This year BBC Books are re-releasing some previous Doctor Who novels under the banner of The Monster Collection. Each taking a different monster from Doctor Who’s past, these novels look at different incarnations of the Doctor and the various enemies he’s faced over his regenerations. As someone that has followed Doctor Who since it returned to the screens with the Christopher Eccleston’s ninth Doctor, I’m not all that familiar with Doctor’s 1 through 8. Looking at the series from that point narrowed down which one I wanted to read, though this was a needless formality. Touched by an Angel jumped out at me for the obvious, the Weeping Angels.
Originally released in 2011, Touched by an Angel by Jonathan Morris has Matt Smith’s Doctor as its focus and brings along both Amy and Rory for the ride. Personally I like this Doctor, both companions, and the Weeping Angels have to be my favourite monsters from the new series. So, seeing what Jonathan Morris could do with them – and if he could pull it off successfully – was the big question. Fortunately, Touched by an Angel is the kind of Doctor Who novel that easily fits in with the new series, and is often very much like an episode in book form.
What Jonathan Morris has done here can be compared to the first episode to feature the Weeping Angels, ‘Blink’, which was part of the tenth Doctor’s run. This story is similar in that it doesn’t focus so much on the Doctor, instead we get our main character in the form of Mark Whitaker. After losing his wife to a car accident, Mark is still grieving 8 years later. That is until he receives a strange parcel, and the hope that he may be able to change the past. But not all is as simple as it first seems, and the further down the road Mark goes, the more the Doctor and the Weeping Angels are with him.
I didn’t find many downsides to Touched by an Angel. In fairness it’s one of those tie-in stories that you can read and visualise without much difficulty. With a lot of the story taking place in Mark’s past – the 1990’s – anyone that lived through that period is going to recognise many of the pop culture references (and songs) that Morris mentions. It works well to ground the story in reality, and also to add more depth to Mark’s character and history, but sometimes it can feel like a bit of overkill.
As for the Doctor, well, he’s portrayed exactly right, as is Amy and Rory. The Weeping Angels do have some very interesting scenes that really send tingles along your spine, and that’s just what I was hoping for. While the overall plot does keep you guessing for most of the novel, the Weeping Angels’ master plan shows that there is more to these monsters than meets the eye.
Overall, Touched by an Angel is a very interesting novel that treats its source material right, but is also entertaining and enjoyable. It’s definitely one for fans of the Weeping Angels.
BBC Books: http://www.eburypublishing.co.uk/about-us/about/imprints/bbc-books
Jonathan Morris: http://underthreehundred.blogspot.co.uk/
March 2014, 224 pages
Paperback, ISBN: 9781849907569
Review copy received from the publisher
© 2014 Mark Chitty
