The Room With No Doors (novel)

Publisher's summary
‘Dear Doctor,’ wrote Chris, ‘I give up.’

Swordplay, samurai, demons, magic, aliens, adventure, excitement... Who needs them?

The Doctor and Chris travel to 16th-century Japan, a country gripped by civil war as feudal lords vie for control. Anything could tip the balance of power. So when a god falls out of the sky, everyone wants it.

As villagers are healed and crops grow far too fast, the Doctor and Chris try to find the secret of the miracles -- before the two rival armies can start a war over who owns the god. Chris soon finds himself alone -- except for an alien slaver, a time-travelling Victorian inventor, a gang of demons, an old friend with suspicious motives, a village full of innocent bystanders, and several thousand samurai.

Without the Doctor, someone has to take up the challenge of adventure and stop the god from falling into the wrong hands. Someone has to be a hero -- but Chris isn’t sure he wants to be a hero any more.

Characters

 * The Doctor
 * Gets shot with an arrow whilst carrying a small girl.
 * Knows that his regeneration grows near.
 * Mediates in a lotus position instead of sleep, but when he does sleep he screams and shouts.


 * Chris Cwej
 * The death of Liz Shaw weighs heavy on Chris.


 * Penelope Gate
 * 27 years old, Victorian, red haired.


 * Joel Mintz (Joel Andrew Mintz)
 * Hasn't seen the Doctor and Chris in 13 years.
 * He's met the Eighth Doctor.
 * Tries to advance the Japanese and play with history.

Continuity

 * Joel Mintz first met the Doctor and Chris in NA: Return of the Living Dad.
 * The Doctor ends this novel thinking about his next of kin and family, leading into NA: Lungbarrow.
 * Liz Shaw is mentioned. She died in the previous story NA: Eternity Weeps.

Timeline

 * This story occurs after ST: The Southwell Park Mermaid
 * This story occurs before ST: Culture War
 * After returning Penelope and Joel home, but before returning to Chris, the Doctor has a series of adventures beginning with BFA: The Sirens of Time and ending with EDA: The Eight Doctors.