The Many Hands
Encyclopedia
The Many Hands is a BBC Books
original novel written by Dale Smith and based on the long running science fiction television series Doctor Who
. It features the Tenth Doctor
and Martha Jones
. It was published on 10 April 2008, alongside Martha in the Mirror
and Snowglobe 7
.
, 1773. The scene shifts to the city fifteen years earlier.
The Doctor and Martha are confronted by the walking dead, first a solitary figure which attacks a stagecoach containing Benjamin Franklin
, then by an army of the creatures rising from the putrid waters of the Nor' Loch. The British soldiers under Captain McAllister who have arrested the Doctor find themselves following his lead.
Meanwhile at the Surgeon's Hall, Martha has met a couple of physicians, Alexander Monro, senior
and junior
, who apparently brought the first corpse back to life. They lock her in a small room with dozens of hands, disembodied but disturbingly active.
The Doctor deduces the presence of a modular
alien and discovers its sinister intentions.
Benjamin Franklin reappears in the final chapter, set in 1771, meeting Alexander Monro, who reclaims the hand he gave Franklin years before, the last one on Earth.
, who is the son of Second Doctor
actor, Patrick Troughton
, and who also played Professor Hobbes in "Midnight
".
BBC Books
BBC Books is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
original novel written by Dale Smith and based on the long running science fiction television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. It features the Tenth Doctor
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
and Martha Jones
Martha Jones
Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler...
. It was published on 10 April 2008, alongside Martha in the Mirror
Martha in the Mirror
Martha in the Mirror is a BBC Books original novel written by Justin Richards and based on the long running science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones...
and Snowglobe 7
Snowglobe 7
Snowglobe 7 is a BBC Books original novel written by Mike Tucker and based on the long running science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones. It was published on 10 April 2008, alongside Martha in the Mirror and The Many Hands.- Synopsis :Snowglobe 7 is...
.
Synopsis
The book opens with the mysterious arrival of a baby in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, 1773. The scene shifts to the city fifteen years earlier.
The Doctor and Martha are confronted by the walking dead, first a solitary figure which attacks a stagecoach containing Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, then by an army of the creatures rising from the putrid waters of the Nor' Loch. The British soldiers under Captain McAllister who have arrested the Doctor find themselves following his lead.
Meanwhile at the Surgeon's Hall, Martha has met a couple of physicians, Alexander Monro, senior
Alexander Monro (primus)
Alexander Monro was the founder of Edinburgh Medical School. To distinguish him as the first of three generations of physicians of the same name, he is known as primus....
and junior
Alexander Monro (secundus)
Alexander Monro of Craiglockhart and Cockburn was a Scottish anatomist, surgeon and medical educator. To distinguish him as the second of three generations of physicians of the same name, he is known as secundus. His students included the naval physician and abolitionist Thomas Trotter...
, who apparently brought the first corpse back to life. They lock her in a small room with dozens of hands, disembodied but disturbingly active.
The Doctor deduces the presence of a modular
Modularity
Modularity is a general systems concept, typically defined as a continuum describing the degree to which a system’s components may be separated and recombined. It refers to both the tightness of coupling between components, and the degree to which the “rules” of the system architecture enable the...
alien and discovers its sinister intentions.
Benjamin Franklin reappears in the final chapter, set in 1771, meeting Alexander Monro, who reclaims the hand he gave Franklin years before, the last one on Earth.
Continuity
- The Doctor mentions he knows "a man who fought at Culloden." He is referring to Jamie McCrimmonJamie McCrimmonJames Robert "Jamie" McCrimmon is a fictional character played by Frazer Hines in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A piper of the Clan McLaren who lived in 18th century Scotland, he was a companion of the Second Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1966...
, companion to the Second DoctorSecond DoctorThe Second Doctor is the second incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by character actor Patrick Troughton....
. - When he sees the walking dead he initially speculates they might be possessed by the Gelth (from "The Unquiet DeadThe Unquiet Dead"The Unquiet Dead" is an episode in the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 9 April 2005 and is the first episode of the revival to be set in the past. In Victorian Cardiff, the dead are walking, and creatures made of gas are on the loose...
