The Anti-Hero

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I got this review copy from NetGalley.

As it happened with the short story about the Third Doctor, deep knowledge of this specific Doctor and his companions is not necessary to enjoy the story. I've only watched one story arc about the Second Doctor and I didn't have any problems understanding the characters or what was going on. Knowing who the companions are is helpful, but you don't need to have watched all their episodes. Even if you don't know who they are, you can probably enjoy this story anyway. One thing that’s important though, is to know who the Doctor is (as a whole character, not this specific Doctor) and what’s generally going on in Doctor Who, because this is not explained. This story doesn’t spend any lines introducing the characters.

I liked the references to the show and the characters. They’re small, fit well within the story and will only be noticed by people who have watched the episodes. For example, the Doctor is trying on a fez and when Jamie and Zoe tell him that it’s not him, he replies that maybe another time. It’s something that works well within the story as well as a hint about a future Doctor.

In this story, they visit Alexandria, but as this is Doctor Who, they can’t have a peaceful day. In this case, the problems take the form of the Muses, who put a spell on the people who get too close to them.

It’s an ok story that will get some smiles from fans, but I didn’t like it much. Everything felt very rushed, especially after the first half, because the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find themselves alone very soon and from that point on, the action is divided in three different points of view. It’s something that is well done and helps build up the mystery, but it doesn’t work as well as it could due to the shortness of the story. Also the ending, the threat and the aliens were just too weird and it felt more like a parody than a serious story.

2,5 stars

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Al igual que ocurría en la historia corta del Tercer Doctor, un conocimiento profundo de este Doctor en concreto no es necesario para disfrutar de la historia. Sólo he visto un grupo de episodios del Segundo Doctor y no tuve ningún problema para entender a los personajes o lo que ocurría. Saber quiénes son los compañeros del Doctor ayuda, pero no necesitas haber visto todos sus episodios. Aunque no sepas quiénes son, probablemente también podrías disfrutar de la historia. Sin embargo, algo que sí es importante es saber quién es el Doctor (como personaje completo, no este Doctor en concreto) y lo que ocurre en Doctor Who en general, porque no viene explicado. Esta historia no gasta ninguna línea presentando a los personajes.

Me gustaron los guiños a la serie y a los personajes. No son muy grandes, quedan bien dentro de la historia y sólo los notarán las personas que hayan visto los episodios. Por ejemplo, el Doctor se está probando un fez y cuando Jamie y Zoe le dicen que así no es él, él responde que quizá en otro momento. Es algo que funciona bien dentro de la historia y es al mismo tiempo una pista sobre un futuro Doctor.

En esta historia visitan Alejandría, pero como esto es Doctor Who, no pueden tener un día tranquilo. En este caso, el problema toma la forma de las Musas, que hechizan a las personas que se les acercan demasiado.

Es una historia aceptable que sacará alguna sonrisa a los fans, pero no me gustó demasiado. Todo parece muy acelerado, especialmente tras pasar la primera mitad, porque el Doctor, Jamie y Zoe se encuentran solos muy pronto y desde este momento, la acción está dividida en tres puntos de vista diferentes. Es algo que está muy bien hecho y ayuda a que aumente el misterio, pero no funciona tan bien como podría, debido a la falta de longitud de la historia. Además, el final, la amenaza y los aliens fueron demasiado raros y llegó a parecer más una parodia que una historia seria.

2,5 estrellas ( )

3.5 Stars

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

I've been reading a number of Doctor Who novels and short stories lately, and all in all I really enjoyed them. This Time Trip short story features the Second Doctor and his companions and I have to admit that I didn't know anything about them.

So it's not possible for me to review the portrayal given in this short story. However, the story I found very interesting and I liked it a lot. It's set in Ancient Alexandria and features the Muses, thus teaching some of the old Greek mythology.

My only problem with it was that it was too short. I would have loved to read this as a longer story, perhaps a full novel.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )