Walking to Babylon is the seventy-firstVirgin New Adventures novel. It featuresBernice Summerfield andthe People. It was the third novel to be adapted byBig Finish Productions into a full cast audio story, which was released inNovember1998.

Publisher's summary[[edit] |[edit source]]

"I'm scared of letting all these people down. Like the whole human race. At least if I get blown up as well, they can say I died heroically. Assuming I ever existed at all."

WhenBernice Summerfield visitsthe People — an incredibly advanced civilisation living in aDyson Sphere — she discovers that even in utopia, they still have their problems.

An illegal time travel experiment threatens a war which could destroy them all. Rather than risk it, the People and their ultra-powerful computer,God, are prepared to eradicate the source of the problem — the ancient city ofBabylon. But such action would involve the death of a quarter of a million human beings, and do incalculable damage toEarth's history.

Babylon — and thehuman race — have one hope. Benny returns to the cradle of civilisation to try and stop the interference. She has just one week to prevent a catastrophe that could mean she will never be born. Her only assistance comes from a Victorian linguist who has stumbled across the experiment himself. But he's no help at all — even though he has a power neither of them suspects.

Chapter titles[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Chapter 0: An Invitation From God
• Chapter 1: In Too Deep
• Chapter 2: Basket Case
• Chapter 3: Language
• Chapter 4: The Party's Over
• Chapter 5: Past Shock
• Chapter 6: The Evening After the Afternoon Before
• Chapter 7: Head Above Water
• Chapter 8: The Shortest-Lived Profession
• Chapter 9: Helpless
• Chapter 10: Looking
• Chapter 11: The Plan
• Chapter 12: Rain and Snow
• Chapter 13: Walking on Home

Plot[[edit] |[edit source]]

to be added

Characters[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Bernice Summerfield
• God
• John Lafayette
• Clarence
• Cin-ta!x
• Ninan (High Princess)
• WiRgo!xu
• !Ci!ci-tel
• !qu-!qu-tala

Worldbuilding[[edit] |[edit source]]

Biology[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Bernice once hadsex with someCitdbtbeds by shaking hands with them.

Groups[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Several Interest Groups are mentioned, including theObscure and Unlikely Civilisations Interest Group, theAbnormal Psychology Interest Group, theWeird Aviation Interest Group, theSeriously Primitive Societies Interest Group, theApathy Interest Group, theWilderness Gardening Interest Group, theTemporal Interest Group, theInterpersonal Dynamics Interest Group, theWeapons Development Interest Group, thePrimitive Cooking Interest Group, theFreak Accidents Interest Group, theKe Chedani Interest Group, theImmortality Through Not Pissing Off God Interest Group, theSolar Mechanics Interest Group, theCreative Writing Interest Group, and theCelibacy Interest Group.
• Cin-ta!x is a spokesperson for the Temporal Interest Group.

Individuals[[edit] |[edit source]]

• God speaks through Benny's porterJoseph.
• Clarence collects Benny fromSt Oscar's.
• !qu-!qu-tala is adrone accompanying !Ci!ci-tel and WiRgo!xu. The drone is also a veteran of the war.

Literature[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Bernice Summerfield is studying someD'nasian poetry.

Planets[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Bernice mentions the planetJalkejai.

Time travel[[edit] |[edit source]]

• The People can't developtime travel because of theirtreaty with theTime Lords.
• John Lafayette is atime sensitive and thus was able to walk theTime Path.
• Temporal Flexibility is the ability to store up potential temporal energy (as a result of some forms of time travel).
• The Path is an unstable temporal path leading back to ancient Babylon.

Weapons[[edit] |[edit source]]

• The People decide to send back aSingularity Bomb to shut down the path, which would also destroy Babylon.

Notes[[edit] |[edit source]]

• This novel was adapted into an audio story byBig Finish Productions byJacqueline Rayner. (seeAUDIO:Walking to Babylon)

Continuity[[edit] |[edit source]]

• The People first appeared inPROSE:The Also People.
• Benny agreed to become an agent of the People inPROSE:Oh No It Isn't!.
• The People make a deal regarding time travel inPROSE:Dead Romance.
• Benny tells the story of her solo dig onCapella Four. This was first mentioned inPROSE:Parasite and expanded upon inPROSE:Steal from the World.

External links[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Walking to Babylon at theDoctor Who Reference Guide
• The Discontinuity Guide to:Walking to Babylon atThe Whoniverse
• The Cloister Library:Walking to Babylon