Sutekh's dust of death has swept across the universe, turning everything it touches to nothing. On a far distant planet, on a far distant plain, The Doctor and Ruby find themselves being told stories of days now passed, of things which may or may not have been.The sub title of this book is "Folk Tales Rescued From Around The Whoniverse", and that is exactly what you get when you find yourself between its covers. The stories are written by two Doctor Who writers who know their stuff and who can tell a hawk from a hand saw, on a good day, so to speak. thats Steve Cole and Paul Magrs, who also supplies some wistful and haunting illustrations for this lovely collection, which plays light with some very dark moments. Damn that Paul Magrs, with his words he has moved me and now i discover he can do similar with artwork as well.
This is a superior effort, when it comes to what you can do with the book format in its efforts to extend what we saw on television. I fact, this continuation of last seasons cliff hanger is a very welcome addition to a story that enough people did not see( Ugh, my grammar is shocking at times, that Yoda-speak.). Hope it might inspire people to go back and give that season another go. The goes for the older stuff , which may well bewilder fans of the most recent eras. But you know what, dont shy away, jump right in, the water, and the tides of time and space, are just lovely.
Paul Magrs once wrote an audio story about Bessie, the Doctor's beloved old roadster and it was one of the most bitter sweetest original Who spin-offs I have listened too. Imagine hearing Chittie-Chittie-Bang-Bang tell its own tale.There are moments in this book which lean into such sentiment and makes me suspect he is an old sweetie himself. If so, more power to him.
The world needs more like him. Now more than ever.
