What is it like when that strange blue box appears in your life? What is it like when everything changes?
1 Comment
Styre
on May 8, 2016 at 2:55 AM
SHORT TRIPS: SNAPSHOTS
After the somewhat esoteric linking theme of Destination Prague, Short Trips: Snapshots gets back to a much more basic framework: stories that show what it’s like to encounter the Doctor, however briefly. With expert short story author Joseph Lidster editing the anthology, expectations were high — and for the most part the anthology follows through.
Golem — Lizzie Hopley — What an odd way to start. Written from the perspective of a monster ready to rise from the ground, it casts our modern society and our obsession with technology and inward-looking entertainment as cacaphonous and evil. Fortunately (or not) the second Doctor is there to stop the upcoming massacre. Well-written, but somewhat inaccessible.
Indian Summer — James Goss — Excellent. A touching journey through the life of a man who starts as a servant and ends up owning a hotel, all while watching the ghost of the first Doctor consign people to the grave. That’s not what’s actually happening, of course, and the way in which this is revealed, plus the last line, make this story a keeper.
All of Beyond — Helen Raynor — Another new series author takes a crack at the classic series, and despite the stylistic devices I hate of fragmented spelling and syntax, presents an uplifting tale. This is one of the best stories in the anthology at showing how essentially alien the Doctor is, and how miraculous he must seem to many.
The Eyes Have It — Colin Harvey — Goes downhill quickly after the humorous first line. It’s far too short, and spends half its length developing a character in ways that have no relevance to the story at hand. I’m not sure what the point was.
The Misadventure of Mark Thorne — Andy Frankham — Also incredibly short, showing us an arrogant, ignorant man who is punished for his sins by being ground into the dirt and then eaten by aliens. The Doctor and Turlough are barely in it — one wonders if Frankham had a particularly nasty boss named Mark Thorne, or something.
Attachments — Scott Handcock — Divorce yourself from context and this reads like the ravings of a madman, which is certainly the idea. However, as emails go, Oliver does tend to go on and on, doesn’t he? This story also creates a new companion for the Doctor, a device I don’t like unless done really, really well, as in Lidster’s “Terror Firma.”
There’s Something About Mary — Simon Guerrier — I’m not entirely sure the story is all that interesting, but the prose is so good, and Guerrier does that multiple-Doctors thing so well that I didn’t really notice.
My Hero — Stuart Manning — The new series, especially, has hinted that the Doctor leaves suffering in his wake in addition to all the good things he does, and Manning shows a person unwillingly caught up in the Doctor’s life who is consigned to a life of misery as a result. It’s bleak, yes, but certainly not pointless. Worth reading.
Plight of the Monkrah — John Davies — Tom Baker is easily the best selection of Doctors for this book, considering the man seems half-alien in real life — and Oliver acquits himself well in this story, which is a bit lightweight but entertaining nonetheless.
Remain in Light — Eddie Robson — It doesn’t read at all like an American narrating, but that’s a pedantic thing to complain about. Focus, instead, on how this story brilliantly captures the uneasiness of returning from college to see your high school friends in a new light. Too heavy-handed to represent this in a new friend who turns out to be a soul-sucking alien? Nah — that’s what science fiction is for.
In Case of Emergencies — Ian Farrington — A curious story, from the perspective of an individual whose personal history starts when the story begins and ends when it finishes, yet appears to have picked up (or been programmed with) revolutionary thoughts. Is this about the hopelessness of the individual in the face of sweeping, oncoming change? I suspect so, but it again feels uneasy as a Doctor Who story.
Puppeteer — Benjamin Adams — Another story about the utter bizarreness of the Tom Baker Doctor, and an abrupt conclusion to the tenure of Oliver as companion. I like the Puppeteer — a legitimately frightening villain — and the ending is both melancholy and elegant.
Osskah — Gary Owen — Possibly the best story in the anthology. Written from the perspective of an avian species, and using just enough unusual language to convince. The story is structured beautifully, revealing the plot in natural, surprising ways. My only complaint is with the portrayal of the Doctor himself — regretting the outcome of work he was doing with the Time Lords to block off another universe?
Piecemeal — James Swallow — I love the structure of this one, too, using various recordings to tell the story. There’s one huge twist near the end that fits easily into the story. One of the better portrayals of Turlough I’ve seen, too.
