Delve into bizarre, wondrous and horrifying worlds with the Doctor and his friends.
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Styre
on May 9, 2016 at 5:34 AM
SHORT TRIPS: INDEFINABLE MAGIC
In 2009, Big Finish lost its license to print Doctor Who fiction, and this news sounded the death knell of the Short Trips book range. There would be a compilation volume to follow, and a series of Short Trips audios would pick up the flag, but “Short Trips: Indefinable Magic” would be the final volume of original fiction. The linking theme – “weird things,” essentially – is possibly the broadest and least inspiring of all the collections, but the stories themselves will determine the quality of the book.
What Has Happened to the Magic of “Doctor Who?” – Gareth Roberts – A series of hilarious fictional letters to a series of incumbent Doctor Who producers, all demanding to know why the series has changed for the worse and declaring that the writer will no longer be watching the show. Titled after the legendary, over-the-top review of “The Deadly Assassin” by DWAS president Jan Vincent-Rudzki, Roberts’ sequence of letters will sound all too familiar to anyone who spends five minutes on the internet after a new Doctor Who episode airs on TV. Great stuff.
Phoenix – James Goss – Good use of unreliable narration, and the end contains an interesting twist bringing the fiction of the series itself to the forefront. A solid, thoughtful start to the collection from one of the better authors to come out of the new series novel range.
The Power Supply – Eddie Robson – The first Doctor works best in the role of investigator, deliberately reviewing a situation and analyzing clues – and Robson gives him one heck of a situation to evaluate here, with two warring factions and the sudden appearance of super powers. The Doctor’s conclusion is the best part, and utterly in character. Robson knows these characters and uses them well.
Favourite Star – Ian Farrington – It’s the sort of story you’d expect from the seventh Doctor, but it works so well with the second. There’s no alien invasion here, no horde of monsters, just a lonely woman trying to make sense of her life – and a friendly, fatherly tramp who helps her put the pieces together and vanishes quietly. Should put a wistful smile on the faces of even the hardest-hearted.
Hiccup in Time – Matthew James – A fun story about Liz Shaw bringing science and rationality to the house of the Duke of Norfolk, and her defeat at the hands of Henry VIII’s hiccups. I’m not sure the time-travel shenanigans at the end are necessary, as they seem borne of a desire to explain continuity questions rather than a desire to improve the story. Still, entertaining on balance.
Shamans – Steve Lyons – Another story where absolutely nothing unusual happens, but Lyons makes it work by nailing Leela’s perspective so perfectly. She’s out of place in New York, and though she tries to stick to the Doctor’s lessons about rationality, she’s taken in by a séance. Of course, instead of blaming evil spirits, she blames invading aliens – so she has learned something after all! Fine work from a reliably good author.
The Fall of the Druids – David N. Smith – A very odd story. The Doctor interferes directly to ensure a historical massacre takes place, then shelters himself and his companions behind Kamelion’s protection so they don’t die along with anyone else. There’s a question of legitimate supernatural powers that’s never fully resolved. And the whole thing’s remarkably downbeat. Great use of the regulars but an unsettling read overall.
Priceless Junk – Cavan Scott and Mark Wright – The Doctor and Peri visit Las Vegas to see a live Elvis Presley performance, but the Doctor must prevent Elvis’s abduction and cloning by aliens. Thoroughly silly, but knowingly and delightfully so – and I can definitely hear Colin Baker bombastically waxing poetic about the virtues of Elvis and rock and roll. Thumbs up.
Have You Tried Turning It Off And Then Back On Again? – John Callaghan – I like it! The seventh Doctor averts a bizarre zombie takeover of a colony, demonstrating to the people that there is no unseen Creator overseeing everything. Fairly straightforward, but what he never finds out is that there actually was an unseen Creator directing world events, who uses the Doctor’s presence as inspiration to retire! Surprisingly thoughtful.
The Reign Makers – Gareth Wigmore – A fairly straightforward historical tale, with the first Doctor and companions bringing the rain that helped Henry V to victory at Agincourt. There’s little to inspire here – it’s almost a survey of Hartnell historicals. Well-written to be sure but ultimately a bit pointless.
Pass It On – Simon Guerrier – It’s practically the same story as “Favourite Star,” just with more repercussions. These arguably render the story less elegant, and the conclusion is forced and unnecessary, surprisingly so from Guerrier. Not a poor effort by any means, but odd that an editor would put two stories like this in the same anthology.
The Science of Magic – Michael Rees – The first clunker of the anthology. I’m sorry, but my credibility is stretched to breaking point when asked to accept that the entire population of the UK is either killed or evacuated to Ireland while under attack by an unstoppable horde of mythical beasts – but upon the breaking of the illusion, figure they all just took a free vacation overseas! Dwelling endlessly on the death of the Brigadier? Putting UNIT on the front line as the final, shredded line of defense for Earth? Expecting everything to go back to normal after this, in time for “Inferno?” Come on. Oh, and Sergeant Benton isn’t an officer. Woof.
