The Enigma of Sisterhood

"He fashioned a path of mayhem and death across half the cosmos, leaving nothing but dust and darkness in his wake."

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Format: Short Story
Released: June 2017
Printed in: Myths & Legends 13

Featuring: Horus

Synopsis

Sutekh has ravaged the universe, bringing shame to his family and his people. The Osirans are travelling around the universe and Sutekh must be brought to justice for all of his crime. Horus leads the pack, but the answer lies in a pair of sisters...

Verdict

The Enigma of Sisterhood was sadly not the best of penultimate stories from the Myths & Legends collection! This volume certainly has had its ups and downs and I just hope that what has been a great read as a whole does not go out with a whimper. This one just wasn't for me though as there wasn't much at all that happened. It didn't really excite me and whilst I like the idea of a mini prelude to Pyramids of Mars, I felt that story was deserving of so much better. Now, even though Sutekh was mentioned on several occasions and his imprisonment of sorts provided the basis for the plot, the direction the adventure was heading in was not all that clear which made for quite difficult reading. I say difficult in the fact that I was struggling to maintain my interest as there weren't any familiar characters of significance and the only thing we had was the presence and consequences of the previous actions of Sutekh. One thing I did enjoy was the mention of Anubis as he would go on to have a very important role in the Titan Comics adventures of the Tenth Doctor. I'd have liked to have known more about him from this story but I guess the Titan stories fill in those gaps so there's no issues there. I just hope that Richard Dinnick was aware of the comics before writing and that's where he drew the name from. The myth or legend from which this story was based upon was something I had no idea about as I'm not the biggest expert when it comes to mythology, as my lack of knowledge of many of the bases for stories in the collection has shown! Horus sounded a good character and I liked how he was the one in charge and was almost the polar opposite as being his brother. The riddle was actually quite interesting and I enjoyed the plans to dissect it, but then Khonsu had worked out that the answer was her and her sister Bastet. Day flowed into night and it was they as representatives of the moon and the sun that were the answer. Hathor agreed that this was the correct decision and so Sutekh could be captured. And that was pretty much that. It was one of the shortest adventures in the book yet at just fourteen pages, including illustrations, and there just needed to be more time for an improved rating. I like the idea but the execution just lacked excitement which was a big shame. I didn't really like the first person narrative and I think it was just confusing to not even know whose point of view it was from until very near the story's end, and even then the unfamiliarity of the character just seemed like a little bit of a letdown. I just couldn't get into this story which I'm disappointed to say as I would have liked to actually have read some of the hunting Sutekh that led to him being captured in Egypt. I guess what we got here was important for the myth or legend though. Overall, an average tale.






Rating: 5/10

The Multi-Faceted War

"The war was over. All thanks to one man."

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Format: Short Story
Released: June 2017
Printed in: Myths & Legends 12

Featuring: Rassilon

Synopsis

The war between the Time Lords of Gallifrey and the Vampires has been raging for years now. It's dragging on a bit. The Time Lords only seem capable, and content, with just batting them off from galaxy to galaxy rather than solving the problem permanently. Until someone makes a telling discovery...

Verdict

The Multi-Faceted War was another decent outing from the Myths & Legends collection! I'm drawing to the end of this book now with just two more stories to go and it's safe to say it's been a good and intriguing volume! Rassilon was back once again here for another tale of Time Lord history and whilst I am enjoying this exploration, I do hope the remaining two do not follow in similar footsteps. I think we've had the right amount from that era. This time we saw a glimpse of the Time Lords doing battle with the Vampires and it was a really interesting insight. I think the thing I was most intrigued by was the notion of the Vampires having an alliance with the Macra! That really was most unexpected but a delightful little treat as I'm actually a huge fan of them, despite thinking their initial outing in The Macra Terror was a little iffy. However, I have the animated reconstruction to come so hopefully my opinion changes there. Their role in killing Gith actually facilitating the defeat of the Vampires, in a not too long roundabout way, was very good indeed. I thought the format of the story was a little weird with the way Skellis found the way to kill Vampires actually coming at the adventure's conclusion even though we already knew they'd been defeated. I wasn't sure if that was the right move after the jump in time from Skellis to Rassilon a century later. That was a bit jumbled for me but it wasn't a huge issue. Skellis herself was a very good character and I liked the mention of her regenerating since she had to watch Gith die in horrific fashion at the hands of the Macra. The description of the squeezing causing the head to just pop off was just awful. It was great writing though and it's no surprise that she set sights on a Great One and ended up killing one on the spot. The use of the Macra claw that she'd severed was great and I liked how she was able to draw upon her past to aid Time Lord causes and alter Gallifreyan history forever. Rassilon inadvertently, but not dismissing, the limelight for defeating the Vampires was good and expected as something quite typical of a leader. I did like how he privately acknowledged that Skellis was the one with the means of bringing victory to Gallifrey. The weapon full of spiked missiles being named the Skellis Gun was a nice touch though, if that is possible during war. I would have liked a little more of the actual war itself rather than mere description but I can appreciate how space was limited. I just lust for action though! The Macra deserved a little more time but the fact they appeared at all was a big bonus so I can't complain too much in that regard. The illustrations were a bit rubbish though and they seem to almost make this collection seem a bit kiddy - which it isn't! The myth or legend this was based upon was unknown to me but that didn't prevent my enjoying of the story. Overall, another decent story that probably would have been bettered by more time.

Rating: 7/10

The Power of the Mobox Part 1

"Terran and Mobox, working hand-in-claw!"

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 27th June 2019
Printed in: DWM 540

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

The TARDIS team lands on the colony world of Acantha - a planet where no life was spawned but the flora and fauna were in abundance. As were the minerals that attracted so much other life to this planet. A mine collapse has resulted in increased storms, and Ryan is soon lost...

Verdict

The Power of the Mobox started in very good fashion with a great opening part! More of that in a minute, though, as I look ahead to another issue of Doctor Who Magazine! I've really been enjoying the magazine lately an issue celebrating fifty years of Jon Pertwee's casting as the Third Doctor looks like a big positive to me! The subscriber cover was spectacular and I'm very much looking forward to all of the features connected to the great Doctor. I'll admit that when I was younger and delving into the Classic series, I wasn't the biggest fan of the Third Doctor but as I've matured I've come to appreciate Jon Pertwee's portrayal quite a lot. I'm very much looking forward to the Sean Pertwee interview as well as what I presume is either a reprint bundle or lost/unprinted interview with the man himself. It will be great to read the thoughts of the now deceased man. I think the feature I'm most looking forward to in this issue is the Third Doctor World Cup as I'm a sucker for polls and I managed to take part in a couple of them on Twitter, but I just wish I discovered what was going on earlier so I could've voted in each round! The Time Team watching 'A Different Side of Pertwee' is intriguing and whilst I haven't flicked to that feature, I do hope they are watching Doctor Who episodes and not anything else Pertwee starred in. This is DWM after all! I must admit that Time Heist being the subject of the Fact of Fiction doesn't thrill me with excitement but it's nice to get a very recent episode to pick apart. The Five Best Third Doctor... feature sounds fantastic but I am sure I'll disagree with it if there's an order! I'll probably even think some moments should be in the top five when they're not. I look forward to reading! Now, onto the comic strip and I thought this was a very good start. I very much approve of the Mobox returning as, as I mentioned during my recent blogging of Space Oddity, I'm a big fan of different enemies meeting multiple incarnations of the Doctor (on separate occasions). The Mobox have of course done battle with the Eighth and Eleventh Doctors so the timing was good. The Doctor's reaction to seeing them was great and I appreciated the quick explanation for those who may not have been acquainted with old comic strip stories. The setting of Acantha was very good and I loved the idea of a vibrant planet that hadn't evolved any intelligent life. However, the minerals there brought visitors and the collapsed mine luring in the mag storms was good. Ryan taking a big fall and getting detached from the rest of Team TARDIS was good and I did like how the Doctor was able to ensure Yaz and Graham could go back and rescue him when they were taken by the Mobox. I must say that I found the artwork, particularly of the Doctor herself, a little iffy in this one which was a shame. It wasn't a big deal though. I thought the cliffhanger was superb with the Mobox ship getting caught in another storm and losing thrust, they had to lose weight and that meant Yaz and Graham quite literally getting blasted out into oblivion! I look forward to seeing how that is rectified next month. Overall, a very good start!

Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen

"The people of Krikkit will not be happy until the skies are completely empty."

Writer: James Goss
Format: Novel
Released: January 2018
Series: BBC Books Specials 05

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9

Synopsis

Intergalactic war? That's just not cricket... or is it?

The Doctor promised Romana the end of the universe, so she's less than impressed when what she gets is a cricket match. Even worse, the award ceremony is interrupted by eleven figures in white uniforms, wielding bat-shaped weapons that fire lethal bolts of light into the screaming crowd. The Krikkitmen are back.

The Doctor and Romana are now tugged into a pan-galactic conga with fate as they rush to stop the Krikkitmen gaining all five pieces of the Key to Time. If they fail, the entire cosmos faces a fiery retribution that will leave nothing but ashes...

Verdict

Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen was wonderful. Just wonderful. Simply sublime. I have no hesitation in stating that this is my favourite Doctor Who novel ever. It was honestly that good. It was barmy. It was brilliant. It was absolute perfection for the Fourth Doctor, Romana II and K9. It honestly could not have been better suited. The plot was superb and the characterisation was just astonishingly good. The effortless ease with which James Goss captured the likeness of Tom Baker and Lalla Ward in the characters of the Doctor and Romana was incredible and it really did make the novel even more of a joy to read. Goss has an incredible writing style and it just suits this pairing down to the ground so I cannot wait to read his other adaptations. Now, this one was a fantastic story and I thought this one started so well and thrust things straight into action which was terrific. I'm not a fan of cricket in the slightest so I could quite easily sympathise with Romana's feelings at the Doctor taking her to Lords. However, the Krikkitmen soon arrived and all hell broke less. They decimated the crowd and then the prospect of the Ashes actually being part of the Wicket Gate, a universal gateway to Krikkit, was incredible. The reactions of the cricketers when asked what was actually in the Ashes trophy was hilarious. The history of the Krikkitmen and their war with the Time Lords was fascinating and I really enjoyed that one they were defeated, they were enveloped in Slow Time. Five years for them was 2 million to the rest of the universe! The Krikkitmen themselves were excellent enemies and I loved their xenophobic nature. They didn't go out and kill all alien life because they had a superiority complex like the Daleks, but because they simply couldn't bare other species. I loved that and found it hugely intriguing. It was great. Their link back to the Alovians was also fascinating and reading everything tying together was very clever indeed. The cleverness of the Doctor throughout was delightful to see and I loved how Romana always seemed that little bit more intelligent, except when it came to actually saving the universe. She played her part though and her brief partnership with Margaret Thatcher, probably, was fantastic. She was quite stunned to find that she only ruled Britain. I found the first part of this book quite ironic as in trying to prevent the Krikkitmen, the Doctor and Romana actually set in series a chain of events in which five million of them were freed from Shada! The playing of the concept of God was magnificent and I loved the idea that the Doctor was the third god he was promised to meet. The Great Khan was very humorous and I loved his schedule's importance. The inclusion of Borusa was very good and I really liked the moments in the Matrix to learn about the 'official' history of the Krikkitmen. The Doctor didn't like official history so went to see it for himself. The role of the War TARDISes was really interesting and their ability to converse was even more so. I liked that a lot. Hactar being ordered to build the Supernova Bomb but then not actually going through with it was good but I loved it even more when the Doctor realised that it was all part of an elaborate plan. The Supernova Bomb wasn't quite the small object it had been described to be, and turning the Krikkitmen off with ingenuity wasn't the answer either, it was simply a good bowl at Lords to get a Krikkitmen out. Spin saved the universe as the cricket ball was planted and actually the Supernova Bomb. I liked that a lot and the Doctor actually claiming his bowl to be luck was lovely. He didn't take the credit! The Elders and rebels on Krikkit were very good characters and I liked how they became slightly accustomed to other races. I'm getting a bit jumbled now as there's just far too much greatness to mention. So I'll finish with this - I just absolutely loved it. Overall, sublime.

Rating: 10/10

Space Oddity

"I thought you said they were just shadows."

Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Format: Comic Strip
Released: March-April 2013
Series: DW12 #7-8

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

When a Russian cosmonaut attempts the first space walk in 1965, the rest of his crew watches in horror as he is swelled whole by a shadow. Only the Doctor can save the spacecraft and the historically important mission from falling victim to the Vashta Nerada.

Verdict

Space Oddity was a very good conclusion to the second volume of IDW's Eleventh Doctor Archives! I really enjoyed this story that saw a great outing for the Eleventh Doctor agains the Vashta Nerada. I'm a big fan of different enemies meeting several incarnations of the Doctor and this saw my fourth different version taking them on, after the Fourth, Eighth and Tenth incarnations respectively. This was quite different to any of their previous appearances as they were in space and attacking a secret Russian spacecraft that contained the first man to walk in space! The historical significance there was fantastic and I really did enjoy Alexey's relationship with the Doctor. He was quite stunned and desperate when his co-crew member became nothing more than bones in a spacesuit but luckily the Doctor was on hand to lend some help. The continuation from The Eye of Ashaya with no Amy and Rory was good and I thought the Russian cosmonaut filled the role admirably. The TARDIS shutting the Doctor out because of the Vashta Nerada was very good and I loved the problems that caused. Stuck in space with a spacecraft that had its life support knackered and the lights were going out. That was a pretty perfect scenario for the Vashta Nerada. I was impressed with how scary and daunting Space was made out to be and it definitely had a feeling quite similar to Oxygen which I liked a lot. The characterisation of the Eleventh Doctor was decent with Matt Smith's likeness well captured in the comic strip. The artwork was tremendous and whilst I thought the cliffhanger could have been a little stronger, I thought the overall pace of the story was fantastic. There was the right amount of suspense and action and it just made for good reading. It was quite simple really which actually made it very effective. The Vashta Nerada didn't actually do much other than swallow up the other cosmonaut before the Doctor arrived as it was their presence that provided the fear factor. Of course, our knowledge of them from Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead made that possible and I liked how it was utilised. Alexey actually coming up with the way to get the craft over to the TARDIS in the vacuum of Space was brilliant and I loved how impressed the Doctor's reaction was. He was a big fan of Alexey and everything he would become in the future. I was a little surprised with how easily the Doctor parted with information about his achievements to come though! The Doctor turning off the atmosphere in the TARDIS once they reached there to suck in all of the Vashta Nerada and take them somewhere they couldn't cause harm was good and I really liked the effect it had on Alexey. His explanation to Russian courts was a humorous way to finish the comic strip and it was great how he wanted to ensure that all future spacesuits had lights. Overall, a lovely little story with a fantastic return of a past enemy! A fitting conclusion to what has been a good collection of comic strip adventures.

