With the Short Trips book range winding down, Big Finish published its twenty-seventh volume – and fourth Christmas edition – “Christmas Around the World,” an anthology themed after Christmas celebrations by different cultures and places. As usual, all eight Doctors are well represented by a diverse group of authors, but do the stories form an even more cohesive whole?
Planet of the Elves – John Binns – The plot isn’t fleshed out very well at all, but the story is redeemed by the author’s work with the regular characters. We don’t get to see much of the Doctor and Adric together, for obvious reasons, but the way that Adric idolizes the Time Lord is quite apparent here, not to mention rather endearing.
Exclave – Joff Brown – It’s a kung fu story at heart, though the philosophizing at its center makes it something more. Platinum Dragon is interesting, too. But the climax consists mostly of the Doctor yelling encouragement, and Peri has absolutely nothing to do in the story. Solid, unmemorable.
A Visit from Saint Nicholas – Lisa Miles – I don’t get it. It’s literally nothing more than a prose retelling of the Clement C. Moore poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” down to the title of the story and the author as main character. Oh, and the third Doctor and Sarah are hanging around outside and meet Santa Claus. The word “obvious” doesn’t begin to describe it.
Instead of You – Laurence Donaghy – I’m already saying this quite a bit, but there’s nothing thought-provoking here – but the author’s capturing of Ace is fantastic. It’s the same wonderful combination of teenage rebellion, surprising sympathy, and frustration that the character represented at her best, and with the Doctor working his usual magic off-camera, it’s a great story overall for the companion.
Christmas Every Day – Jason Arnopp – Generally, I’m not a fan of needless, unusual speech patterns for alien races, but that’s really my only complaint here. I love the idea of Tom Baker dressed as Santa, and the ending is surprisingly downbeat for a story otherwise so darkly humorous. Good stuff.
Mirth, and Walking Spirits – Gareth Wigmore – Probably the first story in the anthology to capture a joyful Christmas spirit, and Wigmore selects the perfect TARDIS team for it in Troughton, Jamie, and Zoe. It’s a nice ghost story with a sensible explanation and a solid emotional core. Best story so far.
Do You Smell Carrots? – Simon Guerrier – It starts with the first Doctor hanging out of a helicopter and shooting a hose at a giant alien insect, which is awesome in every conceivable way. But then it segues into a wonderful, heartfelt little story about living, lonely snowmen, and a perfect appearance by the fifth Doctor at the end. Thumbs way up.
The Doctor’s Cross Word – JJ Secker – Easily the most high-concept story in the anthology, this involves the Doctor forced to solve a giant space crossword, drawing inspiration from a recent meeting with the lost fourth member of the Biblical Magi. The solution to the final puzzle is inventive, too. A great example of wordplay and certainly worth reading – we haven’t seen much like this in the Short Trips books.
Dateline to Deadline – Ian Farrington – You don’t see many stories that present Pertwee’s Doctor from an outsider’s perspective, but this story demonstrates why that’s a shame: his natural authority and grace coupled with his tendency to patronize make him as alien as his fellows. That the story itself is nothing new is fine – I’m predisposed to like stories told from this perspective and this is no different.
Autaia Pipipi Pia – Beverley Allen – Drunken aliens accidentally start grinding humans up into Christmas stew? Why not! I like that the story is based around a genuine misunderstanding, and that – despite the gruesome subject matter – the tone is kept light and the Doctor’s solution isn’t anything more than some talking and some behind-the-scenes manipulation.
No Room – Rebecca Levene – The title – and the last line – is a clue that this is a peculiar Doctor Who take on a Nativity-type scene. The general tolerance shown all around is refreshing, if unrealistic, and Levene (expectedly) gives the affair a very NA-like feel. Good to see Cwej back in a Doctor Who story, too.
Interesting Times – Eddie Robson – Can’t think of any other Doctor Who stories set in the Vietnam War off the top of my head, so this provides interesting reading for that reason alone. It’s also nice to see an author remember that Sarah is a journalist. And like that war, the story ends helplessly, with everyone suffering, and no clear understanding of why it was necessary. Another great effort from Robson.
Revellers of Doom – Matthew Griffiths – A great title gives way to an amusing story that never quite seems to get its tone right. The office party setting is fun enough, but I’m not sure that the supervillain-like underground lair setting entirely works. I usually don’t punt on reviews like this but something here is off – but I enjoyed the story nonetheless, and I like seeing Evelyn in prose stories.
Lost and Founded – Andrew Pidoux – I like the perspective of the tall man, and I love the Doctor’s discomfort at Jo’s skimpy bikini. However, this seems strangely out of character for Pertwee – of all the Doctors, he strikes me as the least likely to go looking for mystery in a tranquil setting, and his badgering of his companion in this regard seemed odd as well.
The Best of Days – David Cromarty – Rather than a Christmas story, this revolves around an ancient Roman Saturnalia, but the idea of a holiday celebration is essentially the same. Again, the Doctor is kept largely “off-camera,” while we see things from Ace’s perspective. I’ve seen the idea of Roman gods as living creatures before, and Cromarty does convincing work with it.
Conscription – William Potter – Not sure about the Doctor and Sarah being chased through the jungle by stereotypical wild-haired, arrow-wielding, cannibalistic natives, but I do like the idea of alien armor taking possession of the local fauna. Standard adventure-comic stuff for the most part, but the final paragraph about the alien crawfish is a winner.
Christmas in Toronto – Andrew Cartmel – Cartmel writing the seventh Doctor is generally an automatic success, and this story is no different. The urban setting, the ordinary people threatened from outside, the Doctor flitting in and out while solving the problem off-screen – it’s nothing we haven’t seen before but it’s always a delight to read. Great stuff.
Companion – James Moran – I love family-oriented stories like this. A sad little girl, her father trying to make things better but making them worse, and the Doctor swooping in to save the day and make the girl happy to boot. Not sure this Doctor really sounds like McGann, but Moran is a new series writer, so it’s understandable. Put a smile on my face a mile wide. Great stuff.
Illumination – David Bailey – I enjoyed the material about the Doctor more than anything. His sheepish explanation of his outfit to Izzy is entertaining enough, but I adore the little detail that, just like in the TVM, he still doesn’t wear socks with his shoes. The boreal forest setting is new, and it’s always nice to watch the Doctor working through a problem in real time.
White on White – Kate Orman – Interesting premise – a solo crossing of Antarctica? – but more importantly a brilliant use of Hartnell, who’s just out of place enough to elevate the story to something special. I can picture him giggling with delight as he rides the sled at the conclusion. Light reading, to be sure, but ultimately quite rewarding.
Overall, “Christmas Around the World” falls into the middle of the Short Trips pack. It’s full of solid material, but even though there aren’t any terrible stories, there also aren’t any that are likely to stick with a reader once the page is turned. As a Christmas anthology, it definitely provides some light, entertaining holiday reading, exactly the sort of thing to enjoy on a sunny, snowy day.
SHORT TRIPS: CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD
With the Short Trips book range winding down, Big Finish published its twenty-seventh volume – and fourth Christmas edition – “Christmas Around the World,” an anthology themed after Christmas celebrations by different cultures and places. As usual, all eight Doctors are well represented by a diverse group of authors, but do the stories form an even more cohesive whole?
Planet of the Elves – John Binns – The plot isn’t fleshed out very well at all, but the story is redeemed by the author’s work with the regular characters. We don’t get to see much of the Doctor and Adric together, for obvious reasons, but the way that Adric idolizes the Time Lord is quite apparent here, not to mention rather endearing.
Exclave – Joff Brown – It’s a kung fu story at heart, though the philosophizing at its center makes it something more. Platinum Dragon is interesting, too. But the climax consists mostly of the Doctor yelling encouragement, and Peri has absolutely nothing to do in the story. Solid, unmemorable.
A Visit from Saint Nicholas – Lisa Miles – I don’t get it. It’s literally nothing more than a prose retelling of the Clement C. Moore poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” down to the title of the story and the author as main character. Oh, and the third Doctor and Sarah are hanging around outside and meet Santa Claus. The word “obvious” doesn’t begin to describe it.
Instead of You – Laurence Donaghy – I’m already saying this quite a bit, but there’s nothing thought-provoking here – but the author’s capturing of Ace is fantastic. It’s the same wonderful combination of teenage rebellion, surprising sympathy, and frustration that the character represented at her best, and with the Doctor working his usual magic off-camera, it’s a great story overall for the companion.
Christmas Every Day – Jason Arnopp – Generally, I’m not a fan of needless, unusual speech patterns for alien races, but that’s really my only complaint here. I love the idea of Tom Baker dressed as Santa, and the ending is surprisingly downbeat for a story otherwise so darkly humorous. Good stuff.
Mirth, and Walking Spirits – Gareth Wigmore – Probably the first story in the anthology to capture a joyful Christmas spirit, and Wigmore selects the perfect TARDIS team for it in Troughton, Jamie, and Zoe. It’s a nice ghost story with a sensible explanation and a solid emotional core. Best story so far.
Do You Smell Carrots? – Simon Guerrier – It starts with the first Doctor hanging out of a helicopter and shooting a hose at a giant alien insect, which is awesome in every conceivable way. But then it segues into a wonderful, heartfelt little story about living, lonely snowmen, and a perfect appearance by the fifth Doctor at the end. Thumbs way up.
