For all that the universe may be infinite, for all he keeps moving, the Doctor can’t outrun the consequences of his actions forever.
For all that the universe may be infinite, for all he keeps moving, the Doctor can’t outrun the consequences of his actions forever.
SHORT TRIPS: TIME SIGNATURE
I admit, I’ve tired of Big Finish’s short story anthologies. While few of them have been poor, the quality simply isn’t consistently high enough to justify the rather exorbitant pricing. And I know that isn’t the fault of the company, but rather that of the exchange rate — but with the number of audios I still purchase, I can’t justify the expense on the hardbacks any longer. Fortunately, Simon Guerrier’s anthology “Time Signature” provided a surprisingly high note to go out on — and gave me positive feelings about a possible return to the range in the future.
An Overture Too Early — Simon Guerrier — I think it’s a bit rushed, but it’s fascinating and well-written, and shows a rare side of Pertwee. The events at the end provide nice setups for the recurring elements that run through the anthology. Intriguing, and a fine open.
The Ruins of Time — Philip Purser-Hallard — Purser-Hallard showed a real talent for worldbuilding in “Of the City of the Saved” and it’s on display again here, in a fascinating environment involving frozen and stolen time. The Doctor and Susan are as enigmatic and mysterious as ever, and this uncertainty is played upon to impressive effect.
Gone Fishing — Ben Aaronovitch — Oh, this is brilliant. Baker’s Doctor is perfect in this, just the right combination of flippant and insightful, and William’s continuing struggles with comprehending his situation are delightful to read. It almost has a new series feel to it, which leads me to a conclusion I’ve held for years: Doctor Who misses Ben Aaronovitch.
The Avant Guardian — Eddie Robson — Interesting concept that seems somewhat forced in the context of the story. The manner in which some of the regulars are imprisoned is amusing, but the overall tone of the story is too similar to its predecessor, especially when it comes to the style of humor. Still, Robson writes a great Troughton, and his interactions with Flora are the highlights of the story.
Second Contact — Jonathan Clements — Clements builds a convincing Scandinavian society within a limited page count, but unfortunately that makes up the vast majority of the story and doesn’t leave much room for anything else. Perhaps I was in the wrong mood, but I found the central conflict uninteresting, while the Doctor’s drifting through the story seemed almost ephemeral.
Resonance — Ben Woodhams — I read this a week ago, and I barely remember it. It’s competently written, with a passable Davison, but completely failed to hold my interest, the second consecutive story with this problem. Maybe it was me. I don’t know.
Walkin’ City Blues — Joff Brown — A very nice story, with a gloriously happy ending arising from a deep urban blight. The Doctor/William interplay is as strong as before, though the humor is a bit more forced, and the setting is deceptively complex. Good stuff.
The Hunting of the Slook — Marc Platt — The musical themes come to a head in this story, and Platt is the right author for the job, demonstrating his usual flair for the conceptual and his deep understanding of the seventh Doctor. The conflict is the standard human-greed-gets-them-into-situations-they-can’t-handle, but the threat is made primal enough to be frightening. Fine work.
The Earwig Archipelago — Matthew Sweet — Sweet shows the same talent for florid language and opulent tone that he demonstrated in “Year of the Pig,” and honestly the story of the earwig is much more interesting than that of the Doctor, the expositionary delivery of which does it no favors. Sweet, like Paul Magrs, seems to be all about his setting, his atmosphere, and his characters — and I’m not being negative at all when I say that. Quite the opposite, in fact. Enjoyable.
DS al Fine — Simon Guerrier — Very good, right up until the ending. Guerrier weaves a convincing web of the plot threads of the anthology, and the ebullient eighth Doctor is perfect for this. The brief scene with Benton might be the highlight of the whole book, while the showdown with the flower-adorned men is quite dramatic. I didn’t like the final revelation, though, which struck me as a twist too far, despite having been foreshadowed in the previous stories.
Certificate of Destruction — Andrew Cartmel — Another suburbia-with-dark-secret story from the master of the style within Doctor Who. I’ve always felt Cartmel’s stories are run through with a latent dread and suspicion of the ordinary, and this one is no different, despite its absurd overtones. Ultimately, it’s a much more sedate “Warchild,” which isn’t a bad thing, even if the story seems somewhat familiar. A fine way to go out after the epic climax in the previous story.
Despite flagging in the middle to some extent, “Time Signature” is a strong anthology featuring content from a range of excellent authors. The “arc” plot is fairly complex, and not spelled out for the reader, which can be rewarding. This collection is recommended for purchase.
Unfortunately, however, my odyssey through the Big Finish anthologies has drawn to a close for the time being. After 18 anthologies and close to 200 stories, I have grown weary of the format: while well-written stories still far outnumber their poorer counterparts, stories that push boundaries and challenge preconceptions are few and far between. Too many stories, and occasional entire anthologies, strike me as perfunctory. Perhaps I’ll return to the Short Trips range one day, but for now, I prefer to focus on the audios, for which I still have a passion.