"). - The Doctor also compares a (presumably overweight) nobleman to a disguised SlitheenSlitheenThe Slitheen are a family of massive, bipedal extraterrestrials from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and they are adversaries of the Doctor. They first appeared in the 2005 series episodes "Aliens of London" and "World War Three", and subsequently recur in later episodes of...
. - The Doctor asks Martha to not be offended if a pre-recorded hologram on board the TARDISTARDISThe TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
calls her "Rose", referencing both former companion Rose TylerRose TylerRose Marion Tyler is a fictional character portrayed by Billie Piper in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was created by series producer Russell T Davies...
and various holograms he has recorded and stored on the TARDISTARDISThe TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
(such as "Emergency Program One" from "The Parting of the WaysThe Parting of the Ways"The Parting of the Ways" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 18 June 2005. It was the second episode of the two-part story that featured Christopher Eccleston making his last appearance as the Ninth Doctor...
" or the message to Sally Sparrow in "BlinkBlink (Doctor Who)"Blink" is the 10th episode of the third series of the new production of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 9 June 2007, and is the only episode in the 2007 series written by Steven Moffat; the episode is based on a previous short story written by...
").
Outside references
- The book includes a brief appearance by Benjamin FranklinBenjamin FranklinDr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, with the Doctor referencing his experiments with electricity. This is also referred to in Smith and JonesSmith and Jones (Doctor Who)"Smith and Jones" is the first episode of the third series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 31 March 2007. It sees the debut of Freema Agyeman as new companion Martha Jones... - The Alexander Monro featured in the book is Alexander Monro primusAlexander Monro (primus)Alexander Monro was the founder of Edinburgh Medical School. To distinguish him as the first of three generations of physicians of the same name, he is known as primus....
. The clone Alexander is based upon his son, Alexander Monro secundusAlexander Monro (secundus)Alexander Monro of Craiglockhart and Cockburn was a Scottish anatomist, surgeon and medical educator. To distinguish him as the second of three generations of physicians of the same name, he is known as secundus. His students included the naval physician and abolitionist Thomas Trotter...
, and the implication at the end of another Alexander clone is a reference to Alexander Monro tertius, the original's grandson. As stated in the book, all three were anatomists at the University of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghThe University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. - When the Doctor thinks he is about to die, he asks Martha to take his body back to the TARDISTARDISThe TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
and invoke the "Laika Protocol". Presumably the protocol is named for LaikaLaikaLaika was a Soviet space dog that became the first animal to orbit the Earth – as well as the first animal to die in orbit.As little was known about the impact of spaceflight on living creatures at the time of Laika's mission, and the technology to de-orbit had not yet been developed, there...
, the Russian dog who was the first animal to orbit the Earth, and notable because Laika was also the first casualty in outer space.
Audiobook
An abridged audiobook was released on February 19, 2009, read by David TroughtonDavid Troughton
David Troughton is an English actor, best known for his Shakespearean roles on the British stage.- Biography :David Troughton was born in Hampstead, North London. He comes from a theatrical family: he is the son of Doctor Who actor Patrick Troughton, elder brother of Michael Troughton, and father...
, who is the son of Second Doctor
Second Doctor
The Second Doctor is the second incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by character actor Patrick Troughton....
actor, Patrick Troughton
Patrick Troughton
Patrick George Troughton was an English actor most widely known for his roles in fantasy, science fiction and horror films, particularly in his role as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966 to 1969,...
, and who also played Professor Hobbes in "Midnight
Midnight (Doctor Who)
"Midnight" is the tenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 14 June 2008. The episode placed much more emphasis on the role of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor than in the rest of the fourth series, with the...
".
See also
- New Series Adventures Canonicity
- WhoniverseWhoniverseWhoniverse, a portmanteau of the words "Who" and "universe", is a word used to describe the fictional setting of the television series Doctor Who, K-9 and Company, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures and K-9, as well as other related stories...