''The Highest Science'' is an original novel written by Gareth Roberts and based on the long-running British

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

series ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

''. It features the

Seventh Doctor The Seventh Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-o ...

and Bernice and the first appearance of the recurring monsters, the Chelonians. A prelude to the novel, also penned by Roberts, appeared in ''

Doctor Who Magazine ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the following year. In ...

'' #196. The novel was going to be adapted into the 2009 ''Doctor Who'' Easter special, making this story, like ''

Human Nature Human nature comprises the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of Thought, thinking, feeling, and agency (philosophy), acting—that humans are said to have nature (philosophy), naturally. The term is often used to denote ...

'', an early "version" of a

canonical The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean 'according to the canon' the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, ''canonical exampl ...

television story; the concept was continually altered, however, resulting in " Planet of the Dead". The Chelonians were mentioned onscreen in the episode " The Pandorica Opens" as one of the Doctor's enemy species who have banded together to defeat him, suggesting that the events of the novel (like those of the television-acknowledged novel '' The Monsters Inside'') have in fact happened.

Publisher's Summary

Sakkrat. Many legends speak of this world, home of an ancient empire destroyed by its own greatest achievement: the Highest Science, the pinnacle of technological discovery. When the

TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space") is a fictional hybrid of a time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. While a TARDI ...

alerts the Doctor and Bernice to the presence of an enormous temporal fluctuation on a large, green, unremarkable planet, they are not to know of any connection with the legend. But the connection is there, and it will lead them into conflict with the monstrous Chelonians, with their contempt for human parasites; into adventure with a group of youngsters whose musical taste has suddenly become dangerously significant; and will force them to face Sheldukher, the most wanted criminal in the galaxy.

Chelonians

This novel sees the first appearance of the Chelonians, a race of cybernetic humanoid tortoises. They returned in '' Zamper'' and also featured in the

Fourth Doctor The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from ...

missing adventure '' The Well-Mannered War'', as well as in the short stories ''The Hungry Bomb'', ''Fegovy'', and ''The Body Bank'', all by Gareth Roberts and published in, respectively, the ''

Yearbook 1995'', the anthology ''Decalog 3: Consequences'', and the ''Doctor Who Storybook 2008''. They are also mentioned in the New Adventures books '' Oh No It Isn't!'' and '' Beyond the Sun'', featuring Bernice Summerfield. River Song listed the Chelonians amongst the races with fleets orbiting Earth in " The Pandorica Opens". The Chelonians are war-like, hermaphroditic and lay eggs. They have cybernetic enhancements that include X-ray vision and improved hearing, but this advanced state of technology often causes them to consider human-beings as a form of parasite to be removed. Contrary to how they are depicted on the dust jacket art to this book and '' Zamper'', they walk on all fours.

Audio Adaptation

In December 2014

Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and radio drama, audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'' ...

released an audio adaptation of the novel.

References

External links

''The Highest Science'' Prelude
{{DEFAULTSORT:Highest Science, The 1993 British novels 1993 science fiction novels Virgin New Adventures Novels by Gareth Roberts (writer) Seventh Doctor novels