Wilkinson, Joy
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
4 out of 5
(1 book)
Doctor Who: The Witchfinders
The Target novelisation of Wilkinson's own script from Series 11, featuring the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and her companions Graham, Ryan and Yaz. Arriving in 17th Century Lancashire, the Doctor and her friends discover the locals caught up in a witch hunting frenzy that has seen dozens of women unjustly executed. Their efforts to put a stop to the wanton killing are complicated by malevolent aliens and the presence of King James I.
Whilst I wasn't really a fan of the Chibnall/Whittaker era of Doctor Who, there were a few episodes which I genuinely enjoyed (albeit with some reservations) and 'The Witchfinders' was one of them. Throwing the Doctor and crew (I still can't bring myself to actually say 'fam') into such an emotionally charged atmosphere as the mass hysteria of witch trials makes for some great tension (it similarly worked well in the First Doctor novel 'The Witch Hunters' by Steve Lyons). Here there's the added theme that the injustices suffered by women amid that hysteria are now as applicable and dangerous to the Doctor. In fact, there's a great scene where the Doctor, blustering through the suspicions and fear of the people around her as they always have, suddenly realises that this time her gender puts her in real danger.
Also, where sometimes the inclusion of a famous historical figure feels a bit gimmicky, King James I makes for an excellent addition to this tale. Sure, there's no logical reason for the King of England to be poking around a tiny Lancashire village just as the Doctor turns up, but thematically his inclusion is very appropriate. If you're not familiar with the historical figure then this book would go a long way in giving you a good grounding in James' history. You get a sense of his intelligence and charisma, as well as his stubbornly dogmatic approach to witchcraft and the natural insecurities caused by his family history and his role as King. Although I have to say that the gay subtext that was in the televised episode (and is absolutely historically accurate) is oddly omitted from the novelisation in a way which feels a bit deliberately 'no homo'.
So there's lots of good stuff in this book but there are also two major flaws that hold it back from greatness. The first is simply that, although they're a bit more developed here than they were on TV, the Morax are not great antagonists once they're revealed. Alien conquerors who are angry at everything and want to take over the world. Okay. *Yawn*. The other flaw is, unfortunately, Wilkinson's prose. It's not that it's bad but it feels very obvious and straightforward, as if the writer was trying too hard to make a YA story and forgot that YA books don't have to be dumbed-down.
4 out of 5
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