Doctor Omega - Collector's Edition

Doctor Omega, a rather obscure 1906 science fiction novel by equally obscure French novelist Arnould Galopin, was designed initially as a homage/tribute to SF pioneers H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, complete with fantastic inventions, a slightly nutty yet dedicated scientist, a requisite hero-narrator, a strong-yet-coarse apprentice-companion, and pastoral scenery in the late 19th and early Century.But as will soon be told, the tale could very well be the first foundation for the legend of another "Doctor."As adapted and retold by Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier, the adventure of Doctor Omega is seen as the very first for the legendary BBC time traveller Doctor Who. Indeed, the illustrations depict the heavy resemblance between Doctor Omega and the late actor William Hartnell (the Doctor in his first incarnation from 1963 to 1966, then in a 1973 tale called The Three Doctors). In fact, upon reading the book I can easily imagine Hartnell speaking Doctor Omega's dialogue with the narrator, one Denis Borel (who might be as easily portrayed by another actor from the BBC Doctor's early days, namely William Russell), a self-made millionaire invited by the mysterious Doctor to share a journey not just into space but through Time itself.With them is the Doctor's handyman Fred who, in my mind, can be played by fellow Who actor Frazier Hines (the companion and ally of the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton). The adventure only gets into overdrive when Omega's incredible vehicle the Cosmos is built, using a secret formula derived from Omega's "people" (hint, hint). Over the course of the book, the Doctor and his allies land on the planet Mars, albeit a Mars one million years in the past. They encounter a myriad of different flora and fauna, are met by a ruling class of Martians, and find themselves embroiled in a civil war between the North and the South of Mars (a brief reference to the American Civil War, or else anticipating the Martian decay saga of Edgar Rice Burroughs, himself a student of history).Their ship destroyed, our heroes lament about being stranded on the Red Planet until another version of the Cosmos arrives and rescues them. One of the rescuers is Omega's granddaughter Susanne (Susan?) and the other is a man not unlike Omega himself, save for "the mop of unruly white hair." Jon Pertwee, anyone?The 2003 edition also has an introduction by long-time Who writer Terrence Dicks (1935--2019), definitively linking Omega to Who. Another such connection is seen within the first part of the story itself. Our narrator describes one of Omega's inventions: "...a spherical container from which radiated a pulsating light...embedded in a small column that was itself resting at the center of a large hexagonal machine..."Coincidence? I think not...

"Doctor Omega" is an almost forgotten early (1906) French SF novel written as a sort-of response to HG Well's "First Men on the Moon".What is unusual about it, is that the main character is in appearance an attitude very much like the first Doctor Who, played by William Hartnell. The Lofficiers, who has 'adapted and retold' the story, have made some minor tweaks to make that just a little more clearer. This has allowed other authors to use Doctor Omega to write new stories that hint at him being Doctor Who, interaction with others fictional and real characters in the "Tales of the Shadowmen" series.Overall, the storyline is very similar to HG Wells. Set in Normandy, the narrator, a now retired musician, meets the odd and mysterious Doctor Omega and his handyman Fred. Doctor Omega is building his own bullet-shaped spaceship, sheathed in an unusual material called 'stellite', which protects the ship from space AND time. They are planning a trip to Mars. Doctor Omega hints his is estranged from his people, and wished to build his own ship so they can't monitor him.We also learn that unlike the ships of Wells and Verne, this one will have wheels that can extend.In traveling to Mars they also travel BACK in time millions of years. They land at the North Pole and start a journey south. Along the way they met various beings. They encounter an aquatic race in the seas of Mars. Then they are attacked by race of dwarfish creatures, menaced by dangerous predators. In a land plagued by snakes, they encounter a race that has created batwings to keep above the snakes. Finally, they encounter a race of technologically advanced creatures. Learning their language, they stay for awhile. Sadly, this race is soon engaged in a war with a group to the south for crop lands, and Doctor Omega and crew are pulled into it. When their stelite coating is found to be a good defense against the invaders, it is taken. But without it, their ship can't return to Earth!Soon, however, Doctor Omega is able to erect a secret radio tower and send a message to his granddaughter on Earth, who passes this along with a colleague of his, Professor Helvetius (an unusual name), who is teaching in England. Thankfully, the message gets thru before the tower is destroyed, and Professor Helvetius comes in his own ship to rescue them. (how convenient that another of the Doctor's people is on Earth with this own ship). One of the Martians, Tiziraou, accompanies them.All are returned home. But we learn at the end that the now 4 travelers are planning a new trip into the Cosmos!This edition is the Collectors Edition, which includes 22 illustrations from the original 1906 French publication, and the cover artwork comes from a later reprinting of the story.All editions of this work have a forward by Terrance Dicks, and an afterward with more info on the author.

