Grendel 23's Reviews > Festival of Death

“It is the fact that you only get one chance that makes the small joys of life so precious.” The Doctor smiled at Romana.

—-

This book is a twisty, timey-wimey Dr. Who classic featuring the Fourth Doctor, Romana (presumably Romana II), and their robotic dog K9.

There’s a lot going on in this supersized story of time and space shenanigans. There’s a traffic jam in a hyperspace tunnel caused by careless negligence and momentum. There are multiple scarfed Doctors jumping between timelines. There’s a depressed, suicidal computer AI named Eric. A drugged up, talking lizard person that seems inspired by Hunter S Thompson. A tourist attraction called the Beautiful Death where - you guessed it - you can experience the wonder and terror of life after death. There’s also giant, hungry spider aliens looking for good eats, and zombies… of course.

The clever dialogue sounds authentic, and there’s a bohemian, metaphysical undercurrent to the frenetic energy of the plot that helps this story feel like it could have been an episode from the heyday of the series. Perhaps one even written by a pre-fame Douglas Adams. And really, what better compliment can one give a Tom Baker Doctor Who story than that?

#WhoReview / 4 of 13 / 12 months. 13 Doctors. One 60th Anniversary