The Angel of Redemption by Nikita Gill was the sixth book in the Decades Collection which was published in 2023 to celebrate the programs 60th anniversary. The book was written mainly as poetry with a few prose pages as an epilog.
The book follows the Weeping Angel that was responsible for sending Amy and Rory back to 1930s New York City at the end of the TV story The Angels Take Manhattan. The format makes for an easy and fast read as we follow the Angel as she begins to feel the loneliness as one of the last of her kind. She follows the trail of the Doctor in her search for redemption. The unique story telling style in the form of an epic poem makes for an interesting change of pace and we get some insight into the Angels as a species. 7 out of 10.
There were text pieces and faux newspaper in-universe pages interspersed with the comic strips
The works of Gerry Anderson tie into Doctor Who with the Second Doctor novel The Indestructible Man. There are a number of Lady Penelope strips at the beginning of the volume that give the origin of Parker and Lady Penelope’s recruitment by Jeff Tracy as a Thunderbirds agent. There is one strip about an African leader who needs a heart operation but some Masai tribesmen kidnap the surgeon. The strip has some very unfortunate 1960’s style racism that is off-putting but the rest of the strips are well illustrated and interesting. Even though some of this material is upsetting it is nice that it is reproduced as a product of its time. 7 out of 10.
Doctor Who The Complete History was a series of hardback volumes which came out every two weeks and covered 3-4 stories each. These were in-depth volumes covering the production of each episode from the first in 1963 to the end of the Peter Capaldi era of the show. In addition to the extensive production notes there were also merchandise and publicity updates and actor profiles. The quality of each volume was exceptional overseen by several different editors. The volumes were only available in the UK and Ireland so were difficult to obtain in other locations. I am more of a Watsonian fan but if you are a Doyalist you will greatly appreciate these books. Even so I give the entire series a solid 8 out of 10. I will rate each episode covered below.
The Phillip Hinchcliff era of Doctor Who is considered by many to be pinnacle of Tom Baker’s tenure and of the series itself. After a brief flirtation with The Third Doctor in 1976 my local PBS station began stripping Baker’s first four seasons Monday through Friday at 7:00 PM. We also could receive the PBS station from nearby New Hampshire and they were running the same four seasons at 7:30 PM. I must have watched every episode of these four seasons a dozen times during my high school and college years.
Genesis of the Daleks is a great story combining a Nazi allegory, mutant results of a generational war and horrific war-torn landscapes into an exciting adventure. Terry Nation with just a little push developed the Daleks into truly frightening menace and created one of the icons of the program in Davros. Michael Wisher‘s performance is exceptional and his maniacal reaction to the Doctor’s hypothetical virus scenario is one of the most memorable in the entire series. Great performances by Marter, Sladen and Baker combine with great character actors like Peter Miles, Dennis Chinnery and Guy Siner light up the screen. 10 out of 10.
Revenge of the Cybermen sees the return of the metal cyborgs for the first time since the Second Doctor adventure The Invasion. The first half of the story with the Doctor, Harry and Sarah returning to Nerva Beacon and encountering what appears to be a disease outbreak is very good. The story loses some steam when the Planet of Gold Voga and the Cybermen come into play. We do get the classic line “Harry Sullivan is an imbecile” during this story 7 out of 10.
Doctor Who The Complete History was a series of hardback volumes which came out every two weeks and covered 3-4 stories each. These were in-depth volumes covering the production of each episode from the first in 1963 to the end of the Peter Capaldi era of the show. In addition to the extensive production notes there were also merchandise and publicity updates and actor profiles. The quality of each volume was exceptional overseen by several different editors. The volumes were only available in the UK and Ireland so were difficult to obtain in other locations. I am more of a Watsonian fan but if you are a Doyalist you will greatly appreciate these books. Even so I give the entire series a solid 8 out of 10. I will rate each episode covered below.
A great trio of stories in this volume of The Complete History. The Three Doctors was the first celebration of the shows history which will be repeated every 10 years from this moment on. It was great seeing the first three Doctors together in one adventure. As a young Whovian in Massachusetts during the 1970s and early 80s it was my first experience with the First and Second Doctors outside of the Target Book novelizations. It was nice seeing the Brigadier finally getting into the TARDIS and the interaction between Two and Three set the tone for all future meetups of incarnations. The story itself was serviceable if not spectacular but was sufficient to carry the narrative and provide a framework for the Doctors meeting. The beginning of the historical foundations of the Time Lord society was also set into place. 9 out of 10.
Carnival of Monsters is a highly regarded story by fandom. I found the story solid but the OTT characters of Vorg and Shirna were not favorites of mine. The miniscope adventures with the SS Bernice was well realized and it was nice seeing Ian Marter in a pre-Harry Sullivan role. The Drashig was a nice creature antagonist. 7.5 out of 10.
Roger Delgado’s last appearance as the Master
Frontier in Space is my favorite Third Doctor story. The Draconians are a criminally under utilized alien race on the television, thankfully they have been expanded on in the extended media. The Draconians, much like the Ice Warriors, are both precursors to what the Star Trek franchise did with the rehabilitated Klingons in Star Trek the Next Generation. The political intrigue with the Humans and Draconians create an interesting dynamic to the story. Vera Fusek is wonderful as the Human President combining a competency in her job with a smoldering sensuality. Roger Delgado sadly makes his final appearance as the Master due to his tragic early death in a car accident. There are a myriad of chase and capture scenes that are a bit much keeping the story from earning a 10. 9 out of 10.
This was a great book, one of the best of the New Adventures. Just to get it out of the way one of the only things I did not like was the format of the book itself. The book is divided into long sections not chapters which do not provide convenient stopping points. The other problem is that their are so many narrative threads that when you get into the plot it switches to another thread which can either halt or build the tension generated depending on your mindset. These points are very minor when it comes to the book as a whole. The Silurian world 20 years after the death of the Third Doctor and the conquest of the planet is dramatically and visually strikingly brought to life with Mortimore’s descriptions. It is interesting seeing how the characters you know so well have been warped by their experiences in this world. Benton especially is realized well with his loyalty to the Brigadier heightened to an extreme at the expense of all else. The Brigadier without the influence of the Doctor has reverted to a single minded military stereotype. The only character who has remained grounded is Liz with a steadfast humanity shining through. I would have preferred a parallel Earth explanation conclusion to the ending of the novel instead of the confusing alternate time line but that is a minor point. 9 out of 10.
