The Time Lord Letters (novel)

This topic might have a better name.

The Time Lord Letters (anthology), as some argue it is best viewed as a collection of short stories, not a novel with individual chapters. Discussion ongoing.

Talk about it here.

The Time Lord Letters is a collection of letters and writings by and to the Doctor. It hearkens back to many televised adventures, and adds many more details of its own. The book is written as a historical publication written and compiled by an in-universe writer who provides background information on each document. Most letters are original to the book, but some, such as the letter written to the Tenth Doctor by Madame de Pompadour before her death, are lifted directly from television stories.

Publisher's summary

A unique collection of more than 100 never-before-seen letters, notes, and jottings both by and to the Doctor—correspondence by turns entertaining and inspiring, funny and flippant, brilliant and incredible drawn from all fifty-two years of the show.

No one could travel through history—past present and future—as much as the Doctor does without leaving an impression. Much of what we know about this mysterious figure comes from what he does— the planets he saves and the monsters he defeats. But until now we've had little knowledge of his writings.

These rich and diverse documents paint an extraordinarily detailed picture of the Doctor and include his plea to the Time Lords to help end the War Games, an extract from the written defence he submitted at his subsequent trial, his application for the post of Caretaker at Coal Hill School, his apology to the Queen for missing dinner, even telepathic messages to the High Council on Gallifrey and his famous letter to Santa Claus. Like the Doctor himself, the mood can change in an instant.

The Time Lord Letters captures the best and most dramatic moments of an impossible life. You'll never see the Doctor in quite the same way again.

The author of The Time Lord Letters introduces the work. They explain who the Doctor is and the role they have played in history, as well as the scarcity of information about them. Of the known written works by the Doctor, the brief message of the words "No More" blasted onto a wall during the fall of the Gallifreyan city of Arcadia near the end of the Last Great Time War is the most famous. The author explains how The Time Lord Letters brings together documents from archives and collections throughout time and space to shed new light on the mysterious Doctor and their life.

Gallifrey and the Time Lords

Letter	Name	From	To	Date
01	Academic Progress	Theta Sigma	Borusa	Unknown
01	In response to his Interim Academy Report, the First Doctor sends a message to his tutor, Borusa, head of Prydonian Academy. He mentions an incident with a perigosto stick and a temporal feedback loop, saying High Tutor Albrecht had a few regenerations to spare. One of Borusa's comments was "he might as well have grown up on a barn rather than a fully techno-temporal society."
02	Missing TARDIS	First Doctor	"Whom It May Concern"	Unknown
03	A Warning to the Meddlesome	First Doctor	The Monk	October 1066
03	The First Doctor leaves a note for the Monk after defeating his plans. He says he's taken precautions to stop his time meddling, should he have any plans of trying again. The Doctor goes on to explain the implications of the Monk's behaviour, and says to at least keep notes of any transgressions of the Laws of Time. He's taken his dimensional controller to teach him a lesson.
04	A Plea for Help	Second Doctor	Time Lords	Unknown
04	The Second Doctor sends a telepathic message to the Time Lords, telling them of the humans left stranded on an unknown planet by the War Lords, and asking for their help. He mentions that the time travel technology used by the War Lords was provided by a Time Lord, so they should want to clean it up.
05	A Case for the Defence	Second Doctor	Time Lord judges	Unknown
06	Returning Home	Fourth Doctor	Time Lords	Unknown
07	In Tribute	Sixth Doctor	Time Lords	August 2100
08	Telepathic Directions	Third Doctor	Terrynate	2540
09	Interference	Fourth Doctor	Time Lords	Unknown
10	A Statement of Discontent	Sixth Doctor	Time Lords	Unknown

