Book Club Extra: The Spear of Destiny

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Welcome to Book Club Extra, we’re currently reading Fifteen Doctors, 15 Stories.

This week we’re reading The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick.

Please discuss below - no need to finish it first, discuss as you go along but please add spoiler tags for anything that could be considered a spoiler!

If you’ve previously read the book and want to join in the discussion, that’s great too!

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Overall I really liked this short story. I thought Jo and the Doctor were well written and I was amused by the Master’s antics. The plot was easy to follow and this was honestly one of my favorites in the collection. I liked the concept of once again the origin of gods, this time the Aseir and Vanir being based off two different groups and Odin, Thor, and the rest being real people. Odin’s spear being an alien artifact was an interesting touch and I thought it was neat that the Doctor tied that particular item to other myths. I also liked the Master being annoyed after he explicitly said Jo and the Doctor had to be separated because leaving them together would mean they would escape.

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I really enjoyed this story, it really felt like a Jon Pertwee era story. Even the appearance of the master surprised me, even though considering it was the Third Doctor and Jo I should have expected it. I recently re-read a few stories from my old Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories collection from when I was younger and this one really blew me away in how well written it was and how interesting the setting was. Really fun story!

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Okay this is where I start to get more on board with these stories it starts to feel like a fun range at this point

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Definitely remember enjoying this one with how it perfectly captured that Season 8 vibe

Gave it a 7/10 when I read it!

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I enjoyed this a lot, it captures the vibe of the era perfectly

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This is a good short story, but I’ve gotta say… Poor Jo! She really gets put through the wringer here :sad_but_relieved_face:

Some of the most brutal moments:

She was about to yell when someone pulled her back so hard the breath was knocked from her

Jo’s shivers turned to great shudders of cold

she was hanging, her wrists and ankles tied, over the shoulder of one of the Vikings, and that he was jogging with her through the trees as if she were a paper doll

She got a cuff to the back of her head, and her vision swam

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Last one before I go to bed for the night, but I quite enjoyed this. It feels just like something out of season 8 and Jo and the Doctor are done wonderfully

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