Day: March 24, 2024

The last of the three 60th anniversary specials The Giggle was novelized by James Goss from the original screenplay by Russell T Davies.

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Davies was three for three with his 60th anniversary specials, all were excellent. This novelization by Goss was very good with some nice added bits to the TV story. We learn that the house at the end of the episode was actually the Doctors purchased with some of his UNIT backpay. One aspect of the novelization I did not care for was the narrative being carried by the Toymaker in some later chapters, this took me out of the story as I did not believe the in-universe aspect. Davies is a great writer but the one thing about him that drives me crazy is the total ignoring of all the extended media. The screwup of the Doctor’s age, the pirating of Human Nature and The Star Beast and the lack of mention of the Toymaker‘s extended media appearances gives me a sense of arrogance on his part. Despite these faults we still have a 10 out of 10 for both the TV story and novelization.

Wild Blue Yonder was the second of the three 60th anniversary episodes written by Russell T Davies. This novelization was written by Mark Morris.

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The original TV story was exceptional with fantastic performances by both David Tennant and Catherine Tate. The novelization was a straight forward re-telling of the TV story which conveyed the flavor of the episode with not much added material. The scene where The Doctor and the pseudo-Donna are discussing The Flux and Timeless child was one of the best in the entire series but in-print it did not have the gravitas of the TV episode. It is hard to convey the emotions Tennant and Tate displayed with just a few looks and grimaces. One thing I did not like was Morris saying that the Doctor was a women just yesterday, this does not fit with my head canon where he could have had many adventures before meeting up with Donna. 10 out of 10 for the re-telling of this soon to be iconic tale.

Lucifer: Revelation was the fifth novel in Big Finish‘s series of Blakes 7 original novels. It was written by Avon himself Paul Darrow.

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Darrow’s writing style is straightforward and well paced. I found the story an interesting adventure with the political intrigue and mixture of thieves and assassins inherent with a Blakes 7 escapade. The novel taken as itself was a good read but I find the character of Avon without the calming effect of his co-patriots an unsavory character. The book does convey the world of Blakes 7 effectively. 7 out of 10.

The Monster in the Cupboard by Kalynn Bayron was the fifth novel published in The Decades Collection on 26 October 2023 by Puffin Books to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who. The novel represents the 2000s and features The Ninth Doctor and Rose.

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The story finds a little girl Lily whose mum and brother disappeared into her closet. It turns out there is a doorway into another reality where the evil Zeeng are kidnapping people to feed on them. Rose ends up also being taken until the Doctor can rescue her and Lily’s family. The novel was a well-paced and quick read which holds your interest throughout despite the presence of my least favorite companion Rose. There is good use of the Cardiff Rift and interesting backstory of Lily’s grandmother Miriam. 7 out of 10.