Doctor Who: Thirteen Doctors 13 Stories

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #1-13

by Naomi Alderman, Malorie Blackman, Holly Black

A new version of this much-loved anthology, with a brand-new story featuring the brand-new Thirteenth Doctor from literary sensation Naomi Alderman!Twelve wonderful tales of adventure, science, magic, monsters and time travel - featuring all twelve Doctors - are waiting for you in this very special Doctor Who book.And now they're joined by a very exciting, and very exclusive, new tale - written by Naomi Alderman, author of The Power - that will star the Thirteenth Doctor, as she battles to save the universe with her three close and trusted friends. Other authors featured Eoin Colfer, Michael Scott, Marcus Sedgwick, Philip Reeve, Patrick Ness, Richelle Mead, Malorie Blackman, Alex Scarrow, Charlie Higson, Derek Landy, Neil Gaiman, and Holly Black.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Fantasy, Anthologies

567 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2019

About the author

Naomi Alderman (born 1974 in London) is a British author and novelist.

Alderman was educated at South Hampstead High School and Lincoln College, Oxford where she read Philosophy, Politics and Economics. She then went on to study creative writing at the University of East Anglia before becoming a novelist.
She was the lead writer for Perplex City, an Alternate reality game, at Mind Candy from 2004 through June, 2007.[1]
Her father is Geoffrey Alderman, an academic who has specialised in Anglo-Jewish history. She and her father were interviewed in The Sunday Times "Relative Values" feature on 11 February 2007.[2]

Her literary debut came in 2006 with Disobedience, a well-received (if controversial) novel about a rabbi's daughter from North London who becomes a lesbian, which won her the 2006 Orange Award for New Writers.
Since its publication in the United Kingdom, it has been issued in the USA, Germany, Israel, Holland, Poland and France and is due to be published in Italy, Hungary and Croatia.
She wrote the narrative for The Winter House, an online, interactive yet linear short story visualized by Jey Biddulph. The project was commissioned by Booktrust as part of the Story campaign, supported by Arts Council England. [3]

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

13 Doctors, 13 stories. Some companions. Some good. Others just okay. Long live the Time Lord. 6 of 10 stars

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Christmas present form my 18 year old daughter who bought it for me because it screamed "dad"at her. That is the result of my raising them full of Doctor Who, Sarah Jane Smith, Star Wars, Star Trek, Xenia Warrior Princess, she turned into a fan girl with good taste.

It is not a new book is has been released before every time with a new story added this release has a new 13th Doctor (yes, the female Doctor) to the book. All Doctors except the War Doctor have their own 40 pages long short story. If you like me have seen all Doctors in action, as I have quite an extensive DW dvd collection you'll find that most stories are true to their character and spirit. Most of the stories are quite fun and entertaining, it is only the First Doctor that has a bit of extra in its epilogue. The rest of the stories are decent to good and have been written by some pretty big names including of course Neil Gaiman.

For a Doctor Who fan a great time enjoying the various Doctors for newbies to the universe perhaps a wee bit baffling but a nice collection scifi stories with some very decent plotting.

A festive read that you casually read way too fast as candy should be enjoyed you eat them all and then have regrets that you did not made it last longer.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.54 stars

So that's my average rating based on my individual ratings of each story. Here's a quick synopsis of each short story and my brief thoughts (emphasis on brief because there's 13 to get through here):


First Doctor: The Doctor loses his hand and has to wait for a replacement. Plus the author uses his own made up language from his own independent series in this story, which is a tinsy bit obnoxious. Otherwise it's kind of boring.
★★½☆☆/★★★★★

Second Doctor: Jamie gets a weird book. The Master sells the Doctor out to get money, fame, power, the works. So not too different for him. Much better than the first one. Also I just love the Second Doctor.
★★★★☆/★★★★★

Third Doctor: The Doctor steals Odin's spear (yep, Norse mythology Odin) from an exhibition on 1973. And the Master is Frey, because of course he is. And that is even more hilarious when you think that Magnus Chase from Rick Riordan's series is the son of Frey, so technically Magnus is part Timelord. It's a really cool short story, but its high rating is 100% influenced by my mythology nerd brain.
★★★★★/★★★★★

Fourth Doctor: A whole planet of people hate the Doctor and the planet isn't Gallifrey and the people aren't Timelords! There is also a giant killer tree. Kind of a let down story-wise. I was pretty disappointed. The Fourth Doctor honestly deserves better.
★★★½☆/★★★★★

Fifth Doctor: It's 1945 and the new craze is Truth Tellers, which do as their name suggests (that is they bypass the human filter and tell the truth regardless of whether it is appropriate or not). And naturally, everyone goes crazy. A great short story, perhaps attributed to its concept, but not very specific for the Fifth Doctor. Any of the other Doctors could have been swapped in and little would change. Also, it was more on the minimalist side in terms of the sci-fi elements, which I am not particularly adverse to, it was just a surprise more than anything I think.
★★★½☆/★★★★★

Sixth Doctor: There's a wedding and the Doctor turns up to find someone quite familiar. As much as it would be a spoiler to say who the Doctor meets, it is really not much of a mystery as to who it is. (Hint: starts with M...) Anyway, I kind of skim read this one (I allow myself to do this in anthologies when I'm not really feeling a story) because I'm not a huge fan of the Sixth Doctor. The story was better than I thought it would be though.
★★½☆☆/★★★★★

Seventh Doctor: Daleks are nice and the Doctor is confused. The timey whimey-est story here. Also one of the best! I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Though, I may be biased, because I really love the Seventh Doctor (which may in turn be influenced by me being unduly partial to the number seven and the fact that Sylvester McCoy played Radagast in The Hobbit movies and was one of the only good parts of the films).
★★★★★/★★★★★

Eighth Doctor: An alien-space-virus-thing wants to wipe out the human race. A story that hits a little too close to home given the world's present state. Also not a fan of the Eighth Doctor, so I wasn't hugely into this one.
★★☆☆☆/★★★★★

