Martha in the Mirror

"I have never sought to return to the world of flesh and blood. Until now."

Writer: Justin Richards
Format: Novel
Released: April 2008
Series: NSA 22

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

Castle Extremis – whoever holds it can control the provinces either side that have been at war fore centuries. Now the castle is about to play host to the signing of a peace treaty. But as the Doctor and Martha find out, not everyone wants the war to end.

Who is the strange little girl who haunts the castle? What is the secret of the book the Doctor finds, its pages made from thin, brittle glass? Who is the hooded figure that watches from the shadows? And what is the secret of the legendary Mortal Mirror?

The Doctor and Martha don't have long to find the answers – an army is on the march, and the castle will soon be under siege once more.

Verdict

Martha in the Mirror was an excellent novel! I really enjoyed this one from start to finish and while the title probably doesn't quite reflect the actual events of the story, it was one that really hooked me in. I was waiting for the events that would lead to Martha entering the Mortal Mirror and when she did, I wasn't expecting the Doctor to free her so quickly! It wasn't a bad thing though as the overall story was quite brilliant. The setting of Castle Extremis (a great name) was superb and I really loved the horror vibes that came off the pages. I could almost hear the laughs of Janna as she was skipping around the castle and finding her hidey holes and calling Martha and the Doctor funny and silly. It was quite tragic to learn of the death of Tylda, who was actually Janna in a good twist, and how she couldn't quite keep her footing off the landmines in the garden. Gonfer was another good character and I wasn't at all surprised to discover that it was he who was doing the chasing. Tylda being an amalgamation of sorts of her and her sister was really interesting and it meant she became a very intriguing character. The story behind the Mortal Mirror was terrific and I just loved everything about it! It was quite obvious that it wasn't a replica and was always the original, especially when the Doctor could read Manfred Grieg's glass diary when looking in it. His story was a sad one with how he was tricked into the mirror. The background concerning the Mortal Mirror and its supposed destruction was delayed well and really tied a lot of things together when the full tale was told. The castle served as a great neutral zone between the Zeurgian and Anthium forces and I really liked how Orlo was never going to sign the peace treaty and was much more interested in taking back the stronghold that would give his side the edge. His effort to use the Mortal Mirror as a hiding place for his army was fantastic though and something I didn't actually see coming. Considering how dark this adventure was, I thought the humour within it was quite brilliant. The Doctor was on sublime form with his jokes and the banter that resulted in his cover being Doctor Daffy Duck and Martha being referred to as Miss Mouse was fantastic. I really did love it. His jokes and puns were very good throughout and had me visibly laughing on my train. Humour was also in abundance with Bill and Bott who were brilliant robotic characters, even if they were just mostly complaining about their cleaning duties! The revelation that they were in fact the Galactic Alliance representatives wasn't too surprising as the story went on, but it was a nice thought. The whole idea of a world beyond the mirror was excellent, but it was actually quite sad for anyone seen within as they would turn to glass. I also loved the reference to The Family of Blood with Daughter of Mine being trapped in every mirror. That was brilliant continuity. Thorodin being revealed as the cloaked figure was a slight surprise but it was good that it was initially hinted to be Stellman. I thought all of the guest characters were very strong and I liked the pace of the adventure throughout. The conclusion was full of action and conflict but there was maybe some slight repetitiveness, but as a whole it was an excellent novel! I thoroughly enjoyed.

Rating: 9/10