The Doctor's Companion Blog

If you feel like a good book for Halloween, you could do a lot worse than read the 10th Doctor and Martha book, Forever Autumn by Mark Morris.  Set in the “sleepy New England town of Blackwood Falls” (to quote the blurb on Amazon) it is rather a fun little book, featuring tall lanky stick like monsters who can possess people and whose space ship is buried beneath the town.  Needless to say they must be prevented from using it, as its lift off would kill most of the towns inhabitants.

The Hervoken have some similarities to the Carrionites (seen on screen in the Shakespeare Code), although the Hervoken do not take human form (other than by possession).  Apparently they are the Carrionites were enemies until ‘the Eternals’ took steps against them both. I’d like to know more about the Eternals – Mr Moffatt??

The author cleverly brings the Doctor and Martha to life, very much as they are in the television series, all the catch phrases along with at lot of witty 10th Doctor banter.  The other characters are quite pleasant too, the three boys, Etta Helligan, and poor old Doctor Clayton.  The Hervoken however are not, with their long stick like bodies, high pitched giggly voices, and long vine like tentacles stretching beneath the town (slightly reminiscent of the citidel’s roots from Death to the Daleks).  And they enjoy crunching up Mr Everson.  Not nice.

The climax is even worse, but I won’t tell you as it will spoil the surprise for you.  But the Doctor manages it in the end as he always does, and then wants to slope off without saying goodbye.  I can’t help wondering if the Moffatt/Smith doctor will be quite so adverse to proper endings, hopefully not.

But the book is an enjoyable Halloween read. Doctor Who – Forever Autumn (New Series Adventure 16) can be bought from Amazon as a paperback, either on its own, or more economically as part of a boxed Martha and the 10th Doctor set: The All New Doctor Who Collection ; [10 volume cased set ] ;The Pirate Loop , Wetworld, Sting of the Zygons , The Art of Desruction , Wooden Heart , Wishing Well , Sick Building , The Last Dodo, The Price of Paradise, Forever Autumn.