Planet Earth

Letter	Name	From	To	Date
11	Taken to the Tower	First Doctor	Henry VIII	July 1543
12	Absent Friend	Fourth Doctor	Chronotis	2 October 1955
13		Third Doctor		11 April 1958
14		Fourth Doctor		24 July 1960
15		Fourth Doctor		3 January 1964
16		Fourth Doctor		15 August 1977
17	To my Granddaughter	First Doctor	Susan Foreman	2167
18	The Slow Path...	Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson	Tenth Doctor	April 1764
19	Hope in Adversity	Third Doctor	Marie Antoinette	1793
19	The Third Doctor writes to Marie Antoinette while she awaits execution. He apologises for not writing sooner and explains that he has a job. The Doctor tells her the time ahead will be difficult for her and France, and that he saw "The Terror" first hand. He offers her hope that out of the suffering will come a brighter future for the country. He remembers the happy time that he spent with her and Louis and thanks her for the pick-lock she gave him. The author speculates the letter was delivered to Marie Antoinette by James Stirling, who operated as a spy under the alias "Lemaitre".
20	Getting Out	Martha Jones	Tenth Doctor	June 2009
21	Apologies and Thanks	Eleventh Doctor	Napoléon Bonaparte	February 1821
22	A Medical Note	Tenth Doctor	Royal Hope Hospital	September 2008
23	The Missing Bow	Seventh Doctor	Elizabeth II	November 1988
24	Congratulations and Regrets	Ninth Doctor	Harriet Jones	2006
25	Congratulations and Regrets	Tenth Doctor	Harriet Jones	2006
26	A Fond Farewell	Tenth Doctor	Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart	Unknown
27	66 Seconds	Twelfth Doctor	Agatha Christie	Unknown
28	Putting Things Straight	Tenth Doctor	Mr Copper	February 2008

Coal Hill School

Letter	Name	From	To	Date
29	An Application	First Doctor	Coal Hill School	June 1963
30	Clara Will Be Good	Clara Oswald, Twelfth Doctor	W. Coburn	March 2012
31	Taking Care	Twelfth Doctor	Frank Armitage	October 2014
32	Keeping it Tiday	Twelfth Doctor	Danny Pink	October 2014
33	A Few Suggestions	Twelfth Doctor	W. Coburn	October 2014
34	Assessing the Risk	Danny Pink, Twelfth Doctor	N/A	November 2014
35	A Great Fan	Ninth Doctor	Charles Dickens	c 1869
36	Christmas Absence	Eleventh Doctor	Amy Pond, Rory Williams	December 2011
37	Thank You (in accordance with Rule 1781-B)	Acting Interim Chief Caretaker	Seventh Doctor	Late 21st century
38	Got to Dash...	Tenth Doctor	William Shakespeare	1599
39	Offering to Help	Eleventh Doctor	Sanderson & Grainger	April 2011
40	Virtually Yours	Tenth Doctor	River Song	51st century
41	Get Well Soon	First Doctor	Dodo Chaplet	July 1966
42	Lyre Liar	First Doctor	Nero	64
43	Bedtime Story	Eleventh Doctor	George	October 2011
44	Welcome Home	Ninth Doctor	Geoff Mitchell, Sandra Mitchell	2012
45	A Parting Gift	First Doctor	Xerons	Unknown
46	I Am Glad It Was You...	Jackson Lake	Tenth Doctor	December 1851
47	Baffling Meaning	Henry Gordon Jago	Fourth Doctor	February 1892

