The Target Storybook was
perhaps one of 2019’s most anticipated anthology releases in the line of Doctor
Who books. It was a celebration of
all the Doctors and their prose, starting way back with 1965’s Doctor Who in
an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks and the first ever novelization, the
Virgin New Adventures, the Eighth Doctor Adventures, and the trio of Thirteenth
Doctor novels released in 2018. Each
Doctor gets at least one story celebrating their era and the entirety of the
show’s history, yet not for any special anniversary of the books, 2019 doesn’t
fit with the start dates of 1965, 1973, 1991, 1997, or 2005 for any of the book
ranges. This just seems to be an anthology
for the sake of celebrating Doctor Who in prose, with writers being
chosen who have deep connections to the era, form novelists, to screenwriters,
to actors, and even fans given their shot writing for the show that they clearly
all adore, all placed in the hands of editor Steve Cole. Each story comes from a place of love and dedication
to the show, and the anthology is one that shows that each era has its ups and
downs while all making up one small part of Doctor Who as a whole.
The current Whittaker era bookends The Target Storybook
from two Series 11 writers. Up first is “Gatecrashers”
by Joy Wilkinson, set immediately after The Witchfinders. “Gatecrashers” is a locked room murder
mystery in a space pizza parlor where the Doctor, Graham, Yaz, and Ryan stumble
on a dead body. It doesn’t take long to
find the murderer, Ronan Sumners a man attempting to keep his people inside, controlling
socializing by a teleportation network a la Three’s a Crowd. This is a story where there is one real flaw
that just leaves the reader dissatisfied: the TARDIS team. This is a short story and as such having a
four person TARDIS team means that the writer has to be creative in using them
so each character feels like they serve a purpose and have a depth of
field. Wilkinson, however, does not do
this, sidelining Yaz and Ryan meaning that they have absolutely no character
while the Doctor and Graham take center stage.
They are great together, but cutting back to Yaz and Ryan still being
stuck in a room doesn’t work, especially as “Gatecrashers” is only 20 pages
long, meaning that things wrap up just as they are getting started. 6/10.
“Journey Out of Terror” takes us back to 1965’s The
Chase and another four person TARDIS team, however, Simon Guerrier’s short
story is much more resourceful than Wilkinson in effectively using each
character. This takes place after Journey
Into Terror, the fourth episode of The Chase where Vicki is captured
by the Daleks, and “Journey Out of Terror” deals with the emotional fallout of
the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara having lost a companion. This is a point in the show’s history where
the TARDIS is uncontrollable, and the Doctor is unable to actually go and
rescue them. Guerrier injects tension into
the story as the Daleks are clearly on the tale and an intentional homage to The
Rescue begins as the TARDIS lands in a comic book where Julia Jett is
waiting. She wishes to escape her existence
by travelling in the TARDIS and the Doctor is almost ready to oblige. This creates conflict in the TARDIS team as
Ian and Barbara cannot believe the Doctor is so readily willing to move on from
Vicki. Guerrier’s story is a highly
emotional one that helps build to Ian and Barbara’s eventual departure from the
TARDIS while examining just how Ian, Barbara, and the Doctor’s dynamic actually
works. 9/10
Legendary Doctor Who scribe and Target Novelist
Terrance Dicks provides “Save Yourself”, a Second Doctor story set right after The
War Games. “Save Yourself” is short,
taking place as the Doctor waits to be punished and is interfered with by an
operative of the Celestial Intervention Agency, offering him an out. Dicks sends the Second Doctor on missions for
the CIA, bringing Season 6B to the forefront, but with one final twist on the
theory that I will not spoil. The
mission of this story is the first of many chances of the Doctor to save
himself, being sent to the planet Karn where the War Lord has escaped his execution
and it is up to the Doctor to stop him from acquiring immortality through the
Sacred Flame of Karn. Bringing The
War Games and The Brain of Morbius together is an interesting
prospect, but much of the story is not concerned with exploring the world or
anything, just leading the Doctor to his eventual demise is where this story
succeeds. Dicks’ style never wanes in what
is his last story, although the revelations here may not be for everyone. It’s a fitting story to go out on and although
this is not dedicated to him, it gives one last hurrah for such an integral
writer to Doctor Who’s history.