Hello Goodbye – Jim Sangster – It’s a real shame we lost Ian Marter at such a young age; this story shows how the UNIT family could have been kept together for periodic appearances in the Tom Baker era. I would have liked to see something like this on TV – the fourth Doctor was so unlike his predecessors, Sangster smartly captures the inevitable conflicts between him and the Brigadier. Much better use of UNIT, after that last story.
Trial by Fire – Mike Amberry – Nothing particularly new here, although it’s unusual for the typical accusations of witchcraft to lead the Doctor and companion to actually be tied to a burning pyre before their inevitable escape. Kudos to the author for using a lesser-known example of history, though; not many people even know about the Albigensian Crusade.
Death Sentences – Stephen Hatcher – Unsurprising that a creature that subsists on words would try to attack the sixth Doctor, and similarly would fail to consume them all. Not sure why the seventh Doctor needs to come back and defeat it, nor why he disguises himself as a watchman with the history of Edward Grainger. Not sure of the point of this at all, really, but at least the title’s cute.
Once upon a Time Machine – Stephen Dunn – A fun story, and oddly the second one in the anthology that features the third Doctor engaging in temporal trickery. Dunn captures a child’s perspective very effectively, and the idea of an older Jo narrating her journeys to her children as bedtime stories is fun. Worthwhile.
Mardi Gras Massacre – Arnold T. Blumberg – Well-researched and accurate portrayal of the multicultural society of New Orleans, and Blumberg goes further by providing a note-perfect sixth Doctor. The tone varies too much, though – it’s morbid and gruesome in some places, dryly humorous in others. Tough to make that work in a short story format.
Blessed are the Peacemakers – Caleb Woodbridge – No, no, no. Way too obvious. The alien invaders want to convert humanity to a unified, blissful way of thinking and true devotion, and so Crusaders and Muslims unite despite their differences to defeat them. All inspired by St. Francis of Assisi. There’s also an awkward speech by the Doctor at the end, giving his thoughts on world religions. As strongly as I believe Doctor Who can go anywhere and do anything, I think it should stay away from talking about religion, as it risks being hokey and obvious instead of thoughtful. This, unfortunately, is an example of the former.
Overall, “Indefinable Magic” has a number of high points and only a couple of lows. It gives no sense of being a concluding volume, but then it was hardly expected to serve in that role. Worth a purchase, if you can track down a copy.
SHORT TRIPS: INDEFINABLE MAGIC
In 2009, Big Finish lost its license to print Doctor Who fiction, and this news sounded the death knell of the Short Trips book range. There would be a compilation volume to follow, and a series of Short Trips audios would pick up the flag, but “Short Trips: Indefinable Magic” would be the final volume of original fiction. The linking theme – “weird things,” essentially – is possibly the broadest and least inspiring of all the collections, but the stories themselves will determine the quality of the book.
What Has Happened to the Magic of “Doctor Who?” – Gareth Roberts – A series of hilarious fictional letters to a series of incumbent Doctor Who producers, all demanding to know why the series has changed for the worse and declaring that the writer will no longer be watching the show. Titled after the legendary, over-the-top review of “The Deadly Assassin” by DWAS president Jan Vincent-Rudzki, Roberts’ sequence of letters will sound all too familiar to anyone who spends five minutes on the internet after a new Doctor Who episode airs on TV. Great stuff.
Phoenix – James Goss – Good use of unreliable narration, and the end contains an interesting twist bringing the fiction of the series itself to the forefront. A solid, thoughtful start to the collection from one of the better authors to come out of the new series novel range.
The Power Supply – Eddie Robson – The first Doctor works best in the role of investigator, deliberately reviewing a situation and analyzing clues – and Robson gives him one heck of a situation to evaluate here, with two warring factions and the sudden appearance of super powers. The Doctor’s conclusion is the best part, and utterly in character. Robson knows these characters and uses them well.
Favourite Star – Ian Farrington – It’s the sort of story you’d expect from the seventh Doctor, but it works so well with the second. There’s no alien invasion here, no horde of monsters, just a lonely woman trying to make sense of her life – and a friendly, fatherly tramp who helps her put the pieces together and vanishes quietly. Should put a wistful smile on the faces of even the hardest-hearted.
Hiccup in Time – Matthew James – A fun story about Liz Shaw bringing science and rationality to the house of the Duke of Norfolk, and her defeat at the hands of Henry VIII’s hiccups. I’m not sure the time-travel shenanigans at the end are necessary, as they seem borne of a desire to explain continuity questions rather than a desire to improve the story. Still, entertaining on balance.