The Doctor’s Cross Word – JJ Secker – Easily the most high-concept story in the anthology, this involves the Doctor forced to solve a giant space crossword, drawing inspiration from a recent meeting with the lost fourth member of the Biblical Magi. The solution to the final puzzle is inventive, too. A great example of wordplay and certainly worth reading – we haven’t seen much like this in the Short Trips books.
Dateline to Deadline – Ian Farrington – You don’t see many stories that present Pertwee’s Doctor from an outsider’s perspective, but this story demonstrates why that’s a shame: his natural authority and grace coupled with his tendency to patronize make him as alien as his fellows. That the story itself is nothing new is fine – I’m predisposed to like stories told from this perspective and this is no different.
Autaia Pipipi Pia – Beverley Allen – Drunken aliens accidentally start grinding humans up into Christmas stew? Why not! I like that the story is based around a genuine misunderstanding, and that – despite the gruesome subject matter – the tone is kept light and the Doctor’s solution isn’t anything more than some talking and some behind-the-scenes manipulation.
No Room – Rebecca Levene – The title – and the last line – is a clue that this is a peculiar Doctor Who take on a Nativity-type scene. The general tolerance shown all around is refreshing, if unrealistic, and Levene (expectedly) gives the affair a very NA-like feel. Good to see Cwej back in a Doctor Who story, too.
Interesting Times – Eddie Robson – Can’t think of any other Doctor Who stories set in the Vietnam War off the top of my head, so this provides interesting reading for that reason alone. It’s also nice to see an author remember that Sarah is a journalist. And like that war, the story ends helplessly, with everyone suffering, and no clear understanding of why it was necessary. Another great effort from Robson.
Revellers of Doom – Matthew Griffiths – A great title gives way to an amusing story that never quite seems to get its tone right. The office party setting is fun enough, but I’m not sure that the supervillain-like underground lair setting entirely works. I usually don’t punt on reviews like this but something here is off – but I enjoyed the story nonetheless, and I like seeing Evelyn in prose stories.
Lost and Founded – Andrew Pidoux – I like the perspective of the tall man, and I love the Doctor’s discomfort at Jo’s skimpy bikini. However, this seems strangely out of character for Pertwee – of all the Doctors, he strikes me as the least likely to go looking for mystery in a tranquil setting, and his badgering of his companion in this regard seemed odd as well.
The Best of Days – David Cromarty – Rather than a Christmas story, this revolves around an ancient Roman Saturnalia, but the idea of a holiday celebration is essentially the same. Again, the Doctor is kept largely “off-camera,” while we see things from Ace’s perspective. I’ve seen the idea of Roman gods as living creatures before, and Cromarty does convincing work with it.
Conscription – William Potter – Not sure about the Doctor and Sarah being chased through the jungle by stereotypical wild-haired, arrow-wielding, cannibalistic natives, but I do like the idea of alien armor taking possession of the local fauna. Standard adventure-comic stuff for the most part, but the final paragraph about the alien crawfish is a winner.
Christmas in Toronto – Andrew Cartmel – Cartmel writing the seventh Doctor is generally an automatic success, and this story is no different. The urban setting, the ordinary people threatened from outside, the Doctor flitting in and out while solving the problem off-screen – it’s nothing we haven’t seen before but it’s always a delight to read. Great stuff.
Companion – James Moran – I love family-oriented stories like this. A sad little girl, her father trying to make things better but making them worse, and the Doctor swooping in to save the day and make the girl happy to boot. Not sure this Doctor really sounds like McGann, but Moran is a new series writer, so it’s understandable. Put a smile on my face a mile wide. Great stuff.
Illumination – David Bailey – I enjoyed the material about the Doctor more than anything. His sheepish explanation of his outfit to Izzy is entertaining enough, but I adore the little detail that, just like in the TVM, he still doesn’t wear socks with his shoes. The boreal forest setting is new, and it’s always nice to watch the Doctor working through a problem in real time.
White on White – Kate Orman – Interesting premise – a solo crossing of Antarctica? – but more importantly a brilliant use of Hartnell, who’s just out of place enough to elevate the story to something special. I can picture him giggling with delight as he rides the sled at the conclusion. Light reading, to be sure, but ultimately quite rewarding.
Overall, “Christmas Around the World” falls into the middle of the Short Trips pack. It’s full of solid material, but even though there aren’t any terrible stories, there also aren’t any that are likely to stick with a reader once the page is turned. As a Christmas anthology, it definitely provides some light, entertaining holiday reading, exactly the sort of thing to enjoy on a sunny, snowy day.