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Cover of The Doctor Who New Adventure novel The Pit by Neil Penswick. The Doctor lies unconscious in a red sandy landscape. A man in 18th century attire stands anxiously by him. Winged creatures fill the sky. One close by is a Pterodactyl being ridden by a bare-chested blue woman carrying a spear.

Many people consider The Pit the worst of the New Adventures. I remember very little about many of these books but I do recall some stuff about The Pit. I don't recall hating it, but I don't recall enjoying it very much. Given its reputation it's been analysed quite a bit and consensus seems to be that its problems are that its fundamentally rather depressing and the Doctor doesn't really make any difference to events. It's attempting to do something clever and thematic with the character of William Blake. I'm not familiar with Blake so I can't really comment, but I get the impression that the Blake connection doesn't really come off.

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From:

thisbluespirit

I don't recall hating it, but I don't recall enjoying it very much.

I don't remember much about it, either, just that it was really hard work to get through - I seem to recall giving up and mainly just reading Benny's scenes because they were the only even halfway lively bits in it. Just gruelling and dull at the same time, which is a pretty unforgivable combination!

From:

purplecat

It's one of the earlier Benny ones isn't it? I have a vague feeling that I was slightly dissatisfied with her role - as though the author didn't really know what to make of or do with her - often a problem with book companions, I think, in their first few stories when there isn't a performance to make it all hang together.

From:

thisbluespirit

That is probably true, and I think says even less of the rest of it!

From:

lurking_latinist

I agree it’s one of the less successful VNAs, but I adore that cover. If the inside had been more like the cover it would’ve been fantastic.

From:

purplecat

I vaguely recall at the time being excited about the connection to Blake but I'm pretty sure I knew no more about him at the end of the book than I had at the beginning - and I didn't know a lot.

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purplecat

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