obscuredbyclouds's review against another edition
4.0
This is a cute little Doctor Who short story. Don't expect anything life-changing, it's just nice, fluffy and fun.
hjswinford's review against another edition
5.0
Whoa. Where did this story come from?? It's like in a line of DW episodes that are fun a goofy, you get a big hefty "Rosa" (S11) dropped out of the sky. This wasn't fun, it wasn't light, it was contemplative and heavy. The two side characters, Nettie and Jonny (a half-black girl and a Jewish boy) have quite the situation being that's 1945 and the world is against them. They have to deal with racism and rejection and the Doctor stopping into town to free an alien race that have been enslaved and sold as a toy to the children of this town. Like...whoa. If you only read one of this set of stories, read this one.
thoroughlymodernreviewer's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
On the one hand, I really appreciated that Ness decided to focus not on the Doctor and Nyssa, but on two teenagers in 1940s America. That ground-level kind of storytelling always works as a nice contrast to the eccentricities of the Doctor. And Jonny and Nettie certainly make for great characters, too. But that being said, the Doctor and Nyssa’s absence throughout the story was quite palpable. They really only come into focus in the climax, and I would’ve liked to have perhaps seen more of them figuring out what, exactly, was going on before they turned up to save the day.
I love the idea behind the story, though. Weaponized truth is always such a fascinating concept for science fiction, and it’s a trope Doctor Who’s played with before (most notably in Matt Smith’s final episode, “The Time of the Doctor”). Here, it feels like Ness could’ve pushed it even further, though. He flirts with the prejudices of the time, but I wish we’d gotten to hear from more normal people, rather than the alien antagonists at the heart of the story.
At the end of the day, “Tip of the Tongue” is a lovely little tale. It’s well-paced, not too short and not too long. Jonny and Nettie are well-developed as characters, immediately endearing and sympathetic. And the central story is well executed, too. Ness crafts an engrossing, deeply enjoyable tale here, and it’s well worth a read even if the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa frequently fade into the background.
I love the idea behind the story, though. Weaponized truth is always such a fascinating concept for science fiction, and it’s a trope Doctor Who’s played with before (most notably in Matt Smith’s final episode, “The Time of the Doctor”). Here, it feels like Ness could’ve pushed it even further, though. He flirts with the prejudices of the time, but I wish we’d gotten to hear from more normal people, rather than the alien antagonists at the heart of the story.
At the end of the day, “Tip of the Tongue” is a lovely little tale. It’s well-paced, not too short and not too long. Jonny and Nettie are well-developed as characters, immediately endearing and sympathetic. And the central story is well executed, too. Ness crafts an engrossing, deeply enjoyable tale here, and it’s well worth a read even if the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa frequently fade into the background.
hjswinford's review
5.0
Whoa. Where did this story come from?? It's like in a line of DW episodes that are fun a goofy, you get a big hefty "Rosa" (S11) dropped out of the sky. This wasn't fun, it wasn't light, it was contemplative and heavy. The two side characters, Nettie and Jonny (a half-black girl and a Jewish boy) have quite the situation being that's 1945 and the world is against them. They have to deal with racism and rejection and the Doctor stopping into town to free an alien race that have been enslaved and sold as a toy to the children of this town. Like...whoa. If you only read one of this set of stories, read this one.
bymeme's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism, Slavery, and Racism
sapphosgirlfriend's review
3.0
It was good, but not really what I expected from Patrick Ness. I know my expectations were far too high, but I'm still a little disappointed.
invisibleobserver13's review
4.0
I loved that this story was focused primarily on other characters than the Doctor and companion. It would almost be classified as Doctor-lite, had there been less scenes with the Doctor and Nyssa. I liked the characters Jonny and Nettie and how they were somewhat outcasts in World War II-era America.
paperbackd's review
3.0
In 1945, a strange new craze for Truth Tellers is sweeping the kids of small-town America. The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa soon arrive to investigate the phenomenon, only to discover that the actual truth behind the Truth Tellers is far more sinister than anyone could have imagined.
Over the years Doctor Who has featured some weird and downright nonsensical aliens, so while creatures who dangle from the mouths of their owners and cause havoc by spilling the townspeople’s best-kept secrets might sound ridiculous to a non-Whovian, I’m sure most Doctor Who fans will barely bat an eyelid at Ness’ bizarre alien race, nicknamed the Truth Tellers. I’m not entirely sure what to make of them; while I liked the Doctor’s musings on the distinction between truth and opinion, and the social commentary the Truth Tellers provided, I found it difficult to imagine the Truth Tellers despite Ness’ many descriptions of them. I’m also sceptical that the creatures would have been so readily accepted as just another strange new fad – especially since Ness’ story is set during World War Two, when tensions were high and anything odd would surely have been treated as suspicious and dangerous.
