A review by j_kent_holloway
Doctor Who: Scratchman by Tom Baker, James Goss
5.0
I was never a fan of Doctor Who when I was a kid. It came on PBS after school every day, but I just couldn’t get past the melodramatic acting and poor special effects back then. Plus, as a kid who loved superheroes, I expected someone named Doctor Who (that’s what we all thought he was called back in those days), he should have super powers like Doctor Strange or Doctor Fate or Doctor Doom. Since he seemed like just a normal guy, I wasn’t all that interested. Then came New Who and like many Americans, I became a huge fan. Oddly enough, even though I wasn’t a fan of the show as a kid, I identified Tom Baker as *my* Doctor because he was the one I saw on PBS as a kid. As an adult, I’ve grown to be a huge fan of his. So, I was excited to hear he was writing a Doctor Who story on his own.
I wasn’t disappointed. I wondered from time to time whether the book was ghost-written because it was so well thought out and the prose was magnificent. Then, I thought about Tom Baker the man and his eloquence, and could truly see him writing as brilliantly as the prose of this novel. In the end, it doesn’t matter who wrote it. It was fantastic. And you really got a sense of the 3rd Doctor’s time in the TARDIS. It was even more so since I listened to it on audiobook with Tom Baker narrating it in a way that only Tom Baker could possibly pull off. His performance was amazing, and even if you’re not a fan of audiobooks, I strongly suggest giving this one a try. I’m sure reading the story would be just as satisfying, but hearing the Doctor laugh his boisterous laugh, and hearing the Doctor give little asides to the text...it was invigorating. And nostalgic.
But not only was the writing and the performance great, the story itself was wonderful too. It was multilayered. Deep. Witty. And smart. Everything one would expect from a Doctor Who story. I just can’t recommend this book enough. I hope you’ll pick it up and give it a try...especially if you’re a fan, but even if you’re not. You’ll thank me later.
I wasn’t disappointed. I wondered from time to time whether the book was ghost-written because it was so well thought out and the prose was magnificent. Then, I thought about Tom Baker the man and his eloquence, and could truly see him writing as brilliantly as the prose of this novel. In the end, it doesn’t matter who wrote it. It was fantastic. And you really got a sense of the 3rd Doctor’s time in the TARDIS. It was even more so since I listened to it on audiobook with Tom Baker narrating it in a way that only Tom Baker could possibly pull off. His performance was amazing, and even if you’re not a fan of audiobooks, I strongly suggest giving this one a try. I’m sure reading the story would be just as satisfying, but hearing the Doctor laugh his boisterous laugh, and hearing the Doctor give little asides to the text...it was invigorating. And nostalgic.
But not only was the writing and the performance great, the story itself was wonderful too. It was multilayered. Deep. Witty. And smart. Everything one would expect from a Doctor Who story. I just can’t recommend this book enough. I hope you’ll pick it up and give it a try...especially if you’re a fan, but even if you’re not. You’ll thank me later.