The 2011 reprint edition
In an era before VHS and DVDs, these short paperbacks were often the only way to revisit or experience previously televised Doctor Who serials. I began reading the Target books in 1974 with the first release, Doctor Who and The Auton Invasion and remained a faithful fan until the late Eighties and the end of the classic series.
I'm probably going to promote them in school after the holidays. However, none of the new books have gone on sale up here yet, so I'm going to talk about a trio of Who hardbacks and some of the significant women in the Doctor's life in print.
I can't quite fathom how I forgot to review Doctor Who and The Krikkitmen, which I bought in Aberdeen, just before Xmas. I've checked my posts and I can't find a reference to it. Anyway, it's the third adaptation of a Douglas Adams story by writer James Goss ( whose name will feature again in this post and the next one).
Some elements of Adams' seventies Dr. Who film treatment already appeared in the 1982 novel, Life ,The Universe and Everything. I remember being puzzled at the time since it wasn't part of the first or second radio series.
Three years ago, I enjoyed Goss's adaptation of 1979's City of Death enormously and The Pirate Planet somewhat less so. This rambling cosmic quest which comprises 42 chapters, of course, is a bit more shapeless than its predecessors but it made me laugh out loud ( p.398- Sarah Jane Smith's mid-life crisis). It's a witty, charming prog-rock romp through the galaxies with Romana and the Doctor in an exciting adventure with outer space cricket people. 9/10 Talmars.
The female incarnation of the Master was possibly the most successful creation of Peter Capaldi's rather brief era: " No, I've not turned guid!" February's The Missy Chronicles contains six short stories and my favourite , Dismemberment by James Goss ( see?) features the death of Boris Johnson, sort of. "Silly Bobo!" Jac Rayner's Girl Power is a highly amusing series of text messages between Nardole and the Doctor. Paul Magrs examines Missy's fictional progenitor in the whimsical Teddy Sparkles Must Die! a parody of a famous nanny and her magical adventures.
There are further ( slightly less engaging) exploits of the villainous Time Lady on secret missions for the Time Lords, in plague-ridden Venice and on the Mondasian worldship which was the scene of Missy's last hurrah. Personally, I'm hoping for a Big Finish box set of Missy-demeanours (yes, they can use that) 7/10 Talmars
Finally for today- lots on, so uncharacteristically brief!- we have a book published on International Women's Day in March. The Day She Saved The Doctor features four individual adventures for Sarah Jane Smith, Rose Tyler, Clara Oswald and Bill Potts. Each one is penned by a different female author. Susan Calman's Clara and the Maze of Cui Palta gained some media attention for the comedian and Strictly Come Dancing contestant, who would make a good replacement for Jodie Whittaker, somewhere down the line.
Jac Rayner touches cleverly on Sarah's fear of blindness in her mystical adventure in Ancient Rome. I'm afraid, however, that I found Rose's timey-wimey journey from Toronto in 2005 to 19th Century Russia very bland. Also, Bill's encounter with a stranded alien named Ziggy(!) might've been more resonant with groovy Jo Grant. However, there is a guest appearance from Lou, the girl Bill "fatted" in The Pilot and more Potts is always welcome. A pretty cover by Kelly Wagner is the best thing, really, about this unmemorable quartet of stories 2/10 Talmars
Next time, we'll look at some of the recent audio adventures of the women of Doctor Who.
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