Ninth Doctor: Remember how in the first episode of the new Doctor Who called Rose when the Doctor asked Rose to travel with him in the TARDIS and she declined so he left? Then remember how he came back, told Rose the TARDIS also travels in time, and so she joined him? (That part where she ran in cringey slow motion, yeah. Give them a break, it was 2005.) This was what happened in between those two visits (because five seconds in a time machine can be five days). The concept was perhaps better than the execution.
★★★½☆/★★★★★

Tenth Doctor: The Doctor and Martha get trapped in a book, and it's nothing like all us bookworms dreamed it would be. When I saw that Martha was the companion here I'll admit I was a little disappointed, but I think Ten largely makes up for it. (Though, I have come to appreciate Martha more reading some books with her in them. Maybe it's just her writing in the show that bothered me.)
A generous ★★★★☆/★★★★★

Eleventh Doctor: Some creepy mask-wearing dudes buy this guy’s house in the 80's and then try to buy the world. Amy's there being awesome and Eleven does all his goofy things (which were written wonderfully by the way) and it probably made me laugh the most out of all the stories.
★★★★½/★★★★★

Twelfth Doctor: All the Claras get stories! Yes! The thing everyone has been waiting for is finally here!! Another case of the concept topping the execution, but in this case the concept was so good I think it largely made up for it.
★★★★☆/★★★★★

Thirteenth Doctor: The (female) Doctor did some stuff, I guess, and cracked some jokes that probably don't land and... that's it. Despite this being the last story, I don't remember much about it at all. I guess I could chalk that up to me not liking the Thirteenth Doctor (and I'm a female too so I'm not being one of those sexist, snobbish guys just hating all feminist advances) which is pretty much entirely a result of the poor scripts she got in these latest two seasons. I really really hope and pray they can iron out all the issues surrounding the disconnect between the writing and the acting for Jodie's last season, because she is an incredible actress (just watch Broadchurch, all the evidence is there) and she deserves a shot at fulfilling the roll of the Thirteenth Doctor like I know she is absolutely capable of doing. Anyway, (tangent over) in terms of this anthology, it's sad not to end on a high note.
★★☆☆☆/★★★★★


So what I have learned is that I am very picky about my Doctor Who content. Eh, what's new?

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
It was fun to return to the adventures of the Doctor. We see each of the Doctors (except the the War Doctor) deal with a problem with a Companion.

I remember watching a few of 3’s and 4’s adventures when I was young, but really got into the stories with 9. So, I particularly enjoyed 9’s-13’s stories, as I actually had seen their Companions in action over months.

The stories were mostly light, fast-moving, with humour and crotchetiness sprinkled throughout—a low stakes foray into the Doctor’s personality and aliens encounters.

[e l l i · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitiv ein absolutes Jahreshighlight und ein absolutes MUSS für alle Doctor Who Fans so wie ich.- Wie ihr ja alle wahrscheinlich schon wisst, ist die Serie einer meiner absoluten Lieblinge überhaupt. Ich habe viele Fan-Artikel wie zum Beispiel einen TARDIS-Rucksack oder Funko-Pops, und natürlich habe ich auch einen absoluten Lieblingsdoktor von den 13.Stück die es gibt.




Die Handlungen sind auch jedes mal besondere Geschichten und man bekommt gar nicht genug davon. was mir auch ziemlich gut gefallen hat, war dass es neue Geschichten waren, die man nicht aus der Serie kannte. Wie verlorene Episoden, die nun aufgetaucht sind. Und das macht es eben zur tollen Ergänzung. man hat ein bisschen mehr von allem. Man muss noch nicht Abschied nehmen von seinem Lieblingsdoktor, sondern kann noch ein Abenteuer miterleben.

Ich finde, wenn man das Buch liest, dann wird man ganz nostalgisch und verträumt. Man kann sich einfach so gut fallen lassen und sich alles so toll bildlich vorstellen.
ich kann nicht viel zu dem Schreibstil sagen, da es 13 verschiedene Autoren sind, die die Geschichten geschrieben haben, aber jede Geschichte ist meiner Meinung nach toll geschrieben egal ob von Holly Black, Derek Landy, Michael Scott oder sonst wem.
Jeder schafft es seinen Doktor lebendig zu machen und dem Leser ein Stückchen mehr Doctor Who zurück zu bringen.




Das Buch war einfach nur eine super tolle Ergänzung zur Serie und hat die Doktoren ziemlich perfekt und originell dargestellt. Obwohl wir ja alle wissen, dass es ein und die selbe Person ist. Jeder Autor hat seine eigene Geschichte zu einem der 13 Doktoren schreiben dürfen. Und ich kann sehr gut behaupten, dass jeder Autor es geschafft hat den Doktor außergewöhnlich, authentisch und doch mit den anderen stimmig werden zu lassen.

Zum Beispiel ist mein Lieblingsdoktor der 10.Doktor. Ich liebe ihn einfach. Und wie es das Schicksal so wollte, wurde seine Geschichte sogar von meinem Lieblingsautor geschrieben, was absolut passend und toll war.


Sein sarkastischer Humor hat einfach super hineingepasst und auch die Art war einfach unfehlbar und perfekt und authentisch rübergebracht, so wie man den 10. Doktor kennt.
Natürlich hätte ich gerne Rose oder Donna als Begleiterin in der Geschichte gehabt, aber man kann ja nicht alles haben. Ich glaube, das mein Lieblingsautor meinen Lieblingsdoktor geschrieben hat ist schon gut genug.




Das ist aber nur ein Beispiel. Natürlich liebe ich jede einzelne Geschichte in dem Buch und konnte gar nicht genug von ihnen haben.
Ich glaube ich könnte wirklich noch stundenlang über dieses Buch schwärmen und natürlich auch über die Serie.

Das Wichtigste ist aber, dass ihr wissen sollt, dass ich euch dieses Buch einfach nur so sehr ans Herz legen kann. Es ist von so tollen Autoren geschrieben, mit tollen Abenteuer des Doktors, die euch zum schmunzeln, lachen, nostalgisch sein, träumerisch und aufs neue verlieben lässt.




