Capricorn: I Was a Monster!!!

"She can taste my ecstasy."

Writer: Joseph Lidster

Format: Short Story

Released: March 2002

Printed in: Short Trips: Zodiac 10

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II

Synopsis

Take a TARDIS trip through the constellations, as the Doctor travels to twelve thrilling tales inspired by the mystical zodiac. 

Telepathic fish, miniature lions and twin planets are the least of his problems, as the Doctor – all eight of him – faces the Capricorn Killer, endures a mind swap with the Machiavellian Master, and dances with Death herself. 

And that's not the half of it – as the two K9s can attest.

Verdict

I Was a Monster!!! was a great story to continue my way through the Zodiac edition of Short Trips! This was probably the best adventure to come out of the book so far and it really is a long time coming. I’ve made no secret that my enjoyment of this collection has been varied and I’ve found everything to be pretty inconsistent. Not many have even bothered touching upon the overlapping Zodiac theme, but here we are in having the Capricorn Killer! It’s certainly that Joseph Lidster got the memo of what was required here with the collection which was terrific. I thought the focus on the unnamed murderer was really interesting and he quickly developed some rather sadistic tendencies. The format of the story in the view of both almost being a diary extract and also a fictional script scene was certainly unique and I appreciated that. It was rather refreshing and certainly gave a new perspective to this story that others in the book probably didn’t have or execute efficiently. I really liked the moment that the Capricorn Killer was bitten by the supposed Vampire and my only qualm was that we didn’t get more information on who this beautiful woman was. Is she still at large? I thought the story basically just staying with the Killer and his lust for fame was definitely intriguing and I don’t think the adventure could be any more representative of 2002. So much Big Brother! Even the day 36 extract in the story just referenced that it was inside the Big Brother house. Amusing stuff. All of the pop culture references were a nice little throwback to my childhood which provided some nice nostalgia. The killer’s annoyance with not getting to the height of fame was pretty disturbing as was the description of him killing. He was doing it for the fame now which is not the usual motive! The lines about the victim or the murderer wasting time with lipsticks or hair gel on their last day was really powerful and a stark reminder of how quickly things can end in life. The Capricorn Killer represented that perfectly. I found the internal thoughts and obsession fascinating and it almost felt like a documentary on paper! It was an incredible insight. It almost felt out of place then when the Fourth Doctor and Romana showed up for the final couple of pages. They weren’t really missed which is testament to the quality of the story but one incarnation or another needed to show up! I thought the ruthlessness of the Doctor was a bit of a surprise but with Romana present it’s impossible not to draw parallels with State of Decay and touching upon the war between Time Lords and Vampires. Romana was apologetic for the actions of the Doctor, in which he incredibly just put the spear through the killer's heart to round things out, but it was business as usual for the Time Lord! Overall, a really strong and original character piece that didn't need the Doctor or a companion at all which says everything about its quality. A great read!

Rating: 8/10