Time for another VMA! This week we’re reading Evolution by John Peel.
Please discuss below - no need to finish it first, discuss as you go along but please add spoiler tags!
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John Peel does some bullshit, again!
Not only is it the most copy and pasted bit of Hinchcliff-era wannabeism ever written, it’s also deeply uncomfortable with characterisation that doesn’t make any sense.
Only the best from my beloathed Mr. Peel!
4/10
Managed to miss this month’s club, but Im here now.
Evolution is a book hovering just bellow average. The plot is fine, if not the strongest or msot unique. But there’s a fair amount of questionable decisions. From the way Kipling is treated (is this a cultural thing? Doesnt make it better but Im currious), to a Sarah Jane generaly treated really poorly, or an overly violent 4th Doctor (and I already thing TV 4 is overly violent).
Thankfully it was an easy read, and not really a bad one as I recal. but not a great one either. Full and much more in depth review here
Oh one I’ve read! One of Sarah’s weaker novels tbh, but what were we really expecting of Peel… I don’t remember this well but I do remember it being relatively underwhelming
There are some interesting ideas/atmosphere here like the doctor inspiring sherlock holmes, but they are let down by John Peel instead focusing on Sarah being basically sexually harassed by a bunch of kids, and general edginess that made me deeply uncomfortable, much better than his other book but why they let him try again in the first place is beyond me[1].
although I haven’t read his dalek stuff which might be better ↩︎