Just Read: The Empire of Glass
Jun. 4th, 2026 11:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dickinsonsSo, the other day I heard about a Doctor Who novel where Kit Marlowe flirted with Steven Taylor. Naturally, I wanted to read it, and I managed to start it last night and... Well, I've just finished reading it. I didn't get much sleep, which I'm regretting now, but I have some words about the novel under the read more (because spoilers).
I'll write more about the rest of the novel later, but I want to focus first on the Steven and Marlowe plot since it was the reason I wanted to read it in the first place. This is my first Doctor Who novel, so I don't have anything to compare it to, by the way.
To summarise the events between them, they become friends and Marlowe is constantly flirting with Steven, which everyone around them is aware of, and Steven doesn't really flirt back, but when Marlowe is mortally wounded he comments on the flirting; eventually, Marlowe dies and Steven is more upset about it than he imagined he could be.
For a novel written in 1995, belonging to a franchise as Doctor Who, I'm surprised at how much the author got away with regarding Steven's sexuality. I know about Marlowe's sexuality, and I understand why that would be something that could be made very much textual in the story. The author's notes are illuminating regarding how he wrote Steven, though. The way he phrases is that Steven is a heterosexual man, but his relationship with Marlowe is special, and he even mentions his "suppressed homosexual urges" for him. Now, what I gather from this is that the author's view at the time was that if Steven had, until that moment, understood his sexuality as heterosexual, and since he didn't ACT on his attraction for Marlowe and chose NOT to reflect on his feelings because he thought he had no one he could discuss them with, his sexuality would still be considered the same. That's what I'm assuming, anyway.
But from my point of view, especially considering the ambiguity of a scene that ends just when Marlowe asks Steven to kiss him (so we don't see whether he does or not), it's hard not to come out of the story with the feeling that Steven is very much capable of feeling attracted to men, even if he hasn't fully understood that part about himself since it hadn't happened before Marlowe.
Never mind the label issue, I thought the relationship between Steven and Marlowe was beautifully written, and was happy to read in the author's notes that one reader had come out to his family as gay thanks to the story. The author (Andy Lane, by the way; I'm not sure why I didn't write his name before) was, of course, happy about his book helping someone in this way.
I adore Vicki, so I was happy about her role in the book. I was a bit confused as to why this alien was in love with her and no one commented on the fact she was just sixteen, but at the end it turned out he was faking the whole thing. She was very clever about the Doctor and Braxiatel, which I loved. She's a very clever girl. I liked Braxiatel, even though it's my first time meeting the character. I'd read his name before, but I didn't even know who he was. And of course I always love the First Doctor, and his voice was very well written.
The plot was a bit insane, truly, but it all made sense in the end. I liked the role Shakespeare played in the story. too. Maybe the distrust between Steven and the Doctor felt a bit off at times, but then again I've only just finished watching The Massacre and Steven almost leaves the Doctor, so...
As I said, I haven't slept much so my thoughts are very convoluted, but I'm glad I read this novel even if I lost some sleep over it. To be fair, I haven't been sleeping well for a long time. My brain wakes me up after 6 hours of sleep almost without fail, and it's starting to be really annoying. I WANT TO SLEEP.
I'll write more about the rest of the novel later, but I want to focus first on the Steven and Marlowe plot since it was the reason I wanted to read it in the first place. This is my first Doctor Who novel, so I don't have anything to compare it to, by the way.
To summarise the events between them, they become friends and Marlowe is constantly flirting with Steven, which everyone around them is aware of, and Steven doesn't really flirt back, but when Marlowe is mortally wounded he comments on the flirting; eventually, Marlowe dies and Steven is more upset about it than he imagined he could be.
For a novel written in 1995, belonging to a franchise as Doctor Who, I'm surprised at how much the author got away with regarding Steven's sexuality. I know about Marlowe's sexuality, and I understand why that would be something that could be made very much textual in the story. The author's notes are illuminating regarding how he wrote Steven, though. The way he phrases is that Steven is a heterosexual man, but his relationship with Marlowe is special, and he even mentions his "suppressed homosexual urges" for him. Now, what I gather from this is that the author's view at the time was that if Steven had, until that moment, understood his sexuality as heterosexual, and since he didn't ACT on his attraction for Marlowe and chose NOT to reflect on his feelings because he thought he had no one he could discuss them with, his sexuality would still be considered the same. That's what I'm assuming, anyway.
But from my point of view, especially considering the ambiguity of a scene that ends just when Marlowe asks Steven to kiss him (so we don't see whether he does or not), it's hard not to come out of the story with the feeling that Steven is very much capable of feeling attracted to men, even if he hasn't fully understood that part about himself since it hadn't happened before Marlowe.
Never mind the label issue, I thought the relationship between Steven and Marlowe was beautifully written, and was happy to read in the author's notes that one reader had come out to his family as gay thanks to the story. The author (Andy Lane, by the way; I'm not sure why I didn't write his name before) was, of course, happy about his book helping someone in this way.
I adore Vicki, so I was happy about her role in the book. I was a bit confused as to why this alien was in love with her and no one commented on the fact she was just sixteen, but at the end it turned out he was faking the whole thing. She was very clever about the Doctor and Braxiatel, which I loved. She's a very clever girl. I liked Braxiatel, even though it's my first time meeting the character. I'd read his name before, but I didn't even know who he was. And of course I always love the First Doctor, and his voice was very well written.
The plot was a bit insane, truly, but it all made sense in the end. I liked the role Shakespeare played in the story. too. Maybe the distrust between Steven and the Doctor felt a bit off at times, but then again I've only just finished watching The Massacre and Steven almost leaves the Doctor, so...
As I said, I haven't slept much so my thoughts are very convoluted, but I'm glad I read this novel even if I lost some sleep over it. To be fair, I haven't been sleeping well for a long time. My brain wakes me up after 6 hours of sleep almost without fail, and it's starting to be really annoying. I WANT TO SLEEP.
