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Tomb of Valdemar was the twenty-eighth novel in the BBC Past Doctor Adventures series. It was written by Simon Messingham, released 7 February 2000 and featured the Fourth Doctor and Romana I.

This is the second full-length novel to feature the Fourth Doctor and Romana I, the first being 1996's The Shadow of Weng-Chiang.

Publisher's summary[]

Millennia ago, the great god Valdemar held sway over the universe. Somehow the Old Ones defeated this dark presence and entombed him beneath the acid skies of Ashkellia, before disappearing themselves forever.

Over the centuries, the myths of Valdemar grow, crossing solar systems and races. A novelist, Miranda Pelham, pieces together the Dark God's story. Unfortunately for her, revolution and the rise of a New Protectorate force her to strike an agreement with the decadent necromancer Paul Neville to find the lost Ashkellia.

The Doctor and Romana, despite their best efforts, become embroiled in the complex conspiracies and attempts to re-discover Valdemar. High in the boiling sulphuric acid clouds, in the Palace of the Old Ones, a place where reality and dreams collide, the way is being prepared for the resurrection of the Dark One.

The Doctor faces an agonising choice: should he continue with his quest to gather the segments of the Key to Time, or prevent the rebirth of a being so powerful that its release will alter the entire fabric of the universe?

Plot[]

to be added

Characters[]

Worldbuilding[]

  • The Doctor mentions Eru.

Gallifreyan history[]

  • Whilst at the Academy, the Doctor and the Master travelled into the Matrix to access the secret records of early Gallifreyan history, where they discovered information about Valdemar.

Gallifreyan organisations[]

Gallifreyan technology[]

  • When Romana visits Ponch, she has her own TARDIS. It is disguised as the inn Janua Foris.

Individuals[]

  • The Brigadier is mentioned.
  • The Doctor tries not to think of Sutekh whilst trying to persuade Huvan to give up his powers.

Locations[]

Songs[]

Notes[]

  • In July 2013, BBC Books reprinted the novel for inclusion in The Fourth Doctor Time Capsule, a box set of various items relating to the Tom Baker era. The box set (and the novel reprint) was a UK-exclusive release, limited to 5,000 copies.[1]

Continuity[]

Additional cover images[]

External links[]

Footnotes[]

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