Doctor Who: Legends of Ashildr
by James Goss, David Llewellyn, Jenny T. Colgan & Justin Richards (BBC, 2015)
A shameless, mostly unreadable cash-in. Of the four stories in this collection, only Colgan’s could claim anything like independent worth. In the other tales, Ashildr is either unrecognisable (Goss), superfluous (Llewellyn), or bland (Richards). Uninspiring narratives that fritter away Ashildr’s unique potential.
Doctor Who: Forever Fallen
by Joshua Wanisko; audiobook read by Nicholas Briggs (Big Finish, 2016)
A nicely low-key story exploring one of Doctor Who’s great untapped questions: what would happen if the villain just stopped when given the chance to rethink his megalomaniacal scheme? Between them, Wanisko and Briggs capture some of the Seventh Doctor’s melancholic brooding.
Doctor Who: Match of the Day
by Chris Boucher (BBC Books, 2005)
Anyone considering this novel should take note that its strength lies entirely in the journey, not the destination. Boucher, who created the companion Leela, develops her (and the Doctor) with charming authenticity, but the scenario nosedives into a rushed, barely coherent ending.
Doctor Who: The Romans
by Donald Cotton (Target, 1987)
Without reference to the televised serial, this odd and irreverent epistolary novelisation comes across as something of a fever dream. Even in context, it takes liberties in elevating and expanding upon the plot’s farcical elements. Nonetheless, a funny and uncommonly erudite read.
Doctor Who: Dark Eyes
by Nicholas Briggs (Big Finish, 2012)
A nicely focussed runabout (if such can exist), the epic threads of which are held together by the strong dynamic between Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor and new companion Molly O’Sullivan. On a down note, the Doctor has little say in the outcome.
Class, Series 1
by Patrick Ness (BBC, 2016)
A Doctor Who spinoff in name only. This appropriation of Coal Hill School carries an oppressive, bleak atmosphere, and far too much teenage angst to sit well (especially sans all but the occasional sardonic quip for comic relief). Nevertheless, a worthwhile experiment.
Beast of Fang Rock
by Andy Frankham-Allen (Candy Jar Books, 2015)
Workmanlike at best, Frankham-Allen weaves a convoluted story around Doctor Who’s favourite lighthouse (cf. ‘The Horror of Fang Rock’), sending Lethbridge-Stewart and Anne Travers into a paradox that may have seemed diverting in the planning stages but falls flat in the telling.
Doctor Who: Corpse Marker
by Chris Boucher (BBC, 1999); audiobook read by David Collings (BBC, 2015)
Back in the late 1970s Chris Boucher established the character of Leela, wrote the classic Doctor Who story The Robots of Death, and script-edited Blake’s 7. Little surprise, then, that his robots sequel Corpse Marker showcases the better qualities of all three.
Doctor Who: The Stone Rose
by Jacqueline Rayner (BBC, 2006); abridged audiobook read by David Tennant (BBC Audio, 2006)
David Tennant’s narration goes some way towards saving this novel, but for all his exuberance the plot remains structured around obtuse main characters and a pantheon of dei ex machina. (Additionally, the Doctor’s escapades at the Flavian Amphitheatre form a new nadir.)
Doctor Who: The Ribos Operation
by Ian Marter (Target, 1979); audiobook read by John Leeson (Chivers, 2011)
As a TV serial ‘The Ribos Operation’ is respected for its production values, script and performances. As a novelisation it becomes saggy and tedious. Wholehearted writer Ian Marter assiduously seizes every conceivable opportunity to unerringly inject knee-hammer adjectives and slavishly conceived adverbs.