Die Serie und das Buch sind im perfekten Einklang und eine absolute Herzens-Empfehlung von mir und ich bitte euch, das Buch als Fan in die Hand zu nehmen und nicht zu denken "was soll das denn?" Denn glaubt mir, dieses Buch ist genau was ihr braucht, wenn ihr Doctor Who genauso liebt wie ich

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I vastly enjoyed most of these stories. So many of them felt like actual episodes and a few brought in ideas I'd have no idea how you'd represent in visual media, so this format was perfect for them. I think my main problem was that, as may be natural with a collection of short stories, they almost all felt too short. Maybe it's because I am used to full episode length stories, these just can't have as much content and therefore feel shorter than they would if I weren't familiar with the show. I do really like that this collection felt genuinely varied and each story gave a very different feeling - it felt like a really good way to meet the older Doctors who I'm less familar with, as well as a treat to get to the end and recognise New Who Doctors' personalities more. My favourite stories were probably 2, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11.

First
I like how simple this story was. As it started I was a bit unsure but I think once I got used to the story I liked it more. Honestly I would have been happy to read a longer form story of this nature. I wouldn’t say I loved the story but the flaws were probably more based on length constraints than poor ideas. I especially liked the ending paragraph I thought it was sweet

Second
I really liked this one ahh. The set up is really good and the alien planet sounds amazing. It is the sort of place that would be hard to do in a visual format so it actually worked really well for the medium of the book. Once again though I wish it had been longer!

Third
Again this one was great. A simple and fun story. It felt very cinematic

Fourth
Another fun one. I would have liked slightly more description of the planet and I also thought the end was pretty rushed but overall I liked it

Fifth
I think Doctor-light stories are always fascinating and I loved this one! I think the ideas were great and it was genuinely emotional. I would have loved to see this as an actual episode

Sixth
I wasn’t sure about the first person narrative honestly. I think it felt really un-Doctor Who-like. And while I enjoyed the concept of the story, I felt like I didn’t have enough context for the backstory, being unfamiliar with most of classic Who. This is the first one that didn’t feel it needed to be longer, however

Seventh
I love Malorie Blackman so I obviously loved this. I think the concept was super interesting and the story was so fun. I would love to see this as an actual episode

Eighth
Love love love. Such a good concept and I like that I didn’t need to know any companion context so it felt very accessible

Nine
Loved the fact that this one took place in the time between Rose turning the Doctor down and then changing her mind. However I think the story was lacking tbh. It felt a bit underdeveloped and rushed. Nine deserves so much better

Ten
Yes loved it! The whole concept was just so good. This would be really hard to do as an actual episode so it fit the medium perfectly. Also just Ten and Martha is iconic

Eleven
I loved this concept! Maybe I'm biased because Eleven and Amy is my fave but yessssss

Twelve
I liked the whole set up of this - Twelve getting coffee for Clara is perfect because it involves classic mundane Doctor Who goodness and also Clara isn’t actually there (sorry to Clara but I just didn’t love her as a character). However the actual plot felt very lacklustre and even more rushed than other stories. Also more first person eugh

Thirteen
It’s hard to make boring characters interesting and I have to say I don’t think this story succeeded. The concept was good but then it all felt a bit all over the place and Ryan, Graham and Yaz were just eh as usual

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic collection of Doctor Who stories and is a must-read for any Whovian. No matter which of the Doctors is your favorite, there's a story in here with them in it- all by separate authors who take different approaches to the short stories. That is one of the major downsides here- they are all much shorter than I'd like them to be (and some more than others). As with any mix of short stories, some are better than others- there are great stories, so-so ones, and ones that really could have been better. My favorite by far were The Nameless City (The Second Doctor), Spore (The Eighth Doctor), The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage (The Tenth Doctor) and Nothing O'Clock (The Eleventh Doctor). These four stories were engaging, had depth, and really understood The Doctor and used him to his full potential. The most surprising story was from The Eighth Doctor, who I didn't know much about, but still thoroughly enjoyed the story. I typically don't like the works of Neil Gaiman, but found his Eleventh Doctor story spot on in terms of Matt Smith's Doctor and his companion Amy Pond.
The stories that I really didn't care for were Tip of the Tongue (The Fifth Doctor), Something Borrowed (The Sixth Doctor) and The Beast of Babylon (The Ninth Doctor). The Fifth Doctor story had very little of The Doctor in it- he was a background character to a group of children who we view the story from. Patrick Ness, the author of this story, has done this before- in a book I have DNF'd in the past called The Rest of Us Just Live Here, in which we view a superhero story from the non-super heroes. It's about as boring as it sounds. I want to read about The Doctor, not about a group of kids who are going through social problems with a bit of magical realism tossed in- so this one was a big let-down. The Sixth Doctor story I just found boring- as it was about a wedding taking place on a Las Vegas type planet. The Ninth Doctor story was far too short and didn't allow any time for the story to grow and for the reader to really learn anything about his character or the titular beast. The most disappointing story of the bunch (not mentioned above) was Lights Out (The Twelfth Doctor) because it was so short, and it was again told from the viewpoint of someone who wasn't The Doctor- so he wasn't in it much at all. I was bummed because Capaldi's Doctor is one of my favorites.
The other stories were just fine- entertaining, and long enough to get invested in the story and for their particular personalities to that regeneration (and that actor) to come through. The stories read quickly, and you can read them in any order you like. I jumped all over the place depending on what I felt like reading that day (I started with 11 and the last one I read was 4, for instance). I can certainly see myself rereading this collection in the future, and will definitely lend it to others.

[Morgan Greensmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally getting back into more Doctor Who bonus content and this was a great place to start! I’m not very familiar with Old Who so this was my first experience with a fair few characters, I’m now definitely invested in doing an Old Who watch in 2024. Shout out to Holly Black and Philip Reeve for the most memorable stories, they’re sticking with me for a while.

(Some of the characters did feel Incredibly OOC at points, but I suppose that’s what you get from a perspective change!)

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book because I like Dr. Who and it was a delight to read about each Doctor. The writing is adequate but none of the stories were excellent. It was an entertaining and light adventurous romp.

[Rebecca H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good read. Some of the stories stand out so much more than others though. Each story captures the Doctor through his different regenerations and takes you on a journey through time and space. Definitely worth a read for any one who's a doctor who fan.

[Anka · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Some stories were better than others. Some narrators were extraordinary, others were just okay. Overall a satisfying read.

