Nobody ever talks about Infinite Requiem, but the cover's pretty dope.

I'm gonna need to keep track of a lot of made up terminology, then, aren't I?

It's always a bit awkward when a Doctor Who author brings back their character or creature from a previous book and you just have to nod along like, yes, I totally remember what happened in The Dimension Riders and was begging for a sequel with this guy.

Oh God, same, girl.

Pretty sure I remember Dimension Riders also having this axe to grind against anarchy. This author might have a pet theme.

(Anyway, shout-out to the excellent character names of Trinket, Livewire, and Polymer.)

Oh my God, this entire page is just perfect

Mad respect for the ambition of this book in taking on such themes

This is an odd book. I like a lot of its ambition. It's trying to build on Hindu cosmological ideas, complete with actual British Asian characters, and it does so without, so far at least, doing anything as crass as "Kali is an evil alien." But it's still definitely limited.

Partially because it's appropriative, partially because it's just a bit boring, as my lack of reading it this month attests.

But yeah, Infinite Requiem is definitely not lacking in interesting ambitions. I love the Doctor sending Bernice on a solo mission post-Ace departure, and her wondering whether she really wants to do it.

Mashing Hinduism with Greek mythology is a choice.

A startlingly forward-thinking take on gender here

Omg, Monoid gamers. Inspired.

Yeah, the monster in this book is very unsubtly built on Hindu mythology. Not exactly the richest understanding or engagement with the triumvirate concept, but then, realistically, what can I expect?

Well that sure is an awkward author mouthpiece moment. What a weird thing to have the Doctor say!

"He had a feeling it was going to be a very decisive document indeed" yeah I'm falling asleep

If anyone ever wants to know what I don't want to see in sci-fi, it's this stuff. Aggressively not for me.

In terms of great content, the incorporation of the Mahābhārata story of Savitri and Satyavan as an embedded narrative (similar to its inclusion in the original text) is really quite different and compelling.

This book is extremely appropriative at times, but with stronger engagement with a non-white culture's mythology and beliefs than any New Adventure not by Kate Orman. No whale-hunting New Mexicans here!

Oh, chills. This is exactly what I want from the Seventh Doctor, and a prose highlight of Infinite Requiem.

Kudos to the author for admitting that the returning OC from his previous book was a forgettable minor presence who Benny has no reason to remember

Side note: while I praised the inclusion of the Savitri narrative, cursory research does show it changes a few details and condenses the overall story. It's very much making a white story out of another culture's narratives for white audiences, it's just a better case than many.

Does this imply the Doctor's given birth before?

I'm rather partial to even the literal gods this book concerns considering Time Lords figures of myth

Missing episodes joke!

I see, we're having one of those fanwank apologia for s21-24 days

Wow, I didn't know we already had a Rings of Akhaten novelization!

Ladies, is it gay to love your goddess?

In case there was any doubt in my mind that Infinite Requiem is the perfect Who book pairing for The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos, there's this chapter title...

You can always tell when a New Adventures author doesn't like the direction Seven's gone in (but I love the hopscotch joke)!

Lmao mood

And people give Chibnall shit?

Come on, book, you ain't that deep

Why is "they" such a colossally difficult word for sci-fi writers?

But... Heaven wasn't Benny's home? She was just doing a dig there!!