The Sands of Time (novel)

The Sands of Time was the twenty-second novel in the Virgin Missing Adventures series. It was written by Justin Richards and featured the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan Jovanka.

1996 Virgin Books edition

 * "If Sutekh had escaped, no power in the universe could have stopped him wreaking havoc and destruction. This time, it's worse."

Arriving in Victorian London, the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan run straight into trouble: Nyssa is kidnapped in the British Museum by Egyptian religious fanatics; the Doctor and Tegan are greeted by a stranger who knows more about them than he should and invited to a very strange party.

Why are rooms already booked for the Doctor at the Savoy? How can Lord Kenilworth's butler Atkins be in Egypt and London at the same time? What is the history of the ancient mummy to be unwrapped at Kenilworth's house? And what has all this got to do with Nyssa?

The Doctor's quest for answers leads him across continents and time as an ancient Egyptian prophecy threatens 1990s England. While the Doctor attempts to unravel the plans of the mysterious Sadan Rassul, mummies stalk the night and an ancient terror stirs in its tomb.

2014 BBC Books edition
The Doctor is in Victorian London with Nyssa and Tegan — a city shrouded in mystery. When Nyssa is kidnapped in the British Museum, the Doctor and Tegan have to unlock the answers to a series of ancient questions.

Their quest leads them across continents and time as an ancient Egyptian prophecy threatens future England. To save Nyssa, the Doctor must foil the plans of the mysterious Sadan Rassul. But as mummies stalk the night, an ancient terror stirs in its tomb.

Plot
to be added

Characters

 * Fifth Doctor
 * Tegan Jovanka
 * Nyssa
 * Lady Ann Cranleigh
 * Lord Kenilworth
 * Atkins
 * Sadan Rassul
 * Nephthys
 * Aubrey Prior
 * James Norris
 * Vanessa Prior
 * Nicholas Simons
 * Shabti
 * Napoléon Bonaparte

Individuals

 * Nephthys is released when the canopic jar containing her reasoning is broken while robbers are plundering her pyramid.
 * Marcus Scarman arrives for dinner at Lord Kenilworth's in 1896.

Continuity

 * The Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan first met Lady Ann Cranleigh (neé Talbot) in Cranleigh Hall in Oxfordshire on 11 June 1925. (TV: Black Orchid)
 * Tegan mentions that she lost her sense of adventure in Amsterdam. (TV: Arc of Infinity)
 * The Doctor refers to Scaroth having been manipulated by the Osirans. (TV: City of Death)
 * He also mentions the Zero Room (TV: Castrovalva).
 * Tegan sketches the dig site in Egypt. (TV: Four to Doomsday)
 * The death of Adric is discussed several times by Tegan and the Doctor, specifically why the Doctor cannot use the TARDIS to save him and the emotional impact it has had on them. (TV: Earthshock)

Illustrations
The BBC e-book of The Sands of Time contained several illustrations by Peter McKinstry.

Editions published outside Britain

 * Published in Germany by Cross Cult in 2021 as a paperback edition.