[Magda · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5*

[kaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I was extremely excited to purchase this book and wanted to love every aspect of it. Doctor Who is my favorite show and the ability to see the characters in new situations with this written addition had me eager to start reading. Unfortunately, I cannot endorse every one of these thirteen stories. As is the case with any compilation of short stories, there will inevitably be a mixed bag and this one is no exception.

While some of the short stories were thrilling, fun, and fresh, others felt annoying, boring, or empty. In the end, I would say these stories averaged out at about 3.5, but this includes some 5s and some 1s.

[Ace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately the tech I wrote all my notes on. erased. them all. So basically, I don't know what I said, or how many Stars, I gave each short story. However, I remember enough, that I know that you need to have watched Doctor Who to actually enjoy them. I myself had only watched the 'new' Doctors, and I found myself only enjoying the new Doctors, purely because I 'knew' them, if that makes sense.

Even though I had watched the new 'Doctors' I found most of them incredibly disappointing. I doubt I'll read this again to take proper notes again, and star each story.

-------------

THE FIRST DOCTOR: A Big Hand For The Doctor by Eoin Colfer

THE SECOND DOCTOR: The Nameless City by Michael Scott

THE THIRD DOCTOR: The Spear Of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick

THE FOURTH DOCTOR: The Roots Of Evil by Philip Reeve

THE FIFTH DOCTOR: Tip Of The Tongue by Patrick Ness

THE SIXTH DOCTOR: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead

THE SEVENTH DOCTOR: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman

THE EIGHTH DOCTOR: Spore by Alex Scarrow

THE NINTH DOCTOR: The Beast Of Babylon by Charlie Higson

THE TENTH DOCTOR: The Mystery Of The Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy

THE ELEVENTH DOCTOR: Nothing O'Clock by Neil Gaiman

THE TWELTH DOCTOR: Lights Out by Holly Black *(Holly Black watches Doctor Who, my day has been made)*

THE THIRTEENTH DOCTOR: Time Lapse by Naomi Alderman

---------

I'm trash

---------

I'm not biased...

*wraps blanket round Tardis top*

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first eleven short stories of this anthology was part of the fiftieth anniversary celebrations of the science fiction franchise of Doctor Who and was published as e-shorts throughout that year (2013). A twelfth and thirteen short story was also published later on when the Twelfth Doctor (2014) and Thirteenth Doctor (2019) were introduced and was compiled together in a third anthology, which this review is based on.

For the most part, this collection of short stories was written rather well. Doctor Who: Thirteen Doctors 13 Stories for the most part contained a variety of excellently written short stories by various authors. With a few exceptions: The first story and fifth stories were much to be desired and the last story was rather mediocre. Detailed reviews could be found in the short stories individual entries, but a short review is as follows:

A Big Hand For The Doctor (★★★☆☆) by Eoin Colfer sees the Doctor (Hartnell) in pursuit of a gang of Soul Pirates in Victorian London. Missing both his left hand and his beloved granddaughter Susan, his quest to retrieve them promises a journey into a land he may never forget.

The Nameless City (★★★★☆) by Michael Scott has the Doctor (Troughton) receiving a mysterious book from Jamie McCrimmon, which he has no idea of the danger contained within its pages. The book transports the TARDIS to a glass city on a distant world, where the Archons are intent on getting revenge on the Time Lord for an ancient grudge.

The Spear of Destiny (★★★★☆) by Marcus Sedgwick sees the Doctor (Pertwee) and Jo Grant on a quest to track down the magical spear of Odin. Caught in a vicious battle between two Viking tribes, the Doctor stops the spear getting into the wrong hands before it's too late.

The Roots of Evil (★★★★☆) by Philip Reeve joins the Doctor (Tom Baker) and his companion Leela on an adventure on a massive tree space station known as the Heligan Structure. Little do they know that the tree has been asleep for centuries, dreaming of vengeance against a man in a blue box.

Tip of the Tongue (★★★☆☆) by Patrick Ness has the Doctor (Davison) on an adventure about a strange new craze for Truth Tellers, which is sweeping through the kids of small-town America. While the Doctor and Nyssa investigate the phenomenon, they discover the truth behind the Truth Tellers is far more sinister than anyone could have imagined.

Something Borrowed (★★★★☆) by Richelle Mead has the Doctor (Colin Baker) and Peri attend a wedding on the planet Koturia and discover the return of a formidable old foe, whose genius matches the Doctor's.

The Ripple Effect (★★★★☆) by Malorie Blackman, when the TARDIS lands on Skaro, the Doctor (McCoy) and Ace are shocked to discover the planet has become the Dalek's have become a force for good, and their once battle-torn planet is now a universal centre of learning.

Spore (★★★★☆) by Alex Scarrow has the Doctor (McGann) in a terrifying tale about an alien pathogen that attacks a small town in the Nevada desert. As the population is reduced to a seething mass of black slime the Doctor realize it is the same virus which almost annihilated his entire race, the Time Lords.

The Beast of Babylon (★★★★☆) by Charlie Higson has a young girl called Ali sees a silver orb fall from the sky and soon learns it's her ticket to seeing the universe. Desperate to retrieve the mysterious object, the Doctor (Eccleston) lets her join him on a dangerous trip to ancient Babylon, where he must battle a giant Starman for the fate of the Earth.

The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage (★★★★★) by Derek Landy has the Doctor (Tennant) and Martha on a planet that looks exactly like Earth, but is full of fictional characters from Martha's childhood. Together they must solve the mystery of who has created a world of books before their story concludes.

Nothing O'Clock (★★★★★) by Neil Gaiman tells the terrifying tale about a race called the Kin. Thousands of years ago, the Kin were imprisoned for their crimes by the Time Lords, but the Kin were patient and deathless and when Gallifrey fell, they escaped. Now the Doctor (Smith) and Amy Pond are all that states between the Kin and fate of the universe.

Lights Out (★★★☆☆) by Holly Black has the Doctor (Capaldi) sucked into a murder investigation on the International Coffee Roasting Station, the most caffeinated place in the universe. A killer is on the loose – one who only emerges in the dark. It is up to the Doctor to solve the mystery before the lights go out forever.