Rating: 8/10

The Eye of Ashaya

"Since you refused to take me with you, I had to take matters into my own hands."

Writer: Andy Diggle
Format: Comic Strip
Released: February 2013
Printed in: DW12 #5-6

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

Majorca, Spain: After a series of stressful adventures, Amy Pond and Rory Williams are dropped off by the Doctor on the island for a relaxing vacation. It doesn't go as planned. Airport delays are followed by Lady Christina de Souza and they meet her again on board a special starliner...

Verdict

The Eye of Ashaya was an excellent return to my reading of IDW's Eleventh Doctor Archives! I seem to have been doing a considerable amount of prose now as my time living near the excellent Bristol Central Library is coming to an end so I'm trying to get through all of the collections but it's going to be a task! These comics have been very enjoyable though so I thought I would return and I did so in quite a way! The return of Lady Christina de Souza alongside the Eleventh Doctor was a fantastic treat and not something I ever thought would happen. I thought it was brilliant though and I liked how dastardly she seemed to be being whilst actually doing good. The Doctor admitted he may have misjudged her but I too was guilty of thinking she was after the diamond that was the Eye of Ashaya. Its significance was good as the power behind the ship and the reactions of the Ashayan would be mutineers was great. I thought the Ashayans were very good and they had just the right amount of exposure and inclusion in the comic strip. Amy and Rory were pretty comical in this adventure and their frustration, or rather Amy's, following their delay at Majorca Airport was something I could appreciate as I had a recent delay coming back from Budapest and there doesn't seem to be anything possibly worse at the moment it is announced. The mixed reactions when the Doctor arrived and offered them a trip to the starliner whilst asking how their holiday was brought some terrific humour. I thought their characterisation was very good throughout, along with the Eleventh Doctor, which made for very good reading. The meeting between the Doctor and Christina could have been a little earlier but it was still very good! The Doctor referencing Planet of the Dead to explain how he knew her along with the flashback panels was excellent and I also loved the use of Dalek and the vault in Utah in explaining how Christina came to be travelling the stars. That was a great thought and actually quite nice given the fact she was denied a position in the TARDIS last time we saw her. The Doctor realising that Christina wasn't actually after the diamond here was good and I liked how guilty he seemed for assuming that was all she was up to. It earned her an offer to travel with him now Amy and Rory just wanted to go home, but she kindly declined. She certainly didn't seem like someone who would enjoy just being a passenger. She was absolutely the captain of anywhere she went! Her relationship with Neko was intriguing and I'd have liked that explained a little further, but I do hope she may return at some time. The little cat's role in exposing the Ashayans and their plan was good and Christina taking advantage of things was fantastic. She was certainly an opportunist! I liked that being on display here. The worshipping of the Goddess and its return was a nice moment to end on for the Ashayans too. Overall, a great story!

Rating: 9/10

Saturn

"No people are born on Saturn and none die there."

Writer: Alison Lawson
Format: Short Story
Released: October 2005
Printed in: Short Trips: The Solar System 06

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa

Synopsis

The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa arrive on Saturn and are enjoying a nice cuppa. However, things turn sour when the Doctor is in a clear state of denial. That's a heinous crime on 47th century Saturn. The Doctor is clearly over 100, he should be in retirement. Can he escape his fate on Titan?

Verdict

Saturn was a good continuation of The Solar System Short Trips collection! It had the great pairing of the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa but visited Saturn quite some way into the future which was a fresh approach and quite different to what I was expecting. In doing that though, it fell into the trap of the setting not really being unique and the story could have been set on a planet with any name which was a bit of a shame. I was hoping for something specific to the ringed planet, but that wasn't a huge problem. I thought the relationship between the Doctor and Nyssa was very good and the characterisation of both was actually brilliant. That made for pleasant reading and whilst this one was one of the shortest stories in the volume, it didn't seem that way before the abrupt ending. The use of Saturn could have been better but it having a society where retirement was forced was really intriguing. It was a utopian society with no people aged younger than twenty and none older than one hundred. That made the Doctor fit for retirement and he was clearly denying that was the case. It was quite humorous, especially when he was questioned by the policemen of Huc and Buc. Nyssa's reaction to seeing that the Doctor was the one being questioned by the police was hilarious and I got the sense that she was somewhat frustrated with their recent adventures and just wanted some peace. I couldn't blame her really! The pair meeting Hel and Keet was good and everything seemed quite pleasant before the arrival of the aforementioned policemen. They were good characters and I liked how they thought Nyssa was playing a joke on them with not knowing about the Saturn society. Nyssa seemed incredibly stunned when it was announced at the party that the pair were having a baby, and all they had to show for it was a certificate! They didn't even seem bothered and were just happy that their genes had been chosen for the pool. It was weird. The hysterics over Nyssa asking to see the baby was confusing. Everything was so different on Saturn. The Doctor's shipping off to Titan and being joined by Lors was good and I really enjoyed his feelings for Raich and his determination not to retire. But they couldn't escape it anymore. His reaction to the Doctor suggesting escape was great to see and I liked how he was keen to help. It was a big shame that Raich was left behind on the escape from Titan though! Nyssa managing to contact the Doctor via e-letter was decent and the plan on meeting at the cafe was good, but I was left stunned that they just left! I was perplexed. I guess they couldn't interfere in the way of an established society and the inklings were left there that things were going to change through Nyssa's comments to Hel about the baby, but I just expected a little more and an actual resolution. It was quite weird to not get that and it seemed like everything ended abruptly. It was a little shame as the story was actually terrific before that! Overall, a decent story.

Rating: 7/10

The Jeopardy of Solar Proximity

"Daleks... Even the fearsome warriors of Mars feared these creatures."

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Format: Short Story
Released: June 2017
Printed in: Myths & Legends 11

Featuring: Ice Warriors, Daleks

Synopsis

There is conflict in the Solar Proximity. Two deadly races battle against each other with anyone or anything caught in the middle instantly regretting it. The Daleks and the Ice Warriors are at war. The might of these two fearsome races battling each is too much for one system to hold.

