History 101 (novel)

History 101 was the fifty-eighth book in the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures series. The blurb of History 101 was the only one in the range that didn't end with "another in the series of...". Instead it read as if the book were a factual account. History 101 included many true-to-life details, such as the in depth experiences in the Spanish Civil War. The novel used several themes prevalent in the works of George Orwell, who appears in the book.

Publisher’s Summary
''‘Remarkable. I’m surprised at how much has been uncovered.’ — Anji Kapoor''

Spain, 1937. In April, the small town of Guernica was razed to the ground in a firestorm that claimed a thousand or more lives. In May, Barcelona exploded into fierce street fighting as different political factions fought for control of the city.

Both events have been the subject of fierce propagandist claims by all sides, but this book examines new evidence to suggest that the two events are more closely linked than previously thought.

Who were the shadowy figures working behind the scenes? Who were ‘the Doctor’, ‘Anji’ and ‘Fitz’ and what were their objectives? And were there really monsters roaming the streets?

Presented in the form of a novel, History 101 tries to discover if the absolute truth can ever be revealed. It should be read as part of the ongoing ‘Doctor Who: Eighth Doctor’ history course.

Characters

 * The Eighth Doctor
 * Expresses concern with phrases such as: “Oh sugarmice…”
 * Fitz Kreiner
 * Spends most of his time with Sasha (at least) slightly drunk.
 * Anji Kapoor
 * Gets tortured.
 * Sabbath
 * Has a drink with the Doctor.
 * Isn’t actively manipulating the Doctor’s journeys / adventures at the moment.
 * Sasha
 * Sabbath’s agent.
 * Disguises himself as a Russian Weapons inspector who ends up travelling with Fitz.
 * Jueves
 * Sabbath’s agent.
 * Pia Samscuro
 * Buenaventura Durruti
 * Eric Blair
 * Miquel Enrique Serrano Domínguez
 * Eleana Serrano Domínguez
 * Marc Rhein
 * Kim Philby
 * Joaquín

Continuity

 * Fitz has murky memories of attempting suicide by throwing himself off a tower, which he (originally) considered doing in EDA: Interference - Book Two


 * The Doctor avoids (deliberately) Kim Philby, as he doesn’t meet him until 1951 in EDA: Endgame.


 * Following the TARDIS’s destruction in EDA: The Ancestor Cell and it’s regeneration Escape Velocity everything within the TARDIS was rebuilt, which means that everything in the TARDIS interior (books, paintings etc) are fakes which on some level contain bits of the TARDIS.


 * The Doctor and Anji return to the TARDIS on the 23rd November. This was the date Doctor Who was first broadcast on in 1963.


 * Sasha tells Fitz "the planet is called Albert", claiming the Doctor told him to say it to gain Fitz' trust. Albert was the name of a planet in EDA: Grimm Reality.

Timeline

 * This story takes place after TN: Fallen Gods
 * This story takes place before EDA: Camera Obscura