This series has largely followed a "monster of the week" style so far like Doctor Who itself often does. Each book has contained an individual story and there has been minor character development and gradual ongoing plots in the background. This book though is like a season finale when those plots are suddenly at the forefront of the story.
Although the Great Intelligence plays an important role in this story it's not really the enemy as such. Without wanting to give too much away this sees the Brigadier and the Fifth go up against the mysterious Vault. We finally find out who the General is and what he's up to. Simon's real identity and aims are also revealed and there's significant events for the Travers family too. I have to admire the way the author (and man in charge of the series) really takes control of things here. There's a lot of characters to manage now but I felt all were well dealt with. I also liked the way minor events in previous books all come together here to give that series finale feel. The author also does a good job at occasionally filling in gaps- there's a hint at why Anne Travers never appeared in 70s Who despite playing a large part in these books and an explanation about what HAVOC actually means in this series (if it appeared before I missed it completely). If I had to criticize anything it's that this requires a lot of background knowledge. If you don't know the Doctor Who stories 'The Abominable Snowmen' and 'The Web of Fear' or haven't read all previous ten books in the series there will be areas here where you are missing something. At the very least The Forgotten Son, The Schizoid Earth and Times Squared are all essential reading before this. It wasn't a problem for me but this wouldn't be a good jumping on point for new readers of the series.I seem to be saying this after every book in this series but it continues to get better and better.
The Brigadier has a much needed holiday after his recent adventures so he takes fiancee Sally and nephew Owain to visit New York. Upon arrival they quickly become embroiled in an alien plot- the Great Intelligence is back and Yeti are in the New York Subway.
This certainly made for an interesting change to the series. Previously we've had what are essentially UNIT stories but with the Brigadier technically off-duty here and in the USA it has a rather different style. He's well out of his comfort zone and I like that. Sally has a bigger role here than in previous books as she is properly involved with the adventure. I did have a lot of issues with this though. Essentially it's The Web of Fear but in New York. The author has changed a few things to make it a little more interesting, notably stripping some of the Yeti of their fur and adding lots of essentially rabid rats. The plot itself is different but it's still the Great Intelligence doing the same sort of evil stuff again. I also felt that the book could have been shorter considering how little plot there is. There seems to be a lot of long descriptions of lots of rats approaching people which gets a bit samey after a while. Then there's the problem that this has to fit with the Great Intelligence's ever more complicated continuity- and the author even throws a time-traveling Professor Travers into the mix too. It feels like half the book is dedicated to explaining how it fits in with Doctor Who and The Forgotten Son and I still feel a bit confused.
That said, I enjoyed plenty of bits of this book. There's an interesting character in Kramer and I'm tempted to seek out the book she originally appeared in. The rats are a really good idea and certainly creepy, it's just a shame they are overused. Owain gets a much bigger part then he's had for a while and the author really plays around with his connection to the Great Intelligence. He's great here and I am intrigued to see how he will play out in future books. It's not the best Lethbridge-Stewart book by any stretch but I still enjoyed it. The idea of the Brigadier in New York is as awesome as it sounds!