Verdict

The Jeopardy of Solar Proximity was another very good story to continue along my reading of the Myths & Legends short story collection! This was definitely one of the better stories so far and I really enjoyed that we got see a battle between two of the Doctor's most feared enemies, something that has never occurred before. That's always a big bonus and I liked the prospect of them doing battle very much. What I wasn't expecting was that this also served as a prequel to Cold War! That was a delightful surprise and worked really well which was just marvellous. The appearance of Grand Marshall Skaldak was fantastic and even though this was set before the aforementioned Eleventh Doctor episode, it provided us with a sense of familiarity and the way it actually fed into the episode was fantastic. It provided a great explanation as to how he ended up frozen in the ice and the little line about him hoping where he went was cold was appreciated. The inclusion of Iclar, his daughter, was very intriguing and I thought it was nice to see how much they cared for each other. The other ranks of Ice Warriors could see it too and they seemed to admire it. That fascinated me but I think it also spoke volumes of how respected Skaldak was. I thought it was also good that he acknowledged fearing the Daleks and refused to believe that was a weakness. Fear made you sharper and it was actually useful in bringing about the defeat of the Daleks. However, the Daleks were also cunning but didn't show the Ice Warriors the same sort of respect. They spoke defiantly in their presence and were keen to show that it was they who were the supreme beings in the universe. One thing I would have liked more of in this story was knowing precisely why the Daleks and Ice Warriors were doing battle, but the very fact that they were facing off against each other was enough enjoyment for me. With the short format, I didn't mind much. Iclar perishing at the hands of the Daleks and their hacking of the Martian system was quite sudden and shocking and the reaction of Skaldak was telling. He would make the Daleks pay and his ability to outmanoeuvre them despite the emotions he must be feeling was commendable. It was brilliant to see the Ice Warrior in action. His acceptance of having the same fate as his daughter as long as it meant the Daleks losing, not necessarily a victory for him, was very good indeed. The descriptions of the Daleks being gold but of a Classic nature was intriguing and I liked the imagery of a clash of eras with the modern Ice Warrior design that we would be introduced to in Skaldak. It was a nice thought. The action-packed conclusion was good and the shock of the Daleks when they failed to anticipate the move of the Ice Warriors was superb! Skaldak ridding the Daleks from existence was good and I liked how he initially had no problem accepting death, but when a chance of escape presented itself he took it willingly. Overall, a terrific little story!

Rating: 8/10

The Angels of Vengeance

"We demand blood for blood."

Writer: Richard Dinnick

Format: Short Story

Released: June 2017

Printed in: Myths & Legends 10

Featuring: Weeping Angels

Synopsis

The Weeping Angels, or at least three of them, have been captured. They are quantum locked in a perfect triangle with each positioned at sixty degrees. They get hungry. But they are fed as part of a disturbed judicial system. Except some of them backslide...

Verdict

The Angels of Vengeance was a great continuation of the Myths & Legends short story collection! This one probably had the fewest familiar elements from the Doctor Who universe and if the story wasn't titled what it was, I would seriously be wondering what was to come after nothing familiar at all featuring for the first half of the story. I really loved the courtroom setting and I think it's something that works really well. I did Law at A-Level and was a huge fan so that's probably where my enjoyment comes from. Lectyno served to be a very good lead character and his attitude towards his mother, who had been executed seven years previously, was very intriguing and I was left wanting to know more. Precisely, just how she was alive after being killed! I probably should have worked out what was going on before it was actually revealed but I do wish that there was a hint at some elaboration in the early stages of the story. In saying that, I really loved the moment where the Weeping Angels were revealed to be the way that justice was carried out in this court. Their being quantum locked at perfect sixty degree angles was good and I liked that it was acknowledged that some had perished when it came to capturing them. Using the Weeping Angels to carry out execution was intriguing as they don't actually kill people. We of course know that they simply send people back in time and slightly displace them spatially, but here that could mean a quick trip into the spacial void and radiation boiling. For others who were luckier, that meant a return to the streets at a time where they were living and they could see their family and friends. Backsliding was a real possibility with the justice carried out not always permanent as some would try and slip back into their old lives. This was highly reprehensible. Lectyno being accused of this with his mother was very interesting and I very much enjoyed the role of his sister in the court proceedings even though she was not on trial. Gistyho proceeding over the trial as the judge and I liked how quick he was panicking once Lectyno and Rosytra carried out their plan and actually used their mother's case to highlight that it was the judge who had murdered their father some forty years previous! I'm sure that would have meant more if there was further time to elaborate and delve into the family history, but I still enjoyed the dialogue a lot. The idea of the judge only being questionable in an open court was fantastic and I liked how he tried to sentence Lectyno once it was clear that he was guilty of a crime four decades previous. He was sentenced to death and would be at the mercy of the Weeping Angels. The sound of stone teeth was a great description of what was heard during the brief moment the lights went out for justice to be served, and I liked how subtle their role was in this story despite it being crucial. Overall, a very good story. Once again, I had no idea about the myth or legend but it doesn't seem to matter.

Rating: 8/10

Jupiter

"The threat of imminent death had stretched each second to infinity."

Writer: Andy Russell
Format: Short Story
Released: October 2005
Printed in: Short Trips: The Solar System 05

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Evelyn

Synopsis

On the command deck of a gas dredger, Norma Kelligan hears the voice of her dead husband in her head. Telepathic nasties are at work and its proving troublesome in the TARDIS too. The Doctor and Evelyn arrive following an emergency dematerialisation, right in the middle of the gas giant that is Jupiter...

Verdict

Jupiter was a somewhat average continuation of The Solar System edition of Short Trips prose. I was very much looking forward to this one with the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn entertaining me in prose for the first time, but this one was a little muddled for me. There was a lot of jumping and changing with not enough time spent with certain characters and rooms in the story which didn't help with making things clear. I think there was an attempt to inject a fast pace and while there was some evidence of that, I think it ultimately hindered the adventure which was a bit of a shame. One big positive for this story was the characterisation of Evelyn. Her age was a welcomed change to the usual companions and she definitely read the same in prose compared with how she is on audio. That was impressive. I also thought Colin Baker's likeness as the Sixth Doctor was presented well on the page with his softer side well written. There just wasn't enough interaction between the Doctor and companion that I would have liked and it didn't even seem to be substituted by another character. Norma though was very good and her struggles with hearing her dead husband and believing that the ship on their similar path was the ghost ship of her late husband was an emotional struggle that was sometimes quite saddening to read. Evelyn trying to help her through those feelings was terrific and she was on hand to lend a friendly ear. The idea of the captains of the dredgers being telepathic and interacting with the defence systems, also telepathic, was intriguing but I'm having trouble believing that would have occurred in just four centuries. However, I'm not exactly a scientific expert but it seemed a little too futuristic for me. The mentions of the Earth Empire were good and I liked how they were at war with the Daleks. The Doctor seemed quite content knowing that and not dealing with it, or maybe he already has? Or will? Koop was a decent character and I thought his death was a shame to happen quite early as I really liked him. The knock on effect for the rest of the story was good though. His death was certainly felt. I feel like this adventure suffered from the limited page count although with small text and thirty pages, I feel that's adequate to tell a great story as other inclusions in this collection have demonstrated. The struggle with the Entity was revealed too late for my liking and didn't leave much time for a good conclusion. The ending was very weak for me which was a shame as there were a lot of elements I liked and I could see what was trying to happen, but there just wasn't enough room to manoeuvre. The ending came so late and abruptly and wasn't all that clear. Norma getting to be with her husband and living on after death in the Entity was a nice touch, and it was quite an exciting story, but it needed some more clarity and just care. The use of Jupiter itself was good and as well as could have been given its a gas giant so the substitute of Europa was very good. Overall, hints of something very good but it fell a little short.

