The Last Dodo

"When you begin to wish you're facing monsters instead, you know it's getting bad." 

Writer: Jacqueline Rayner

Format: Novel

Released: April 2007

Series: NSA 14

Featurung: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Martha go in search of a real live dodo, and are transported by the TARDIS to the mysterious Museum of the Last Ones. There, in the Earth section, they discover every extinct creature up to the present day, all still alive and in suspended animation. 

Preservation is the museum's only job - collecting the last of every endangered species from all over the universe. But exhibits are going missing...

Can the Doctor solve the mystery before the museum's curator adds the last of the Time Lords to her collection? 

Verdict 

The Last Dodo was a magnificent novel and once again the wonderful Jacqueline Rayner has not failed me! I do love her writing (as I've mentioned in a recent blog) whether it's in print, for comic strips or to listen to in the audios. Her column is one of my favourite parts of Doctor Who Magazine because she's just so barmy and I think I can somewhat relate to her on that front, even if that possibly doesn't shine through in my blog. Her ongoing comic strip Blood and Ice has been absolutely phenomenal so far and I'm confident it'll continue up to the high standard set in the first two parts. Just like the flashback to The Tenth Planet there where the Doctor seemed frightened at being back at the place where he first regenerated, the Doctor's disgust at the Time Lords for exiling him in The War Games is still fresh in his mind. When I read the comparison the Doctor made between a zoo and his exile I almost openly cheered! Now, considering I was reading this book on a train that may not have been the best idea. Thankfully I held my glee in and just mouthed wow once or thrice. It was similar to how the Third Doctor reacted in Walls of Confinement when visiting a zoo. That's the story I immediately thought of when the Tenth Doctor reacted in the way he did to Martha's request of going to the zoo. I loved how the question presented to Martha was explained as almost an impossible one. If you could go anywhere and anywhen in the universe, how could you immediately think of a place? It was daunting for Martha. I liked how this novel was set during her early days in the TARDIS but seeing as she's, I'm assuming, a full time companion then I place it after The Lazarus Experiment. Especially seeing as Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks was referenced in the previous novel of Sting of the Zygons. The idea of going to see a dodo was intriguing. I wasn't really sure what a dodo was before picking up the book but it was explained to me which I liked. The I-Spyder Book of Earth Creatures guide was a wonderful instrument for the novel and I loved how after each chapter we were given a little summary of a certain creature that we'd have just encountered or that had been mentioned. The certificate points rolling up throughout was also very clever. I thought it was very Jacqueline Rayner. However, as much as I loathe to criticise this woman she's probably the reason why this book doesn't receive full marks from myself. I liked the idea of occasional narration from Martha but in the dialogue I found it a bit too much as if Rayner herself was the character. The characterisation of Martha was a long way off in the narration segments in my opinion. During the rest of the novel it was absolutely fine. The relationship between the Tenth Doctor and Martha was excellent once more and I'm really loving this pairing lately! The plot was really intriguing and the idea of the Museum of the Last Ones was absolutely outstanding! An organisation housing a planet sized museum of the last of every single species in the entire universe! Considering this is Doctor Who, the scale is incomprehensible. The references to Mondas and Tara were nice inclusions. Was there a Cyberman there? The version that we see in the First Doctor's swansong? Or that returns in my recently purchased graphic novel of The Good Soldier? I'd like to think so. I also like to think that the inclusion of Tara subtly implanted in our minds the obvious story of The Androids of Tara for the revelation about Eve actually being an android herself! That was a surprise I must say. I loved how it was a burning desire to complete the collection but surely it would be impossible. Species die out every second and to have sections for every single planet well completion is surely way out of the question. So instead of having species die out all the time on Earth she'd just destroy the planet and keep Martha in MOTLO as the last human. Poor Cassandra. The Doctor being suspended in animation was worrying as it left Martha on her own to sort things. Eve hearing the words Time Lord was magnificent. As soon as the MOTLO acronym was explained in full I knew the Doctor would end up in trouble sooner or later. I liked the Earthers with Frank and Tommy standing out the most. Martha's doctor instinct (the profession not the man) was lovely to see. Smith and Jones wouldn't be forgotten. The fact that dodos were planting 21st century Earth with bombs just about sums up Jacqueline Rayner, doesn't it? Somehow she made it work! The Doctor technically using the past to aid saving the future, a sort of paradox, was a brilliant resolution I thought! It explained the one thing I was querying as to why there weren't 300 billion other species roaming around Earth. The Doctor had sent them all home. Every section. MOTLO was closed and the Doctor gave all the species the true meaning of freedom. They'd die out of a living death. Hr'oln coming in at the end explaining MOTLO's creation and Eve's obsession was a nice kind of epilogue and I loved how Martha became the first person to receive the I-Spyder certificate. It was a nice touch that the Doctor was considered an Earth creature - he's certainly been spotted enough through the millennia! Overall, an excellent novel with a barmy plot and a dodo called Dorothea. A really good adventure. 

Rating: 9/10