The Box Under the Tree

"Too much imagination is just asking for anarchy."

Writer: Robert Shearman

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2007

Printed in: Doctor Who Storybook 2008

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

Harry is distracted at school by a story of his own creation, but when things start getting slightly too real he needs the help of a rather skinny Santa...

Verdict

The Box Under the Tree was an excellent short story to continue my way through the 2008 Doctor Who Storybook! This was a really solid adventure from start to finish with a nice twist and just a bit of a feel good factor. I have found that a lot of the stories within the numerous Doctor Who Storybooks have been focused on individual children and the perspective for Harry here was good. I understand that approach given the primary target audience for these Storybook releases as it would be relatable for most younger fans to see a child at school and someone creating their own version of what is essentially a Doctor Who story. I thought the illustration to kick off the story with Harry's drawing of his imaginary battle between Xarantharax and Iska'lanz'rm was great and I thought the humour that came from not one but two confirmations on how to pronounce the latter was fun stuff. Because there were no phonetic instructions so for the reader I was completely ignorant of how to pronounce it. It was a complicated name so I'm glad it didn't feature too much. Harry's teacher didn't seem the nicest educator in locking his away his imaginary comic strip because it was distracting him on the actual curriculum content, but he would soon find a way to get it back as his stories came to life. I'm always a big fan of fiction becoming reality and the emergence of the Doctor and Martha in a subtle but fun way was brilliant. The Doctor was on hand to provide an explanation that really sold how talented Harry was as a storyteller and sometimes stories in one's imagination are so powerful that they break into the world of reality. That was a fun twist and it actually gave Harry a lot of power with his crayons! I thought Martha was a little out of the way in the story as a companion and her position in providing the perfume that Harry hoped to get his mum for Christmas was a nice touch but not all that useful, as it was all about the Doctor. Sure, she did provide the instructions but was a child really going to follow them when it came to entering the TARDIS? The Doctor taken on the guise of Santa Claus was amusing and I liked how he provided Harry with the TARDIS key that was soon explained by a rather large box wrapped under the tree. I liked that a lot and the idea of the TARDIS being wrapped up and humming must have been an exciting present for Harry to find in the early hours of Christmas morning! Harry being able to put two and two together regarding the box, key and instruction was terrific and I loved the imagery that accompanied the prose. It really does make a big difference and the quality on show here was magnificent. We even got to see the TARDIS in a colour other than blue! Seeing that infamous police public call box adorned in orange was peculiar but I loved the whacky nature of it. The Doctor acknowledging that the story didn't go with the whole it was all a dream thing was excellent as that would have been disappointing, and Harry just sending the warmongering races back to their own planet and time without the need for any death was admirable. The Doctor certainly approved! Overall, a really strong read! 

Rating: 9/10