Wooden Heart (April 2007)
December 7, 2007
The Doctor paused, blinking for a moment, and then took another cautious step forward. “I’m So sorry,” he said. – Excerpt from Doctor Who: Wooden Heart
Yet another Doctor Who new series under my belt, and my first with the newest companion, Martha. Written by Martin Day, this book did well for what it was, but failed at where I was hoping it wouldn’t. As I have stated before and I must state again here, the new series for the most part seems to be plagued with a sense of immense mediocrity. This one, just as the last and the one before that I have read have all felt manufactured, instead of written. They feel more like failed scripts then they do rich stories that are so elaborate that they simply can’t turn into episodes.
The story takes place on an abandoned space station/ship/thing called the Castor, where criminals went to be experimented on. The idea was to fix the inmates by removing the bad thoughts from them. This sadly has an adverse side-effect and everyone dies. The Doctor and Martha show up looking to explore, and upon returning to the TARDIS, they find that the inside of the hull has been converted into a forest. Within this forest is a village that is being plagued by some unknown force which seems to be stealing the children in the night. The Doctor and Martha investigate, only to find things don’t add up.
The book seems to be trying to convey the message that the nature of Good and Evil are not something that is bred into us by living conditions or parental guidance, but by choice. Though I agree with the sentiment, the execution was somewhat lacking. Certain points seemed obvious, others totally left field, and I’m sure at least one Deus Ex Machina was used. Granted it’s Doctor Who and the man is Deus Ex Machina in the flesh, but come on.
As I stated previously, this novel felt as if it were cranked out rather then created as fine literature. I’m not saying its a bad story at all, as the characters are well written and the story does flow well, but the heart just isn’t in it. The new adventures thus far have all felt to be surface story and no depth, comparable to the first few episodes of a new series on TV. The thing is you don’t need to establish the Doctors character anymore, he’s had 10 so far. Get to the good bits! Get to the darkness, to the depth of his being. Get to the force of nature and the Champion of Time! Don’t give me running down corridors and typical evil creatures. I’ve read that enough.
Not bad, but not good. Well written and slightly weird but in the end pretty standard fare.
5/10
Categories: Miscellaneous
Tagged under: 5/10 Doctor Who, Martain Day, Wooden Heart