Decoy

"We sacrifice the lives of the few to ensure the survival of the many!"

Writer: George Mann

Format: Short Story

Released: October 2019

Printed in: The Target Storybook 10

Featuring: War Doctor

Synopsis

"We're all stories in the end..."

In this exciting collection you'll find all-new stories spinning off from some of your favourite Doctor Who moments across the history of the series.

Discover what happened next, what went on before, and what occurred off-screen in an inventive selection of sequels, side-trips, foreshadowings and first-hand accounts – and look forward too, with a brand new adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor.

Each story expands in thrilling ways upon aspects of Doctor Who's enduring legend. With contributions from show luminaries past and present – including Colin Baker, Matthew Waterhouse, Vinay Patel, Joy Wilkinson and Terrance Dicks – The Target Storybook is a once-in-a-lifetime tour around the wonders of the Whoniverse.

Verdict

Decoy was a fantastic little story to continue my reading of The Target Storybook! I seem to be edging closer to the modern era now and having a story set during the Time War was a really good decision as that kind of became the de facto gap between the Classic and revise modern era. That has of course been expanded upon greatly by now with the likes of the Big Finish War Doctor audios as well as Engines of War and the Eleventh Doctor comic strip run from Titan Comics, but getting our own depiction of events during the Time War here was excellent. I was really impressed with this adventure and considering when it was set, I enjoyed the simplicity of it. The interaction between the Doctor and Rassilon was superb and I loved the clear tension there between the pair. Despite being Lord President and a founding father of Gallifrey, it was the Doctor who was respected and provided confidence for those soldiers fighting alongside him. It was good for the Doctor to again push the narrative that he wasn't the Doctor anymore but whatever he wanted to be called in this present, his history had provided him with a large reputation and prized standing on Gallifrey which I thought was excellent. The involvement of the Nestene Consciousness was very good and I liked how Rassilon had made a deal with them to create a dummy Doctor. The idea of having a large sacrifice of Gallifreyan soldiers fighting alongside a fake Doctor was audacious and chilling from Rassilon and the Doctor's abhorrent reaction was excellent. He wasn't having any of that which was completely understandable! I really liked the characterisation of the War Doctor throughout the story with the description of his battered attire and lined face really selling the toll the Time War had on him. The scowls he made to Artarix were brilliant and I loved how it was clear that the Doctor was riddled with regret. His standing amongst the Daleks was something he seemed to be slightly okay with though and the comment about an armada of Daleks being scared of angry man with a box was sensational. I loved that. The description of parts of Gallifrey where those Time Lords were hidden away was great and I was fascinated by just how many were stuck between life and death after semi-failed regenerations. Something for more exploration for sure. The Doctor taking Rassilon's plan of an Auton delicate and using it against him was magnificent and I really liked the President's reaction when he realised what had happened. The Doctor ensuring that he saved thousands of lives and still wiping out the Dalek threat instead of a needless sacrifice was terrific and I loved how he was thinking of those who were due to die and their families. He was not having it. I was a big fan of the confidence other Time Lords had in him and the certainty had that the Doctor had escaped after he'd enacted the Dalek destruction with his own decoy was great stuff. It was an emphatic triumph that only seemed to irritate Rassilon which was a fun dynamic. Overall, I thought this was a really impressive short story and I wouldn't really expect much else from George Mann and extra outing for the War Doctor! 

Rating: 9/10