Josephine and the Argonauts

"See the reality of the myths for yourselves!"

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Novel

Released: August 2023

Series: BBC Books Special 08

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis

It was a kind of portal – a portal into the myths of the ancient world...

Everyone knows the Doctor loves museums (it's his way of keeping score). 

But when Jo Grant and the Doctor visit the British Museum in London, they might have got more than they bargained for.

A mysterious object is revealed, which grants those who touch it strange visions of Greek Myths. Gods, warriors and monsters are contained within this object – the MythoScope.

But there is something sinister at play. A powerful influence seems to be controlling the MythoScope... mastering it.

Jo and the Doctor must bargain with Zeus, battle the undead and journey to the ends of the Earth, where only an object of wondrous power can save the MythoScope from total destruction. 

Verdict

Josephine and the Argonauts was a great read! I thought this was another very strong instalment in Puffin's range of putting a Doctor Who take on a classic tale. I must admit I'm not all that familiar with the story of Jason and the Argonauts but I immediately loved the take on the title with Jo taking the title role. I thought she embraced that brilliantly and the Doctor's reaction to Zeus naming her as the Argo's captain was tremendous. He couldn't believe it! I liked that the story provided a really strong rationale for putting the Doctor and Jo into a mythical realm and the MythoScope was a fascinating concept. It was essentially a mythical version of Carnival of Monsters in the end and I liked that we referenced that serial given the experiences of this Doctor and Jo. I thought the Brigadier was quite humorous in his reaction to Professor Green operating the machine and coming back to UNIT HQ on numerous occasions to try and get the Doctor and Jo out. I did think there were a couple of chapters too many finishing in the same way with some characters getting dragged into the MythoScope, especially when we knew that the Doctor and Jo would end up there. I liked that they got there eventually though and the meeting with the Master in the guise of King Aeetes was magnificent. I hadn't read the synopsis prior to reading so for me this was a big surprise and certainly a welcomed one! I always do suspect that he could show up in a Third Doctor era story, but it was still a delight to have him there. His presence at Colchis was enough alone for a good hundred pages or so without him actually doing much and that's the sign of an impressive villain. The Doctor and Jo just talking of him and his presence in meddling with the mythical world causing it to collapse was enough. Jo doing her own good was also unknowingly causing issues with the realm so even if she wanted to change things to do with the myths, she really ought not to. I thought it was fun to have Jo being guided in her mind buy Queen Hera, and that happenstance was not known to Zeus himself! He was initially only shown to the Doctor and Jo on a television screen which led me to think he wouldn't actually feature physically, but alas he did and it was fun to see how much he irritated the Doctor with his calm demeanour. Especially when he wasn't all that bothered in helping them return to the real world. Jo trying to understand and even rationale with the Doctor about the people of the MythoScope actually being real was a powerful element of what was a pretty lighthearted book for the most part. I thought PC Mann was fun in becoming a ship maker called Argus and had a new wife now so he didn't want to return back to his life as a copper. I couldn't really blame him! Wanda actually choosing to return home to write more controversial books after her experiences as a queen was fun though, and she'd had a rough time of it with the Master as her husband! The Master being caught up on power was incredible to see and so much so that it brought about his downfall rather emphatically. He was crazed and I wonder if this was hinting at him becoming the maniacal being we saw in The Deadly Assassin? He was engrossed in the potential of taking mythical power into the real world. The Golden Fleece was something, but absolute power was another. I thought the exploration throughout the mythical realm on board the Argo perhaps went a little too long but there were some familiar frights with the likes of sirens and Medusa. The coming of Circe at the end was a little bit of an easy way to send everyone back to normality whilst the mythical beings went back to their own dimension. Might they really be existing in another reality? I liked that ambiguous potential. Overall, a really strong and just fun read! It was lighthearted and easy, and that just works well. 

Rating: 8/10