Doctor Who: eBook Review - "Something Borrowed" - Richelle Mead

rating: 5

In honor of the upcoming 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and the BBC special that may or may not make total sense, Puffin is releasing a series of eBook short stories featuring each of the eleven Doctors so far. "Something Borrowed" chronicles an adventure of the Sixth Doctor, accompanied by American companion Peri. As described on Amazon.com,

"A wedding on the planet Koturia turns out to be a far more dangerous proposition than the Sixth Doctor and Peri ever expected. It marks the return of a formidable old foe whose genius matches the Doctor's. Can the Doctor outwit this villain, save Peri and stop the wedding in time?"

As a veteran of only a few Classic Who stories, I was entirely unfamiliar with Six beyond his rather recognizable outfit. So, in preparation for "Something Borrowed," I watched the Six serial entitled "Vengeance of Varos," with Colin Baker as the Doctor and Nicola Bryant as Peri. Once I was able to see past Six's coat of many colors and Peri's accent, I got a decent enough look at the two of them to feel ready to tackle Richelle Mead's short story. "Something Borrowed" is set on Koturia, a civilization literally designed as an alien version of Las Vegas. This was actually a very smart choice by Mead, as the structure of the short story prevents much room for original scene setting. Creating a copy of a universally recognizable location allows readers to create a clear picture of the setting without plodding through valuable pages in describing a new world. The plot is more or less formulaic, but the elements specific to this storyline almost conceal the recognizable format. The strongest of these elements are the characterizations. Six maintains the Doctor's trademark cleverness while actually demonstrating different aspects of a personality of his own. Peri's long-suffering affection for and ultimate faith in the Doctor mark her as an ideal companion, and she is established as American without overemphasizing the fact. The villain of the story is one drawn from the television series. She is a character infamous enough that even a primarily reboot viewer like myself had already heard of her. As presented, readers are clearly expected to already be aware of her background, but her character is outlined--however briefly--enough for Nu Whovians to understand just why the Doctor sees her as such a legitimate danger. Possibly the most distinctive aspect of "Something Borrowed" lies in its narration. This is the first of the Doctor Who shorts to be written in first-person, and I have to admit that I was skeptical at the premise. Any work based off of a television show written outside of the third-person point of view runs the risk of alienating fans of an established presentation. My fears quickly proved unjustified, however, and Peri's narration succeeds at fleshing out the Doctor, villain, and Peri herself with admirable complexities considering the restrictions of a short story. All in all, "Something Borrowed" is a Doctor Who story written for Doctor Who fans. Exposition of the universe that would make the story at all comprehensible to someone unfamiliar with the show is limited, and what explanations there exist of certain concepts (the workings of a TARDIS, regeneration, the Doctor's and the Rani's relationship) are cursory at best. Mead has written for readers familiar with Doctor Who mythology. With my limited Classic knowledge, I struggled through some of the finer details, but the unceremonious immersion in the series' universe is softened by the first-person narration. Peri's thoughts give impressions and memories without encumbering the plot with heavy exposition. "Something Borrowed" actually feels like an episode of the show, and it is definitely worth the read.