Time Lapse (★★★★☆) by Naomi Alderman has the Doctor (Whittaker) and her companions: Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair, and Yasmin "Yaz" Khan to discover what happened in the year 2004 as the entire year simply vanished.

All in all, Doctor Who: Thirteen Doctors 13 Stories was written rather well and would recommend this to any Whovian, but probably won't recommend purchasing this anthology if they previous owned one of the first two anthologies as the stories are reprints with an addition one or two stories.

[Dalian "Kuro no Yomihime" · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by the first 7 stories because, even though I didn't know the characters very well because I haven't seen any classic who, I was still able to enjoy their stories for the most part but that also means that I can't say whether or not those stories really got the characters right or not. My favourite story of that lot was Patrcik Ness' story about the 5th doctor because it had a really interesting idea and a cool plot twist that I was surprised by and the doctor and his companion felt more like a background character which I always enjoy.
I know the 8th doctor only from the movie but he came off as very serious and dull to me in this and that's pretty much my impression of him from the movie so at least it felt consistent with that.
The 9th Doctor's story takes place during episode 1 of New Who in that part where the Doctor invites Rose to come with him and she refuses and he leaves but then he comes back to tell her it's a time machine. It takes place during that time after he leaves but before he comes back. I was disappointed by this story because the way the doctor spoke and his mannerisms in this part made him feel far more like 10 than 9 and I didn't really picture Eccleston when he spoke. I also think that his impressions on Rose didn't really work for when this story takes place because, from the way he talks, you would think that they had known each other a lot longer than they actually had. There's also the term "female" used and it's a personal thing but it felt icky to me and a bit of gender essentialism at the end which bothered me.
Before reading the 10th Doctors story I was so excited because I was gonna get Donna but then I was immediately disappointed when martha shows up instead. I don't hate Martha that much but, man, is she dumb in this one. There's this part where the Doctor wants to explore a tunnel and Martha doesn't and he says that she took an oath for adventure because she liked this book series that had this oath for adventure at the start of every book and she said she never took the oath herself but she remembers it and he's like "can you read it out loud?" and she does and I was like "man, Martha, you really do only have one braincell today". Anyhow, I personally didn't care for it but that's mostly because it's about a book series that Martha liked and that I've never read come to life and, apparently, in this book series, there's a character known as "fatty" so I was quickly turned off by this. Also, it features some Harry Potter references which I am trying to avoid at this moment (the first doctor's story also had a reference, by the way).
I'm not a big fan of the 11th Doctor and Nail Gaiman really captures his voice here so I couldn't really enjoy it too much but I did think the concept and the story was interesting.
The 12th Doctor's story was good but I felt that there was a missed opportunity for some non-binary representation in it which I thought was a shame and the ending felt a bit rushed.
The 13th Doctor's story is the sole reason that I bumped my rating up from 3 to 4 stars. Alderman really captured the 13th Doctor's voice and mannerisms and I just so much fun with her character so I loved this story. There's also an interesting plot as it's about the year 2004 disappearing from everyone's memories (like, the year still happened but no one can remember what happened in it). It was just a really satisfying story all-around and I may have to check out some of Alderman's other works.

[Iain Hawkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the first collection of Doctor Who short stories I've read, and not the best, but still "good" overall. This isn't really a proper review, but quick thoughts on each of the short stories for the thirteen 'main' Doctors (because War isn't here...bastards...):

First: The First Doctor deals with space pirates. Or sky pirates. Close enough. It's fun enough.

Two: The Second Doctor and Jaime encounter space C'thulu. Or C'thulus, plural. It's a pretty good read, the type of story that might not have worked on the screen due to the budget required, but here, it's pulled off well.

Three: The Third Doctor and Jo Grant go back to the time of Vikings and the origination point/incident of Norse myths. Good read, nice example of a historical fiction-type episode, good characterization for Three.

Four: The Fourth Doctor and Leela explore a giant tree. IN SPAACE! Actually it's pretty fun. Overall, first four stories are solid.

Fifth: Unfortunately, the fifth story is when cracks start to show. Part of the issue is that it isn't so much a Fifth Doctor story, it's a story that the Fifth Doctor just happens to be in, and no, that's not the first time I've seen this happen. I know the Fifth Doctor isn't that popular, but come on guys...

Anyway, the story itself deals with something amiss in a US 1940s town, with strange devices always speaking the truth, no matter how unpleasant/hurtful it might be. It's fine, really, but a step down from the prior ones.

Sixth: Bucking a trend, the Sixth Doctor story does Las Vegas IN SPAAACE, but does it quite well. A trend I've noticed with the Sixth Doctor is that as weak as his TV run was, his EU stories tend to be quite solid. This was a romp.

Seventh: ...honestly, I can't even remember what happened in this story. Derp. 0_0

Eighth: Easily the weakest of the bunch, which is a shame, because I quite like Eight. Anyway, the Eighth Doctor works with the US Army to thwart an alien invasion. That's it. It's invasion sci-fi schlock, and while schlock absolutely has a place in Doctor Who (heck, the show arguably IS schlock), it's not even creative schlock.

War: ...where's War's story, you cowards?!

Ninth: Similar to Five, this isn't from the Doctor's POV, but unlike Five, Nine is closely interwoven with the story. He and a companion who isn't what she seems go to Babylon of old. Nice adventure romp, decent twist with the companion.

Tenth: The Tenth Doctor and Martha end up in a make-believe world that they need to suss out. Decent story, great characterization of Ten.

Eleventh: Easily the strongest of the bunch - unease, horror, the works. Don't want to get into detail because I don't want to spoil anything, but again, easily the best of the lot.

Twelfth: Similar to Nine, it's a story where the Doctor or regular companion isn't a POV character. Similar to Nine, there's a twist with the companion. Unfortunately, doesn't work as well. It's okay, but one of the weaker entries.

Thirteen: As low as Thirteen ranks in Doctors for me, this is a decent romp, with a year going missing from peoples' collective memories of Earth history. It's got the usual issues I have with Thirteen's run (companions aren't interesting), but the actual plot is well done and executed well, mostly.