That said, Ness has managed to capture the spirit of the show and do what all good sci-fi should do – provide a window into our own world. In less than 40 pages, Ness touches upon such weighty topics as racism, xenophobia and slavery. Ness’ cast is also wonderfully diverse; his two main characters are outcasts in 1945 – a Jewish boy with German roots and a biracial girl from Maine. The Fifth Doctor and his companion Nyssa are comparatively featured very little – in fact, if it weren’t for the continuous references to the celery stick on the Doctor’s lapel, Ness’ story could have been about any of the Doctor’s regenerations.
As a huge fan of both Doctor Who and Patrick Ness, I was slightly disappointed that I didn’t love this story more, but I did find it an enjoyable read, and I’m sure the teenage perspective will appeal to young fans of the T.V. show.
Many thanks to Puffin for providing a copy of Tip of the Tongue as part of the 12 Doctors, 12 Stories blog tour! As part of the blog tour I was asked to answer a few questions:
Do you have a favourite Doctor? It’s probably a tie between David Tennant and Matt Smith. I preferred Tennant’s character progression, but Smith’s acting as the Doctor was phenomenal.
Describe the Doctor in one word. Complicated.
If you had a TARDIS where would you go? It’s probably more a question of when. I’m an archaeology geek – I’d want to visit as many famous historical moments as possible!
Tip of the Tongue is part of 12 Doctors, 12 Stories, a collection of Doctor Who stories from some of the best names in children’s fiction. Individual eBooks of all 12 stories are available now and the Doctor Who: 12 Doctors 12 Stories gift edition slipcase is out on November 13th in the UK and November 18th in the US.
Publisher: Puffin
Rating: 3 stars | ★★★✰✰
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd
Over the years Doctor Who has featured some weird and downright nonsensical aliens, so while creatures who dangle from the mouths of their owners and cause havoc by spilling the townspeople’s best-kept secrets might sound ridiculous to a non-Whovian, I’m sure most Doctor Who fans will barely bat an eyelid at Ness’ bizarre alien race, nicknamed the Truth Tellers. I’m not entirely sure what to make of them; while I liked the Doctor’s musings on the distinction between truth and opinion, and the social commentary the Truth Tellers provided, I found it difficult to imagine the Truth Tellers despite Ness’ many descriptions of them. I’m also sceptical that the creatures would have been so readily accepted as just another strange new fad – especially since Ness’ story is set during World War Two, when tensions were high and anything odd would surely have been treated as suspicious and dangerous.
That said, Ness has managed to capture the spirit of the show and do what all good sci-fi should do – provide a window into our own world. In less than 40 pages, Ness touches upon such weighty topics as racism, xenophobia and slavery. Ness’ cast is also wonderfully diverse; his two main characters are outcasts in 1945 – a Jewish boy with German roots and a biracial girl from Maine. The Fifth Doctor and his companion Nyssa are comparatively featured very little – in fact, if it weren’t for the continuous references to the celery stick on the Doctor’s lapel, Ness’ story could have been about any of the Doctor’s regenerations.
As a huge fan of both Doctor Who and Patrick Ness, I was slightly disappointed that I didn’t love this story more, but I did find it an enjoyable read, and I’m sure the teenage perspective will appeal to young fans of the T.V. show.
Many thanks to Puffin for providing a copy of Tip of the Tongue as part of the 12 Doctors, 12 Stories blog tour! As part of the blog tour I was asked to answer a few questions:
Do you have a favourite Doctor? It’s probably a tie between David Tennant and Matt Smith. I preferred Tennant’s character progression, but Smith’s acting as the Doctor was phenomenal.
Describe the Doctor in one word. Complicated.
If you had a TARDIS where would you go? It’s probably more a question of when. I’m an archaeology geek – I’d want to visit as many famous historical moments as possible!
Tip of the Tongue is part of 12 Doctors, 12 Stories, a collection of Doctor Who stories from some of the best names in children’s fiction. Individual eBooks of all 12 stories are available now and the Doctor Who: 12 Doctors 12 Stories gift edition slipcase is out on November 13th in the UK and November 18th in the US.
Publisher: Puffin
Rating: 3 stars | ★★★✰✰
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd
relaxedreader's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0