This might help to put into some kind of context the direction of "Who Killed Kennedy", a very different Doctor Who novel indeed. Instead of being about any regular Doctor Who character, the whole novel concerns James Stevens, an expatriate New Zealander working as an investigative reporter in London. Stevens' whole life has been shaped by the JFK assassination. It was that event which, on his eighteenth birthday, catapulted him into a journalistic career, and conspiracies and their ilk have obsessed him ever since. Mostly thanks to an anonymous tipster, Stevens learns about UNIT and the Doctor and, believing them to be sinister elements working behind the scenes of the British armed forces, Stevens sets out to expose them for what they are.

The first half of the novel is mostly a look at Seasons 7 and 8 as seen through the eyes of the British public -- the explanations the common man was given for the Auton invasion and the Mars Probe incident. It's a very interesting outlook on the Peertwee era, admirably casting the adventures in a realistic light. Equally intriguing are the repurcussions events like the Silurian plague had on Britain and the world at large, giving these stories are broader context which enriches the original televised adventures. It's very disconcerting -- but also fascinating -- to watch familiar faces like the Doctor and the Brigadier through the eyes of an independent observer, to see how this person reacts to what we've always taken to be mere elements of another Pertwee romp. The fact that the observer in question is being led down the wrong path when it comes to his understanding of UNIT's agenda only enhances this effect.

Not forgotten in the flood of continuity references is Stevens himself, who is surely one of the most well-developed character in Doctor Who history. Stevens is, first and foremost, a real person, full of flaws and as capable of mistakes as you or I. His backstory is compelling, and it is impossible not to feel for him as his investigations into UNIT turn his life into a living hell when the secret government division C19 decides Stevens is getting too close to the truth. Stevens' rise to dizzying heights and equally dramatic falls are told in an absorbing but uncompromising style which lends everything an authentic feel. Although he is not exactly a sympathetic character, Stevens is a character any reader can understand, and this makes "Who Killed Kennedy" all the more intriguing.

The book's role as an overviewing of the Pertwee era gives way to the pressures of the plot in the second half of the novel. Stevens' life gets worse and worse as he discovers he's been a pawn of the Master the whole time, and is arrested for the murder of Dodo Chaplet, his lover. Then Stevens finds himself travelling back in time to November 22nd, 1963 ostensibly to stop the Master from saving Kennedy. But could it be that Stevens is actually playing right into the renegade Time Lord's hands yet again?

While it is a shame that the latter half of "Who Killed Kennedy" loses sight of chronicling the Pertwee years from Stevens' perspective -- everything after "Day of the Daleks" receives the most cursory of mentions -- we do at least get a resolution of the plot strands built up previously in the book. But it just isn't quite as successful; just as "The Eye of the Giant" lacked the time to properly deal with the plot elements it unveils in its final eighty pages, so too does "Who Killed Kennedy" find itself racing to deal with the time travel/Kennedy/Master plot which it took two hundred pages to set up. Things seem tied up a little too hastily, meaning that certain scenes -- such as the one where Stevens must decide whether the assassin's bullet should hit the Master or Kennedy -- find their effectiveness muted. The book as a whole also suffers from the quick resolution of certain ideas; Stevens' hasty decision that he was wrong about UNIT comes to mind, the scene just not really credible given Stevens' thought processes through the first two-thirds of the novel. All in all, the actual "plot" part of the book is enjoyable, but fails to fulfill its potential.

Most of the novel's incidental characters receive only cursory treatment. In most novels, this would be a failing, but given that we are only looking on them as they affect Stevens' life, it makes sense. Dodo Chaplet is the major exception to this rule, and she proves a horrifying confirmation of the Doctor's lack of omnipotence. Dodo's life since leaving "The War Machines" has been nothing but misery, and it is impossible to absolve the Doctor of all guilt. Her characterization is an intriguing extension of her on-screen persona, frighteningly juxtaposing the vivacious teenager of Season Three with the far harsher world of reality.

The UNIT soldier, Cleary, who proves the lynchpin of the plot is adequately characterized in letters to his mother. His descent into insanity after experiencing the horrors of "The Claws of Axos" and "The Daemons" is well-drawn, but one has to question whether such an obviously unsuitable candidate would truly have made it into an organization like UNIT, which surely must screen volunteers for this type of thing. We lose sight of Cleary's character toward the end of the book, but this is no fault of Bishop's; Cleary has fallen under the spell of the Master, and is truly just an empty vessel for the evil Time Lord to manipulate.

The Master, unfortunately, is perhaps the biggest disappointment of the book. Although the plot Bishop weaves is an excellent example of the Master's genius, Bishop's handling of the character itself leaves a lot to be desired. Rather than the charismatic, suave Delgado Master, we are faced with a fairly standard, rather overblown Snidely Whiplash type, lacking any true characterization beyond "evil". Fortunately, his appearances are confined to the latter pages of the novel; although, it is perhaps this scarcity of use which hampered Bishop's treatment of the character.

Altogether, "Who Killed Kennedy" is an excellent example of an experimental Doctor Who novel done right. While possessing its flaws, the originality of the concept and the execution (particularly in the first half of the book) are both commendable, and the characterization of James Stevens is masterful. I can only hope that BBC Books will take up the idea of occasionally releasing a non-standard work of fiction such as this one.

7/10.

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