Spiral Scratch

Review: 6th Doctor has the time of his lives (SPOILERS).

On television, the Sixth Doctor never got a proper send-off. Now author Gary Russell gives us a ripping yarn set in his last days.

He and companion Mel become caught up in a suitably ambitious adventure about creatures that eat destiny itself.

It's an admirably intricate story, that starts all over the place and then becomes more and more connected, easily achieving the difficult task of making us appreciate the daunting scale of an all-consuming universal threat. By the end, we really do get the feeling that all of existence could just fall apart.

The sometimes irritating Sixth Doctor is well-served, even noble, and equally irksome companion Mel receives good treatment from Russell - even getting a backstory and hidden trauma.

This takes a great turn when we start to meet other Doctors and Mels from other realities - all given interesting twists on familiar characters which makes the settings they explore even more intriguing. Russell actually manages to make the old chestnut of "Earth where Rome never fell" interesting. Blimey.

Despite a slightly abrupt last act, the story goes out on a high, and does its best to ensure the old fellow gets a better send-off than "Carrot juice, carrot juice, carrot juice..."

Migraine-inducing cover, though.

Send us your comment now. We'll publish the best on this page.

Matt G
This is the very best Doctor Who novel I have read in a long time. It really feels like something that could have been shown on TV back when Colin Baker was playing the part for the BBC. And it neatly fills in the gap caused by his sudden departure. I wodner if he has heard about this book and will read it?

Gordon Skywalker
Colin Baker's Doctor is my all time favorite and I am looking forward to reading his final adventure as soon as I get in delivered in the mail.

Mark Lomas
An excellent Sixth Doctor novel, one of the best. All the different Doctors were amazing, a top notch book and I am now waiting for the next one

paul
a very disappointing book. Gary Russell writes mel and the sixth doctor superbly but always wastes far too much time with clumsy attempts to characterise boring supporting characters. With all these and the alternate versions running around the doctor and mel just don't get enough to do. I nearly couldn't be bothered to finish this. But the last chapter was great

Harvey Unwin
A book full of logical holes that doesn't just hang togetehr for me. The plotting is internally inconsistent ( The lamprey can move from reality to reality than she needs help, One lamprey's destruction doesn't destroy them all then it does, and so on) Though the rewrite to the regeneration is welcomed what came before it is a series of set pieces put together without care for plotting. It needs a better edit really.

Kirk
It had its highs and its lows, and the particular high were the events leading up to the Doctor's regeneration. With two chapters, the Sixth Doctor goes from having the most pointless regeneration ever, to one of the best since the Fifth Doctor's, or Christopher Eccleston's fantastic departure. Brilliant stuff.

Rob McD
I wouldn't say the worst cover ever; 'Crooked World' deserves that prize. And it's great for Dr6 to have a proper ending at last!

Rob J Ross
Can't wait to read this... Colin was one of my favourites too..always seemed to be a lot like William Hartnell to me, very irascible, should have been given a better time in the role. Ah well.

Douglas carr
What a terrible cover!How are we supposed to know who the bad guy is?!

David Spence
The story is incredible. I have always enjoyed stories featuring alternate universes, and all the possible realities described here- a world where Rome never fell, a world where humans and Silurians live in peace, and so on- are all well-described. The final moments, as the Doctor says goodbye to Mel in the TARDIS after a dramatic confrontation with a pan-dimensional adversary, is a superb send-off for this incarnation, and Mel's hidden truama- unknown even to her- makes for a highly UNexpected twist. A superb read; I can highly recommend it!

Doc Derby
From the start of the book you know what's coming up but still you want to read on and on. Gary Russell once again provides a "missing" story which fits into its era while being very much a story of the 21st century. Maybe not one for the newer readers as expects you to know a great deal about the characters of Mel and 6th Doc. Still an excellent addition to the range - and I know where to put it on my bookshelf !

The Master
The alternate realitys really intrigued me, also the cover is useful for hypnotising the unwary!

Frank Ford
BEST SIXTH DOCTOR BOOK EVER!!! cover is one of the best too

Adam Smith
And all the chapters are named after Buzzcocks songs too (I'm afraid the songs are better than the chapters, though!)

Charlie
it should be really good to see his final moments.

Davros
"Russell actually manages to make the old sore of "Earth where Rome never fell" interesting." Surely you mean "old saw"? Or is your version part of a running joke? Geddit??? Oh, please yourselves...

Douglas carr
6th doctor from the olden days on telly!now thats a miracle.

Josh78
I thought that this was a fantastic book with many events making it highly interesting and enjooyable.

Vgrattidge
Calling the 6th Doctor irritating. How original! Remember, that some of us grew up with this Doctor and loved him...and we might be bigger than you. Tee hee!

Ben from Aberdeen
Really love these books... and as the 6th Doctors 'last' adventure, it would be wonderful to have this as a Big Finish audio play. Colin Baker has always, in my eyes, been one of the best Doctors - it was just very sad he didn't get a proper chance in the role. Brilliant actor, Brilliant Doctor, Painful costume: not his fault. Has the BBC considered making a fully-animated television spin-off series of Doctor Who? - it would be a very good chance to bring back some of the older doctors and fill in a few gaps in the series. Brilliant work on the cover by the way!!! (speaking as an artist myself). Keep up the great work BBC!

lucien barnes
Worst cover evah! But gotta love a book titled after a buzzcocks song.

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