Gareth Roberts' first foray outside the eras of the Fourth and Seventh Doctors is an entirely satisfying, if less than serious, piece of work. Unlike other historials, "The Plotters" neither treats its history with utmost respect, nor is out to simply parody the age; instead, Roberts employs the events surrounding the Gunpowder Plot as a means to telling his story, discarding or reinventing facts as necessary -- the ultimate in artistic license, perhaps. In the hands of a lesser author, this could well prove the novel's downfall, but Roberts is a good enough writer to know how far he should stray from the true version of events. This mixture of fact and fiction is entirely satisfying, with truth and deception merging seamlessly and one never seeing out of place beside the other.

With the Gunpowder Plot as his starting point, Roberts weaves a gratifyingly complex -- yet never overly taxing -- web of intrigue about King James' court and the city of London. Through the clever use of supporting characters, Roberts builds up enough of a world view to support the events and motivate the plots without bogging the reader down in tedious detail (something David A McIntee could do well to take note of). This has the ultimate effect of perhaps making the true villain's identity a little easy to guess, but this is quite beside the point -- "The Plotters" is a fun (if uncompromising -- Roberts, fortunately, does not shy away from the darker side of the seventeenth century) romp through a major historical event, not a political thriller.

By far the best aspect of the novel are those supporting characters. Roberts has been hit-or-miss in this respect in the past, but here he hits all the right buttons, constructing believable, enjoyable (if not necessary likeable) characters who each serve a role in the story, and each (well, admittedly, usually in pairs) offer a new perspective on the historical goings-on. Firking and Hodge, Otley and Haldann, James and Hay, Cecil and the Lord Chamberlain... each is a scrupulously-developed member of the cast who beg to be heard from again. Indeed, Roberts demonstrates an almost (Robert) Holmesian skill in his handling of the novel's secondary characters, and must be complimented for it.

It is a pity, then, that the regulars aren't quite so well served. Ian and Barbara, in particular, seem to simply be going through the motions, and while the Doctor and Vicki do get a bit more variety in their encounters, it does recall a little too much the similar arrangements of "The Crusade". Which is not to say that Roberts doesn't have a good handle on the characters; the Doctor, in particular, is very well portrayed. But it would have been nice to have seen the TARDIS crew placed in situations not normally encountered in a Doctor Who historical (even the amorous intentions of King James toward Vicki -- whom he thinks is a boy -- are really pretty similar to the pursuit of Barbara by Nero in "The Romans").

"The Plotters", then, is a lightweight but entertaining entry from the able pen of Gareth Roberts -- not as memorable as a "Damaged Goods" or a "Human Nature", but fulfilling adeptly what it sets out to do. Roberts continues to prove that no one can write a Missing Adventure quite like he can.

8/10.

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