Genius Loci

Author	Ben Aaronovitch
Cover artist	Adrian Salmon
Series	Doctor Who book: New Worlds
Release number	8
Subject	Featuring: Bernice Summerfield
Set in	Period before Love and War
Publisher	Big Finish Productions
Publication date	June 2006
ISBN	1-84435-239-0

Genius Loci is a novel by Ben Aaronovitch, focusing on the early career of Bernice "Benny" Summerfield, a character from the spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This was the first of Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield novels to be released under the New Worlds format.

The book is set before Benny met the Doctor and was not officially licensed by the BBC (as owners of Doctor Who), but does contain some allusions to Doctor Who, specifically the Silurians as depicted in the television series and in the Virgin New Adventures spin-off novels. The book also references Benny's back-story as explored in the New Adventures.

Plot summary

At the age of 21 years old, Bernice Summerfield finds herself on the run from Spacefleet and needs to have credentials to be an archaeologist. After forging her resume, she lands a job as an assistant field manager on an excavation mission on the planet Jaiwan. Her original plan was to steal information from the chief archaeologist's database, but Professor Mariela Ankola discovers her deception and gives him a chance to prove herself in the excavation. Although Benny regrets her initial plan, the professor soon begins to both trust and support her. Benny is grateful and becomes a loyal and committed Assistant Field Director.