Shamans – Steve Lyons – Another story where absolutely nothing unusual happens, but Lyons makes it work by nailing Leela’s perspective so perfectly. She’s out of place in New York, and though she tries to stick to the Doctor’s lessons about rationality, she’s taken in by a séance. Of course, instead of blaming evil spirits, she blames invading aliens – so she has learned something after all! Fine work from a reliably good author.
The Fall of the Druids – David N. Smith – A very odd story. The Doctor interferes directly to ensure a historical massacre takes place, then shelters himself and his companions behind Kamelion’s protection so they don’t die along with anyone else. There’s a question of legitimate supernatural powers that’s never fully resolved. And the whole thing’s remarkably downbeat. Great use of the regulars but an unsettling read overall.
Priceless Junk – Cavan Scott and Mark Wright – The Doctor and Peri visit Las Vegas to see a live Elvis Presley performance, but the Doctor must prevent Elvis’s abduction and cloning by aliens. Thoroughly silly, but knowingly and delightfully so – and I can definitely hear Colin Baker bombastically waxing poetic about the virtues of Elvis and rock and roll. Thumbs up.
Have You Tried Turning It Off And Then Back On Again? – John Callaghan – I like it! The seventh Doctor averts a bizarre zombie takeover of a colony, demonstrating to the people that there is no unseen Creator overseeing everything. Fairly straightforward, but what he never finds out is that there actually was an unseen Creator directing world events, who uses the Doctor’s presence as inspiration to retire! Surprisingly thoughtful.
The Reign Makers – Gareth Wigmore – A fairly straightforward historical tale, with the first Doctor and companions bringing the rain that helped Henry V to victory at Agincourt. There’s little to inspire here – it’s almost a survey of Hartnell historicals. Well-written to be sure but ultimately a bit pointless.
Pass It On – Simon Guerrier – It’s practically the same story as “Favourite Star,” just with more repercussions. These arguably render the story less elegant, and the conclusion is forced and unnecessary, surprisingly so from Guerrier. Not a poor effort by any means, but odd that an editor would put two stories like this in the same anthology.
The Science of Magic – Michael Rees – The first clunker of the anthology. I’m sorry, but my credibility is stretched to breaking point when asked to accept that the entire population of the UK is either killed or evacuated to Ireland while under attack by an unstoppable horde of mythical beasts – but upon the breaking of the illusion, figure they all just took a free vacation overseas! Dwelling endlessly on the death of the Brigadier? Putting UNIT on the front line as the final, shredded line of defense for Earth? Expecting everything to go back to normal after this, in time for “Inferno?” Come on. Oh, and Sergeant Benton isn’t an officer. Woof.
Hello Goodbye – Jim Sangster – It’s a real shame we lost Ian Marter at such a young age; this story shows how the UNIT family could have been kept together for periodic appearances in the Tom Baker era. I would have liked to see something like this on TV – the fourth Doctor was so unlike his predecessors, Sangster smartly captures the inevitable conflicts between him and the Brigadier. Much better use of UNIT, after that last story.
Trial by Fire – Mike Amberry – Nothing particularly new here, although it’s unusual for the typical accusations of witchcraft to lead the Doctor and companion to actually be tied to a burning pyre before their inevitable escape. Kudos to the author for using a lesser-known example of history, though; not many people even know about the Albigensian Crusade.
Death Sentences – Stephen Hatcher – Unsurprising that a creature that subsists on words would try to attack the sixth Doctor, and similarly would fail to consume them all. Not sure why the seventh Doctor needs to come back and defeat it, nor why he disguises himself as a watchman with the history of Edward Grainger. Not sure of the point of this at all, really, but at least the title’s cute.
Once upon a Time Machine – Stephen Dunn – A fun story, and oddly the second one in the anthology that features the third Doctor engaging in temporal trickery. Dunn captures a child’s perspective very effectively, and the idea of an older Jo narrating her journeys to her children as bedtime stories is fun. Worthwhile.
Mardi Gras Massacre – Arnold T. Blumberg – Well-researched and accurate portrayal of the multicultural society of New Orleans, and Blumberg goes further by providing a note-perfect sixth Doctor. The tone varies too much, though – it’s morbid and gruesome in some places, dryly humorous in others. Tough to make that work in a short story format.
Blessed are the Peacemakers – Caleb Woodbridge – No, no, no. Way too obvious. The alien invaders want to convert humanity to a unified, blissful way of thinking and true devotion, and so Crusaders and Muslims unite despite their differences to defeat them. All inspired by St. Francis of Assisi. There’s also an awkward speech by the Doctor at the end, giving his thoughts on world religions. As strongly as I believe Doctor Who can go anywhere and do anything, I think it should stay away from talking about religion, as it risks being hokey and obvious instead of thoughtful. This, unfortunately, is an example of the former.
Overall, “Indefinable Magic” has a number of high points and only a couple of lows. It gives no sense of being a concluding volume, but then it was hardly expected to serve in that role. Worth a purchase, if you can track down a copy.