I’d say for me it very much evokes a ’weird fiction’ short story. Stuff where ambiguity and unanswered questions are an asset, and where metaphor is more important than plot.
It’s a different kind of story to what Who normally does, and I can absolutely see why some people don’t like it, but as someone who loves weird fiction, horror fiction and that particular vein of short story it absolutely evokes that for me.
Yeah, agreed entirely! It fleshes out the world but not in the ways you’d expect. I thought it was a good novelisation but it definitely didn’t focus on the parts I thought it would
I usually love stuff like that, I just don’t get any of that from this particular story.
I think it simply is the amount of unanswered questions that is a bridge too far for me.
Is it “just” “supernatural stuff happens and then everything is reset” that is the overall gist of the story? Or is there an added element? I’ve rewritten this last sentence three times to not sound condescending, but am not sure I pulled that off 
Nearly finished Heroes and Monsters. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the stories in this book. Most of them are fun reads.
@BillFiler Not condescending at all! <3
I can answer some of these, some I think are part of the general ’supernatural weirdness’, and some annoy me a bit too.
So the Doctor stepping on and breaking the fairy circle broke was what ’banished’ him from the world. Fae rules, fairy tale logic, don’t step in fairy rings. Personally I’m happy without any more explanation than that, but YMMV.
The mysterious woman on the other hand is, aside from being spooky, primarily a metaphor for Ruby believing/fearing that everyone in life will abandon her. (The Doctor disappearing also feeds into this.) She’s scared that everyone she loves will turn against her, find her to be an awful person (unfounded, but that’s the fear) and run away.
I found that a pretty decent concept myself, but it’s not as effective as it could be because we haven’t previously learned that this is something Ruby even worries about. (I suppose you could link it to her being adopted but to me that’s pretty tenuous and a bit disingenuous towards actual adopted folk.)
I think that like in Turn Left, the journey, not the reset, is the point. (And at the end the Doctor (not Ruby) didn’t step on the fairy ring! So Ruby going back in time did save her friend from his banishment, at least.)
Yes. That’s my favourite part of the story! I love stories where the ghost was You All Along. And I love the idea that the whole story is a loop, a cycle, that Ruby eventually breaks free from!
All your other questions I don’t have answers for. I think the Mad Jack stuff, and Roger ap Gwilliam in general, is possibly setup for future stories. At least, I kind of hope it is?
Because RTD hates his fans 
Here is a cool tumblr post that unlocked some ideas for me:
(and also one I made about the whole time loop thing:)
Honestly, this is a really thoughtful take on the episode!
I have been reading a lot of Titan comics lately. I just finished Year Three. I have been taking notes for everything to be able to join the comic club when we get to each book. A lot of year 3 did not vibe with me but some of it was really good. I think that the Eight Doctors mini-series was the highlight of the whole thing. Next up some more mini-series before I start on Thirteenths run.
“Finished” Deceit and will talk about it more in the Book Club thread.
Next up is some more 9th Doctor comics ahead of the Comic Club, followed by the Summer Event and then I’ll finally start reading Saga!
I need to read earlier in the day because I still didn’t finish Heroes and Monsters last night as I was starting to fall asleep. Only one story left to go though.
Half way through ‘Touched by an Angel’. Liking it but I continue to be frustrated that every Weeping Angel appearance seems to add something new to their lore or power set.
I keep meaning to re-read that. It was one of the first DW books I read and is highly rated.
Re-read The Klepton Parasites (the first TV Action comic story with John and Gillian). Here’s the review:
Started Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine by James L. Papandrea last night. It’s interesting so far and I’ll probably discuss it in more detail in the What (else) Are You Reading? - Non-DW thread.
Started The Mary-Sue Extrusion last night. I already think this might be Dave Stone being his most Dave Stoniest.
Yesterday I finished the first BBC Short Trips book. I love this range because you never know what you’re going to get. Many of the stories are either just nice little things or plain confusing, but every now and then you get one that just rocks you to your core. I especially liked Ace of Hearts in this collection
The Short Trips books are so good! I think the three BBC collections get better as they go along as well. Scientific Advisor from the next one makes me cry <3
Just finished the Time Lord fairy tales book and submitted a review for the last one (of the book, not the collection), and I’m considering reviewing other stories in the book too…
But I saw the sentiment in some of other people’s reviews about not really understanding the purpose of the book’s tales. And I just wanted to say I quite literally cherish the book and have since it released. It’s one of those things in the Whoniverse that make the world feel lived-in and full of life beyond what we see in the show. I don’t really mind that it quite literally isn’t about Gallifreyan/Time Lord fairy tales, but rather is adaptions of Earth fairy-tales with alien twists. I don’t feel like this is false advertising, but that it’s aimed at children, and that the children reading and engaging can imagine themselves being the Time Lords. Which is adorable, and certainly was my line of thinking as a kid. But in response to the “why did they make this book?”, they made it for me. Younger me specifically. And I think it was back when I first read some of the stories as a kid that i truly fell in love with Doctor-lite stories. <3
I haven’t read those stories yet but it would be great to have your reviews there to read when I do!
Read first 50 odd pages of Blood Cell last night before bed and enjoying it! First person perspective is interesting.
And idk why I’m surprised when it’s Goss but wow he does an amazing job capturing Capaldi and Coleman’s voices
