Doctor Who: The Triple Knife

Doctor Who New Series anthologies

by Jenny T. Colgan

Short stories that are bigger on the inside.

Join the women of the Whoniverse for five thrilling Doctor Who adventures by Sunday Times bestselling author Jenny T. Colgan.

Ashildr, a young Viking girl, died bravely helping the Doctor save the village she loved – so the Doctor used alien technology to bring her back to life. Ashildr became immortal and, since that day, has kept journals to chronicle her extraordinary life. 'The Triple Knife' is a glimpse into the life of a woman who lived longer than anyone ever should – and lost more than she can even remember.

'Picnic at Asgard' drops in on another woman of the Whoniverse who never fails to find herself too far from danger and excitement. And when you’re married to a Time Lord, what more can you expect? This adventure, extracted from her journal, reveals still more about the legendary River Song.

'Into the Nowhere' follows the Eleventh Doctor and Clara as they land on an unknown alien planet. To the Doctor’s delight and Clara’s astonishment, it really is unknown. It’s a planet the Doctor has never seen. It’s not on any maps, it’s not referenced on any star charts or in the TARDIS data banks. It doesn’t even have a name. What could be so terrible here that has been erased?

This collection also includes two further adventures 'All The Empty Towers' and 'A Long Way Down' – a short story never published in volume form before.

Genres: Doctor Who, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Media Tie In, Fantasy

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 2018

About the author

Jenny T. Colgan is a pseudonym of author Jenny Colgan.

Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels, including 'The Little Shop of Happy Ever After' and 'Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery', which are also published by Sphere.' Meet Me at the Cupcake Café' won the 2012 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, as was 'Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams', which won the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2013.

Under her Jenny T. Colgan pseudonym, she is a writer of romantic comedy fiction and science-fiction, and has written for the Doctor Who line of stories.

She also uses the pseudonyms Jane Beaton and J.T. Colgan

Reviews

[Rachel Holtzclaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

i just read the entirety of this in one sitting, and it was fine! nothing i'm ever going to revisit! i bought this in the midst of my doctor who rewatch last summer, and i think i would have enjoyed it more if i had read it then, but predictably, i did not, so here we are!

[I'mogén · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 / 5

The triple knife: 3 stars
Not sure I recall Ashildr as a character but the story was interesting enough. She was a young Viking girl that is now immortal (I wonder if that's the character Maisie Williams played) and now has a family. However constantly on the run due to suspicions about her not ageing, she finds her self in London, where things get worse. I did enjoy this story, but it wasn't super action paced or had a necessary doctor who feel to it.

Into the Nowhere: 4 stars
Found on an planet with no name or information about it anywhere, the Doctor and Clara explore it to figure out why it is unknown. This story was really enjoyable. I did get a little confused at times, but I think that was to do with not able to understand where this story could be slotted in on the timeline. I could easily just be overthinking it though.

Picnic at Asgard: 5 stars
I love River Song and this short story felt more sy-fi in style, which I'm happy about. The Doctor and River go to Asgard... but not how you'd expect! This story reminded me of psychic paper! Haven't seen that used in ages. I really liked this story! It was very entertaining!

All the Empty Towers: 4 stars
Travelling to Blackpool so Clara can reminisce, takes a different turn than was expected! Climate change has made an impact on her beloved home town. This was another enjoyable short story. I found it fascinating seeing a spin on Blackpool and the effects climate change had on it.

A Long Way Down: 3 stars
This one was pretty funny but left me confused! It was very timey-whimy-space-stuff and left my mind reeling.

Overall, I expected a little cameo of the doctor in the first story, and ended up suspecting that would take away the effect of this focusing on women, however he turned up in the other stories so I guess not! The first story wasn't the strongest story for me, but it got better! It was a nice dose of some extra stories and I'm happy to have read them.

Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

[Nicolas Lontel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un recueil de 5 nouvelles de longueur variées, aucune ne se distinguait vraiment des autres (en bien ou en mal), on appréciera la diversité des Docteurs, moins celle des compagnons (Clara et River seulement) ou la nouvelle consacrée uniquement à Ashildr (sans apparition du Docteur ou d'un·e de ses compagnons). Il est vraiment important de ne pas lire la préface avant d'avoir lu les nouvelles. Je sais que l'autrice nous avertie de ne pas le faire, mais honnêtement, ça aurait dû être en postface, point final (où alors c'est un jeu littéraire sur le temps et la lecture, mais je ne pense pas). Il est possible que ça s'adresse à un public beaucoup plus jeune que les jeunes adultes.

