Transit (novel)

Transit is the tenth novel in the Virgin New Adventures series. It was written by Ben Aaronovitch and featured the Seventh Doctor. It was the first novel to feature Bernice Summerfield as a companion following her introduction in the previous novel.

Publisher's summary
"Oh no, not again..."

It's the ultimate in mass transit systems, a network of interstitial tunnels that bind the planets of the solar system together. Earth to Pluto in forty minutes with a supersave non-premium off-peak travelcard.

But something is living in the network, chewing its way to the very heart of the system and leaving a trail of death and mutation behind it.

Once again a reluctant Doctor is dragged into human history. Back down amongst the joyboys, freesurfers, chessfans, politicians and floozies, where friends are more dangerous than enemies and one man's human being is another's psychotic killing machine.

Once again the Doctor is all that stands between humanity and its own mistakes.

Characters

 * The Doctor
 * Bernice Summerfield
 * Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart
 * Francine
 * Old Sam
 * Zamina
 * Roberta
 * Blondie
 * Ming

Books

 * Kadiatu's great grandmother of the same name wrote The Zen Military.
 * Because of that book, and the general residual footprints the Doctor has left through history, UNIT and he are something of a cultural phenomenon - including an opera based on Battlefield.

Buildings

 * In his house the Doctor tries to retroactively stock his cupboards, but he forgets.

Conflicts

 * The Thousand Day War was fought with the "Greenies", a slang term for Ice Warrior.
 * Ubersoldaten were augmented soldiers that fought in the Thousand Day War.
 * Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart is the only surviving "super soldier" created after the Thousand Day War with Mars (the rest were killed by her adoptive father).

Currency

 * Moneypens are used to transfer currency.

The Doctor

 * The Doctor refers his third, fourth and fifth incarnations' liking for wine, beer and cricket respectively.
 * The Doctor gets drunk celebrating the universe's birthday with Kadiatu.

Events

 * Earth's official First Contact with aliens is embodied in the Arcturan Treaty of 2085.

Individuals

 * Bernice does not look when she walks out of the TARDIS and falls down a hole.
 * The family motto of the Lethbridge-Stewarts is here stated as: Nemo me impine lacessit ("No one attacks me with impunity").
 * The Lethbridge-Stewart family has a long history of military service and an interest in the unusual.
 * Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart dreams of Pythia. She is related (by both adoption and some of the genetics used to create her) to Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart.

Jargon

 * Personspace refers to the area of space explored by humans.

Politics

 * A President runs the Union of Solar Republics and is based in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Transport technology

 * The "botched" Zygma energy experiments of the thirtieth century are mentioned.

Continuity

 * Kadiatu reappears in PROSE: Set Piece, The Also People and Happy Endings (also a brief cameo appearance in PROSE: The Dying Days). She also reappears and meets Benny once again in AUDIO: The Final Amendment.
 * The Doctor's house last appeared in PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Warhead.
 * The infection of the TARDIS is referred to once more. This occurred in PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Witch Mark.
 * FLORANCE appears again in PROSE: Sleepy and PROSE: Seeing I.
 * The unknown future incarnation of the Doctor that first appeared in Marc Platt's novelisation of Battlefield reappears here in a cyberspace encounter with a supporting character.
 * The Doctor mentions that he has visited "all three Atlantises." (TV: The Underwater Menace, TV: The Dæmons, TV: The Time Monster)
 * The Doctor, if he has to die, wants to do so alone and believes it would be best if all traces of him were erased. The Doctor's next incarnation would share this belief. (AUDIO: Scherzo) This would eventually change by his eleventh incarnation. (While he explained his actions after having the idea to use the Teselecta, he is describing his choice to send the invitations while he still believed he was going to die.) (TV: The Wedding of River Song)