So, yeah. Good reads. Not the best DW short story collection (for that, I'd recommend Twelve Angels Weeping...seriously, read it), but pretty fun overall.

[Kathryn M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5

This is a collection of short stories by a range of well-known and lesser-known SFF writers that create new adventures for Doctor Who - one story per Doctor (up to 13).

I'm a Doctor Who watcher, but not a Doctor Who superfan. I have enjoyed some Doctors more than others, and I certainly haven't seen every episode or even every series. Thus, I came to this collection with a good general knowledge of the concept and overarching storylines, but not an intricate connection to the lore, especially for the first three Doctors whose series predate my existence and which I have not seen any episodes of. (I'm also too young for both Tom Baker and Peter Davison's live runs, but I have seen some of their episodes on TV repeats). I have the most familiarity with Doctors 10 and 11, as that is when I was watching the show consistently and saw every episode. (10, ie David Tennant, is my favourite Doctor :-)

All of that preamble is to say that I listened to these stories not as an ignoramus, but without the fine distinctions of detail that people deeply into the fandom would bring!

With that basis, overall, I enjoyed the collection. I thought at least half of the stories did a really good job of capturing the feel of Doctor Who in terms of writing style, and almost all of the plots were interesting and suitably Whovian. (One caveat - I did not read the story for 11, written by Neil Gaiman).

The best stories in the collection, in my view, were:

1. A Big Hand for the Doctor, By Eoin Colfer (Doctor One)
I loved the Victoriana feel of this and I loved that the story featured Susan (the Doctor's granddaughter). Tying the plot to a new spin on Peter Pan was really clever and executed brilliantly. I would have enjoyed this story even without the Whovian link, but with it, magical.

2. The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve (Doctor Four)
I read another review that said "This story was like a really good Doctor Who episode" and I must agree with that! The plot was tight and well-paced, the use of Leela was both effective and true to her character, and the device of the world tree was consistent with Doctor Who's usual schtick of 'things may not be quite what they seem'. It also has a banging ending.

3. The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson (Doctor Nine)
I thought this was one of the best in terms of capturing the personality of the particular Doctor. I also loved that the temporary companion (Ali) was non-human but very much a person, and I adored the tie-up with Babylon and ancient history and myth.

4. The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy (Doctor Ten)
I enjoyed this story disproportionately to the quality of the story (which was, honestly, so-so), for two main reasons - I thought Landy did a perfect job with both Ten and Martha's voices, and I loved the sustained joke of the Famous Five pastiche that drove the set-up. One of the most purely entertaining of the stories, despite not having a killer plot.

5. Lights Out by Holly Black (Doctor Twelve)
This one was genuinely sad. It tugged at my heart, but in the best possible way, and I liked that it was one of the relatively few stories in the collection to engage the more serious aspect of the Doctor and the consequences of his interdimensional and inter-time gallivanting. I think the ending had some optimism in it, but I also appreciated that it was left open-ended. One of the thinkiest of the stories, and all the better for it.

[Graham Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up "Doctor Who: Thirteen Doctors, 13 Stories" because I was in the mood for another anthology of sci-fi short stories, I was procrastinating from watching Series 12 of the show, and then I wanted to read some quality DW material to take my mind off of Series 12 (and all its flaws) as I was watching it. As the title suggests, the collection is made up of 13 stories, one story each for each of the (main/numbered) Doctors. While flawed, the collection was certainly a step up from Series 12 (the last mention I promise).

Like the episodes that make up a season of the show, the stories are an eclectic mix of monster stories, history lessons, deconstructions of fairy tales/ghost stories/etc., and social/political commentary on a wide array of different topics. They certainly nailed the overall tone of the franchise and each era within it which I appreciated. But much like other short story collections, the overall quality and enjoyment varied from story to story. Which stories one enjoys are up to individual Whovians and their personal preferences. Personally, my favorite stories were: 
- "The 5th Doctor: Tip of the Tongue"
- "The 7th Doctor: The Ripple Effect"
- "The 11th Doctor: Nothing O'Clock"
- "The 12th Doctor: Lights Out" 

 Other than the uneven quality, I did have two qualms, one major and one minor, with the stories in the book. The major qualm is that most of the stories felt rushed, usually with a lot of build-up to the main conflict/monster but then only a page or two for the climax, and finally only a page for the Doctor to wrap things up before the story ends. My minor quibble is that if one is like me and doesn't know much about the classic Doctors (1-8) it's hard to connect with them/know if their stories are doing them/their companions justice (that said their stories make another good case for me to find the time to finally watch their episodes).

In the end though, it was nice to follow The Doctor in another format besides TV, and "13 Doctors, 13 Stories" does a good job capturing why this quirky franchise has lasted almost 60 years and has become a global phenomenon. It's not the best and certainly not essential reading for casual/die-hard Whovians but it's a fun distraction with everyone's favorite Time Lord.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a cheat this one - both on my part and that of the publishers.
I only read it (and, even then, only a sliver of it) on the strength of the author credited on the front cover: Naomi Alderman, she of 'The Power', a novel which has won many plaudits since its publication in 2016. As it is, this book is actually an anthology of short stories - other luminaries including the likes of Neil Gaiman, Malorie Blackman and Patrick Ness.
It's a collection of stories which have been published before - once as individual titles, once as an 11-story/Doctor volume when Matt Smith was the (eleventh) Doctor; a volume of 12 stories once Peter Capaldi took on the mantle of the time traveller and, now, 13 as Jodie Whittaker is the current incumbent of the role. All well and good - but, with each additional Doctor, the publishers added once single short story and, on this occasion dressed the package up as being very much a Naomi Alderman book with the Doctor Who logo minimised and the cover dressed to match the style of cover usually seen on the author's other work.
Anyway, publisher's shenanigans aside, Ms Alderman's story was perfectly fine - sweet even - capturing the current TARDIS crew without breaking much of a sweat and sitting under a wealth of technobabble and timey-wimey (wrong era, I know) stuff. However, fun though it was, it wasn't really worth the cover price alone.
As for the other stories, I've read a few (about three) of them over the years and those I did seemed to fall short of capturing their eras - although, I have to stress that I haven't read them all so won't pretend I have.
Overall, Ms Alderman's story was a reasonable 3.5 but rounded down to 3 due to the publisher's insistence on reissuing a previous title with one additional (short!) piece and for marketing it as they have, while hitting the book-buying public with the cost of a full-length novel.

