Story: There is a planet where War has raged for 1400 years. Where the opposing forces no longer have any concept of how a War ends, how the war began, or even what the word “peace” means. No, it’s not Earth, but most of the unwilling combatants are not only from Earth, but are children. These unsuspecting soldiers are being kidnapped from early in the 20th century, from an alredy War-ravaged europe. The vehicle used to transport the children across Space looks like nothing more than a simple, cuddly teddy bear. The creatures who are employed to lure these poor children to battle are not hideous insectoids, or amorphous blobs, but they too resemble large, human sized teddy bears.
The disappearing children have not gone unnoticed. Of course their parents are aware their children have gone missing, but so is the Doctor. He and Bernice are in 1920s England, and have gone native in order to blend in with the populace. Bernice has got herself a job in the very factory where these transmat teddy bears are packaged and sent out. It is not a true factory, however, as there is no manufacturing equipment. The already-made bears arrive in the morning by lorry, are packed for shipping, then sent out that night. Millions of them have been sent out, each of them a remote transmat device, and each in the hands of a child. Millions of children, which means millions of new recruits…
Review: Is today the day the teddy bears have their picnic? Thankfully, all these questions are answered. And even more thankfully, they don’t get answered in a book called “Invasion Of The Bear-People” by Gary Russell! But seriously…this was another in a series (though not in a row) of fine Doctor Who books. I cannot begin to describe how nice it is to read a book that not only is supposed to fit in a genre, but actually does fit! I’ve read Star Trek books written by people who don’t even appear to know who William Shatner is, let alone Captain Kirk. And how many New Adventures mess around with the Ace character until she finally ends up being a happy/sad/human killing/Dalek killing/violent/loving/bitter/nymphomaniac/celibate/battle weary/bored/girl/woman/warrior?
However, all the people in this book seem, for lack of a better word, real. The Doctor is up to his old tricks. Bernice is, well, happy in her life with the Doctor, doing her jobs for him. Chris and Roz, finally given something to do are relishing their new found freedom, but are still a little uncertain of the Doctors’ true nature. Even the Aliens and the humans act within the parameters set for them by design. In books where people die, you know that it’s really just words on a page. Yet here, it seems that actual people die. People with lives. Good people. We feel the loss, and celebrate the life given to others. Some people try to forget pain, and others do nothing but live in it. But it’s all life. All valuable. The Doctor can’t be everywhere at once (or can he?). He can’t save everyone from death. He gives the survivors new hope, and a fresh start on life. If our sole purpose in this world is to pass on our wisdom and knowledge to the next generation, to avoid repeats of past injustices and evils, then we’ve done our job. Life is not just for living, it is the sharing of life which makes us whole, and makes us feel alive. 8 out of 10.
Year: 1995
Author: Paul Leonard
Publisher: Virgin
Pages: 244