Who-Dini?

"There are some things from which no one can escape. Not even the Great Houdini."

Writer: Steve Cole
Format: Short Story
Released: December 2019
Printed in: Star Tales 04

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham, Twelfth Doctor

Synopsis

"Even though they're gone from the world, they're never gone from me."

The Doctor is many things – curious, funny, brave, protective of her friends... and a shameless namedropper. While she and her companions battled aliens and travelled across the universe, the Doctor hinted at a host of previous, untold adventures with the great and the good: we discovered she got her sunglasses from Pythagoras (or was it Audrey Hepburn?); lent a mobile phone to Elvis; had an encounter with Amelia Earhart where she discovered that a pencil-thick spider web can stop a plane; had a 'wet weekend' with Harry Houdini, learning how to escape from chains underwater; and more.

In this collection of new stories, Star Tales takes you on a rip-roaring ride through history, from 500BC to the swinging 60s, going deeper into the Doctor's notorious name-dropping and revealing the truth behind these anecdotes.

Verdict

Who-Dini? was a great little continuation of the Star Tales collection of adventures! To summarise this one efficiently, it was just a lot of fun which is always good when it comes to reading. The pace was really good and fluent and I liked the format of including the Twelfth Doctor with the Thirteenth Doctor pretty much just taking over things. I liked how the initial elements with the previous incarnation of the Doctor provided a good insight into the relationship he/she has with the famous magician and that didn't alter much at all when the latest Doctor arrived and Houdini discovered that his old friend was now a woman. The awe with which the rest of Team TARDIS had when arriving in Chicago was just wonderful and I was delighted that they all got to meet the great man. The issues stemming from the initial outing with the Twelfth Doctor was good and I enjoyed the excitement with which the Thirteenth Doctor arrived revealing that everything had not been resolved and the creature was still on the loose in Chicago. Houdini himself was really good and it was a good outing for the historical figure. His wife was less so likeable because she didn't quite like her husband being old which I thought was very harsh. She desired so much for him to be young again which was unfair in my view. When the Thirteenth Doctor arrived, Houdini and Mrs H understanding regeneration was terrific and I loved how they just likened it to being another trick. A lovely thought. I thought this was a really good story for Yaz and she was definitely the companion that shined the most for this adventure. The fact that she got her own private performance of an illusion was magnificent, but it didn't go quite right! Billy was an intriguing character and the fact that he was actually the shapeshifting creature was an unexpected revelation. I liked how he was angered at being controlled and subjected to nothing more than a circus freak. It was completely understandable that he had reacted in the way he had, causing the Magician Murders, but now it had to stop. The use of the ring was good and how Houdini managed to write the initials of King in the sand to reveal where he was being taken is beyond me, but I guess that's the point with an illusionist. Having the story partially from the viewpoint of assistant Dorothy Smith was lovely and it was nice to read just how much she enjoyed being part of the show and travelling. I certainly couldn't disagree with her thoughts regarding seeing the sights! Ryan's relationship with her was really good throughout. Dorothy thinking he and Yaz were beautiful was a nice inclusion as well. Houdini wanting to purchase the sonic screwdriver was a humorous element and I also liked how he noticed that it had changed. The revelation that Billy was the creature had quite the impact and it was interesting that Mrs H had been helping him by trying to disconnect the power that the ring held over him. It was weakening and that had allowed for him to kill. Houdini was next, but the Doctor would stop that. Her setting him free was good, but I adored the ending with Houdini actually being the one to escape into the stars at the speed of thought. One last escape trick. I loved that! Mrs H getting her wishes with a younger Houdini was still harsh, but him getting to see the stars was a lovely way to end. Overall, a great little tale!

Rating: 8/10