Status Updates From Doctor Who: The Turing Test

Paul McGann debuted as the 8th Doctor in a 1996 TV movie that was supposed to launch a new Doctor Who series, but didn't. I remember thinking, as a sequence of 5 novels came out that covered 100 years of the 8th Dr's life, "oh, this will explain - if McGann ever comes back to play his Doctor any time later - why he looks somewhat older, if we assume the Doctor looks only slightly older after 100 years.". My theory.

When I decided to read 4 Doctor Who novels for Rocket Summer, each to feature a different Doctor in a different decade, if at all possible, I knew one had to be a 7th Doctor book, since he’s my fave. And First Frontier was almost going to be locked in, cuz I really want to re-read it (next!). Once that was decided, long story short, certain tempting books could not be slotted in, but I’m happy with what did fit.

The scene where Turing and the Doctor first meet is one of my favourites. The Doctor is talking to a stone griffin adorning a chapel wall, and when Turing makes a reference Timothy liking a nice rub between the ears, “try that”, the Doctor misunderstands, thinks Timothy is the griffin, and leaps up the side of the building to rub the griffin. Turing explains that Timothy is his cat, and was making a joke.

This is my 2nd Doctor Who novel specifically in honor of the Rocket Summer reading event - my tweaked variation - and as such, takes place in the 1940s. Reading Dr Who books set in 1930s-or-earlier, 40s, 50s, and 60s, has one drawback - I'm limited to those set on Earth...well actually, I got around that, with Imperial Moon! But now, the Doctor and I are 'stuck' on Earth for 3 books; shades of the 3rd Doctor!

I’m bettin’ I’m gonna appreciate this one more on a re-read, and up the rating. We’ll see. For some reason this highly-regarded book in the series didn’t resonate with me the first time around. Anyway, this is the second book for me when it comes to my Doctor Who version of the Rocket Summer reading event; I move now to the 1940s, and the next will be in the 1950s, and finally one set in the 1960s.