7/10.
Environmentalist stories just seem to define the Third
Doctor’s era and Matthew Sweet’s entry into The Target Storybook, “The
Clean Air Act”, is no exception. This
story is one of those stories where the UNIT family is explored, as are many Third
Doctor short stories. Sweet’s is notable
as it does not feature the Master, lampshading this fact, with a character with
the surname Mastersson thought to be the Master, however as she is female, it
is dismissed with a joke that lands like a brick (though the image of Roger
Delgado in a female disguise is something I wouldn’t say no to seeing at some
point). The actual plot involves alien
parasites in a story that feels like a tribute to 1960s and 1970s science
fiction films like The Day of the Triffids. Jo and the Doctor are always fun to have a story
centering around them, but sadly once it gets going, the story is over far too
quickly. Sweet’s prose is worth the read
as there is a lyrical charm, making it surprising that he has never written a
full-length novel for Doctor Who. 7/10.
Newcomer Susie Day provides “Punting”, the Fourth
Doctor story for the collection, and an interesting take on Shada and The
Five Doctors. The story opens with
the scene from Shada playing out with the Doctor and Romana being taken
into the Timescoop, and continues from there as they attempt to break into The
Five Doctors’ plot while providing witty, Douglas Adams style commentary on
events and the other four incarnations of the Doctor which are present. Many of these witty comments have been echoed
by fans over the years, such as laughing as Sarah Jane is menaced by a gentle
sloping hill, or the shabby state of the Yeti, or the misunderstanding of Borusa
being evil. Day’s story is one which should
not be taken seriously, as it sets itself up from the off as a farce. This farcical nature makes the story an
incredibly jovial read, even if it’s slightly derivative of two other
stories. The derivative nature of “Punting”,
however, seems to be part of the point that Day is making about the anniversary
special and the nonsensical plot that has entertained so many audiences since
1983. Day is one newcomer who’s first
story is pure perfection, and it will be interesting to see what she continues
to do in the future. 10/10.
The biggest surprise of The Target Storybook is
that Matthew Waterhouse was chosen to represent the Fifth Doctor’s era in “The
Dark River”. Waterhouse would not strike
any Doctor Who fans as a writer, but his story, set with Adric and Nyssa
flying the TARDIS during The Visitaiton, is an excellent character study. One complaint of Adric is that he is an
insufferable know it all, though “The Dark River” allows him to be wrong as he
accidentally pilots the TARDIS to the United States of America interacting with
a runaway slave, James, whom they immediately help to get to safety by
traveling up the Mississippi River when the TARDIS is stolen by a rival Time
Lord. The rival Time Lord is an interesting
character and gives Adric and Nyssa a real view into the ineffectual nature of Time
Lord society. Adric and Nyssa as protagonists
is also incredibly interesting, as both are flawed companions and this story accentuates
their flaws. Nyssa has to learn to rely
on Adric for help while Adric has to find a way to get the TARDIS back, and think
outside of his standard intelligence to help the renegade Time Lord featured
here. Waterhouse also just knows how to
capture the reader immediately and shows that he clearly understands what
worked and what didn’t work about the character he played, being willing to
criticize his own performance through the text of the story. Tackling racism with two alien companions
also provides an interesting perspective, if limited by the nature of being a
short story with a small page count.
9/10.
