Book #46 of 2024:
Doctor Who: The Giggle by James Goss
This. THIS is what I’ve been hoping for from these recent Doctor Who novelizations, a winking adaptation that elevates its source material into something even madder and ever more brilliant. Don’t get me wrong: this James Goss novel obviously owes its existence to the original Russell T. Davies script, and there are elements of the TV special that can’t be captured well outside of that medium, from the visual effects and a certain memorable dance number to guest star Neil Patrick Harris’s intentionally broad accent work (though the audiobook narrator Dan Starkey does his best to channel that). I wouldn’t recommend it as a substitute for actually watching the episode, if any potential reader out there were remotely considering that approach. But it is a lovely way to revisit the story and find a new spin on its events, beginning with the author’s audacious choice to write everything from the perspective of the omniscient villain the Toymaker.
As he relates this adventure, the antagonistic creature from beyond our reality regularly breaks the fourth wall, offers wittily snide remarks about his opponents, and just generally seems to be having a great time. It’s in line with the overall manic energy of the piece — which finds the character wreaking havoc across contemporary earth by means of a signal he planted back in the first television broadcast in 1925 and culminates in the Time Lord hero ‘bi-generating’ into David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa alike, with the outgoing and incoming Doctors teaming up to defeat their common foe — and is packed with all manner of delightful turns of phrasing. We even get a few bonus scenes and flashback memories, which neither Gary Russell’s version of The Star Beast nor Mark Morris’s take on Wild Blue Yonder found much room for. All in all, a true triumph of its form.
[Content warning for gun violence and racism.]
★★★★☆
Like this review?
–Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
–Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
–Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6288479-joe-kessler
–Or click here to browse through all my reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog
The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more 