Rating: 6/10

The Labyrinthine Web

"My tasty time snacks!"

Writer: Richard Dinnick

Format: Short Story

Released: June 2017

Printed in: Myths & Legends 09

Featuring: Racnoss

Synopsis

The war between the Time Lords and the Racnoss is in its infancy, but the consequences and spread are already massive. Regeneration is useless as the Racnoss infuse the Time Lords with their Huon shakes, making them ripe and delicious for their latest hatchlings...

Verdict

The Labyrinthine Web was another decent continuation of the Myths & Legends collection of short stories! This volume has had something of a continued taking us back into the distant past and showing a glimpse of the war between the Time Lords and the Racnoss is fantastic! I really am a fan of the idea and whilst this really was just a glimpse at less than twenty pages, it's great to get an insight into the war. Fysus served to be the lead character in the story and I thought he was a very good little character and had quite a few similarities to the Doctor which was very nice indeed. There was a sense of familiarity around him which was terrific. I certainly got the sense that Dinnick had the Doctor in mind when writing this character as some moments, like his working out of the way to defeat the Racnoss and his little wink, were extremely reminiscent of our Time Lord hero. There wasn't actually a lot learned about the Gallifreyans but I liked how they were used to make the Racnoss look strong. The moment where eight Time Lords had been zapped down by a webstar and began regenerating simultaneously, only for the star to then again zap them dead permanently mid-regeneration was very good. It gave them an immediate sense of fear and fright but that wasn't really needed after all we saw in The Runaway Bride. The continuity with that episode here was very good and I liked the use of the Huon particles. I was less keen about the boasting of the Huon shakes but that was quite alright. Messothel served as a good commander of the Racnoss and took the place of the Empress in the aforementioned Christmas Special. The dynamics changing of having a male Racnoss, I presume as it wasn't quite made clear, was good but things were largely the same with the hatchlings. The pace of the story was good but it wasn't so obvious and clear, or frankly believable, that such a long time of something like a month had passed during its events over just a couple of paragraphs. There needed to be more breakage and exploration of the intervening moments for me. Phaedra made a lovely little character and I enjoyed her relationship with Fysus very much. I also thought the character of Hellner was quite humorous but he was also a bit useless which was a shame. The maze scenes were great and could have done with being extended as they were exciting. The ending was decent with Fysus having reversed the Huon particle effects but just how he managed it would have been better to know. Aria was a superb character and was really lovely but it's a shame that she didn't have more time to shine. Her role in the conclusion was very good and I liked how much she aided Fysus. Overall, a very decent continuation of the collection and a good story!

Rating: 7/10

Shroud of Sorrow

"No one will ever smile again."

Writer: Tommy Donbavand
Format: Novel
Released: April 2013
Series: NSA 53

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Clara

Synopsis

23 November, 1963.

It is the day after John F. Kennedy's assassination and the faces of the dead are everywhere. PC Reg Cranfield sees his late father in the mists along Totter's Lane. Reporter Mae Callon sees her grandmother in a coffee stain on her desk. FBI Special Agent Warren Skeet finds his long-dead partner staring back at him from raindrops on a window pane.

The faces begin to talk and scream and push through into our world as the alien Shroud begins to feast on the grief of a world in mourning. Can the Doctor dig deep enough into his own sorrow to save mankind?

Verdict

Shroud of Sorrow was a brilliant novel! I really loved this novel from start to finish and I think the initial setting and aftermath of the JFK assassination had a big part to play in that. It was used very well and I loved the playing with the date and Doctor Who's initial broadcast that came with it. I really enjoyed that. This story is slightly contradicting of The Last Day at Work as the policeman seen in An Unearthly Child gets a little bit of a backstory but that just shows how bonkers this show is as that character, barely seen, now has two alternations! That's quite staggering. The pairing of the Eleventh Doctor and Clara worked perfectly in their only full-length prose together and the characterisation was sublime. Their relationship was so fantastically captured on the page and that just made for delightful reading. It was hugely impressive and just a joy to read. There was the right amount of innuendo and humour which was pleasing. Them being joined by Mae and Warren made a great team and I really liked their respective reactions to the TARDIS and the truth concerning the Shroud. The way this enemy feasted on grief was brilliant and the horror of it showing people their dead loved ones was awful. It showed them in the weirdest places though like a coffee stain or raindrops on a window and that just added to the fear factor for me. It made it more real somehow. I thought General Keating was a humorous character as he was so convinced the faces being seen were a result of the Russians and it was nice that his subordinates realised that he was a liability. The paragraph at the end of the book with him being convinced into retirement was a nice touch. The analogies in this story were good, helpful and humorous which is a great mix! I loved the Doctor just commandeering Warren's sock and cutting a whole in the un-holed end. Warren wasn't too pleased with that! The Doctor and co venturing through what they thought was a wormhole to Semtis, the previous planet the Shroud tortured, was intriguing and seeing them deal with other people's memories was quite something. Them being greeted by a band of Wanters before being introduced to the Clowns was good. They, particularly Flip Flop and Wobblebottom, were fascinating and I loved how much they pleased the Doctor by helping those who had been left a Wanter or Rager or what not by the Shroud. When he saw it in action, he couldn't help but admire them which was terrific. I thought the nod to the Brigadier was wonderful and seeing that many incarnations of the Doctor attended his funeral was extremely fitting. I thought it was quite humorous too when he imitated him pretending to be a Colonel. The use of the Once More With Feeling throughout the latter stages of the book was superb and I think the moments where the Doctor was luring the Shroud in on his grief was simply incredible. It was one of the most heart-wrenching pieces of prose I've ever read and just imagining all of the Doctor's torment going back to stories like The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The War Games and Voyage of the Damned was just magnificent. The Doctor seeing Astrid as his face was an interesting choice by the writer but I absolutely loved the Doctor's own description of the events of that episode. Clara's reaction was very good. I also thought it was lovely that the Doctor rediscovered his recorder! The use of the fast return switch and the group of people with Penelope that we met at the start of the book was decent and whilst a little more clarity may have pushed this novel to perfection, I thought it was fitting that the Shroud was literally tangled and basically put into a time loop of its own making. Overall, a superb novel!

Rating: 9/10

The Kingdom of the Blind

"You have always been monsters."

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Format: Short Story
Released: June 2017
Printed in: Myths & Legends 08

Featuring: Scaroth

Synopsis

The war between the Jagaroth and the Dahensa is at deadlock. No side seems to be capable of making a breakthrough and the endless turmoil shows no signs of stopping. That is until deception is met with deceit and the tie is finally broken. The consequences may end up creating a city of death...