An adventure in a style similar to H. G. Wells, this is the story of Denis Borel and his uncommon meeting with the mysterious Doctor Omega. Borel has recently retired and settled in a small village in Normandy, France. He soon becomes curious about a neighbor whose inventions are the cause of explosions and excitation in his newly adopted home. His neighbor, Doctor Omega, is building a vessel that can traverse time and space with plans to explore Mars' past.There are a number of similarities with this Doctor and that other Doctor of BBC fame. This includes a textual likeness between William Hartnel and Omega and a common relationship with a young niece. Omega is also the name of a time lord in the Doctor Who series but it's obvious that Omega and this one could not be the same. There are also references to a race of people of whom Omega is a member and allusions that he is in fact trapped and unable to use the more powerful vessels that his people have access to. All of this seems very similar to the newer doctor we know and love but it's hard to know how much of this is the invention of Arnould Galopin and how much has been added for interest by Randy Lofficier. Quarks, atomic relationships, and science that should have been unknown to Galopin makes it into this tale as part of Lofficier's update. Thus some of the exciting similarities between this and the Doctor Who series come off as less amazing given how many liberties appear to be have been taken with the source material.While this edition may be more interpretive than interpreted, it's a fun story and well written.

I am not the first person to read this intrieging curiousity and wonder whether or not it's a hoax. Nor am I the first to wonder how much "adapting and retelling" has been done by Jean Marc Lofficier.However, after trawling the internet and reading the book, I am now confident that "Doctor Omega" is not a hoax, and that Arnould Galopin really did write what comes across as a Verne-esque early draft of the infamous TV programme "Doctor Who", in 1907. Whether "Who" creators (Sydney Newman, Donald Wilson, Rex Tucker) were consciously or unconsciously influenced by it, or even if any of them had any knowledge of it whatsoever, no one will probably ever know.And now to the "adapted and retold" bit. This is defined by Black Coat Press as going further than mere translation. For example, tidying up the pre- and post ambles that serialisation in magazines demanded, but look flabby in a straight forward novel. Also, ironing out the plot inconsistancies, and the sort of attitiudes towards race that are not acceptable in today's world. But did the original Dr Omega really have a granddaughter called Suzanne? I genuinely don't know(She makes an appearence towards the end).But as a novel, on it's own and in iscolation, it's a great read. Pacy, imaginative, and thoroughly enjoyable if you like turn-of-the-century Scientific Romance of the Verne and Wells era.

The good: Doctor Omega's a very fun bit of pacy old-school pulp and from a sci-fi tradition we don't usually read in the English language. Denis being a middle-class blagger who's lying about being brave and is now stuck on this expedition is a nice touch with our POV character.The awkward: it's REALLY obvious where the translation was taken liberties to make Doctor Omega more Hartnelly than the original text (and that Mars is now the distant past rather than, as clearly originally planned, the planet in the 1900s). Some of these moments are fun, some are massively distracting and it brings the scenes down

Bookshop quality

if you like Doctor Who and classic Stuff by the likes of Wells, Stoker or Conan Doyle with their lovely old style prose, then you'll love this tale.