Doctor Who news: The Lovecraft Invasion is out now!
By James Aggas
The Sixth Doctor and his friends not only have to face the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos, but also face the even more horrific views of its xenophobic author in Doctor Who: The Lovecraft Invasion – out now!
Well, it’s taken quite some time for this audio to be released – over a month longer than originally planned, in fact. But the new Doctor Who audio The Lovecraft Invasion has finally been released. As you can probably guess from the title, the story involves the Doctor and his two companions Constance and Flip meeting the infamous horror author H.P. Lovecraft.
However, it’s not just the author himself that they’ll be meeting. Due to a weaponised mind-parasite that can transform nightmares into reality, the Doctor and his friends will be facing monsters from Lovecraft’s own Cthulhu Mythos!
This sounds like a fantastic way of writer Robert Valentine getting to have his cake and eat it too. He has the Doctor and his friends meeting a genuine historical figure, but he also gets to have them face the monsters that author’s famous for creating. Of course, there are other things that Lovecraft himself was well known for – something that this story thankfully tackles head-on…
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Addressing Lovecraft
If anyone’s afraid that this will neatly avoid one of the biggest problems of the man himself – ie his extremely xenophobic views – don’t be. As writer Robert Valentine reveals, the huge flaws of the man himself are heavily focused on in this release.
"The Lovecraft Invasion is my way of combining two of my favourite things – Doctor Who and the works of H. P. Lovecraft – whilst simultaneously attempting to grapple with the problem of loving Lovecraft’s stories but not his racism. As the Doctor, Constance and Flip struggle to separate the author from his work, hopefully so will the listener."
It’s a smart move for Valentine to make sure that Lovecraft’s views are examined in this story. Sometimes, a major influential figure in history is presented in a very simplified way, focusing on their achievements and successes while ignoring anything problematic or even horrific.
Perhaps one of the biggest examples of this is Winston Churchill, with many Doctor Who stories focusing on him primarily as a wartime leader while not looking into too much detail in anything else he may have done. (Having said that, this year’s Seventh Doctor audio Subterfuge did depict a more balanced view, at least.)
Acknowledging history
So it’s great to know that Valentine is keen to explore who Lovecraft was as a man and addressing his open xenophobia. While the story has the potential to be a fun Doctor Who adventure, it’s nice to know that it’s not shying away from the ugly side of history.
You can purchase The Lovecraft Invasion on CD or download right now from Big Finish’s website. For other stories written by Robert Valentine, check out our reviews for Paternoster Gang episode Whatever Remains and the Fourth Doctor audio Shadow of the Sun – the latter of which was recorded entirely in lockdown.
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Will you be listening to The Lovecraft Invasion? Are you a fan of Lovecraft’s fiction? Do you think the man can be separated from his work? Let us know in the comments below.