The Triple Knife
La nouvelle autour d'Ashildr qui a alors trois enfants (autant d'épée de Damoclès pour elle d'où le titre de la nouvelle) en pleine peste noire. La tension dramatique est définitivement là, mais a un moment, j'ai tout simplement décroché. Après avoir rencontré les extraterrestres (je n'en dirais pas plus), on dirait qu'on dit la même chose encore et encore et encore. Le drame aurait aussi été beaucoup plus effrayant si tous les personnages avaient été humains.

Into the Nowhere
Ç'aurait été intéressant si je n'avais pas déjà lu une nouvelle assez similaire d'une planète pseudo-labyrinthique dans Doctor Who: The Day She Saved the Doctor: Four Stories from the TARDIS ou encore vu le deuxième épisode de la Treizième Docteur. Ça ne se conclut pas du tout de la même façon, ce ne sont pas du tout les mêmes péripéties (bien qu'on pourrait tracer des similarités entre les deux nouvelles), mais il y avait des feelings très similaire.

Picnic at Asgard
Une nouvelle Docteur/River Song qui explore l'aspect beaucoup plus romantique/amoureux des deux qui visitent un parc d'attraction. La personne derrière les bouleversements dans le parc est très peu crédible comme coupable et la résolution n'est vraiment pas très recherchée. Alors que j'ai bien aimé la relation que River avait avec le Docteur, j'aurais honnêtement pu me contenter de ne pas voir surgir aucune péripétie et que tout se passe bien pour une fois. Les fans de l'auteure aimeront l'allusion à son précédent roman Doctor Who.

All the Empty Towers
Une nouvelle, assez ordinaire, qui parle de changements climatiques, de chasseurs, d'un Blackpool complètement transformé.

A Long Way Down
On dirait juste une réécriture d'un passage dans le Guide galactique à la Doctor Who. Minuscule, mais on aurait pu faire sans.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3276077.html

Five stories by Jenny Colgan, three of which I had already read in other collections but two new to me. Nice to have them gathered together like this. They are all good. My favourite I think is the title story, which takes Ashildr to the time of the Black Death in 1348; I also very much liked "Picnic At Asgard" with River Song and Eleven. The other three all have Clara, one with Eleven and two with Twelve.

[Rachel Redhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

good to have all these stories together in one great collection

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

5 short stories, so quick and easy to dip into. Unfortunately, the only one I really enjoyed was the last [ a nod to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]. The first didn't feel like the Ashildr from the series as I remembered her at all.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't think the author caught the voice of either the 11th or 12th Doctor. Only so-so stories.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories from the best Doctor Who author around? Yes please!

The Triple Knife: Set between the Series 9 episodes "The Girl Who Died" and "The Woman Who Lived" this is a tale featuring the immortal young viking girl Ashildr. Here Ashildr travels to England with her young children but she brings something terrible with here- the plague. Who are the mysterious plague doctors and can they cure Ashildr's children? This is an excellent story, making good use of the character and a great setting.

Into the Nowhere: This story sees the Eleventh Doctor and Clara to an alien planet which doesn't exist on star charts. It was my least favorite story and though there are some great ideas in it, not least the ending, I found it generally bleak- Doctor Who always needs an element of lightness and fun and there wasn't enough for me in this story.

Picnic at Asgard: The story explaining one of the missing adventures of River Song as she and the Eleventh Doctor visit Asgard, a theme park which covers a whole planet. It's got some silly ideas in it but it still has some great tension and some important moments for River Song's character.

All the Empty Towers: A shorter story where Clara wants to show the Twelfth Doctor her home, Blackpool, but he takes her to a Blackpool of the future where climate change has changed the town dramatically. A good idea for a story and interesting to see Doctor Who do a climate change story, something which is has avoided on screen. Also, the Doctor makes friend with a donkey which is fun.

A Long Way Down: When the Twelfth Doctor falls out of the TARDIS, Clara has to try to instruct the spaceship to save him. The TARDIS ends up replicating the situation over and over and Clara is frustrated at it. A short story which could never be shown on screen and plays on the conflict between Clara and the TARDIS.

A strong collection, even if I had read of the stories before elsewhere. I hope Colgan continues to write Doctor Who stories and would love to see her take on the Thirteenth Doctor.

