At last, the powers that be(BC) have given us the very first novelisations of 21st-century episodes of Doctor Who, written in the style of the beloved Target books from the days of yore. One of the four releases is The Day of the Doctor, adapted from the 50th anniversary special by former showrunner Steven Moffat himself.
Fans of the episode will be pleased to know that all the major moments you probably remember off by heart are all present and correct, but it is actually the embellishments that offer the novel’s best bits. Certain cameo roles in the TV special are increased, and a few new ones are added in for good measure. Plot holes and unclarified bits of exposition are inserted that allow for a better grip of the busy storyline. And there’s actually some nice character work on display, too, that helps flesh out rather sketchily-drawn figures from the episode.
The biggest alteration to the story, though, is its structure. In the translation to prose, Moffat has decided to wrap the story up in an epistolary format, as it is narrated by a future Doctor who has collected the different Time Lords’ accounts together.
It’s a novel – ha! – approach, and arguably a necessary way of tackling a story that is impossible to tell from one viewpoint. However, it can become tiring if read in one sitting as you are continually pulled out of the narrative.
Make no mistake, if you’re not a lover of Moffat’s scriptwriting then I’m afraid you’ll feel the same way about his novelisation. If you’re anti-Moffat, you might say that this book is too clever for its own good and flies in the face of canon at several points for the sake of a quip or joke. If you’re pro-Moffat, though, you’ll think that it’s a smart, laugh-a-minute read that’s enjoyably tongue-in-cheek. Seriously, some of its innovations will make hardcore fans gasp (either with delight or disgust, take your pick).
Whatever your feelings about the writer, it’s only fitting that Moffat took perhaps the most emblematic episode of his time on the show and turned it into a big old celebration of his distinctive view of Doctor Who. As this may well be his final contribution to the Whoniverse, you can’t blame him. So long, Moffat, and thanks for giving us a second 50th anniversary special five years later. Hey, it’s wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey!
DOCTOR WHO – THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR / AUTHOR: STEVEN MOFFAT / PUBLISHER: BBC BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
