History 101 was the fifty-eighth novel in the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures series. It was written by Mags L. Halliday, released 1 July 2002 and featured the Eighth Doctor, Fitz Kreiner and Anji Kapoor.
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, a style previously employed in The Adventuress of Henrietta Street. History 101 included many true-to-life details, such as 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.
Plot[]
to be added
Characters[]
- The Eighth Doctor
- Fitz Kreiner
- Anji Kapoor
- Sabbath
- Sasha
- Jueves
- Pia Samscuro
- Buenaventura Durruti
- Eric Blair
- Miquel Enrique Serrano Domínguez
- Eleana Serrano Domínguez
- Marc Rhein
- Kim Philby
- Joaquín
- Eileen O'Shaughnessy
- Bob Edwards
Worldbuilding[]
- The System is part of the Absolute's monitoring and collection system.
- History Perception and the alteration of it can be just as detrimental to the timeline as a physical alteration.
- Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx were all central figures in communism.
- Anji visited Aberystwyth on a sixth form trip.
- Mauser were a producer of firearms.
- Fitz once sang Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday songs with Sasha.
- Fitz once sang "Climb Ev'ry Mountain".
Notes[]
- All the chapter titles in History 101 are named after songs by the Clash, except written in Catalan.[1]
- The Doctor and Anji return to the TARDIS on 23 November. This was the date Doctor Who was first broadcast in 1963.
- A Prelude to History 101, in the style of the Virgin New Adventures preludes published in Doctor Who Magazine, was published in the Myth Makers fanzine.[2]
Continuity[]
- Fitz has murky memories of attempting suicide by throwing himself off a tower, which he considered doing in PROSE: Interference - Book Two.
- The Doctor deliberately avoids Kim Philby, as he doesn't meet him until 1951 in PROSE: Endgame.
- Following the TARDIS's destruction in PROSE: The Ancestor Cell and its regeneration in Escape Velocity everything within the TARDIS was rebuilt.
- 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 PROSE: Grimm Reality.
- By his sixth incarnation, the Doctor already considered Orwell to be an old friend. (AUDIO: The Carrionite Curse)
- The Seventh Doctor previously fought in the Spanish Civil War. (AUDIO: The Rapture) On another occasion, he and his companions Melanie Bush and Ace visited Farissa during the war in the winter of 1938. (AUDIO: Fiesta of the Damned)
External links[]
- History 101 at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Discontinuity Guide to: History 101 at The Whoniverse
- The Cloister Library: History 101
- Notes, Information and a 'Writer's Commentary' to History 101 by the author
- Interview: Mags L Halliday
- Throwback Interview: Mags L. Halliday (2002)