A review by paperbackd
Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness
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