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Stephen Brayton's Reviews > Doctor Who: Time and Relative
Doctor Who: Time and Relative
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Plot
Susan Foreman is attending school in London. She lives with her Grandfather in a Box in a junkyard. Through diary entries, she relates her thoughts on school, her Grandfather, and her existence in this earthly year of 1963. However, she is not a normal earthling… or an earthling at all.
In addition to her troubles, a strange and unnatural cold has seeped into the country…
My Analysis
This is a short story, a novella, from the Doctor Who universe, and takes place not long before the series with Susan and the Doctor begins. This is a slice of life-type story with the usual bits of Doctor Who alien-ness going on.
Not much setting but Whovians will recognize the characters.
The Doctor (not known as the Doctor at this time), plays a minor role in this, although he ends up being the hero in the end.
Other characters make this story worthwhile. Gillian, the rebel. John, Malcom, and others. You even see a few school officials, including a teacher no one likes. You get a taste of sixties British life and discipline.
As the contributing author, Justin Richards writes, it was a challenge to write something in the vein of Who but to do it in a manner where one doesn’t know anything about the characters, a story that comes before the first episode in ’63. How does one write a story that introduces the characters but holds back a lot of the well-known stuff?
For instance, Gallifrey isn’t mentioned, although the fact Susan and her relative have two hearts is. No one, not even Susan, knows Grandfather’s name, and she admits that her own name is made up. She does mention they are exiles from wherever they originate and they’d be in trouble if anyone from that place discovered them.
So, all in all, a good story that fits well within the Who universe. Short, but enjoyable.
My rank:
Blue Belt
Susan Foreman is attending school in London. She lives with her Grandfather in a Box in a junkyard. Through diary entries, she relates her thoughts on school, her Grandfather, and her existence in this earthly year of 1963. However, she is not a normal earthling… or an earthling at all.
In addition to her troubles, a strange and unnatural cold has seeped into the country…
My Analysis
This is a short story, a novella, from the Doctor Who universe, and takes place not long before the series with Susan and the Doctor begins. This is a slice of life-type story with the usual bits of Doctor Who alien-ness going on.
Not much setting but Whovians will recognize the characters.
The Doctor (not known as the Doctor at this time), plays a minor role in this, although he ends up being the hero in the end.
Other characters make this story worthwhile. Gillian, the rebel. John, Malcom, and others. You even see a few school officials, including a teacher no one likes. You get a taste of sixties British life and discipline.
As the contributing author, Justin Richards writes, it was a challenge to write something in the vein of Who but to do it in a manner where one doesn’t know anything about the characters, a story that comes before the first episode in ’63. How does one write a story that introduces the characters but holds back a lot of the well-known stuff?
For instance, Gallifrey isn’t mentioned, although the fact Susan and her relative have two hearts is. No one, not even Susan, knows Grandfather’s name, and she admits that her own name is made up. She does mention they are exiles from wherever they originate and they’d be in trouble if anyone from that place discovered them.
So, all in all, a good story that fits well within the Who universe. Short, but enjoyable.
My rank:
Blue Belt
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
August 7, 2025
– Shelved
