Doctor Who: Scratchman

I wanted to like this, I really did. However, I didn't.
Sorry Tom.
I mean, what is there not to like - the devil, The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith. Well, it turns out there's everything not to like and that is a real shame.
I love Doctor Who and Fourth was and still ismy favorite, but this turgid adventure really didn't float my boat at all. Thank goodness it was never made into a film.
The characters were two dimensional, poor old Harry couldn't even get that far, he was written like a brainless imitation of Just William and all Sarah Jane Smith did was look cross and say “OOOh, Doctor” in a petulant voice.
It started off promising enough, but the second half generally runs out of steam and if I hear the phrase ‘Dear old Thing' again then I might physically be sick. And then it turns into, well I don't know what, it was like some mad crazy Carry on Film.
And how Harry survives the monsters by continuous sernedipity is plain preposterous. In the end I was hoping that the sword of never would come and remove my ears. It was only the fact that I had paid good money that I listened to it.
However, one plus point in this is that we heard Liz Sladen's voice coming through the book, especially at the end.

I was never a fan of Doctor Who when I was a kid. It came on PBS after school every day, but I just couldn't get past the melodramatic acting and poor special effects back then. Plus, as a kid who loved superheroes, I expected someone named Doctor Who (that's what we all thought he was called back in those days), he should have super powers like Doctor Strange or Doctor Fate or Doctor Doom. Since he seemed like just a normal guy, I wasn't all that interested. Then came New Who and like many Americans, I became a huge fan. Oddly enough, even though I wasn't a fan of the show as a kid, I identified Tom Baker as my Doctor because he was the one I saw on PBS as a kid. As an adult, I've grown to be a huge fan of his. So, I was excited to hear he was writing a Doctor Who story on his own.

I wasn't disappointed. I wondered from time to time whether the book was ghost-written because it was so well thought out and the prose was magnificent. Then, I thought about Tom Baker the man and his eloquence, and could truly see him writing as brilliantly as the prose of this novel. In the end, it doesn't matter who wrote it. It was fantastic. And you really got a sense of the 3rd Doctor's time in the TARDIS. It was even more so since I listened to it on audiobook with Tom Baker narrating it in a way that only Tom Baker could possibly pull off. His performance was amazing, and even if you're not a fan of audiobooks, I strongly suggest giving this one a try. I'm sure reading the story would be just as satisfying, but hearing the Doctor laugh his boisterous laugh, and hearing the Doctor give little asides to the text...it was invigorating. And nostalgic.

But not only was the writing and the performance great, the story itself was wonderful too. It was multilayered. Deep. Witty. And smart. Everything one would expect from a Doctor Who story. I just can't recommend this book enough. I hope you'll pick it up and give it a try...especially if you're a fan, but even if you're not. You'll thank me later.