[Stefan Grieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Doctor Who short story collection which starts very strong, with the title story 'The Triple Knife' centred around a scene that stood out to me when I watched series 9 of the TV show revolving around the immortal Ashildr (Later known simply as 'Me') this was a very thoughtful, imaginative dark story that is good enough in my mind to be seen as cannon.

The other short stories I thought weren't as strong, with 'Into the Nowhere' which, as the writer describes in her introduction, to paraphrase, 'throws the kitchen sink in' too many ideas, also some sizeism and some religious plotlines that seemingly come out of nowhere and could fit in a story more related to it, although there are some clever ideas. However, it was great to read the eleventh doctor being an enthusiastic, daring, caring presence for Clara to counteract the darkness.

'Picnic at Asgard' disappointed me with what Asgard the show often alluded to turned out to be, and I predicted the twist in the story. A nice look at the inner workings of River's mind and her relationship with the Doctor though.

'All The Empty Towers' reminded me too much of one of Peter Capaldi's worst episodes, however great the concept. Great title though.

The last story, 'A Long Way Down' is very slight.

However, in each story though there was something to keep me reading on, and capture my imagination.

The characterisations of the Doctor and companions are hit and miss compared to the show, although I think the writer is good at demonstrating some of the complex depths of the Doctor and the dynamics of his relationships, showing more than telling, which takes real skill.
It was good to focus on female characters in the pre-Jodie Whitikers series, and the writer includes many tender moments between the doctor and whom he interacts with, which is touching to read.

A sharp start, although this triple knife didn't succeed in the later stages of cutting right to the heart of me.

[Helen (they or he) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rating this whole collection as 4 stars but I'm gonna talk about each story a little.

- The Triple Knife
4 out of 5 stars.

I like Ashildr's character and storyline so of course, I like this story. And of couse, the name "Triple Knife" made so much sense and it's a bit painful. I'm sure I'm gonna think about this story whenever I think about her. (Also, one of these days, I'm gonna have to finally read her collection but today is not the day.)

- Picnic at Asgard
4 out of 5 stars.

I love River Song and I actually have read this story in another collection. (I'm pretty sure it was in Diary of The River Song but I wouldn't hold my breath) Picnic at Asgard is a striking line in the show so I'm glad they made a short story about it. I wish River would have just said the thing she wanted to say... but ultimately it wouldn't have matter. She got what she wanted in the end anyway. This story just illuminates another layer of her that I enjoy thinking about.

- Into the Nowhere
4 out of 5 stars.

I love this story! But it's so confusing! My advice? Don't read this when you're just about to fall asleep. You will wake up retaining nothing and you will have to read from the beginning again. The plot is cool though.

- All The Empty Towers and A Long Way Down
2 out of 5 stars.

These sort of suck I'm sure they have left no impression on me and I will have no clue about them in the future.

[Joe Pranaitis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Jenny T. Colgan brings us five short stories that deal with Clara, and River Song. But the first tale titled The triple Knife deals with a viking who has lived for thousands of years and who meet the doctor but while her kids lie dying she is taken off world by a group of scientists. The second story titled Into Nowhere we see that Clara and doctor have landed on a nightmare planet only to come face to face with the mastermind who controls that planet only for his creations to turn on him. In the third story titled Picnic at Asgard the Doctor takes River Song to the Asgard fun park where things go wrong while River wants to ask the Doctor about something that she has on her mind only to realize that her answer is given to her in a form that she never expected. In the fourth story titled All Empty Towers, Clara asks the doctor to take her home so that way she can show him around only to find out that it's near the end of the twenty-first century and that her home town has been turned into a gaming reserve. Clara understands this and finally understands what the doctor says about it not being a fixed point in time. The last story titled A long Way down deals with the miscommunication between Clara and the TARDIS while the doctor falls down to a surface of a planet. This is a great anthology and one that I highly recommend.  

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because this is a collection of short stories, it seems more fitting to individually rate them, rather than give the full book a rating that was either too high or too low.

4/5 - The Triple Knife

The ending with Me/Ashildr cradling her sick children genuinely made me feel sorry for her character for the first time, and I couldn't stop the lump forming in the back of my throat.

2.5/5 - Into the Knowhere

I generally love Colgan's storytelling, but Eleven didn't really seem like Eleven here, and the story wasn't as strong as others in the collection.

3/5 - Picnic at Asgard

This is taken from a River Song collection I read a few months ago, so although I'm disappointed to see it repeated, I understand why it was. Still not sure which Doctor she's travelling with her, but a friend suggested it's Ten, and the idea of that makes me laugh. (It's got to be Eleven, right?)

