May 27th, 2016 no comments

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The Black Archive 3 The Ambassadors of Death

Available to order in the UK from www.amazon.co.uk

Available to order in the USA from www.amazon.com #ad

Also available to order direct from www.obversebooks.co.uk

‘I’m sorry, Doctor, it’s my moral duty.’

In one of Doctor Who’s finest seasons, The Ambassadors of Death is a jewel of a story that shows off the programme at its most adult, exposing the uglier side of human nature while still offering an optimistic view of humanity’s future.

The Ambassadors of Death is a story with no true villains. Instead it explores how our species might respond to the knowledge that we are not alone in the universe. Fear alone is enough to warp good intentions into horrifying situations, and the enemy is not the monster without, but within our own characters.

Amongst the many changes seen this year, the Doctor casts off his whimsical guise to become a much more straight action hero who acts as the catalyst to show that humanity is at its bravest, its best, when it offers trust, compassion, and kindness, even in the face of mortal peril.

Launched in March 2016 from Obverse Books, The Black Archive is a series of book-length looks at single Doctor Who stories from 1963 to the present day.

The Archive will publish six titles each year, in simultaneous digital and print editions. Each title is a twenty to forty thousand word study of a single televised Doctor Who story, drawing on all eras of the series’ history.

Series editor Philip Purser-Hallard explains the premise of the series as follows:

‘Doctor Who is endlessly fascinating, a powerful storytelling engine about which many millions of words have been written over the years. There are certain stories, though, from all eras of the programme’s history, which are exceptionally deep and rewarding – whether because of their unusually powerful writing, rich symbolism or complex themes. Stories like The Massacre, Kinda, Ghost Light, Midnight or Vincent and the Doctor demand to be explored at greater length and in more depth than a website review or entry in an episode guide.

‘With this series of critical monographs, these Doctor Who stories can receive the detailed treatment that they so eminently deserve. Our primary emphasis is on the stories as stories, rather than the behind-the-scenes history which has been covered in admirable depth elsewhere. While we aim to make an authoritative and significant contribution to the overall critical conversation about Doctor Who, we intend each of these books to be entertaining as well as of academic interest.’

The Black Archive launched with four titles in March 2016, covering Doctor Who stories from William Hartnell’s tenure as the Doctor to that of current incumbent Peter Capaldi. Four further titles will follow in 2016, then six annually from 2017.

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