By Beth Jones

Thebes Publishing, out now

Erimem and her friends find themselves potentially humanity’s last hope…

Unlike many Doctor Who spin-offs, the Erimem series of novels can jump easily from past to future adventures, and this latest adventure is a pure SF tale after the historical shenanigans of its predecessor. We join the story in media res, with Erimem, Andy, Helena and Trina (the student introduced in the set of short stories) already on board what might be the last ship leaving a devastated Earth.

Beth Jones weaves a clever tale, with some good use of the core characters, and a recognition of what makes Erimem unique as a former Doctor Who companion. There’s a central mystery whose solution is perhaps less of a shock than it could have been had Jones been given a higher word count (although at one point I did wonder if Thebes were being very daring and crossing over with elements of Gerry Anderson’s UFO!) and a corollary to the solution that nicely ties back in with the parent series.

Verdict: An enjoyable SF tale for the former Pharaoh. 7/10

Paul Simpson