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A review by ianbanks
Doctor Who: The Target Storybook by Terrance Dicks, Matthew Sweet, Simon Guerrier
3.0
I went in to this with only average expectations: not many of the authors included have short story credentials - it’s a form that is very different to a novel or a script - and I was expecting a range of competent but slightly clunky tales.
I was wrong: each is well done and carries a spark of originality to the p,it but on the whole I was still a little underwhelmed. There’s a few genuine surprises here: Jenny Colgan gives us a genuinely striking take on the Metacrisis Doctor but flubs the landing with a bit of a naff ending. However, her portrait of a Doctor coming to grips with his new humanity is really interesting. Colin Baker gives us a glimpse of just why his Doctor picked that story for his defence when he was on trial. But a lot of the rest give us twist endings or glimpses of life between/ during stories that, while interesting, don’t really scream out as being essential reading. I will make an exception for Una McCormack’s Grounded which is a wonderful glimpse into the life of a supporting character I really wanted to know a bit more about.
The worst thing I can say about it is that these stories are, in the main, slight. They’re pleasant and fun. The volume as a whole reminded me most of the Dragonlance Tales series from the late 80s wherein some guest authors got to play with characters and settings that were familiar to the reader. Unfortunately, like this book, those stories also fell down fan rabbit holes and didn’t really add anything or provide a lot of insight to the original stories.
But if it’s a pleasant yarn or a distraction or an escape you’re after, these definitely fit the bill. And the Nardole.
I was wrong: each is well done and carries a spark of originality to the p,it but on the whole I was still a little underwhelmed. There’s a few genuine surprises here: Jenny Colgan gives us a genuinely striking take on the Metacrisis Doctor but flubs the landing with a bit of a naff ending. However, her portrait of a Doctor coming to grips with his new humanity is really interesting. Colin Baker gives us a glimpse of just why his Doctor picked that story for his defence when he was on trial. But a lot of the rest give us twist endings or glimpses of life between/ during stories that, while interesting, don’t really scream out as being essential reading. I will make an exception for Una McCormack’s Grounded which is a wonderful glimpse into the life of a supporting character I really wanted to know a bit more about.
The worst thing I can say about it is that these stories are, in the main, slight. They’re pleasant and fun. The volume as a whole reminded me most of the Dragonlance Tales series from the late 80s wherein some guest authors got to play with characters and settings that were familiar to the reader. Unfortunately, like this book, those stories also fell down fan rabbit holes and didn’t really add anything or provide a lot of insight to the original stories.
But if it’s a pleasant yarn or a distraction or an escape you’re after, these definitely fit the bill. And the Nardole.