The Daleks and Other Monsters

Letter	Name	From	To	Date
48	Expert Witness	Fourth Doctor	Kaled Council	Unknown
49	A Record of Honour	Sixth Doctor	Grand Order of Oberon	Unknown
50	A Warning, and a Threat	Seventh Doctor	Daleks	1963
51	For the PM's Eyes Only	Eleventh Doctor	Winston Churchill	1941
52	Left in Trust	Tenth Doctor	Rattigan Academy students	May 2009
53	A New Chapter	Second Doctor	Victoria Waterfield	Late 1960s
54	Passion and Pain	Henry Black, Eleventh Doctor	N/A	2010
55	Awkward Explanations	Fourth Doctor	Kiy Uvanov, Lish Toos	Unknown
56	Condolences	Second Doctor	N/A	March 1985
57	An Official Handover	Eleventh Doctor	People of Mercy, Nevada	1870
58	A Mad World	Tenth Doctor	Elton Pope	June 2007
59	I Want Some Answers	Ninth Doctor	N/A	200,100
60	Advice to the Board	Tenth Doctor	Governing Board of Ood Operations	4126
61	Condolences and Thanks	Fifth Doctor	Charles Cranleigh, Madge Cranleigh	June 1925
62	Full Steam Ahead	Sixth Doctor	George Stephenson	1846
63	Words and Pictures	Tenth Doctor	Chloe Webber	2012
64	A Spot of Gardening	Fourth Doctor	Zastor	Unknown
65	Timey-Wimey Stuff	Tenth Doctor	Sally Sparrow	2007
66	Holiday Plans	Eleventh Doctor	Cardew	December 1941
67	Reaching a Terminus	Fifth Doctor	Nyssa	Unknown
68	Waking or Sleeping?	Eleventh Doctor	Himself	Unknown
69	Waking or Sleeping?	Eleventh Doctor	Himself	Unknown
70	Safe Keeping	First Doctor	Padmasambhava	1630
71	Everything has its Time	Ninth Doctor	Jackie Tyler	November 1987
72	Unpredictable Tastes	First Doctor	Michel de Nostredame	1555
73	A Letter of Application	Twelfth Doctor	Bank of Karabraxos	Unknown
74	Registering a Complaint	Third Doctor	Interplanetary Mining Corporation	March 2472
75	Look After the Children	Tenth Doctor	Adiposian First Family	2009
76	Bronze Age Corrections	Fourth Doctor	Emilia Rumford	1984
77	A Painful Extraction	First Doctor	Doc Holliday	October 1881
78	The Waiting Game	Amy Pond	Eleventh Doctor, Rory Williams	Unknown
79	The Time Machine	Sixth Doctor	H. G. Wells	1885

UNIT

Letter	Name	From	To	Date
80	Uniquely Qualified	Third Doctor	UNIT	Classified
81	Resignation	Third Doctor	Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart	Classified
82	Power Play	Third Doctor	Professor Stahlman	Classified
83	The Greatest Threat	Third Doctor	Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart	Classified
84	A New and Unusual Menace	Third Doctor	The Minister	Classified
85	A Complex Space-Time Event	Eleventh Doctor	Professor Arthur Candy	Unknown
86	Deadly Mistakes	Seventh Doctor	Mother of Sergeant Michael Smith (Mrs Smith)	1963
87	Will Power	Third Doctor	Herbert Clegg	Unknown
88	A Masterful Defence	Third Doctor	Court convened to try The Master	Classified
89	A Possible Trap	Fourth Doctor	Sarah Jane Smith	Classified
90	Overdue Overhaul	Second Doctor	Professor Edward Travers	Unknown
91	Preventing the Future	Third Doctor	Sir Reginald Styles	Classified
92	Supply Teacher	Tenth Doctor (under the alias of James Robert McCrimmon)	Hector Finch	2007
93	Primitive Equipment	Third Doctor	Mr Campbell, head of UNIT's Scientific Supplies Section	Classified
94	The Best of Times	Third Doctor	Josephine Grant	Unknown
95	Definitely Not Amused	Tenth Doctor (under the alias Sir Doctor of TARDIS)	Queen Victoria	1879
96	A Contribution to the Fun	Third Doctor (under the alias of Doctor John Smith)	Mr Carmichael, Chairman of the Parochial Church Council for the village of Devil's End	Unknown
97	Naughty or Nice?	Twelfth Doctor	Santa Claus	Unknown
98	Missing Aircraft	Fifth Doctor	Airport Controller	March 1982
99	Not So Sorry	Fourth Doctor	The Prime Minister	Classified
100	Royal Excuses	Fourth Doctor	Queen Elizabeth II	Classified
101	The Road to Recovery	Fifth Doctor (under the alias of John Smith (Doctor))	The Governors of Brendon Public School for Boys	6 June 1977
102	Beyond Redemption?	Third Doctor	The Master	Unknown
103	England Expects...	First Doctor	Horatio Nelson	1798
104	Asking for Favours	Seventh Doctor	The Prime Minister	Classified

