The Iron Circle

"It's not every day you see a pylon going for a walk."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Short Story

Released: August 2007

Printed in: Doctor Who Storybook 2008

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

With the TARDIS drawn to 1973 Isle of Wight, the Doctor and Martha encounter a rather unique metallic monster.

Verdict

The Iron Circle was a decent little story to continue my reading through the 2008 Doctor Who Storybook. It's quite crazy to me that I still haven't completed my way through all of the content from this era but given the boom and success of the first Russell T Davies era, there was just so much released! There's so much to cover and whilst I will certainly get there eventually, it's always fun to dip back into the era and time. This was where I became a Doctor Who fan during Series 3 being broadcast and I've actually had this book in my collection probably since it was released. I've held onto it for an awful long time to ensure the story content is blogged and covered, and it's better late than never! One thing I noticed right away about the story that I perhaps wasn't wholly on board with was the style of illustration. I'm not sure on the technical term when it comes to the artwork but this looked a little blocky and clunky. I'm not sure the actual colouring was best presented as it was either and whilst I know technology in that regard has advanced exponentially since 2007, this felt like some bad printing. It might have just been a publishing issue rather than the artist, but this felt like a bad bit of computer art in places which is a shame. I thought the choice of illustrations for the most part was good in giving us a visual representation of a rather whacky adventure, but I don't know why these kind of stories persist in presenting an image of the Doctor and companion inside the TARDIS console room. We see that almost every episode on screen so we don't need it in prose either. I thought the concept at the heart of the story was a decent one in having a creature drawing a circle and then consuming and absorbing all of the metal within. Of course, with what is certainly a younger target audience for these kind of releases, it was given a little bit of a childish interpretation with the focus on schoolchild Ben. He was fine and I liked his exasperation at being sent home from school for damage caused by his wristwatch that had decided upon itself to unstrap and smash out of the window. I mean that is what happened but obviously nobody is going to believe that! Especially not teachers and parents. Are there any less trusting people on the planet? One thing I don't quite understand though is why just the watch from Ben's wrist was subjected to being sent on its way to the metal creature. That can't have been the only item within the schoolroom? Also, I think one element of the story that knocked a mark off the rating was the lack of explanation for the watch ending up in the TARDIS console room. The TARDIS itself being drawn to 1973 was good and I liked how even it was subjected to the pull of the metallic creature, but the link needed to be a bit more at the forefront for my liking. I thought the concept of a walking pylon was quite entertaining for the younger audience, although the illustration looked a bit too comedic. I mean on paper that could be rather scary, but when the metal conglomeration of a creature was all put together it just looked a tad ridiculous. It had the giant ghost vibes from Ghostbusters. It didn't quite work. I thought the ending was a little bit of a let down as it just seems a bit rubbish when the Doctor gets the opposition to just set up and go. It feels anticlimactic and that the Doctor didn't really do much. Overall, a fun idea and some decent ideas. A worthy read nonetheless. Kudos to the Isle of Wight setting as well! 

Rating: 6/10