The Monster in the Woods

"There was no such thing as a completely ordinary place."

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2017

Printed in: Tales of Terror 03

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis

In the town of New Alverton on Halloween, something that has lurked within the woods for over sixty years is ready to leave. The Doctor tracks a deadly signal, and instead of attending a Halloween party he comes face to face with his greatest enemy...

Verdict

The Monster in the Woods was an excellent adventure to continue my way through the Tales of Terror collection of short stories! I really enjoyed this one and with how things started with a trio of children ready to go on their trick or treating for Halloween, I didn't expect to find them encountering a Dalek in the woods. That image as I turned the page was unexpected but worked so well and was a perfect use of how an illustration should be used in a story of this kind. It's perhaps a little cliche to go straight for Halloween when it comes to having a story within this collection, but it was actually a lot of fun particularly with the idea of Jo being dressed up and wanting to go to a Halloween party she and the Doctor had been invited to by Miss Hawthorne! That was some nice continuity from The Daemons but the Doctor didn't show too much interest in travelling back to Devil's End for a mere party. That seemed quite typically stubborn of the Third Doctor, whose characterisation was brilliant throughout. Jo being dressed up as a cat with whiskers was quite the image and definitely something I think Katy Manning would have pulled off with a lot of fun. I could just picture Benton coming in with another costume to provide a fun and humorous moment,  which was probably a missed opportunity even in this format! The Doctor's reaction to that outfit was also a good comical moment. The use of the woods setting within the village was good and I loved the idea of the Dalek within being referred to as Starman and having a legend in the village with people historically going missing and disappearing. The Doctor picking up the signal the Dalek was sending into the Time Vortex to try and get saved was good and the Dalek realising that and wanting his greatest enemy brought to him was terrific. The concept of the Dalek being a leftover from Day of the Daleks was great and I enjoyed how Jo reacted to those events. One element of the adventure I adored was the reference to The War Games and how news of the Doctor's exile had spread with his enemies rejoicing. That was magnificent and something that could be played on a little more. The Doctor wanting to take the Dalek back to UNIT HQ was intriguing and good to play on his exile desperation. He indicated that he was willing to help the Dalek, but even Jo knew that he was after the time travel codes of the Dalek. The image of a Dalek journeying in the back of Bessie was hilarious and once we returned to UNIT, it was clear that the Dalek was no typical native of Skaro. At least, not anymore. The Dalek had developed a conscience as we saw in the woods with Ian being let go and it even saying a thank you in a kind of Dalek way by mentioning how the children's lives had been spared. For a Dalek, that was a big deal! The Dalek laughing was creepy and I loved how Jo's reaction was described. It sold a lot for that which was very beneficial. This Dalek was just a lowly trooper and it didn't even have the access to time travel codes. The Doctor wasn't too fussed with that! The Dalek now had just one purpose and that was to destroy the Doctor which would be done by self destruction. The Doctor having to literally melt the heart of the Dalek before it could obliterate itself was brilliant and made us even seem quite sorry for the Dalek! Overall, a terrific adventure. 

Rating: 9/10