The TARDIS

Letter	Name	From	To	Date
105	Maintenance Notes	First Doctor	N/A	Unknown
106	Unofficial Authorisation	Seventh Doctor (forging the signatures of Winston Churchill and Stweart Menzies)	To Whom It May Concern	May 1943
107	Thank You For Having Me	Eleventh Doctor	Craig Owens	June 2010
108	Historical Nonsense	First Doctor	N/A	circa 1184 BC
109	A Time for Reflection	Eleventh Doctor	President Richard Nixon	April 1969
110	A Gift to a Best Friend	Fourth Doctor	Sarah Jane Smith	1978
111	The End of the Line	Eleventh Doctor	Madame Vastra	December 1892
112	The Doctor's Tale	Second Doctor	N/A	Unknown
113	The Missing Turkey	Eleventh Doctor	Amy Pond & Rory Williams	Unknown
114	A Lump of Rock	Fourth Doctor	Garron	Unknown
115	Sorry About the Mess	Fourth Doctor	Leonardo da Vinci	circa 1508
116	Perfect Hiding	Twelfth Doctor	N/A	Unknown
117	Till We Meet Again	Tenth Doctor	Sarah Jane Smith	2007
118	The Intergalactic Flying Dutchman	Eleventh Doctor	Henry Avery	1699
119	Invitation to Assassination	Eleventh Doctor	Himself, River Song, Amy Pond, Rory Williams, and Canton Everett Delaware III	April 2011
120	Please Look After This Slitheen	Ninth Doctor	Unspecified Raxacoricofallapatorian family	September 2006
121	You are the Doctor	Tenth Doctor	Himself (disguised as human under the alias John Smith)	November 1913
122	Legends Have to Start Somewhere	Twelfth Doctor	Robin Hood	circa 1190
123	Two Pints Today, Please	Eleventh Doctor	Milkman	June 2010
124	Old And Lonely	Eleventh Doctor	Clara Oswald	Various
125
126
127
128	Face to Face	Idris (the TARDIS)	Eleventh Doctor	Unknown

References

The First Doctor mentions an incident with a perigosto stick and a temporal feedback loop during his time at Prydonian Academy.

Notes

Documents pertaining to incidences with UNIT and early incarnations of the Doctor are dated as "classified" or "unknown", a nod to the UNIT dating controversy.

Continuity

Borusa was established as the Doctor's former teacher in TV: The Deadly Assassin.
One of Borusa's comments in his Interim Academy Report of the Doctor is "he might as well have grown up on a barn rather than a fully techno-temporal society." The Doctor did, in fact, grow up in a barn. (TV: Listen, The Day of the Doctor, Hell Bent)
The First Doctor leaves a note for the Monk after defeating him for the first time, scorning him for his misdeeds. (TV: The Time Meddler)
One of the articles is the telepathic message the Second Doctor sent to the Time Lords in TV: The War Games.
The Doctor would later again make the claim that he ran away from Gallifrey because he was bored. (TV: The Witch's Familiar) He, reveals, though, that he really left because he was afraid. (TV: Heaven Sent)
The First Doctor leaves a note for Henry VIII in the Tower of London including details of their recent quarrel. It can be assumed that this visit with Henry VIII is the one the Doctor alluded to in TV: The Sensorites.
The First Doctor planned to make a trip to Logopolis, although was not successful of this until the very end of his fourth incarnation in TV: Logopolis.

External links

Official The Time Lord Letters page at Penguin Books

Tardis