Mission: Impractical
Mission: Impractical is a BBC Books original novel written by David A. McIntee and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Sixth Doctor and Frobisher.
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| Author | David A. McIntee |
|---|---|
| Series | Doctor Who book: Past Doctor Adventures |
Release number | 12 |
| Subject | Featuring: Sixth Doctor Frobisher |
| Set in | Period between The Trial of a Time Lord and Time and the Rani |
| Publisher | BBC Books |
Publication date | June 1998 |
| Pages | 280 |
| ISBN | 0-563-40592-9 |
| Preceded by | Catastrophea |
| Followed by | Zeta Major |
Synopsis
Pursued by ruthless bounty hunters, the Sixth Doctor and his shapeshifting companion Frobisher run into old acquaintances Glitz and Dibber — notorious rogues who have become involved in something big: a covert government agency on Vandor Prime is forcing the pair to turn their criminal talents to its own ends.
The Doctor and Frobisher are soon drawn into the mysterious scheme themselves. Bit by bit, the mystery deepens with a deadly game played by the Authorities. The web of complex becomes more and more complex with Ogron raiders involved attacking the Doctor's party with the Ogron's employer personally wanting the Doctor dead...
Placement
It is not clear exactly when this story is placed with respect to previously written television and comic stories featuring the Sixth Doctor and Frobisher. This reflects the uncertainty concerning how Frobisher's adventures with the Sixth Doctor relate to other Sixth Doctor stories. Precise dating is made difficult by the number of separate occasions on which the Doctor and Frobisher travelled together and the lack of televised reference points between The Trial of a Time Lord and Time and the Rani.
The author, McIntee, says that Mission: Impractical is set after The Trial of a Time Lord and between the Doctor Who Magazine comic strips War-Game and Funhouse. However, as the Doctor Who Reference Guide website points out, Peri is still present in the comic strip Kane's Story, which takes place immediately after Funhouse, so it is inconsistent for Mission: Impractical to be both set before Funhouse and after The Trial of a Time Lord.
Continuity
- Ogrons were last seen in the Third Doctor episode Frontier in Space.
- Dibber is killed in this novel, and explains his absence in Dragonfire.
External links
- Mission: Impractical title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- The Cloister Library - Mission: Impractical