Kerblam! was the seventh episode in the Thirteenth Doctor’s first season. This Target novelization is by the writer of the episode Pete McTighe. The story features along with the Thirteenth Doctor her “Fam” Graham, Ryan and Yaz. This is one of the five Target novelization releases for 2023.
To start of I love the Thirteenth Doctor and think Jodie’s performance is spot on in her characterization. I count her as one of my three favorite Doctors ever. I also like the full TARDIS crew and always thought three members were a good dynamic. For those that say it is too many I point out that stories with less than three members invariably bring in a one off character to help carry the narrative, why not just use one of the crew? This being the first season not all three have their characters fully fleshed out but we do see them each get their due by the end of the run. Having said all of that this was not one of my favorite stories in a great season. McTighe expands the novelization with some nice back stories like the best Targets do. It makes me wonder who the strange little man Judy remembers from decades in the past is, could be Seventh Doctor? Future incarnation? The one thing that I think could have been addressed more thoroughly was the idea of artificial intelligence. Does Max have the same rights and reason to live as organic lifeforms? 7 out of 10.
