The Sorcerer's Apprentice

"It does seem to have come from a fairy tale. It nearly killed us!"

Writer: Christopher Bulis
Format: Novel
Released: July 1995
Series: Missing Adventures 12

Featuring: First Doctor, Susan, Ian, Barbara

Synopsis

'There's no such thing as magic,' the Doctor said.

But the land of Elbyon might just prove him to be wrong. It is a place, populated by creatures of fantasy, where myth and legend rule. Elves and dwarves live in harmony with mankind, wizards wield arcane powers and armoured knights battle monstrous dragons.

Yet it seems that Elbyon has secrets to hide. The TARDIS crew find a relic from the thirtieth century hidden in the woods. Whose sinister manipulations are threatening the stability of a once peaceful land? And what part does the planet play in a conflict that may save an Empire. yet doom a galaxy?

To solve these puzzles, and save his companions, the Doctor must learn to use the sorcery whose very existence he doubts.

Verdict

The Sorcerer's Apprentice was a great little novel! I really loved the fantasy and mythical theme and I also thought the story fitted in perfectly with its era. Writing for the very first TARDIS team must be such a difficult task because the quartet at this point had only experienced four adventures together and weren't exactly experienced with all things time travel. Even the Doctor is a relative rookie and it's quite uncharted territory compared to what we're used to. But one of this book's highlights was that the era was perfectly captured and the characterisation of all four regular characters was brilliant throughout. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between the Doctor and Ian as that was replicated in prose tremendously well. I loved the idea of a dragon chasing the quartet and the Doctor's refusal to believe in magic was fantastic. He firmly believed that everything had a scientific explanation and in the end he was proven right, much to his pleasure. Gramling was a very good character and I liked how we learned of his history with Dahl. The revelation at the close of chapter 24 where Gramling received the power of the Helm only for it to be revealed that he had been under Dahl's control the whole time was a really unexpected moment but one that certainly put a smile on my face. I wasn't expecting a plot twist of that significance that late in the book so it was a real treat. Susan and Mellisa enjoyed a good relationship and I liked how the latter was amazed by the former's ability to conjure up her own magic to try and escape from the cell. Barbara had a tumultuous time once she was leered away from civilisation by Dahl but her finding comfort and safety in Anni and actually riding a broomstick with the witch was quite an image painted in my head. I thought this book was going to be something special at first but I think the reason it didn't quite achieve an extremely high rating is how quick the Empire's forces featured. If there was a little more time leaving us wondering what was going on with Elbyon I think things would have had more of an impact. Dahl's manipulation of the skyboats was good but once Shannon and co finally got to the surface, the battle for the Helm was very good. The power it held was still unknown but its importance was vital. Komati's failure to do her duty was admirable and I liked how she had compassion for the people of Elbyon. Sir Bron and Odoyle were great characters and real highlights in the book, especially with the latter's role in the final battle. I liked how there was no religion on the planet and Barbara was quick to discover that and her role in realising that the cephlies were actually natives of the planet was excellent. The Doctor had already worked out and they'd be crucial to ridding the world of the nanobots that were preventing them from entering the TARDIS. The way Ian got the Helm onto one was good but it was certainly not what I expected. After a final mental battle between Dahl and Gramling, everything was just about tied up but it wasn't absent of casualties which were quite heartfelt. The way the TARDIS team were reunited was good and I thought the pace of the whole book was great. I liked that the royals didn't feature too prominently and the way the Empire was left was also good. Overall, a lovely little read that was a fantastic addition to the era.

Rating: 8/10