The Report — Gary Russell — I’ve always thought Russell is at his best doing short stories and character pieces, and this is another example: he does a fantastic job of capturing the seventh Doctor, Ace, and Hex, and how they must appear to outsiders. Not sure the story needed to incorporate another Time Lord, but that’s a minor complaint.
You Had Me at Verify Username and Password — Stel Pavlou — Ha! Great stuff, presenting a one-sided email conversation and smartly omitting the Doctor’s responses. Imagining what he must have written is the most entertaining part.
She Knew — Nigel Fairs — One thing I love about the Doctor Who creative community is that, eventually, there will be a story told about every moment you can possibly think of. And here, for the first time, a story with a melancholic third Doctor immediately after Jo’s departure in “The Green Death.” Fairs’ lead character is quite sympathetic, and the stories of the two relationships dovetail nicely. Good stuff.
The Glarn Strategy — Brian Dooley — Perhaps the most fitting story in the anthology: the fourth Doctor shows up, resolves a problem, and the characters who remain behind decide to go to the pub! Dooley easily captures the Doctor/Romana I relationship in this entertaining little tale.
Salva Mea — Joseph Lidster — The other contender for best story in this anthology, Lidster plays against type and writes a beautiful, uplifting story about the Doctor, Charley, and C’rizz doing a favor and bringing inspiration to an average person’s life. It’s a great companion piece to Paul Magrs’ story at the end, because this reaction is exactly how the television show makes us feel.
The Sorrows of Vienna — Steven Savile — It’s a little overwritten, but worthwhile to see the Doctor meet Goethe after so many other stories have been told. I saw echoes of Faust in this — though perhaps I was reading too far into it.
Fanboys — Paul Magrs — It’s not a Doctor Who story, it’s a story about Doctor Who, and it’s all the better for it. After all, what are we doing when we watch an episode other than having our own brief encounter with the Doctor? Wonderful. It’s the sort of thing you should give someone if they ever ask you why you’re a fan of a silly old science fiction program.
Overall, Short Trips: Snapshots should be considered a success. It’s not on par with the greatest Big Finish anthologies, but it takes a great premise and spins a wide range of effective stories from it. Recommended.
SHORT TRIPS: SNAPSHOTS
After the somewhat esoteric linking theme of Destination Prague, Short Trips: Snapshots gets back to a much more basic framework: stories that show what it’s like to encounter the Doctor, however briefly. With expert short story author Joseph Lidster editing the anthology, expectations were high — and for the most part the anthology follows through.
Golem — Lizzie Hopley — What an odd way to start. Written from the perspective of a monster ready to rise from the ground, it casts our modern society and our obsession with technology and inward-looking entertainment as cacaphonous and evil. Fortunately (or not) the second Doctor is there to stop the upcoming massacre. Well-written, but somewhat inaccessible.
Indian Summer — James Goss — Excellent. A touching journey through the life of a man who starts as a servant and ends up owning a hotel, all while watching the ghost of the first Doctor consign people to the grave. That’s not what’s actually happening, of course, and the way in which this is revealed, plus the last line, make this story a keeper.
All of Beyond — Helen Raynor — Another new series author takes a crack at the classic series, and despite the stylistic devices I hate of fragmented spelling and syntax, presents an uplifting tale. This is one of the best stories in the anthology at showing how essentially alien the Doctor is, and how miraculous he must seem to many.
The Eyes Have It — Colin Harvey — Goes downhill quickly after the humorous first line. It’s far too short, and spends half its length developing a character in ways that have no relevance to the story at hand. I’m not sure what the point was.
The Misadventure of Mark Thorne — Andy Frankham — Also incredibly short, showing us an arrogant, ignorant man who is punished for his sins by being ground into the dirt and then eaten by aliens. The Doctor and Turlough are barely in it — one wonders if Frankham had a particularly nasty boss named Mark Thorne, or something.
Attachments — Scott Handcock — Divorce yourself from context and this reads like the ravings of a madman, which is certainly the idea. However, as emails go, Oliver does tend to go on and on, doesn’t he? This story also creates a new companion for the Doctor, a device I don’t like unless done really, really well, as in Lidster’s “Terror Firma.”
