Touched by an Angel

"They're waiting for a paradox to happen."

Writer: Jonathan Morris
Format: Novel
Released: June 2011
Series: NSA 46

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

'The past is like a foreign country. Nice to visit, but you really wouldn't want to live there.'

In 2003, Rebecca Whitaker died in a road accident. Her husband Mark is still grieving. He receives a battered envelope, posted eight years ago, containing a set of instructions with a simple message: "You can save her."

As Mark is given the chance to save Rebecca, it's up to the Doctor, Amy and Rory to save the whole world. Because this time the Weeping Angels are using history itself as a weapon.

Verdict

Touched by an Angel was a sublime novel! This was an absolute joy to read from start to finish and was probably my favourite Eleventh Doctor book so far, eclipsing The King's Dragon. I knew from the start that things were going to be good given that the Weeping Angels featured and whilst the presence of a famed monster or enemy is by no means a recipe for success, I just had a really good feeling and I wasn't left disappointed. The story was based around Mark and you couldn't help but feel so incredibly sorry for everything he had to endure. Hearing how he lost his wife was saddening enough, but then he was thrown back in time by a Weeping Angel and would have to wait nine years for it all to happen again. Except this time he wanted to save her and was told that he couldn't. The jumping around of timeframes ranging from 1994 to 2011 was excellent and I loved the idea of the Doctor, Amy and Rory checking in on Mark from time to time. His interactions with his younger self were frequent and initially it seemed like he just couldn't help himself! The Doctor's reaction when he found out that Mark had already visited his mum was wonderful. The characterisation of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor throughout was really great and I loved how he was able to use a Fez to distinguish between the two Rorys that came to be in his TARDIS. Mark's letter was a big focal point of the story and his failure to disclose to the Doctor the final message from his future self, or so we thought, regarding saving his wife was intriguing. He knew about the ramifications of changing history now that he'd met the Doctor, yet he was going to do it anyway. He was kind of justified though as if he didn't, then the letter wouldn't be true and that would mean history would be changed. I liked the use of the Weeping Angels in this book as there needed to be something more to them than just being scary as that's pretty difficult to do in prose as compared to a televised episode. Their being weak was a good thing to play on and I liked that they were drawn to Mark because of the paradox potential. That was their plan all along and the fact that they had engineered the whole letter on psychic paper was quite something. It was definitely a revelation I didn't see coming which is always good! Amy was a little quiet in this book which is unusual for her and I liked how she was taken out of her comfort zone at the end with Fez Rory and the Doctor knowing exactly what was going on with the Weeping Angel trap that they'd lured them into. Rory had been thrown back into 2001 and had set up a circular video package that would ensure the Angels were always observing themselves. They lost their corporeal forms and were erased for good. I thought it was magnificent that we got to follow the important life events in Mark and Rebecca's relationship and I really loved her character. She was just fantastic. Whether it was on top of the SU, their wedding day or speaking to old Mark after he told her everything, she was just marvellous. Mark getting to be with her for her last moments was a poignant way to end her chapter in his life and he would move on now at her command. But if anything, it was more moments he got with his wife that he didn't have. He'd wanted more and more memories, but he got just one. I was feeling very emotional reading those final moments after following the pair's life together and the journey of Mark through his past with the end goal being to save her. That was taken away, but the Weeping Angels were not fed and paradoxes were avoided. Overall, a superb novel!

Rating: 10/10