Puffin/BBC Children’s Books, out now

The ever-expanding compendium of Doctor Who stories, one for each incarnation, gets a re-release to include a tale about Thirteen by Naomi Alderman.

It’s fourth time around for this collection, and there’s every possibility that some collectors might feel miffed that they bought the 11 individual ebooks in 2013 as well as the print collection, and then again with a 12th Doctor story in 2014. It was only a matter of time (ho ho!) before Jodie joined her predecessors.

Naomi Alderman’s story has the Doctor and her ‘fam’ investigating the disappearance of the year 2004. If for no other reason, we can’t risk losing this year as it’s when 21st Century Doctor Who started to be filmed. I’m a big fan of the author’s 11th Doctor novel Borrowed Time and it’s fun to see her revisiting her ongoing predilection and creativity around time travel.

Alderman’s Time Lapse, like the others in this chunky volume, is short enough to be consumed in a simple sitting but with enough room to grow beyond being a short story. Since this collection was first published, Malorie Blackman (she writes the Seventh Doctor’s The Ripple Effect) has written for the TV series – co-writer on Season 11’s Rosa – and Patrick Ness (the Fifth Doctor’s Tip of the Tongue) created Doctor Who spin-off Class. Who knows which of the other authors in here will end up on screen by the time we get the inevitable Fourteen Doctors, 14 Stories

You can read our review of the previous edition (and individual stories) here and I’d particularly single out Neil Gaiman’s Nothing O’Clock (Eleventh Doctor) and Charlie Higson’s fantastic Ninth Doctor story The Beast of Babylon.

Verdict: The spine is getting wider and the page count expanding, but this essential collection of Doctor Who stories by established authors will always have a place on the fan’s bookshelf, periodically updated with the next new adventure. 8/10

Nick Joy

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