Once again I was surprised to learn about a book series I didn’t know existed. I picked up this slim paperback (105 pages of BIG PRINT!) at a Library Book Sale and learned this is the first book in a seven book series (you can check out the entire series below). Here’s the low-down from the Quick Reads website:
“Quick Reads is a literacy organisation which works with book publishers to provide low-cost, low-page count books to encourage people to read. A major focus of their outreach are adult readers who need to improve their literacy skills. BBC Books is one of the non-profit’s partners. Beginning in 2006, this relationship produced original Doctor Who fiction.
During the David Tennant years, one Tenth Doctor Quick Reads novella was released each year, including the “transition” year of 2010. No Quick Reads were issued in 2011, but the series resumed in 2012 with the Eleventh Doctor, but was discontinued after the 2013 release (though non-Doctor Who Quick Reads novellas continue to be published).
The 2007 release Made of Steel was notable for being the first piece of original fiction based upon the revival series to be written by Terrance Dicks, a script editor and writer for the original TV series, as well as a prolific writer of Doctor Who prose fiction. The novella was also published a month before the episode Smith and Jones was first broadcast, thus making it the first appearance of companion Martha Jones.”
I found I Am a Dalek a quick 20-minute read. The reading level and plot are set at a low level, but the story was typical Doctor Who stuff which always appeals to me. If you’re a Doctor Who fan, you might be interested in these Quick Reads. GRADE: B
| I am a Dalek | Gareth Roberts | May 2006 | 0-563-48648-1 | 9 | ||||
| Made of Steel | Terrance Dicks | Mar 2007 | 978-1-84607-204-8 | |||||
| Revenge of the Judoon | Terrance Dicks | Mar 2008 | 978-1-84607-372-4 | |||||
| The Sontaran Games | Jacqueline Rayner | Feb 2009 | 978-1-84607-643-5 | |||||
| Code of the Krillitanes | Justin Richards | Mar 2010 | 978-1-84607-928-3 | |||||
| Magic of The Angels | Jacqueline Rayner | Feb 2012 | 978-1-84990-286-1 | |||||
| The Silurian Gift | Mike Tucker | Dec 2012 |
Though I was in England regularly I have to admit that Dr Who didn’t move me at all – neither the TV series nor the books.
I didn’t even watch/read one of the episodes to the finish …
DOCTOR WHO was a rather uneven series, Wolf, from subseries to subseries (most adventures were multi-episode) and from season to season…and some of them were more imaginative and simply better-written than others. Still is, to some extent. But some DOCTOR items might be (or definitely were) more interesting than others. I’ve never read any prose fiction from the series, myself.
Todd, I agree with the unevenness of the DOCTOR WHO series. But, even though the Special Effects were crude in the 1970s episodes, the storytelling was compelling (for me, at least).
Wolf, I started watching DOCTOR WHO in the mid-1970s when our local Public Broadcasting System TV station broadcast weekly episodes. Tom Baker was a great Doctor!
I’ve never seen a DOCTOR WHO episode (or even the two 1960s Peter Cushing movies) or read any of the books marketed from the series. Given my age and other priorities in shows and books, I probably never will. I believe Michael Moorcock wrote one of the many spinoff books, although not one of these Quick Read offshoots. I’m all for any push to improve literacy. I’ve heard that over half of adults in the U.S. have at least a 6th grade level of literacy, which isn’t saying much.
Fred, you’re right about the poor literacy levels in the U.S. I had students in my College classes who couldn’t read the course textbook.
I have tried various incarnations on TV and I find the pace and dialogue jarring. Probably the book wouldn’t be.
Patti, I breezed through this “Quick Reads” and enjoyed it. I had never seen a copy of this series before I stumbled over I AM A DALEK at that Book Sale. Now I’ll track down the other six books in the series.
Two things I’ve avoided like the plague–Dr. Who and the MCU stuff, and I plan to stick to my guns on both.
Michael, sticking to your guns is included in your Second Amendment rights!
Man, David Tennant looks so young there! We’ve been watching him and Michael Sheen (who worked together in GOOD OMENS) in the pandemic-era series STAGED.
Jeff, David Tennant is one of my favorites as Doctor Who. He was in his prime when he landed that role!
I might enjoy one of these books. We started watching the Doctor Who series with the David Tennant set, 2 or 3 years ago. We ended up watching all the series up to the current Doctor, and we just got the complete sets of discs for that one. We enjoyed all of them, so far, but David Tennant is my favorite Doctor Who.
Tracy, I believe David Tennant revitalized the DOCTOR WHO series with his excellent performance. I have a set of Blu-rays of the Tennant DOCTOR WHO series.