Colin Baker’s “Interstitial Insecurity” is another standout
story, this time taking place in between Mindwarp and Terror of the
Vervoids, as the Doctor is picking out evidence for his trial in the Matrix. Baker offers an interesting glimpse into The
Trial of a Time Lord as he shows the reader some of the changes made by the
Valeyard to the testimony, something the Doctor claimed in Terror of the
Vervoids. Colin Baker clearly was
against the Doctor committing genocide as this implies that he genetically
altered the Vervoid pods to allow the species to grow, though not as an evil
race intent on universal domination. The
Doctor also spends much of this story in the Matrix, examining his future,
being manipulated into choosing Terror of the Vervoids, while being
shown adventures with Dr. Evelyn Smythe and Charlotte Pollard as possibilities,
giving Big Finish Productions their one big mention in this collection. Baker also clearly understands how to write
for Doctor Who, understanding just how Peri’s death breaks the Doctor
and revives a determination to route out evil in the universe, becoming
attached to a Time Lord program in the Matrix who is really only there to
help. While it is no surprise that the Valeyard
has a hand in events, Baker stays restrained in keeping him only in brief
appearances, right at the beginning and right at the end as the two stories are
bridged by “Interstitial Insecurity”. 10/10.
The Virgin New Adventures range of books is
represented here with “The Slyther of Shoreditch” by Mike Tucker, though by
using a television story, Remembrance of the Daleks, as linking
material. This is fitting as the
novelization of Remembrance of the Daleks is essentially where the VNAs
as a range started and Mike Tucker’s story adds a second element to the story’s
already vast mythos and worldbuilding.
The Daleks don’t actually appear as the premise is that a modified
Slyther from The Dalek Invasion of Earth is attempting to recover the Hand
of Omega late at night while Ace sleeps.
The Doctor, just before the café scene (you know the one), is on the
streets trying to stop it when he is first informed of the forthcoming Time War
by the same Time Lord from Genesis of the Daleks. Tucker has excellent use of the Seventh
Doctor, a Doctor who easily could have won the War given the chance, essentially
being manipulated into avoiding the War at all costs as it is implied the Time
Lords fear this incarnation of the Doctor in particular. It helps to bridge the VNAs right in with the
rest of the show and it’s a nice little intrusion into one of the best Doctor
Who stories, like many stories in this anthology, being a supplemental to
an already good story. 9/10.
Eighth Doctor Adventures range editor Steve Cole
provides “We Can’t Stop What’s Coming” where the Eighth Doctor, Fitz, and Trix
face off some evil accountants in a scathing satire of bureaucracy which ends
in a paradox. Like many of the Eighth
Doctor Adventures novels, the big plus here is the Eighth Doctor and Fitz’s
relationship being stunning as the characters have this brilliant repartee and
while Trix is not a character I am familiar with, her first impressions here
makes for an exciting time as this is set right near the end of the Eighth
Doctor Adventures line. Fitz’s
appearance in particular is a welcome one as he is the only book exclusive
companion with Bernice Summerfield to really have transcended the book range he
is a part of, even if he never got a spin-off series like Benny. Cole’s prose is also suited to the short
story format, making “We Can’t Stop What’s Coming” a nice little glimpse into a
long dead range of Doctor Who novels that may make new readers come to try
it out. 8/10.
Engines of War
author George Mann provides “Decoy” for the War Doctor in The Target Storybook,
taking readers straight into the Last Great Time War where Rassilon has made an
Auton duplicate of the Doctor in an attempt to end the War, as the title
suggests, as a decoy to end the Daleks.
The Time War as a setting is not that interesting here, as it amounts to
the cliché Daleks and Time Lords shooting each other, and not the Lovecraftian
horror a Time War implies. The story also
does not succeed in showing the War Doctor as anything other than the other
incarnations of the Doctor, something made such a big deal of that should be explored. It is not a bad story by any means: Mann’s
prose is enjoyable and it is an incredibly easy to read as the Doctor has some
fury against Rassilon. The interactions
between the Doctor and Rassilon are where “Decoy” succeeds as Rassilon is a
desperate man attempting to end the War at any cost, even if that doesn’t actually
mean changing history. The final decoy
of the story is also a surprising little twist that on reread is set up rather
nicely in the end, though this one is not one that deepens the War Doctor as a
character. 7/10.