[Helen (they or he) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm just gonna list the stories from the best to the worst.

1. The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage (5/5)

Amazing concept? Check.
Amazing Execution? Check
Amazing (and very underrated) Companion? Check.
Humor? Check.

2. The Fourth Doctor: Roots of Evil (5/5)

Oh my god. I want a name like those people.
Can also be titled: So-not-only-the-past-me-is-ruining-my-life-the-future-me-is-also-ruining-it?

3. The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O'Clock (5/5)
The only way this could get better is to turn this into a 200-page novel.

4. The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect (5/5)
I resent this story for making me sad but god, now I see why the Doctor is like that.

5. The Twelfth Doctor: Lights Out (4/5)
Now, I will think about dying every time I drink coffee. Or when the lights go off.

6. The Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny (4/5)
No! I didn't give this story 4-star just because it's fun and has vikings in it Hahaha. Unless?

7. The Thirteenth Doctor: Time Lapse (4/5)
Timey Wimey with just a touch of academia and a whole bunch of romance? Count me in!

8. The Second Doctor: The Nameless City (3/5)
My only takeaway from this is that the Archons are stupid and short-sighted.

9. The Eight Doctor: Spore (3/5)
Ah yes, it is I, The Doctor I will be reminiscing every detail from my past and will be telling you stupid simple things that the reader already knows because I need to get to this word count.
Squashed potential.

10. The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed (3/5)
Convenient plot is convenient.

11. The Fifth Doctor: Tip of The Tongue (3/5)
This is like Blink but if Weeping Angels are not stupid and Sally Sparrow is not interesting. It needs at least 50% more Doctor.

12. The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon. (2/5)
Great idea. Terrible execution. Take this out and burn it, y'all.

13. The First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor (2/5)
AKA Eoin Colfer reminds me that I don't like his writing.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generally really enjoyed this one - I don't even think I could pick a favourite story because most of them were pretty great. The Tenth Doctor story was definitely the most delightfully weird, but all the others had bits I liked as well. The only story that was a bit of a let down was Eoin Colfer's First Doctor story. The villains were interesting, but a lot of it was pretty awkwardly written and I don't think he really gets the character of the Doctor at that point. I'm assuming that it takes place pre-series since Susan is the only one travelling with him, so the fact that he considers himself a pacifist and deliberately gets himself involved to help people feels pretty jarring. This is the person who tries to bash a caveman's head in with a rock in his very first serial, and even when he softens up it still takes a long time for him to start getting involved out of choice rather than necessity. These stories are so short that it's important to establish the character quickly, and I don't think Colfer succeeded.

There are a few more nitpicks I could make (Spear of Destiny never establishes why the Doctor and Jo got shot at when they try to steal the spear, I didn't really see the point of Something Borrowed being in first person when Peri isn't the focus of the story) but otherwise I really enjoyed all of the stories.

[Saoki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this is marvelous. Not a single bad story, although some are definitely better than others. My favorites were:
"A Big Hand for the Doctor", because Peter Pan. And pirates. And the 1st Doctor being specially heroic.
"The Roots of Evil", which captures the essence of a 4th Doctor story while also being something that feels like it was written in this century.
"Tip of The Tongue", which is a great story, full stop. I will look into this author's books because I was actually impressed.
"Something Borrowed", because I love Sixie, but also because it's an Actually Good Story with the Rani in it, and that on itself is a wonder.
"Nothing O'Clock", because Neil Gaiman. I had actually already read this one in one of his collections, but I wasn't a Whovian back then and was mostly impressed with the villain. Now that I'm capable of fully appreciating how much trivia Gaiman manages to sneak into a story without making it bloated I understand that this story is really great.

[Lisa Kudinova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, a great way to stay connected to long-gone doctors and companions, and some great and twisted ideas to hide little easter eggs all over the place. What I found somewhat irritating, however, is that it took me what felt like a decade to finish it because I am not all too familiar with many of the authors, and some writing styles felt off for me. The pace of the next story was an entirely different one than the previous ones and so on. Sure, it's not the authors' fault, or responsibility at that, to have a coherent flow in the overall narrative, and the stories by authors whose works I'm already very familiar with (looking at you, Mead, Gaiman and Landy) I flew through in a heartbeat, but for me the rapid and frequent change in pace still corrupted the overall experience a little, otherwise it would've been 5 stars.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tatsächlich hat mir dieses Buch viel besser gefallen, als ich erwartet hatte. Sehr abwechslungsreiche Stories, die fast immer gut zum jeweiligen Doktor passen. Auch die Doktor-Companion Beziehung ist jeweils gut getroffen (soweit TV-Companions dabei waren). Nicht ganz so passend fand ich Eoin Colfers Story über den 1. Doktor, die doch etwas an Artemis Fowls Abenteuer erinnerte und nicht so recht zu Hartnell passte, der die Action ja meist eher anderen überlässt. Von da an wurde es aber immer besser. Besonders amüsiert hab ich mich (wie immer) über den 4. Doctor und Leela, die beide perfekt getroffen waren.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Big Hand for the Doctor, By Eoin Colfer
I haven’t read a lot of stories featuring the First doctor and really I have only seen half of his episodes so I am probably not going to be the best judge of whether or not the Doctor was in character. I think he was though and the Victorian setting was perfect for him and Susan. I think the author did a good job of telling an interesting engaging story in only 39 pages. The epilogue was very cute and well done!

The Nameless City by Michael Scott
This story featured the Second Doctor and Jamie. I have always loved Jamie he is a hoot and so ernest in everything he does. I liked this story it was a pretty good premise and I loved the set up at the beginning and how Jamie was able to save the day. All and all a really good short adventure story.

The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick
This was a good story. I liked the inclusion of the Norse mythology and mentions of the Doctor’s time at U.N.I.T. Jo and the Third Doctor always make a great pair. I will say that I took a quick peek at the Forth Doctor’s story and although I love both Jo and Leela I was a little disappointed that Sarah Jane Smith is going to be left out of this group of stories. I know they can’t included everyone but she was always one of my favorites.

