Two Envelopes And A Phone’s Reviews > Doctor Who: Father Time > Status Update

The book is divided into 3 sections - 'Early', 'Middle', and 'Late' 1980s. I don't imagine this is quite like Ready Player One, but it's pretty 1980s immersive, and affectionately nostalgic. Miranda, the Doctor's adopted daughter, is a fascinating character; I think we see her again in Sometime, Never..., an exhilarating but bittersweet return. Meanwhile, the TARDIS has almost finished its own 100 years of healing...

Sometimes, synchronicity just barges right in: I'm reading some classic Teen Titans comics from the 1980s, and this Doctor Who novel - set throughout the 1980s - has a comic book nerd talking up the Teen Titans series to Miranda, the Doctor's daughter. Had forgotten this scene. As a huge Marv Wolfman fan, I love seeing the respect for his and George Perez's achievement; I guess the Titans hit in Britain too!

After events in The Ancestral Cell, the Doctor has spent about 100 years - and several books - on Earth, with no memory of who he is or where he comes from. Father Time brings the arc to a close, with a powerful finale, although it's the next book that takes the series back to its normal format. Here, the Doctor has met the child Miranda, while playing chess against eleven opponents. Miranda: smart; two hearts?

Private Eye July and Giallo July mean Crime & Mystery novels for me this month - but not only. The Perry Rhodan binge I'm making time for means I'm participating in Rocket Summer as well, where I have to read SF from 1930 (or earlier) to the 1960s. The bonus material - old serials and short stories - plus the PR adventures, cover all that time. My Doctor Who urge takes me out of reading events, just briefly.

One of my favourites, among Doctor Who novels. A weird story arc with the Doctor moving through several books with no memory of who is and where he’s from, culminates in this story. The Doctor has a daughter…but as usual with the Time Lord, it’s never quite what you’d expect. I’m almost 100 per cent sure this is the one where the Doctor makes a very cool shot at a pool table. And that’s just a bonus…