There’s Something About Mary — Simon Guerrier — I’m not entirely sure the story is all that interesting, but the prose is so good, and Guerrier does that multiple-Doctors thing so well that I didn’t really notice.
My Hero — Stuart Manning — The new series, especially, has hinted that the Doctor leaves suffering in his wake in addition to all the good things he does, and Manning shows a person unwillingly caught up in the Doctor’s life who is consigned to a life of misery as a result. It’s bleak, yes, but certainly not pointless. Worth reading.
Plight of the Monkrah — John Davies — Tom Baker is easily the best selection of Doctors for this book, considering the man seems half-alien in real life — and Oliver acquits himself well in this story, which is a bit lightweight but entertaining nonetheless.
Remain in Light — Eddie Robson — It doesn’t read at all like an American narrating, but that’s a pedantic thing to complain about. Focus, instead, on how this story brilliantly captures the uneasiness of returning from college to see your high school friends in a new light. Too heavy-handed to represent this in a new friend who turns out to be a soul-sucking alien? Nah — that’s what science fiction is for.
In Case of Emergencies — Ian Farrington — A curious story, from the perspective of an individual whose personal history starts when the story begins and ends when it finishes, yet appears to have picked up (or been programmed with) revolutionary thoughts. Is this about the hopelessness of the individual in the face of sweeping, oncoming change? I suspect so, but it again feels uneasy as a Doctor Who story.
Puppeteer — Benjamin Adams — Another story about the utter bizarreness of the Tom Baker Doctor, and an abrupt conclusion to the tenure of Oliver as companion. I like the Puppeteer — a legitimately frightening villain — and the ending is both melancholy and elegant.
Osskah — Gary Owen — Possibly the best story in the anthology. Written from the perspective of an avian species, and using just enough unusual language to convince. The story is structured beautifully, revealing the plot in natural, surprising ways. My only complaint is with the portrayal of the Doctor himself — regretting the outcome of work he was doing with the Time Lords to block off another universe?
Piecemeal — James Swallow — I love the structure of this one, too, using various recordings to tell the story. There’s one huge twist near the end that fits easily into the story. One of the better portrayals of Turlough I’ve seen, too.
The Report — Gary Russell — I’ve always thought Russell is at his best doing short stories and character pieces, and this is another example: he does a fantastic job of capturing the seventh Doctor, Ace, and Hex, and how they must appear to outsiders. Not sure the story needed to incorporate another Time Lord, but that’s a minor complaint.
You Had Me at Verify Username and Password — Stel Pavlou — Ha! Great stuff, presenting a one-sided email conversation and smartly omitting the Doctor’s responses. Imagining what he must have written is the most entertaining part.
She Knew — Nigel Fairs — One thing I love about the Doctor Who creative community is that, eventually, there will be a story told about every moment you can possibly think of. And here, for the first time, a story with a melancholic third Doctor immediately after Jo’s departure in “The Green Death.” Fairs’ lead character is quite sympathetic, and the stories of the two relationships dovetail nicely. Good stuff.
The Glarn Strategy — Brian Dooley — Perhaps the most fitting story in the anthology: the fourth Doctor shows up, resolves a problem, and the characters who remain behind decide to go to the pub! Dooley easily captures the Doctor/Romana I relationship in this entertaining little tale.
Salva Mea — Joseph Lidster — The other contender for best story in this anthology, Lidster plays against type and writes a beautiful, uplifting story about the Doctor, Charley, and C’rizz doing a favor and bringing inspiration to an average person’s life. It’s a great companion piece to Paul Magrs’ story at the end, because this reaction is exactly how the television show makes us feel.
The Sorrows of Vienna — Steven Savile — It’s a little overwritten, but worthwhile to see the Doctor meet Goethe after so many other stories have been told. I saw echoes of Faust in this — though perhaps I was reading too far into it.
Fanboys — Paul Magrs — It’s not a Doctor Who story, it’s a story about Doctor Who, and it’s all the better for it. After all, what are we doing when we watch an episode other than having our own brief encounter with the Doctor? Wonderful. It’s the sort of thing you should give someone if they ever ask you why you’re a fan of a silly old science fiction program.
Overall, Short Trips: Snapshots should be considered a success. It’s not on par with the greatest Big Finish anthologies, but it takes a great premise and spins a wide range of effective stories from it. Recommended.