A collection of ten Doctor Who stories with each one taking place on a different celestial body within Earth’s solar system.
A collection of ten Doctor Who stories with each one taking place on a different celestial body within Earth’s solar system.
SHORT TRIPS: THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Gary Russell’s first short story anthology featured the strongest linking theme to date: the repercussions of the Doctor’s actions throughout time. The Solar System’s central premise is much simpler: each story takes place on one of our solar system’s ten planets. Some great names in this collection — could Big Finish rebound after the poor A Day in the Life?
Mercury — Eddie Robson — Lots of great ideas on display in what serves as a very strong concept piece. I love the mobile dome, and the Mercurials are fine examples of “monsters” that appear frightening but turn out to be much more sophisticated. Robson’s best Doctor Who story to date.
Venus — Stuart Manning — It’s very traditional at the start, with unusual characters and the Doctor and Charley trying to fit into a group that simply isn’t designed to include them. But it all turns tragic at the end, and the Doctor’s decision not to interfere is beautiful. Heck, it even makes Charley sympathetic. “Do you think you’ll ever stop dreaming?” — one of the best lines in any of these anthologies. Stellar debut by Manning.
Earth — Jim Mortimore — Ridiculously high-concept, with planets dying and the Doctor caught in the middle of everything? And it’s brilliant as well? That’ll be a Mortimore story. The narrator is delightful, and using Tom Baker as the Doctor is a masterstroke — and the ants are beautiful creations. Sure, it conflicts directly with The End of the World, but who cares? Another hit.
Mars — Trevor Baxendale — We’ve seen stories like this a thousand times before, stories in which two different people, marooned in a wasteland, come to care for and protect one another. The key, then, is nailing the characterization — and Baxendale does this, providing a great story for Steven. The scenes with the Doctor and Vicki almost seem extraneous.
Jupiter — Andy Russell — The multi-national crew is a bit much, but otherwise this is a fine offering. Norma’s suffering is totally believable, and her reunion with her husband is touching. Ending it with a telepathic fist-fight seems somewhat crude, but Russell makes it work.
Saturn — Alison Lawson — Loss seems to be a central theme of these stories, as here Nyssa’s lost family is brought home by her encounter with a society that rejects families as a concept. I originally thought the Doctor’s irreverent behavior jarred with the story, but it works — he’s trying to fix what he perceives as a problem without stopping to consider the emotional consequences. This is everything Catch-1782 should have been. On Saturn.
Uranus — Craig Hinton — Hinton’s first short story since the Decalog days, and that’s a shame, considering just how good this is. He has a deceptively easy prose style that perfectly captures the feeling of Season 24 — there’s melodrama, there’s pathos, there’s a great deal of humor — and it’s all the better for it. One of the two best in the collection.
Neptune — Richard Dinnick — Another new author to the range, and some more great concepts on display. I’m not sure if the Siccati originally come from Dinnick or Andy Frankham’s companion piece, but alien artistry isn’t something commonly seen in Doctor Who and it’s refreshing. The regulars are note-perfect — I love the ending, which seems abrupt until you realize you’re being allowed to work it out right along with Sarah. Thumbs up.
Pluto — Dale Smith — Heritage is my favorite PDA, so I might be a bit biased, but this is exceptional. It’s bleak, and the atmosphere is positively oppressive at times, but this gives way to an ultimate sense of hope. The story takes the delicate relationship of the new second Doctor and his companions and shows how it came together, giving Ben and Polly believable new dimensions in the process. The second of the two best in the collection.
Sedna — Andy Frankham — I see now why Frankham likes to use Jeremy when nobody else does: he recognizes that the character really is useless, but endearing nonetheless. Hence, it’s easy to use him to show up Pertwee as an arrogant old blowhard, which amused me to no end. A fine end to the collection, and a great companion piece to “Neptune.”
Every story in this collection is above-average or better, and it deserves to stand with the classic anthologies. Highly recommended — this is the sort of thing we should be getting more often in a time when good Doctor Who prose is rapidly becoming endangered.