The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve
I liked the Timey Whimey nature of this story. I also thought the living vengeful tree plot was very intriguing. I appreciated the inclusion of Leela because I think she gets forgotten about a bit in the mix of all the various and at times more favorite companions. I have always liked the Forth Doctor and his persona, along with his affectations like the scarf and jelly babies. This story was like a really good Doctor Who episode.

The Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness
I was unsure about this one. The Fifth Doctor was one of my favorite and I have always liked Nyssa. (Although I did miss the inclusion of Tegan, Adric, and Turlough.) I think the reason this one was hard to connect with was because a lot of it was through an outsider’s pov. I did like Jonny and I loved his friendship with Nettie and getting to see WWII Maine through their eyes was very interesting but somehow it didn’t work all together for me like the other stories did. But all in all I still liked it.

Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
This was an interesting story. I liked how quirky the planetary set up was in this story. Also Peri is a hoot and I have always been fond of her. The inclusion of the mystery villain was unexpected I haven’t thought of them in forever so it was nice that they were included. Overall it was a very likable story, and I could totally see it being in Six’s timeline.

The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
I liked the multiple dimensions featured in this story. I have always enjoyed Ace and the Seventh Doctor was bummed they didn’t have more stories before Doctor Who was canceled. So it was awesome to read more about them. This was a bit of an odd stories at times as the Doctor was very fraustrated with the situation he was presented and him and Ace were at loggerheads towards the end. Still enjoyed it though.

Spore by Alex Scarrow
I will have to admit I have only really seen the Eighth Doctor in the movie and the Doctor Who special that was on a couple of years ago. I have never listen to the audio plays they have with him. So I was wondering how I would like this story and I found myself quite enjoying it. It is an interesting concept about an intelligent virus floating through space trying to find a new home. I wouldn’t mind reading more on this my least known Doctor.

The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson
The Ninth Doctor has always had a special place in my heart. There was something about Christopher Eccleston’s portrayal that was just so awesome so I was looking forward to this story in particular and I wasn’t disappointed. I liked the overall story and Ali was an interesting one off character.

The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy
Martha is one of my favorite all time companions so I was thrilled that she was in this story. I thought the premise was an interesting one. I liked how the plot seemed to be one thing and then there was a twist and it turned into something else. Ten and Martha always had such chemistry and it was portrayed here perfectly.

Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman
This was so good. I have read a few books by Gaiman and so I was really looking forward to this one and I was not disappointed. It was disturbing and it hooked you from the first few pages. The Kin were so creepy and sinister. The whole story was so awesomely done I would love to see it as an episode.

Lights Out by Holly Black
I love Twelve and Holly Black did a really good job of keeping him in character. I enjoyed this story although it was quite sad at times. I think it had a hopeful ending. This was one of those stories that I wish was longer because of the ambiguous ending.

Time Lapse by Naomi Alderman
I have been greatly enjoying the newest Doctor and can’t wait for 2020 when she returns. This was a great story and it features not only thirteen but also Yaz, Ryan, and Graham. Plus a return of a certain Agency that I hadn’t heard of in awhile, the story was well told and it ended very satisfactorily.

I absolutely loved this book. All the stories were good although I did like some more then others I still would love to read more if they ever decided to do a part two.

[ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

some short stories i liked better than others (obviously) but all in all a very enjoyable collection.
I think if I had to name favourites I'd say the ones by Derek Landy and Neil Gaiman share the first place - I already love those authors (and doctors) and these stories were just too perfect for my own good. I also really liked the ones by Michael Scott and Philip Reeve.

Just all in all a very good anthology with a lot of interesting concepts that I really enjoyed. Now excuse my while I go battling Dracula in Rapunzels tower.

[Emma Dargue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Varying group of short stories set around all 13 regenerations of the doctor from William Hartnell to Jodie Whitaker. Rated and reviewed them individually on here but will give summaries of scores here.
1st doctor 2 stars
2nd doctor 3 stars
3rd doctor 3 stars
4th doctor 3 stars
5th doctor 2.5 stars
6th doctor 3 stars
7th doctor 3 stars
8th doctor 4 stars
9th doctor 3 stars
10th doctor 4 stars
11th doctor 2 stars
12th doctor 3 stars
13th doctor 3 stars.

Added all this together and divided it by thirteen and rounded it up to a full number. On the whole really enjoyed them.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een goede 3,5 sterren voor dit vermakelijke boek.
Het ene verhaal is beduidend beter dan het andere, maar over de hele linie vond ik het een goed boek met interessante verhalen.
De verhalen die er voor mij in positieve zin uitspringen zijn:
The second doctor: The Nameless City
The seventh doctor: The Ripple Effect
The tenth doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage
The eleventh doctor: Nothing O'Clock

[Ally Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of Doctor Who short stories, much like the programme’s long history, is quite hit and miss. For me the highlights include Tip of the Tongue, a thoughtful Fifth Doctor story by Patrick Ness set in 1950s America; Nothing O’Clock, a spooky Eleventh Doctor story by Neil Gaiman; and Time Lapse, a delightful Thirteenth Doctor story by Naomi Alderman in which the year 2004 goes missing. (I have consequently added some Naomi Alderman novels to my to-read list.)

I was least impressed by Richelle Mead’s Something Borrowed, featuring the Sixth Doctor preventing a doomed marriage; and Derek Landy’s The Mystery of Haunted Cottage, in which the Tenth Doctor and Martha are transported into the world of an Enid Blyton-esque children’s book.

The audiobook narration is also varied. A few stories are read by their own authors, when I feel actors would have done them better justice. Several are read by Sophie Aldred (though sadly not the one featuring Ace, who she played on the show itself), who is excellent, despite one of them being my least favourite story in the collection. Nicholas Pegg (current voice of the Daleks) also does a serviceable job of his reading duties, Frazer Hines does a sterling impression of his former co-star Patrick Troughton, and Samuel Anderson (who played Danny Pink) was good despite not even attempting Peter Capaldi’s Scottish accent.

Overall I give the collection three stars, but individual stories range from two to four.