Verdict

The Kingdom of the Blind was a decent little story, but even in saying that I think I have been somewhat generous with my rating! This was one of the smallest adventures so far in the Myths & Legends collection but it actually served as a very intriguing prequel to City of Death. I really adored that revelation but I can't help but feel that I should have seen it coming! That of course has no effect on my rating for the story. It was good to get a story without the Doctor featuring the Jagoroth as they are a species with a lot of potential and obviously have gone down in folklore thanks to Scaroth in the aforementioned Fourth Doctor tale. Learning more of their war and the Dahensa was very much welcomed and I feel a little robbed that we only had thirteen pages to enjoy. But I guess I should just be grateful for getting anything at all - and I really am. Like a number of the stories from this collection, I didn't recognise the myth or legend that this story was based upon and I thought that was absolutely fine once again as this just felt like a normal story to me with no rigid structure that had to be adhered to. I'm sure the reading wasn't the same for everyone though and that's the beauty of Doctor Who stories like this because they can be enjoyed regardless of whether the reader knows all about the Argonauts escaping the Cyclops. My favourite part about this adventure other than the ending with Scaroth descending to Earth several years before we would see him on our television screens was undoubtedly Iggy's story serving as the basis for the escape and ultimately defeating the Jagoroth. I thought there could have been a bit more action considering this was warfare but I could also appreciate the tactics being used considering there had been endless deadlock. I did think the analogy to a game of naughts and crosses was very good. It didn't really matter who went first, there was always going to be a tie. Some of the characters that featured in this book were actually quite strong which was encouraging given the story's short length with Phemoth standing out as a particularly vile villain. When he thought that Scaljei had turned her back on the Dahensa to aid the Jagoroth, he still planned on killing her! That was hardly some reward. However, the tables had turned against the Jagoroth and it was actually Scaljei who had done the trickery and ended up wiping out most of the enemy fleet. It was just Scaroth who survived and he'd ended up on Earth. I would have liked a little more clarity regarding what she actually did to destroy the enemy fleets, but the end paragraph was just fantastic to me and is largely why this adventure still gets a strong rating. Overall, a decent outing.

Rating: 7/10

Herald of Madness Part 5

"The ends always justify the means."

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 30th May 2019
Printed in: DWM 539

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

Castle Houska is revealed as an entry point into reality for the Children of Chaos. Dagmar has been trying to prevent this from happening, but her failure to reveal her true intentions caused the Doctor to go against her. Danger is everywhere, and the consequences could be fatal...

Verdict

Herald of Madness concluded in a pretty decent way, but I'll get onto that roughly halfway down! Now, this looks set to be a terrific little issue of Doctor Who Magazine and whilst I'm a fortnight late from release date, I'm actually not behind anymore! I managed to catch up on the flights to and from Budapest and this one has a quite wonderful cover. I'm slightly irked that as a subscriber we did not get the option of the deluxe edition for a little extra cost as it looked quite splendid but I'm grateful to have obtained the free download of Tales From New Earth that was a bonus in that edition, so I look forward to that! Jodie Whittaker being the guest this month for the Out of the TARDIS feature should be splendid as it is a delightful feature and I'm sure she'll be on hand with some characteristically whacky answers. David Tennant getting interviewed is always welcomed too and I'm very excited to read what he has to say about Jodie's Doctor and the recent series, as well as hopefully some thoughts on the upcoming third volume of the Tenth Doctor Adventures audios. It should be a great read. Malorie Blackman should also be a good subject for interview following Rosa and I'm also very intrigued to read the continuation of the Eric Saward interview as I thought the first instalment was excellent! I'm also excited to see the results of the DWM Survey and see how far the common opinion differs from my own. I always enjoy some poll results! The Time Team this month also sounds very interesting with the title of 'Is Doctor Who a Kids' Show?' so I look forward to see what is actually being watched there. The Long Game being the subject of The Fact of Fiction will also be a highlight as that's a very underrated episode in my opinion. Now, onto the comic strip and I can't help but feel slightly underwhelmed. After four parts of build up, everything seemed so sudden and rushed in just one part of eight pages. It was exciting but didn't seem like a worthy pay off, especially as I had just re-read the previous four parts. One big positive though was the characterisation of the Doctor with the likeness of Jodie Whittaker really well captured. I thought the relationship between the Doctor and Dagmar was good but it could have been explored further with another part. The cliffhanger revealing that Dagmar was actually trying to prevent the Children of Chaos from manifesting in this universe was nice but could have been so much better if this had another part. At five parts in length, one more was hardly going to worsen things! It was quite a contrasting part to what came previously with the shift in who we thought was the enemy but the only saving grace was the impending notion that they would cross paths again. The group joined forces, along with the meeting of the minds, to lure the chaos entity likened to the Doctor back into the castle and down into the hole which was then sealed with a sacrifice from Tycho, but the Doctor was quite displeased with the actions which seemed actually quite contradictory. Overall though, across the five parts, this was a very decent comic strip but it just needed a better balance.

Rating: 7/10

Defiance of the New Bloods

"Sontarans are bred not only for war, but for winning."

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Format: Short Story
Released: June 2017
Printed in: Myths & Legends 07

Featuring: Sontarans

Synopsis

The war between the Sontarans and the Rutans is never ending. Nobody can remember why it started, but both races are adamant they will be victorious. The Sontarans are getting stale though and after they were lured into a deadly trap, there is a new desire for individual thought amongst the clone race. Grand Marshall Sten wants glory.

Verdict

Defiance of the New Bloods was a superb little story and one of the best to have featured thus far in the Myths & Legends collection! I'm a massive fan of the Sontarans and this adventure was just spectacular from start to finish. I was hugely impressed. We actually got a reason why the Sontarans look different between the Classic and modern eras which is just majestic and I really enjoyed how it came about. Grand Marshall Stem served to be a brilliant character and his efforts to avenge the embarrassment that occurred with his orders to go closer to Mekonne to capture the non-existent Rutans was very good indeed. He wasn't always acting for the good of the Sontaran Empire as he was trying to ascend the ranks of the Sontar hierarchy. He really was very good, but what intrigued me most was the G4 group of Sontarans who had been bred for individual thought. I loved this idea and it really was feasible for there to be belief that the traditional and repetitive Sontaran methods were growing stale. This breeding of individualism conflicting with the Sontarans' need for honour was really fascinating and it was just terrific to see it unfold. Could cowardly acts like the one the Rutans carried out on Mekonne be honourable if they resulted in a military conquest or victory? The G4 group certainly thought so. They went so far as betraying their Grand Marshall and even though Stem was able to get a warning out to Sontar of the four rogues, they were cleverer than usual Sontarans and managed to navigate their way back to the home world in impressive fashion. Once they arrived, their plan was simple. They were going to change the Sontaran race forever by adding their DNA to the Sontaran Core Cloning Base. It was a good plan but it would be tough to carry out. This was the first Sontaran mutiny, and it was certainly eventful! I really liked the collaboration between the quartet of new Sontarans and their desire to improve their species, whilst being chased by their own kind despite the slight change in look, was commendable. They were doing what they firmly believed was best for the future of the Sontarans. One by one, a member of the G4 squadron fell and it took a defiant jump to ensure that the DNA entered the gene pool at the source. But it did. All of the G4 Sontarans died but they did so with honour knowing that their mission was accomplished and that they had altered the future of Sontar forever. I thought this was just a sublime little story with so much achieved in the thirty pages! The illustrations weren't really necessary but this was probably my favourite of the entire collection so far. I had no idea about the myth or legend that this adventure was based upon but it didn't seem to be following a rigid structure like some others in this collection have felt like. Overall, a really great story!

Rating: 9/10

The Dreaming

"The mind is a powerful thing."

