The final BBC Books novel of 2004, The Indestructible Man by Simon Messingham, featuring the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe, will be out in November. Below is the cover illustration and back cover blurb for the book; click on the thumbnail for a larger version.

According to co-writer Eddie Robson, Virgin's upcoming book Who's Next is now scheduled for publication on February 10, 2005.

Outpost Gallifrey has received a copy of the 2005 BBC Books catalogue available to retailers and trade periodicals. While there is very little new information, it does feature basic blurbs for five books due out in 2005, including Chris Boucher'sMatch of the Day (January), Stephen Cole's To The Slaughter (February), Lance Parkin's The Gallifrey Chronicles (June), Island of Death by Barry Letts (July) and Future Nostalgia by Gary Russell (August). Click on the spoiler tag to read the story blurbs.

Amazon.co.uk has printed a synopsis of the forthcoming BBC Books novel The Indestructible Man by Simon Messingham, a Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe novel due in November. As Amazon usually has the full retailers' blurb which can include plot points, we've enclosed in spoiler protection below; click on the spoiler tag to read it. (Thanks to John Putland)

BBC Books are currently selling all three of the new proposed Doctor Who new series book titles previously announced to wholesalers and retailers. Clockwise Man by Justin Richards is listed for March, Death Players by Jacqueline Rayner for April and Monsters Inside by Stephen Cole for May. All three books were previously announced titles only, with the Ninth Doctor and Rose from the new series being the characters listed. They're listed as ú6.99 cover-priced hardbacks, not unlike the Lemony Snicket series. Meanwhile, the trade circulars also list a book called Monsters and Villains by Justin Richards, a ú7.99 paperback for sale in May as well. Of course, titles and dates are subject to change. (Thanks to Paul Greaves)

Mad Norwegian Press' forthcoming six-part About Time series, detailed guidebooks to the original Doctor Who series by Lawrence Miles and Tat Wood, have undergone a slight change. The books have been "reformatted to divide the TV show by Seasons rather than Doctors," says editor Lars Pearson. "This leaves the great bulk of the text unchanged, but the books will now be divided as follows: Volume 1 (Seasons 1 to 3); Volume 2 (Seasons 4 to 6); Volume 3 (Seasons 7 to 11); Volume 4 (Seasons 12 to 17); Volume 5 (Seasons 18 to 21); Volume 6 (Seasons 22 to 26, the TV Movie). Note that this alters most of the books only slightly, and some such as Volume 3 --- which details the Pertwee era --- aren't affected at all. The main change is that Season 18, Tom Baker's last season, is now paired with the Davison volume." The first volume in release, the Pertwee book (#3), is due in October; the cover illustration for that and the subsequent release (#4) are below - click on each for a larger version. (Thanks to Lars Pearson)

Telos Publishing announces the first nonfiction book covering the launch of next year's new Doctor Who television series, to be released during the summer of 2005, shortly after the first season is transmitted. Back To The Vortex: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who 2005 is written by J. Shaun Lyon, the editor of Outpost Gallifrey, with an introduction penned by Philip David Segal, the last television producer of Doctor Who (the 1996 TV movie starring Paul McGann), and cover montage illustration by noted Polish artist Dariusz Jasiczak (who did the frontispiece illustration for Telos' Doctor Who novella "Ghost Ship".)

Back to the Vortex is a two-part deconstruction of the new Doctor Who series. The first section is a primer on the time period between the announcement of the new series and the start of transmission, from the perspective of the outside looking in -- the media coverage, the press and magazines, the location shoots and the hype, as well as biographies of the cast and crew, and how the entire event changed the way the world looks at the series. The second part is a detailed and exhaustively researched guide to the first season of the show, complete with episode breakdowns, casting, historical outlook, logic issues, continuity and technology, as well as a collection of critical review and analysis of each story from a variety of perspectives by professional and fan writers from five countries, including Keith Topping, Scott Alan Woodard, Graeme Burk, Sarah Hadley, Robert Franks, Paul Hayes, Simon Catlow, Cameron J. Mason and Jon Preddle.

The book will be released in the UK very shortly after transmission of the series in both softcover and signed, limited edition numbered hardcover signed by the author and Segal, and will be distributed overseas shortly thereafter. The press release is below; meanwhile, the cover illustration is at right -- click the thumbnail for a larger version. Further details will be available shortly on the Telos Publishing website, and there is a Back to the Vortex page with some background information and other details here at Outpost Gallifrey.

Reynolds & Hearn will be releasing Script Doctor in February 2005 by Andrew Cartmel. "The Inside Story of Doctor Who 1986-89," the book by the original series' final script editor is "a unique insight into an area of the show's history that has previously been shrouded in uncertainty." Sylvester McCoy (the Seventh Doctor) provides the foreword for the book, which is listed on Amazon already. More details soon.

According to North American distributors Diamond Publishing, both "SynthespiansTM" and "The Sleep of Reason" are being distributed in the US and Canada in September, with "The Algebra of Ice" slated for early October. Apparently, however, these are in smaller numbers. "After the BBC lost a lot of money with the former US distributor, they decided not to take a chance with Diamond and have limited the number of books they will send to the USA," Keith Bradbury of WhoNA told Outpost Gallifrey. "Apparently, according to BBC America, these books are a special print run only for the USA. I know the books that come through Diamond have the USA pricing on the back, so unless the UK books do not have this pricing, I cannot imagine how the print run would be any different between the two markets. What does all of this mean? Quite simply, when we sell our last 5 copies of Shalka, we will have to get any additional copies from the UK, which means increased prices on the titles." This explains why we're not seeing large numbers of copies of the books on store shelves in the US and Canada: that the print runs for the continent have been vastly decreased. (Thanks to Keith Bradbury/WhoNA and Diana Dougherty/Ambrosia Books)

Outpost Gallifrey has received the cover illustration and cover blurb for Trevor Baxendale's The Deadstone Memorial, the October 2004 BBC Books novel featuring the Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Trix. Click on the thumbnail for a larger version. (Thanks to Trevor Baxendale)