The Face of the Enemy

by David A. McIntee

Whilst the Doctor and Jo are away from Earth the Brigadier is confronted with open warfare on the streets of Britain. He and UNIT have to rely on an old adversary to help them save Earth. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0563405805
• ISBN13: 9780563405801
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: BBC Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.4" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

"Doctor Who" Without the Doctor!

The streets of Britain are filled with robbery and murders, and UNIT is faced with a mystery when a radiation-contaminated plane that disappeared from the skies returns. All of these events are somehow connected... Before reading this book by David A. McIntee, I had never thought about what happened to UNIT when the Doctor and Jo whisked off to Peladon. Now there's an answer... I was slightly unsure if a "Doctor Who" book that didn't feature the Doctor would be good, but I was wrong and was glad of it. Not only do we have a story featuring UNIT (the Brigadier, Yates, and Benton), but we've also got the Master AND Ian and Barbara, as well as a certain medical officer who makes his first "appearance" in the "Doctor Who" universe. This novel had me hooked by the end of the first chapter. The only things that disappointed me was the resolution of the novel (it felt a bit rushed towards the end), and there wasn't really a farewell scene for Ian and Barbara. Aside from that, I loved it. If you can find a cheap copy of this book, go ahead and buy it. You won't regret it.

No Doc, but that's ok

Face of the enemy keeps you moving. You soon see the Brig has his hands full with the Master and something else I won't spoil for you. This book also lets you see what happened to Ian and Barb from the First Doctor. It has action and even a little soft spot for the Master. I'm a Master fan when it comes to the bad guys he's the best and Roger's Master is my fav. A whole book of just him as well as UNIT is nice. Grant it this book has a lot of deaths, it wouldn't be a Doctor who book of the Master if it didn't. You are left trying to catch your breath. This book also gives you some clues(If you haven't read The Dark Path) on why the Master is so ticked at the Doctor. You get a peak at the past as well as the now and how angry the Master is at the Doctor. In one part the Master takes the chance to try and let some dirt out of the Doctor's past, but neither Ian or the Brig are interested. It's a good read and I enjoyed it.

Summary

1973. The Doctor and Jo have gone off in the TARDIS, leaving the Brigadier and UNIT facing a deadly mystery - and a moral dilemma. Robbery and murder are on the increase in Britain as disputes between underworld gangs escalate into open warfare on the streets. The Master seems inextricably linked to the chaos - despite the fact he is safely under lock and key. Meanwhile UNIT is called in when a plane missing in strange circumstances is rediscovered - contaminated with radiation and particle damage that cannot possibly have occurred on Earth. As the mystery deepens, what little light they can shed on the matter leads the Brigadier to believe that with the Doctor away, Earth's only hope may lie with its greatest enemy, the Master.

Classic Who! A must read.

This story is why Dr. Who is great SF. The plot is very exciting and original, furthermore, some old faces grace the pages of this well written roller coaster of a tale.

A Doctor-less book that captures the spirit of Doctor Who

In a fresh twist, this book excludes the Doctor and his companion (in this case, Jo grant) and focuses on supporting characters. The Brigadier, Mike Yates, Benton and the rest of U.N.I.T. take center stage in this tale of spies, alternate universes and alien mysteries. The Master, pretending to work with the Brigadier and company really shines. He goes from being a cold, heartless murderer to a caring, compassionate team player. Never before or since has he been this multi-dimensional. Even more old friends are brought out, and the events in "Inferno" are explored more fully. This book captures the feeling of Jon Pertwee's era of Doctor Who perfectly. And it sure is nice to see the Master scheming for control of the criminal underworld rather than trying to take over of the universe with an army of four aliens, as he usually does...

"You are going to tell me about Ms Kyle..."

I haven't had the time to read much of the new and missing "Doctor Who" adventures by the BBC, but I have closely followed the new series' progress. "The Face of the Enemy" is a superb integration of today's (violent) entertainment, and the action/drama "Doctor Who" projected in the '70s. "Face" takes place during the Pertwee, Third Doctor, era, but clearly lacks the Doctor. But this is made up for by an impressive solution on how UNIT is supposed to stay on its feet with out him! The mixture between original stories provides "Face" with an allaborate plot, mutated with a couple of more harsher themes, proving that "Doctor Who" (as a series) has grown up in the '90s. And as ever, the portrayal of the Master (even though in text) is irrevent as always. And the action never looses its target practice. It'll send you up all hours of the night, attempting to see what's next!!