Writer: Mark Morris
Format: Short Story
Released: February 2014
Printed in: Tales of Trenzalore 04

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

Christmas has a great shame dating back before the Doctor arrived. Even before the Truth Field. The skeleton behind this shame is incredibly important to a returning enemy hoping to cause chaos and devastation by manipulating children and adults alike to get the Doctor to say his name. The Mara wants to manifest...

Verdict

The Dreaming was an excellent end to the Tales of Trenzalore book! I have really enjoyed this collection of adventures set during the events told in The Time of the Doctor and would absolutely love to read a second volume or even hear an audio set! I'm sure that once Matt Smith becomes available it won't take long for them to put out a Trenzalore set. With the array of familiar foes that featured during the aforementioned television story, I think it was a great move for the book to feature another four returning enemies. This time around it was the Mara and as irony would have it, this was the monster I was least excited to see return but it has ended up being my favourite story in the book! The storytelling was just marvellously and paced so well over the sixty odd pages. I was really impressed with that aspect. The elderly Eleventh Doctor was captured very well in print with the characterisation spot on for the most part. The way the Mara hoped to utilise his age against the Doctor was very good indeed, especially when it tried to convince Aliganza that the fact the Doctor called him Barnable the 43rd was simply because he forgot and didn't care what his real name was. That was quite something, but of course that was not the Doctor. The mentions of Amelia and Clara as the Doctor later struggled with names was intriguing though but even Time Lords must suffer from amnesia due to old age. The slow and then sudden the way the Mara gained control of some of the inhabitants of Christmas was fantastic and I really liked how it intended to use the schoolchildren against the Doctor. However, he clearly felt that he was getting somewhere close to the end of his life, as foreseen in The Name of the Doctor, so what did he have left to fear? He couldn't let the Time Lords into this universe. The story behind the skeleton with Vida, the town's oldest resident other than the Doctor, was lovely and I really liked how she didn't want to reveal the shame associated with it. It being the remains of Jalen Fellwood, a man buried in an unmarked grave sealed with salt, was very interesting and the role that salt had to play was superb. The Mara obviously pried on the mind of humanity which is a good concept but that coming back to bite it was fantastic. I really liked the Doctor's reference to Kinda but I was surprised that Tegan didn't get a mention! The reaction of the people of Christmas when the Doctor told them his plan involved bombs was hilarious and the way he got a young girl to ask him the right question was wonderful, just like his reaction. They were of course sleep bombs! They didn't quite work on the Mara, but a new addition to the snow farm of salt sure did and the Mara was no more, all because Jalen Fellwood believed in the power of the salt! I really loved that element and thought it was really fitting for the Mara. Overall, a splendid end to what has been a very positive collection of stories. I have very much enjoyed my time reading about Trenzalore.

Rating: 9/10

Strangers in the Outlands

"These beings literally dropped from space?"

Writer: Paul Finch
Format: Short Story
Released: February 2014
Printed in: Tales of Trenzalore 04

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

40 miles away from Trenzalore, impossible beings have dropped from out of the sky. They're quite far from the Doctor's jurisdiction, but he is as keen as anyone to know about the strangers in the outlands. Especially when a young girl arrives in Christmas without her father.

Verdict

Strangers in the Outlands was another very decent continuation of the Tales of Trenzalore collection of stories! This one saw things advance a little further out from the town of Christmas being the central setting and I thin that was definitely a good idea in a volume all set during the same episode of The Time of the Doctor. It felt different to the previous two adventures in this book and that was certainly refreshing. The Autons getting a new story alongside the Eleventh Doctor was magnificent but I was a tad surprised it took so long for them to actually appear and be named, even if there was a big hint that they had arrived on Trenzalore. The Doctor's descriptions of them definitely gave them some fear factor which I really was impressed with as they never seemed to be the most deadly of enemies in my head. But when I stopped and actually thought about it, they were pretty domineering! They were made of plastic so they could withstand anything and didn't fail pain. That says it all really! The reactions of some of the Christmas inhabitants was very good and I liked how dumbfounded they were by the Doctor's plan to abandon them and have them go on a two-day walk back to their home from the Outlands while he took off in the lifeboat up the path that was always avoided. Why? Because that's where the Autons had gone. They took the quickest route and the obstacles in their way were no matter. The Nestene Consciousness having the original plan of every other enemy stationed around Trenzalore was pretty good and I liked how it just wanted the Autons to fall through the technology barrier and do the damage physically, which was a pretty frightening thought. I loved how horrendous the Doctor thought the prospect of an Auton with a club was, even though they usually have guns pop out of their hands. It was quite humorous to think about but I think it was equally as horrifying as they never tire so the damage they could do bares thinking about. Tiberius being quite sceptical of Christmas with all the attention focused there was completely understandable and it actually seems surprising that not more people escaped to the Outlands. However, that does show how much trust they may have in the Doctor. His elderly was fully described in this story but it didn't seem to effect him so much which I'm not sure should have happened. One thing I think should have occurred during this story is a better full circle ending for Yalala. She just seemed to be forgotten about once the Doctor and co set off on their expedition to the Outlands which was a big shame. The fate of her father was quite saddening though. The ending for this one was a little shaky in places and I felt that their needed to be some more elaboration and clarity on what exactly was happening with the Doctor luring the Autons to the lifeboat in order to trap them beneath the ice. The use of explosive was somewhat okay and the thought of the Autons being trapped was slightly comforting, but surely it wouldn't be in perpetuity. The Nestene wouldn't be around though, I guess. Overall, some bumps but still a very good story!

Rating: 7/10

An Apple a Day...

"Trenzalore shall be colonised. All animal life shall become food for the Krynoid."

Writer: George Mann
Format: Short Story
Released: February 2014
Printed in: Tales of Trenzalore 02

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

It's the time of the harvest festival for Christmas and the town is rejoicing and hoping the Green Man can bring them fortune. Except, the Krynoids have arrived on Trenzalore and the green men might be giving them more than they hoped for, as they have germinated...

Verdict

An Apple a Day... was a terrific little continuation of the Tales of Trenzalore collection! I wouldn't really have expected anything less from George Mann and having him pen the return of the Krynoids to do battle with an elderly Eleventh Doctor was just great. I really liked it! It was quite simple so it doesn't burst into the significantly higher echelons of ratings, but it was a real pleasure to read through this evening. I thought the harvest festival was a good basis for the story and I thought the linkage of the Krynoid to the Green Man was very well done. Even though it was hinted that it was the Krynoids who were the monster this time to have broken through the technology barrier of the Papal Mainframe, the moment they were named really was spectacular. The Seeds of Doom is a classic in every sense of the word so the Krynoids coming back here was very much welcomed. The fate and story of Pieter was a real shame but his greenhouse being the way that the Krynoid could germinate on an otherwise snowy planet was nicely done. I thought Theol was superb and if it wasn't for his age I'd say he would make a brilliant companion! The Doctor's admiration for this youngster was a joy to see and I could just see his smile in the words written down with the boy's inquisitive nature. He was asking all the right questions and the Doctor liked that. One thing I've been a little surprised by in the two stories from this book so far is the lack of Handles. Now, I fully appreciate there's only so much you can do with a Cyberman head but the Doctor was so hurt when he perished so I thought he'd be a little more prominent. His little line was funny though and led to a lovely reference to K9. The tension created in the story by the Krynoid chase sections were very good indeed and I liked how Theol's father had a history with the Doctor and actually died in a monster attack. I felt like we should have learned what the monster was at least, especially if it contributed to the Doctor losing his leg! The links this story had with what we saw in the latter stages of The Time of the Doctor were very good with the walking stick present and its connections to Pieter being particularly poignant. The way the Krynoid was defeated was very clever with the Doctor rallying the folks of Christmas to bombard the giant devourer with an array of snowballs freezing its functions and then ringing the bells to smash the frozen figure into pieces. It was neatly done. My favourite aspect of this story though was probably Theol leading the Doctor through Pieter's residence and the surroundings. It seems unlikely that things would have gone well for the Doctor without this youngster which is quite something. Overall though, this was a fantastic little story and I have been very impressed with this collection. I was glad to see that an elderly version of the Doctor was presented and it had the feeling of the First Doctor which was a real treat.

