Who Book Reviews Roundup 2

Travel back to 1963, attend an eventful wedding ceremony or discover the true ripple effect, in our trio of Doctor Who novel reviews!
What with the 50th Anniversary year of Doctor Who being in full swing, it should come as little surprise that at an equivalent rate have come a flurry of new Who novel releases in recent months. Keeping up with these has been a hectic challenge even for this writer, yet now we're on top of the challenge, bringing definitive verdicts on three key new Who novels right to your proverbial doorstep.

Here, then, is our second round-up of a series of reviews based around all of the latest novelised Who merchandise. Kick open those TARDIS doors, and come on in...

• SHROUD OF SORROW (4/5)- Tommy Donnaband's very first Doctor Who novel and his subsequent first contribution to the New Series Adventures range is a qualified success. The third act in BBC Books' trilogy of 50th Anniversary Eleventh Doctor novels, this final instalment takes the Doctor and Clara to November 1963, the month of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Donnaband leads a compelling exploration of the effects of this heartbreaking event on the world at large, as well as utilising the opportunity to instigate an insight into the Doctor's own grief with regards to recent losses of old friends and allies. It's a shame that the primary antagonist of the piece doesn't leave much of a lasting impact, yet Shroud of Sorrow remains a great conclusion to a varied set of novels.
• SOMETHING BORROWED (2.5/5)- How fitting it seems that what many fans regard to be the weakest era of Doctor Who helps provide the worst entry in the 50th Anniversary eBook saga yet. Richelle Mead's rendition of the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) and Peri is spot on, but perhaps that's half of the problem, since in replicating this loathed period of Who in realistic fashion, Mead is forced to revive the equally infamous Time Lord villain the Rani. Typically enough, the confrontation between the two Time Lords takes on a pantomime-esque tone, and comes off all the worse for it. Perhaps other authors in the range could have brought more emotional resonance to the Sixth incarnation of the Doctor, but ultimately Mead succumbs under the weight of trying to topple long-standing preconceptions.
• THE RIPPLE EFFECT (4/5)- There's sadly been a notable trend of established authors entering the Who eBook range and struggling to hone their creative vision within the constraints of a licensed universe. The same difficulty applies to Malorie Blackman's Seventh Doctor tale The Ripple Effect, though thankfully not to the same detrimental extent that developed in previous instalments. Here, we're presented with an alternate reality where the Daleks want nothing but peace, which again lends time for an intelligent and unbiased new representation of these iconic adversaries as well as an effective contemplation of the Doctor's own dilemma in facing his arch-nemeses. Much like the resolution of several Series Seven episodes, Ripple Effect appears to be in a hurry to wrap up its loose ends in its final pages; however, that doesn't prevent it from maintaining the title of one of the more successful entries in the range so far.

Doctor Who returns with its blockbuster 50th Anniversary Special on BBC One this November 23rd.