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