View source for Goth Opera

{{Short description|1994 novel by Paul Cornell}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox book
|name = Goth Opera
|image = Goth Opera.jpg
|caption = Cover Art
|author = [[Paul Cornell]]
|series = ''[[Doctor Who]]'' book:<br />[[Virgin Missing Adventures]]
|release_number = 1
|subject = Featuring:<br />[[Fifth Doctor]]<br />[[Tegan Jovanka|Tegan]], [[Nyssa (Doctor Who)|Nyssa]], [[Romana II]]
|set_in = Period between<br />''[[Snakedance]]'' and ''[[Mawdryn Undead]]''
|release_date = July 1994
|publisher = [[Virgin Books]]
|pages = 238
| isbn =  0-426-20418-2
|preceded_by = 
|followed_by = [[Evolution (Peel novel)|Evolution]]
}}
'''''Goth Opera''''' is an original ''[[Doctor Who]]'' novel, published by [[Virgin Publishing]] in their ''[[Virgin Missing Adventures|Missing Adventures]]'' range of ''Doctor Who'' novels. It was the first book in that series and a sequel to the ''[[Virgin New Adventures|New Adventure]]'' book ''[[Blood Harvest (Dicks novel)|Blood Harvest]]'', but it can be read separately.

==Plot==
As the Fifth Doctor and his companions vacation in [[Tasmania]] they become caught up in a scheme by the Time Lord Ruath to resurrect the [[Vampire (Doctor Who)|vampire]] Yarven (from ''[[Blood Harvest (Dicks novel)|Blood Harvest]]'').  Ruath sends a vampire baby to attack the Doctor and turn him into a vampire, but the child instead attacks and converts Nyssa.  Unable to provide Yarven with the Doctor's Time Lord blood, Ruath gives her own blood to Yarven, causing her to die and regenerate into a vampire Time Lord.

Nyssa, while trying fight her new vampire nature, is drawn to Yarven's castle, where she learns more about Ruath's plan.  Ruath has created a genetically enhanced mist that can turn normal humans into vampires, and kill those who use traditional methods (garlic, crosses, etc.) to protect themselves.  Ruath has also invented a Time Freeze, a small Time Loop that can hold the Earth in a perpetual night, leaving the vampires free to roam and feed.

==Background and continuity==
The plot for the novel was originally developed from an unproduced comic strip for '' Doctor Who Magazine'', which would have featured the [[Fourth Doctor]] in a fight against [[Dracula]].  Cornell revised the story to use the Fifth Doctor for this first Missing Adventure.<ref>{{cite book
  | last = Pearson
  | first = Lars
  | title = I, Who
  | publisher = Sidewinder Press
  | date = October 1999
  | location = New York
  | url = 
  | doi = 
  | isbn =  0-9673746-0-X}}</ref>

===Placement problem===
The back cover of ''Goth Opera'' says that it takes place between the television stories [[Snakedance]] and [[Mawdryn Undead]]. However, it is difficult to avoid the fact that there is actually no gap between these shows to put an extra adventure.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140714060927/http://www.magnetopia.org/cloisterlibrary/goth.htm The Cloister Library-Goth Opera]</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=October 2014}}

==Cover==
The novel's cover was originally to feature a far more graphic image of Nyssa's shirt covered in blood.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120712153643/http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/archive/tsv48/paulcornell.html Paul Cornell interview, TSV 48]</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=October 2014}}
The artwork had to be adjusted and the blood airbrushed out when retailer [[W H Smith]] insisted that they would not stock the book in that form.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120721142012/http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/Jade_Pagoda/message/80128 Jade Pagoda post] by [[Craig Hinton]], 29 June 2004 {{dead link|date=October 2014}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Doctor Who books|selected=Missing Adventures}}
{{Fifth Doctor stories|selected=Books}}


[[Category:1994 British novels]]
[[Category:1994 science fiction novels]]
[[Category:Fifth Doctor novels]]
[[Category:Virgin Missing Adventures]]
[[Category:Novels by Paul Cornell]]
[[Category:Vampire novels]]
[[Category:Manchester in fiction]]