Join the Doctor on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe, from alien worlds of the future, to Earth’s past history.
Join the Doctor on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe, from alien worlds of the future, to Earth’s past history.
SHORT TRIPS: A UNIVERSE OF TERRORS
I hadn’t realized until this volume how broad the linking themes of the Short Trips anthologies actually were. Rather than “Companions” being entirely about the Doctor’s companions, it’s actually about companionship in general. Similarly, A Universe of Terrors isn’t about the “horror movie” style of terror very often; this may lead to disappointment but if approached with an open mind it’s really rather good.
The Exiles — Lance Parkin — A fine start to the collection. Another “first Doctor and Susan leave Gallifrey” story, sure, but Parkin manages to make the TARDIS a frightening unknown — and the image in the mirror asks all sorts of terrifying questions.
Mire and Clay — Gareth Wigmore — One of many set pieces in the collection, this illustrates the danger of travel in the TARDIS better than most. I often suspect while watching Hartnell episodes that the crew has gone through things like this — it’s a harrowing read but well worth it.
Ash — Trevor Baxendale — The framing device fails badly, draining the story of its terror, but conceptually it’s great. I can see where this author would later give us the wonderful Deadstone Memorial.
Face-Painter — Tara Samms — Another masterpiece from the best short story writer in Doctor Who. One of the few stories in this collection to truly frighten me, the plight of the second Doctor and his companions is unnerving. Furthermore, “Samms” gives us an excellent narrator who elicits sympathy on her own. Amazing stuff.
Losing Track of Time — Juliet E. McKenna — Apparently this author is acclaimed enough to receive billing on the back cover, but this story doesn’t demonstrate why. The setting is captured beautifully, but the plot is boring as hell and the regulars are the same Pertwee-era ciphers seen in a million other unimaginative stories of the period.
The Discourse of Flies — Jeremy Daw — I don’t know what it is about the era, but Pertwee is a curse on authors. This is a fine story that does a nice bit of worldbuilding, but when the Doctor and Sarah show up it all gets thrown away in lieu of Pertwee yelling “Concentrate!” and other such things. Thoughtful, but you really need to work on the regulars to make these work.
The Fear — Alex Leithes — Unimpressive. Okay, so the Doctor isn’t afraid of much — that’s great, but the story needs more than a prolonged argument to make any impact. Also makes the “trying to get into the fourth Doctor’s psyche” mistake.
Mauritz — Jonathan Morris — Another hit from Morris, this perfectly captures the season 18 themes of decay as well as the somber fourth Doctor and Adric. The ending is horrifying. Brilliant stuff — why don’t more authors tackle this period?
The Comet’s Tail — John Binns — Very, very abstract stuff. I’m man enough to admit I didn’t understand it — but that forces me to question whether it’s that intelligent or whether it’s simply unintelligible. Very well written on a technical level, I can say that much.
Long Term — Andrew Campbell — Good stuff. The setting is beautifully Gothic, and the concepts at work function very well. It’s fun to have a companionless Davison, too, as he’s too often burdened with up to three people whining at him. Plus it’s nice to see another Doctor work well in a setting that’s so obviously built for Tom Baker.
Soul Mate — David Bailey — Much like the author’s “Canvey Angels” in the previous volume, this opens amazingly, capturing a side of Tegan rarely seen on television. However, there’s no idea how to end here, and the introduction of the rest of the regulars just brings the story down. I think Bailey needs a good cowriter.
Whiskey and Water — Marc Platt — Weird. A lighthearted Western featuring a drunken sixth Doctor that doesn’t really fit with the rest of the collection. Furthermore, this is way too complicated and it isn’t nearly long enough; I never expected to call a Marc Platt story disappointing but here it is. A shame.
The Death of Me — Robert Shearman — People attack Shearman for being “unoriginal” — as though a writer who likes to explore a favorite set of theems lacks originality because he’s dared to try harder than most. This story features the author’s characteristic combination of gruesome horror and dark humor — and it’s very good, though it’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of marriage!
This Is My Life — William Keith — Absolute trash. Unfunny, badly written poetry of the sort I churned out when I was seven. What on earth is this doing in an anthology about terror? Why is this the only work about the seventh Doctor, whose era (especially the NAs) lends itself better than most to horror stories? Who is William Keith, and how much money was wasted paying him for this garbage?
Gazing Void — Huw Wilkins — The third masterpiece of the collection and a great note on which to go out. The story makes a very uncomfortable point, but it’s one of which many people aren’t aware — and it doesn’t hurt that the setting and characters are written so well it hurts. Great stuff.
I’m not sure if I liked this as much as Companions, but they rank closely together. Either way, there’s a lot here to recommend, even as there are a few subpar offerings. Well worth a purchase.