Rating: 8/10

Let it Snow

"Since the Doctor arrived, I've been scared for my life almost every day."

Writer: Justin Richards
Format: Short Story
Released: February 2014
Printed in: Tales of Trenzalore 01

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

The Doctor is defending Christmas. He can't let the Time Lords back into this universe. He can't let all of his enemies kill the Time Lords. The Ice Warriors attempt to take out the Doctor through an 'accidental' avalanche. But will their own sonic technology be their undoing?

Verdict

Let it Snow was a good start to the Tales of Trenzalore collection of stories set during the dramatic events of The Time of the Doctor! I really like the idea behind this book as there was such a big timeframe of potential stories and with the vast array of enemies old and new that came to the planet to try and prevent the Time Lords from returning, the choice was off the charts! First up we had the Ice Warriors and I was delighted to be reading another encounter between them and the Eleventh Doctor. They're a long favoured enemy of mine and I thought the way they got past the Papal Mainframe's barrier by reducing themselves to nothing more than their green armour was terrific. Despite this, their idea of defeating the Doctor very much concerned sonic technology and I really liked how they were hoping to just make it look like the Doctor was using his sonic screwdriver. I mean, surely setting off a sonic canon would register things slightly more than a simple use of the Doctor's screwdriver? Whilst I did enjoy this story, I thought the first part had a lot of nothingness which was a bit of a shame. The chapters were unnecessarily small and very basic with the Ice Warriors arriving, stating their plan and then doing what was needed to carry it out. It was all very methodological and just seemed to be going through the motions rather than having some excitement. I did very much like the development of Christmas and some of the town's outskirts and water supply. That was the kind of thing I was really hoping for from this book and I got it which was a big positive. I didn't think the characterisation of the Eleventh Doctor was overly great in this story but I think a large part of that was down to the fact that he turned out to be the character of Elias. I really didn't see that coming and that was a very good twist, even if it could have been revealed in a less gradual way. The Ice Warriors having the plan of making the snow of Christmas so thick that it almost became mountainous was intriguing, especially when their sonic canon was going to convert it into an avalanche and wipe out the city in what would look like an accident. The way the differing components of the canon were spread across Christmas didn't make much sense to me though. Lord Sssardak made a fantastic Ice Lord and I really did hope for more of him. It is so often a shame that these short stories are small in length! This story didn't really suffer from the lack of a companion which was good and I loved the smugness of the Doctor when he came to challenge the Ice Warriors and claimed that he would stop them with ease. The Ice Warriors refused to believe their plan would fail but the doubt they had when it came to the Doctor was just delightful to see. He already knew he'd won and he knew they knew it too. A lovely moment. The ending was a tad rushed but the explanation was good, although I could have done without the moment the Doctor didn't know the exact numbering of the Ice Warriors' frequency. The Doctor honed in and increased the waves to make them actually wipe out the Warriors but surely if they came with no sonic technology and were using a sonic canon to make it look like the sonic screwdriver was used, why would they be so shocked by its use? It was a tad confusing but as a whole, this was a good little start to the book!

Rating: 7/10

The Time of the Doctor

"The Doctor - fixing toys and fighting monsters."

Writer: Steven Moffat
Format: TV
Broadcast: 25th December 2013
Series: 2013 Christmas Special

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Clara

Synopsis

Orbiting a quiet backwater planet, the massed forces of the universe's deadliest species gather, drawn to a mysterious message that echoes out to the stars – among them, the Eleventh Doctor. Rescuring Clara from a family Christmas dinner, the Time Lord and his companion must learn what this enigmatic signals for his own face and that of the universe.

Verdict

The Time of the Doctor was an excellent Christmas Special and a great way to say goodbye to Matt Smith's tremendous Eleventh Doctor. Now, this blog entry may be slightly different as I have already blogged this story on broadcast some five-and-a-half years ago now but I thought I should give this another watch ahead of my reading of Tales of Trenzalore. I think a refresher of the episode and the Doctor's time in Christmas was a very good idea and I'm now already very excited to read the stories within the collection. I was actually quite surprised with how little the town actually features in the story and it almost is made the most of through speedy narration scenes. Almost as it was introduced, the town quickly became the basis for the Doctor's defence for three centuries! In my opinion, this episode is genius in tying all of the threads of the Eleventh Doctor era together with so many unanswered questions answered. It was the Kovarian Chapter of the Papal Mainframe that blew up the Doctor's TARDIS in The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang. The Silence are not the name of the species but merely their mission statement in preventing the Doctor from speaking his name through the Crack first seen in The Eleventh Hour as the Time War would begin anew. The Doctor didn't want that either so he sat in the middle of the Time Lords and every other enemy they had, including the likes of Sontarans, Tereleptils and Judoon. He knew from The Name of the Doctor that his fate was on this planet so he accepted it. Seeing the Doctor age quite quickly was a surprise as I really didn't remember it happen so fast so I'm very much looking forward to the book filling in a lot of those gaps. I'm sure we will see the Doctor's relationship with Barnable expand further. I'm also very excited to read some more interaction between the Doctor and Handles as I think the logical approach of the latter could provide a lot of humour. The scene where the Doctor defeats the wooden Cyberman was superb and I just loved how he didn't lie but still outsmarted the enemy. The scene with the Weeping Angels at the very start was terrific and watching this one with my girlfriend made me realise how scary it was to the casual viewer. They're a sublime villain. Tasha Lem was a very good character and something I'm looking forward to in the book is potential interaction between her and the Doctor with the former being in the holographic form we saw in large parts of this episode. The truth field is a very good element and I'm sure that will be important for a lot of the stories in the collection. Clara was magnificent as always and I like how she begged the Time Lords for help to save the Doctor and he received a brand new regeneration cycle and the Daleks were defeated. The suddenness of their change from smugness at knowing the Doctor was out of regenerations to him then carrying out that very function and causing their defeat was just magical. The regeneration sequence itself was quick and sudden and I did enjoy Capaldi's arrival as the Twelfth Doctor, but the star of the show was undoubtedly Matt Smith with a marvellous sendoff speech. The moment Amy wished her raggedy man goodnight had my girlfriend in tears and that made me realise just how lovely this scene was. Overall, a stellar episode!                      

Rating: 10/10