind of spark. Maybe because of all the secondary characters, while he does a good job of filling the world with enough people that it doesn't feel like a four person stage play but many of them just aren't very memorable. When people vanish for thi

Good, but unneccesarily loose

I hate to be the voice of doom here, but this could have been better. Not that there's anything wrong as such -- the story is snappy, the characters are well done -- and, unlike the last Eighth Doctor novel I reviewed, the Doctor is actually a prominent character in this one. My only fault is that the first eighty pages could have been tightened up more, moving some of the background material into a later point in the book. The run-up just takes too long. Other than that, largely unimpeachable.

Wow. A great book!

The name say it all is itDe-Montage or Demon-tageA very clever book. Well written with lots of suprises.All of the characters shine thru.Thank you Justin Richards

a fun read the story is fun!!

The Docotor and his companions go to the casino world of Vega. Fritz is mistaked for a hitman by a spy . Sam is in trouble too. To make things worse there there the opera and a very strange art exhibit. Eventully the Doctor solves evenyones problems. The book starts out a little slow,then gradually the pace picks up . A great first adventure for Fitz outside of his own time!!A fun book for any whovian or a sci-fi reader!!!

The Whole Mystery

The Vega Station. The 8th Doctor and his 2 companions are in a promped problem. There is a hitman on the loose,meaning a artist who condemmended his own murder! Sam is in trouble. She's been involved with the key witness to a murder,and the witness has vanished completely. She's in her element. Fitz is in trouble. He's been hired by BigDog Carouso.Hired as assisant to a assaination,he is in his element. The Doctor is in trouble. He is the one to sort out Sam and Fitz's problems and the president's saftey. The Doctor is in his element.