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James Bowman's Reviews > Doctor Who: Verdigris
Doctor Who: Verdigris
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** spoiler alert **
Highly entertaining, if weird, Verdigris may be the best Third Doctor novel I've read. (The only close competitors might be The Face of the Enemy and Who Killed Kennedy, neither of which are proper Third Doctor tales.)
The novel is set during the latter days of the Third Doctor's exile, and features recurring maybe-Time Lord Iris Wildthyme and her companion Tom crossing paths with the Doctor and Jo. Ostensibly, the plot involves a campaign to discredit the Doctor and UNIT, alongside an invasion of Earth by simulated fictional characters. All of this is eventually connected to a mysterious entity known as Verdigris. However, as is typical for a Paul Magrs Doctor Who novel, there are several weird asides and tangents as well, sometimes metafictional in nature.
What makes this novel great is that it simultaneously honors and parodies the Third Doctor's era, mashing together many of its recurring plot elements into one story. If you're a fan of that period, as I am, you'll doubtless appreciate this book for that alone. It also sneaks in references to other British SF of the period - the Children of Destiny are an obvious homage to The Tomorrow People, and the surreal sequence inside the abandoned UNIT HQ felt like something out of The Prisoner. Via Iris, there are also nods to past and future adventures of the Doctor as well, particularly those of the Fourth.
Magrs' Third Doctor is spot on - I could practically hear Jon Pertwee's voice with every line. His Jo is excellent, too, and she occasionally makes a better showing here than I recall from the actual series. Iris is a fun character, even outdoing the Doctor in eccentricity and unreliability at times... which makes her a particularly effective foil for the fairly straight-laced Third Doctor. Tom is OK, although he seems rather passive for most of the novel. I was genuinely surprised when Verdigris first revealed himself, and at the later revelation of his true purpose; despite appearing only a few times in the novel, he made an impression.
Final verdict: A-. A fun novel generally, and especially recommended for Third Doctor fans... provided you don't mind some odd moments and some good-natured teasing.
Trivia note: Iris's dislike for Jo becomes funnier in retrospect, as Katy Manning - who played Jo - is now the voice of Iris Wildthyme in Big Finish audios.
The novel is set during the latter days of the Third Doctor's exile, and features recurring maybe-Time Lord Iris Wildthyme and her companion Tom crossing paths with the Doctor and Jo. Ostensibly, the plot involves a campaign to discredit the Doctor and UNIT, alongside an invasion of Earth by simulated fictional characters. All of this is eventually connected to a mysterious entity known as Verdigris. However, as is typical for a Paul Magrs Doctor Who novel, there are several weird asides and tangents as well, sometimes metafictional in nature.
What makes this novel great is that it simultaneously honors and parodies the Third Doctor's era, mashing together many of its recurring plot elements into one story. If you're a fan of that period, as I am, you'll doubtless appreciate this book for that alone. It also sneaks in references to other British SF of the period - the Children of Destiny are an obvious homage to The Tomorrow People, and the surreal sequence inside the abandoned UNIT HQ felt like something out of The Prisoner. Via Iris, there are also nods to past and future adventures of the Doctor as well, particularly those of the Fourth.
Magrs' Third Doctor is spot on - I could practically hear Jon Pertwee's voice with every line. His Jo is excellent, too, and she occasionally makes a better showing here than I recall from the actual series. Iris is a fun character, even outdoing the Doctor in eccentricity and unreliability at times... which makes her a particularly effective foil for the fairly straight-laced Third Doctor. Tom is OK, although he seems rather passive for most of the novel. I was genuinely surprised when Verdigris first revealed himself, and at the later revelation of his true purpose; despite appearing only a few times in the novel, he made an impression.
Final verdict: A-. A fun novel generally, and especially recommended for Third Doctor fans... provided you don't mind some odd moments and some good-natured teasing.
Trivia note: Iris's dislike for Jo becomes funnier in retrospect, as Katy Manning - who played Jo - is now the voice of Iris Wildthyme in Big Finish audios.
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