Blood Heat by Jim Mortimore was the nineteenth novel in the New Adventures range. It featured The Seventh Doctor, Bernice and Ace in an alternate Earth/altered timeline with versions of The Brigadier, Benton, Liz and Jo in a world where The Silurians recaptured the planet after the events at Wenley Moor.
This was a great book, one of the best of the New Adventures. Just to get it out of the way one of the only things I did not like was the format of the book itself. The book is divided into long sections not chapters which do not provide convenient stopping points. The other problem is that their are so many narrative threads that when you get into the plot it switches to another thread which can either halt or build the tension generated depending on your mindset. These points are very minor when it comes to the book as a whole. The Silurian world 20 years after the death of the Third Doctor and the conquest of the planet is dramatically and visually strikingly brought to life with Mortimore’s descriptions. It is interesting seeing how the characters you know so well have been warped by their experiences in this world. Benton especially is realized well with his loyalty to the Brigadier heightened to an extreme at the expense of all else. The Brigadier without the influence of the Doctor has reverted to a single minded military stereotype. The only character who has remained grounded is Liz with a steadfast humanity shining through. I would have preferred a parallel Earth explanation conclusion to the ending of the novel instead of the confusing alternate time line but that is a minor point. 9 out of 10.