4/5 - All the Empty Towers

Simply the image of The Twelfth Doctor and Clara dancing in the Tower Ballroom was enough to boost this up by at least two stars. That is all.

2/5 - A Long Way Down

Feels a bit like a nonsense story, and definitely wouldn't have been the one I'd end the collection with.

[Karen Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your typical Doctor Who book in that it is comprised of five short stories, three of them featuring Clara Oswald, another with Professor River Song and the fifth with Ashildr from the 12th Doctor's "The Girl who Died"/" The Woman who Lived" episodes.

The Ashildr story is perhaps the strongest, even though the Doctor never appears in it. Set in England during the period of the Black Death, it deals with her efforts to save her children from the plague while discovering that alien forces are at work. The River Song story recalls the classic Star Trek episode "Shore Leave", as she and the Doctor arrive on a recreation planet where the attractions suddenly start going haywire. In the first Clara story, she and the 11th Doctor find themselves on a world that shouldn't exist and the Doctor's curiosity soon leads them into a fight for survival. The other two Clara stories are very short but satisfying.

I welcome more stories from this author, whether of the short version or novels and will definitely look out for more from her. Recommended for Doctor Who fans.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a big fan of Jenny Colgan (for doctor who books and non) and she always manages to capture and develop the characters in Who so well!

This was a collection of short stories which were super easy and entertaining to read. Couldn’t sleep one night and before I knew it, I’d finished the whole book and really enjoyed each tale.

We accompany the Doctor and River on a date trip to Asgard (‘Picnic at Asgard), follow the woes of an immortal in The Triple Knife and find ourselves on a literal nowhere planet with the doc and Clara (Into the Nowhere). There’s also an extra two short stories at the end, All The Empty Towers and A Long Way Down.

Really entertaining set of stories and I always look forward to this authors Dr Who books.

[Shaneen Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable collection of short stories for fans of New Who, especially those familiar with the adventures of Eleven and Twelve. Colgan did a great job capturing the familiar characters of Ashildr, River, Clara, and the Doctor (in two incarnations). My favourite short stories were The Triple Knife and Picnic at Asgard - they portray the range of Doctor Who from serious to silly, historical to futuristic, but most importantly encapsulate the emotion of the show.

[Tineke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge Doctor Who fan I'm afraid and these stories have the Doctor Who spirit, even though Doctor Who is not actually present in all stories. I particularly like "Picnic at Asgard" because of the way River Song is portrayed. "Triple knife" is also a beautiful story however sad. And of course "Into the Nowhere" is quite thrilling. All good.

[James Haigh-Kenworthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 of these stories link into the Steven moffat era of the show which is great for any fan! All of these stories are short (even one being 6 pages) so they're not fleshed out enough to get 5 stars however Jenny captures all the characters perfectly and will leave you more than happy if you're a fan, even if it is a book you'll probably never return to.

[Chelsea-anne Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 short stories some stronger than others.

The first story The Triple Knife is about an immortal woman and her travels, this was interesting but kinda meh. I think this could have been stronger if we had longer and more detail about how she became immortal.
Into the Nowhere - this one is about a planet that has something ominous about it and Picnic At Asgard - contains River Song who is a fab character, that makes these my favourites of this collection. There is 2 other stories but they again were just kinda ok in my opinion.

Not my favourite collection of stories but its a quick read.

[anthony wheeler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doctor Fez and Missy Sulky on the Spooky Planet

Simply written in clear English, with easily understood characters, these stories reminded me of Roger Hargreaves' Doctor Who picture books. That wasn't quite what I was expecting; the humour here is for a younger age group than me.

[TrixieB · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the third Colgan book I've read recently, and all of them are extremely fat-phobic. I won't read any more. Fat people don't "waddle", eat messily, or ooze. I have no patience for hatred, casual or otherwise.

[Folla Meziane · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked it, it was fun but it wasn't the best one i've read.. but i really liked picnic at asgard the most, it was nice reading about some the doctor and river adventure.. and we heard a lot about it in the show too, river always mentioned it.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of shorts there were new to me. None of them were terrible but neither were they exceptional, a mid range of well written tales.

[T.A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest this didn’t feel like it belongs in the Doctor Who franchise. The most of the stories didn’t capture the characters. If I hadn’t been hoping for that I may have enjoyed it more.

[Helen Marsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

eclectic mix of stories getting shorter as you go through

[Gabor Hernadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read of five interesting Doctor Who short stories.

[gio eldred · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75