James Goss has on more than one occasion proved that he is the expert medium in channeling the the wit and charm and imagination of our lost genius Mister Adams. With his amazing adaptions of City Of Death and The Pirate Planet. Novelizations of long ago tales minus the little Target logo on their spines. Mind you, as good as most of those novelizations were, they never felt as fun and entertaining as the treats Mister Goss has laid before our Who hungry eyes. And he has only just gone and done it again. Delivering an absolute gem for anyone with wit enough to buy it for their collections.
Back in the day I did not immediately warm to the Time Lady who was so brazen as to take the place of my beloved Leela and by the time I had she regenerated. To me Mary Tamm seemed all f Scott Fitzgerald High Society and Lalla Ward was all Lewis Carroll Winter Tide Ball. Both classy, both sophisticated, and a bit snooty for my Bohemian hero. Yet each of them proved themselves endearingly warm and witty and gracious foils to their nutty companion, following this penniless genius chum to some of the most dangerous places in space and time. The text is full of the most endearing insights into why The Doctor and Romanna do the things they do but all without taking the Who out of Doctor Who. It never makes the cardinal mistake of diminishing things by explaining them away. And I should recognise a "cardinal mistake" as I was raised a Catholic. I know what a cardinal is and I am never done making mistakes. Besides, Big Finish have allowed through their stories to blossom wonderfully in ways they never had the opportunity to do on screen, just listen to The Auntie Matter , the story which kicked off the one season of stories Mary Tamm did for Big Finish, and immediately find yourself converted to the audio medium.
And just when you think you have reached the end of the book, all too soon, James Goss share appendex x 3 with us. The third of which rewards the reader with a window onto a path not taken. Bringing back to life an old friend for one brief but delightful chapter.
There is a lovely scene in Shada during which The Doctor pins a medal on a brightly beaming Romanna, right on her pinafore. a reward and a recognition of her sheer Romannaness. Now I am not sure if James Goss would ever be inclined to wear a pinafore but should he ever care to I would gladly pin a medal on him. For demonstrating his sheer Gossness time and again. Giving me some lovely books to read and allowing me to spend time with some old chums I never thought to see again.
James Goss I salute you.
That mild pricking sensation you may be experiencing is just me pinning a medal on you. Time and circumstance may some day force you to sell that medal down Cash Converters but never forget the reason why you were given it in the first place.
For daring do and diddling don't. So to speak.
