Return Of The Living Dad
by Kate Orman

I'll start off by alleviating any uncertainty: "Return of the Living Dad" is a book I've been eagerly awaiting, as much as any novel since "Happy Endings". Indeed, the two novels share many common characteristics -- both are very frockish books, short on action but long on deep, moving characterisation and brilliant introspection. Both also tie up a good few loose ends from previous books (and bless Kate for tieing up what has to be the most longstanding and aggravating loose end in the entire series). And while "Return of the Living Dad" doesn't quite possess the celebratory air of the fiftieth NA, it bears its own importance -- not only is this our first reunion with Benny and Jason since "Happy Endings", but it also sees the resolution of the mystery surrounding Bernice's father, Admiral Isaac Summerfield. And, finally, like "Happy Endings", "Return of the Living Dad" is one helluva classy book.

The most striking characteristic of Kate's writing for me, above and beyond the wonderful humor, scintillating characterisation and smart plotting, is the sheer readability of her prose. RotLD is just an incredibly fun read, and it's no wonder I'm posting this review a scant twelve and a half hours after my review of "Scales of Injustice" -- that's how quickly I read RotLD. Kate's writing bewitches the reader from the word go, drawing one effortlessly from page to page, scene to scene, chapter to chapter. In brief, I found it very hard to put RotLD down.

Part of this, no doubt, is a result of Kate's intimate understanding of all her characters. When Kate lets us peek into their thoughts, there's nothing stilted or unnatural about it. Kate's characters are all very real, and in a book which has to characterise as many aliens as RotLD does -- from a once-human ghost to a sentient spatula -- that's quite an accomplishment. It is the regulars (and returning regulars) who stand out, of course. Few other authors can capture the Seventh Doctor quite as well as Kate can; all his moods, from delightfully irreverent to darkly introspective, jump right off the page. In RotLD, the Doctor comes face to face with the forgotten remnants of his actions on Earth. Much of the book's conflict springs from this fact, and Kate's portrayal of the Doctor's gradual handling of the situation is superb, marking his best character development in quite a while.

Benny, of course, also steals quite a bit of the limelight. I was a little surprised that more wasn't made of her reaction to meeting her father -- they seem to slot back into each other's lives a little too easily -- but this is more than made up for the way Bernice has to handle Isaac's relations to both her husband and, moreover, to the Doctor. Benny is in classic form here, but it is not hard to see how married life has subtly modified her behavior. Certainly, her relationship with Jason (who is sadly absent for half the book and hence doesn't get much to do) is wonderful to watch, even bearing in mind the fact that it had previously only had slightly more than one book to establish itself.

Chris and Roz aren't forgotten either, as their own relationship takes a completely unexpected (by me at least) turn to romance. What's even more surprising is the fact that it feels so perfectly natural, again a result of Kate's unparalleled understanding of the characters. It will be very, very interesting to see where this goes in the three novels remaining to Roz.

Amongst the guest cast, Kate manages quite well, although I did find Isaac unfortunately a little vacuous at times, in places a little bland. The same cannot be said of the rest of the motley inhabitants of Little Caldwell, who -- despite being mostly bit players -- are quirky and interesting enough to prove very memorable, from the villain of the piece (who is almost astonishingly believable) to the time-displaced fanboy. Of course, I doubt few can deny that the postman is far and away the best character in the whole novel, nay, the whole series; I can only hope that Virgin is planning a series centering around him to coincide with the Benny novels. Ahem.

As far as the plot goes, "Return of the Living Dad" isn't too taxing, but it's still pretty intelligent. Only the reintroduction of the Daleks into the narrative feels a little forced, as if Kate was groping around for a villain to give the events some sort of more serious, concrete foundation. The plot also enables Orman to shift comfortably between humorous and serious elements (often within the space of a few letters). RotLD is a very funny book, poking great fun at Doctor Who fans (especially those of us on the Internet), but also has its intensely introspective moments, as we're forced to question (without a proper answer) why exactly the Doctor should be given a free hand in safeguarding Earth and its history, but others should be barred from the same.

All in all, "Return of the Living Dad" is basically everything we've come to expect in a Kate Orman novel -- witty, penetrating, and very, very enjoyable. Its few flaws are far outweighed by its good points; RotLD marks yet another successful addition by Kate to the New Adventures range.

8/10.

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