Doctor Who: Paradox Lost Review (4/5)

Fans of Doctor Who since its return in 2005 shouldn't be fooled into thinking that Paradox Lost, the second of three brand new Series Six novels that hit stores earlier this week, is another Father's Day: the titular time impossibility does not kick in nearly as quickly here, and the title itself is quite deceptive as in reality the narrative puts more of a focus on the consequences of the Doctor's travels in time. That said, as with Touched By An Angel writer George Mann captures well the programme's newfound ability to bend its time travel formula to suit its adventures, with the plot here spanning over a thousand years and regularly switching back and forth between timelines as the actions of the Time Lord and his companions have unpredicted ramifications on the past, present and future. Matt Smith's Doctor is certainly proving a hard incarnation for many authors to portray accurately on paper- Mann's version more evokes the likes of Jon Pertwee and Sylvester McCoy in his words and actions, an intelligent rogue who always seems to know more about the situation than he lets on, so it's fitting that (perhaps in recognition of this) Mann makes several references to the Doctor's past lives. Elsewhere, though, the author manages to create lots of compelling new characters who aid in the quest to stop the Squall, and the image of the piece's monster on the cover does help to give a better sense of its appearance when reading. Overall, while it lacks the emotional depth Jonathan Morris acheives in Touched, Paradox Lost is still another great entry in the New Series Adventures range, and I hope more writers follow in the wake of Mann by trying to imitate the intriticate workings of the current showrunner Moffat's episodes.