Una McCormack’s poignant “Grounded” represents the Ninth
Doctor’s era in an interesting way. This
is a story that doesn’t feature the Doctor in any capacity, instead focusing on
Clive Finch, the man in Rose whom Rose sees to learn about the Doctor
and gets killed by the Autons at the climax as New Who’s first real casualty. “Grounded” explores Clive’s relationship to one
of his sons who is grounded for breaking a neighbor’s window with a football,
while his mother and other brother go out for the day. Ben Finch is an interesting narrator as McCormack
perfectly captures the voice of a child and once again there is a poignant
twist as it is revealed that this story is relayed after the events of Rose. The entire point of “Grounded” is to show
just how Clive is a good father, despite his eccentricities in finding aliens
in the world and his unending search for the Doctor. He comforts his son and brings him along on
an expedition to a place where a genuine alien crashed and they end up helping the
creature get back to its spacecraft and leave the Earth quietly. It’s melancholic as a story and that is just what
McCormack needed to do with this particular character at this particular time.
8/10.
The Target Storybook
this far hasn’t had a bad story, but “The Turning of the Tide”, by far the longest
story in the collection, is the weakest.
It follows Rose Tyler in her parallel universe with Corin, the name she
gives to the Meta-Crisis Tenth Doctor.
The plot of the story is serviceable: Jenny T. Colgan brings in an alien
invasion which has been going through parallel universes for business opportunities
which could be fun, but Corin and Rose’s relationship, which is the main thrust
of the story is where things fall apart.
Colgan writes Rose with introspection on how Corin doesn’t actually
count as the Doctor and the inner turmoil would be nice, but she is also
pregnant with his child. The issue here
is that there is no implication that Colgan understands how messed up of a
situation this is and how the introspection must have happened before
this. Also they’ve been living together,
but Colgan writes it as if they’ve just gotten back to their universe which doesn’t
feel right. Add that to the fact that
Corin is just the worst aspects of the Tenth Doctor with little of David
Tennant’s charm, “The Turning of the Tide” is a story that just loses the
reader quickly. 3/10.
The quality then immediately increases with Jacqueline
Rayner’s critique of the Moffat and Chibnall era’s “Citation Needed”. “Citation Needed” is told as entries in the Encyclopedia
Gallifreya, essentially a chronicling in the TARDIS library of the Doctor’s
time stream, while the Thirteenth Doctor and company are making themselves
breakfast. Rayner takes the time to take
jabs at Clara, the Meta-Crisis Doctor, the War Doctor, and the current era, much
like Day coming from a place of love. The
entire point of the story is all about poking fun at obsessive continuity and
just letting those who enjoy stories enjoy those stories, continuity be damned. Rayner is the perfect writer to do this as
she has written for many Doctors in many eras and clearly loves writing. The non-traditional storytelling is also one
thing that sets this story out as the rest of the entries are generally written
traditionally, while Rayner here writes as if this is a series of encyclopedia
entries. It’s a breath of fresh air just
for how different it is. 8/10.
Bill, Missy, and Nardole are the stars of new writer
Beverly Sanford’s “Pain Management” which is also an examination of an aspect
of the Moffat era. This story is one
where Missy’s turn to the side of good is examined, and parodied as the Twelfth
Doctor lets her out of the vault on a day trip, falls asleep, and she attempts
to cure humanity of the flu by turning them into zombies. Yeah, Missy’s plan doesn’t quite make sense
which is fine as it fits into Michelle Gomez’s portrayal of the character,
which is lovingly imitated here, and Bill and Nardole’s inability to stop her
is also excellent. Sanford writes a
story straight out of Series 10, showing just what worked about that particular
series and made Moffat’s last such a good one.
7/10.
Finally is Vinay Patel’s bookend “Letters from the
Front” which is a reflection on Demons of the Punjab and a story that
does must be read to be understood.
Patel plays around with Prem, showing his time as a soldier, drawing on
the history of the era and genuinely ending this book on a high note, though
one that does not connect to any Doctor in particular. 9/10.
Overall, Steve Cole has curated an excellent
collection of short stories celebrating Doctor Who prose with only one
falling short. This comes highly recommended
to old fans and new as it is a nice primer to what each Doctor’s era is like in
prose format and beckons you to read more.
7.8/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment