Mrs Who by Joe Ford 10/2/04
Five years ago it would have been Jac who? But in recent years Jacqueline Rayner has had a huge impact on Doctor Who, in both the BBC books and the audios. Her influence has led her to writing some of the best of both ranges and commenting wryly on the show in DWM's time team. A distinctly female voice (well obviously) in an otherwise male dominated show, Jac's presence has proved essential in the show's evolution in the new millennium.
EarthWorld: Few books have split fandom so
viciously in half. In the rawest of terms those who love this book LOVE IT
and those who hate it, HATE IT! I think it's the best thing since sliced
bread, a proper dose of comedy after six serious, angst heavy books. Jac
stamps her mark straight away by giving Anji an extremely distinctive
voice, her life going down the toilet as she is forced to stomp around
time and space with two condescending space hippies. Anji's acidic temper
and sharp tongue helped to make her one of the more realistic and engaging
companions and Jac laid most of the foundations here. I love the opening,
just like 100,000 BC, a shadow descending on the
TARDIS and leading to the very welcome return of monsters, sadistic
baddies and exploration of alien worlds. The book is crammed full of
hysterical observations from Anji trying to make sense of the **cked up
Earthworld. Jac also picks up some continuity for Fitz from his days in
the pre-amnesiac Doctor's company, which proves to be quite a touching
examination of the usually cool character. His pain at the hands of the
sadistic triplets, Asia, Antarctica and Africa proves to be both dramatic
and hysterical. His rock competition with Elvis still brings a smile to my
face. It is a story full of imagination, genuine emotion and clever ideas
plus we have the return of the adventuring Doctor of old, eager to be off
exploring and poking his nose in. What on Earth is there not to like?
Verdict: A minus (Three engaging regulars and a brilliant world to
explore!)
Bernice Summerfield and the Squire's Crystal: I
read this in one go and then took it on again a week later and both times
found myself roaring with laughter. Someone pass it on to Dave Stone as
proof of how to write a laugh a minute comedy without losing the plot up
his arse! This is a simple, well-written story with a one-joke idea that
never fails to amuse... what if Benny's mind transferred into the mind of
man? Perish the thought! Those who see Benny as a Bridget Jones in space
will be overjoyed, gone is the deadly danger of the Gods arc from Virgin
and what we have left is basically Renee Zellweger's depressing love life
in outer space. And it's brilliant! A complete departure from the usual
universe threatening operas and a diverting dip into soap territory. There
is a SF background of course, some guff about Avril the Crystal Goddess
but in all honesty it is the tummy tickling toilet humour that really
sparkles. So if you want to find out how Benny would react to getting an
erection, fending of the slavering advances of a ravenous female and
chasing her body halfway round the galaxy only to find out that its
present occupant is using it as a whorehouse then step on board... you'll
giggle yourself silly. And when you're done laughing you can think over
Jac's clever exploration of identity. Benny's desperation to get her body
back, saggy and matured though it is reminds us we should be grateful for
what we have.
Verdict: A minus (Lightweight but impossible to dislike, Benny's
adventures have never been so much fun)
Bernice Summerfield and the Glass Prison: The
most gripping, experimental novel since Who Killed
Kennedy and further proof that life exists outside the Doctor
Who universe. This just tops Dead Romance as the
best ever Benny novel because, frankly, there is a lot more Benny in it
and there are some shocking repercussions. Nobody has captured the voice
of Benny better than Jac in this mesmerising first person novel, not even
her creator Paul Cornell. The way that Benny is thrown into prison is the
only less than satisfactory part of the book but once she is there I was
entranced. The amount of tension Jac manages to generate, the horrific
psychological terror that permeates the book proves she is a writer of
many talents. Gone is the wacky humour of her past books and in steps
horror of an extreme visceral nightmare. The very idea of being trapped
in a prison with no walls, being exposed from all sides and watched by all
the other prisoners is enough to give me the shakes but the shock
incidents, the death of a friend, a brutal hanging, watching somebody
being torn apart push this into terrifying territory. Armed with an
immediate, graphic voice and a brilliantly constructed plot this is a book
that deserves to be read outside of Who circles. The final
indignity Benny has to face, giving birth is the most exciting part of the
book, so damnably riveting because of the setting and the company. And
chapter Ten is a work of genius.
Verdict: A plus (Capping off the Benny novel range in amazing fashion)
Wolfsbane: Ladies and Gentlemen I give you...
(drumroll)... Harry Sullivan! In his own brand new novel! Yes in this
exciting adventure in winter 1936 Harry teams up with the mysterious
Doctor and battles the forces of evil... murder and mayhem, mutilations,
living trees and wolfmen... armed with only his trademark wit "Right ho!"
and his bravery Harry saves the day once again but this time at the cost
of his own life... is this the end for the gentlemanly explorer? I love
Harry, I'll wager you do too so a book that forces him into the spotlight,
fending off the advances of a husband-craving woman, facing the insane
aristocracy and foiling a plot full of magic and horror is bound to be a
real treat. It's an altogether different sort of horror from The Glass Prison, being a Doctor Who puzzle
first (with all the baggage that comes with it) and a horrific werewolf
tale second but it is all so sensitively handled and evocatively written.
Jac handles the 8th Doctor with great aplomb and Harry makes an excellent
sidekick, drawn to his excitement and mystery. The book is another quick
read with a damn fine cover and a wicked cool ending that will please
regular EDA readers. It was no surprise that Jac Rayner wrote one of the
year's biggest hits and her reputation has now reached a dangerous level.
Verdict: A (All PDAs should be this good then maybe we would have a
novel out every week!)
And from Big Finish...
The Marian Conspiracy: Does the name Evelyn
Smythe mean anything to you? It surprises me that my good pal Rob Matthews
has only recently discovered her and he, like me, realised just how
satisfying a character she is. Once again giving a new female companion a
kick-start falls to Jac and once again she creates a lasting impression.
It was about time somebody was introduced who could best Colin Baker's
boisterous Doctor and Evelyn brilliantly doesn't let him get a word in.
Later writers say she was sugar coated at the beginning with chocolate
cake obsession and bright cardies but this elderly, crabby lecturer never
ever got too sweet for my tastes. Her joy at being able to experience
history mirrors my own and her rather abrupt way of inviting herself into
the TARDIS at the end is the only way to get a foot on the door with the
sixth incarnation. The story itself is a diverting slice of history
turned entertainment, the period chosen being one of my favourites. I love
learning about the past and when it is wrapped into a package as
entertaining as this I am bound to be satisfied. Colin Baker excels with
script that tears away most of his spiteful side and concentrates on his
sensitivity. His talk with Sarah about the terrible things he has done in
the past is beautiful, the writing quite incredible for this spiky Doctor.
Escapist education at its best.
Verdict: A minus (Don't miss Gary Russell in the pub!)
Doctor Who and the Pirates: Well what hasn't
been said about this already? The singing, Bill Oddie, the schizophrenic
nature of the story twisting from musical to comedy to tragedy in he blink
of an eye, the heartbreaking ending with Evelyn in tears, "I am the very
model of a Gallifreyan Buccaneer!", the brilliantly camp Captain Swan...
quite simply this was the best release of 2003 as far as Big Finish are
concerned. A lot of hard work has gone into making this work and it
shows, the story is genuinely funny, the songs are catchy and the emotions
are palpable. A special mention has to go to Nick Pegg "A dragon! It was
enormous... well, so big!", Colin Baker "Please! Please! Allow me one more
chance before you cut me down like a dog!", Maggie Stables "I'm doing my
best, it's not my scene, whose mad idea was this pirate queen?"... well
everyone really. The direction is spot on and Jac Rayner should take a bow
for writing one of the most audacious scripts in the series long history.
Verdict: A plus (Sheer quality)
Three things spring to mind as huge bonuses for Jacqueline Rayner. The first being just how well she understands Doctor Who and the Bennyverse. She seems to understand just where her story will fit into the overall canon and what it has followed and where it will lead into and writes appropriately. Her position as script editor in Big Finish and Project Editor for BBC books allows her to see the broader canvas of stories she will be contributing to. EarthWorld introduced comedy into the EDA's just when they were getting a bit po-faced and sensible, The Glass Prison ended the Benny books on a cliffhanging high and leaving us fans desperate for more, ...the Pirates took the Doctor and Evelyn in a much more sophisticated, serious direction at its climax, The Marian Conspiracy proved Big Finish could achieve great things with pure historicals and Wolfsbane knew well enough that it was high time we had a good, old fashioned traditional adventure to mirror the complexities taking place in the EDA's. Each of Jac's works seems to come along at exactly the right time and give us just what we want. Clever that.
Her second strength is that she is a really funny woman who can write energetic comedy moments without sweating. Who could fail to giggle at the thought of Evelyn posing as a Pirate Queen in her cardigan? Or the thought of Harry slapping the Queen? Or Benny staring down at a male appendage that MOVES on its own! And Anji's reaction to War Machines in London... hysterical! Most of Jac's works have a bubbly atmosphere anyway, a sort of fairytale feel that none of it is real but let's just enjoy it while we can that is highly engaging. Some of her more preposterous ideas -- that Evelyn is the Doctor's granddaughter seven times removed, robot dinosaurs wandering about, Benny as a man -- turn out to be her funniest. I loved it when Harry had to sing a rusty hymn because of a slip of the tongue to enter the villain's lair. She seems to enjoy basking in the absurd and this has the effect of firing the imagination and producing some pleasing results.
Thirdly is her ability to inject authentic feeling into ever one of her stories. This may be terribly sexist but I feel her credentials as a woman give her a much more perceptive approach to writing, being more aware of the emotions of her characters. Anji may amuse in EarthWorld because of her culture shock but her pain at losing her lover in the previous story is all brought home in a final scene in the TARDIS where she cries in the Doctor's lap. The 8th Doctor might be more excitable in Wolfsbane than we remember from the COE arc but his pain is apparent when he weeps with Emmeline, who has like him lost her home. Evelyn rushes to Sally's dorm in ...the Pirates in fear that she might commit suicide after the accident that cost someone's life and tells her a story that might help, Evelyn herself being unable to save somebody close to her recently. And Benny, dealing with her identity and pregnancy, succeeds in dealing with both but not before a mass of heartache. Behind every Jac Rayner story there is a solid emotional backbone and when all the fun and adventuring is torn away there is always something she is trying to express. Her message seems to be that the universe is a fun place to explore... but there are always consequences.
Prosewise she is way above average, managing to capture her stories with a wonderful sense of unreality. EarthWorld and Wolfsbane share a similar feel, light and fresh with sinister undertones. She manages to skip from scene to scene; creating a vivid you are there feel and remembering that her characters and their feelings must always come first. The Glass Prison is her best-written book simply because the 1st person narrative requires a lot of hard work and she pulls it off so well. Seen through Benny's world-weary eyes the horror of the Glass Prison remains unforgettable. And with her two audios on the surface she seems to want to entertain, gigglesome dialogue lifting every scene but underneath the fluffy exterior the stories fester with darker, more powerful emotions.
Jac is certainly one of the most unique writers in the Doctor Who canon, her work pretty much speaks for itself. She knows what she's good at (the 6th and 8th Doctors and getting into the heads of the female companions) and sticks to it. It is certainly refreshing to have a writer with such a passion for Doctor Who and one who is so damn talented with it.
I can't wait for The Grel Escape...