H. Givens’s Reviews > Doctor Who: 12 Doctors, 12 Stories > Status Update

"Lights Out" by Holly Black - I saw the twist coming a mile away, but this is still the only story that gave me a genuine sense of suspense, because of the very smart decision to have the POV character be original. Unlike the Doctor or any companion, we don't know if he'll be okay. Plus the setting is really vivid and it's just a good short story, not crammed in like so many others.

"Nothing O'Clock" by Neil Gaiman - Loved the villain idea and how it made use of time travel, but the story could've done with a lot more length to really have an impact.

"The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage" by Derek Landy -- Okay, Ten and Martha are Skulduggery and Valkyrie. As a Skulduggery Pleasant story it's pretty good, and I really liked the storybook theme. The last couple of sections were a pretty typical New Who resolution, meh.

"The Beast of Babylon" by Charlie Higson - There were elements of this story that I didn't like, such as the Nine/Rose theme, but the structure is really different and outstanding, using your preconceived notions to gradually twist the story and surprise you in fundamental ways you never thought to predict.

"The Ripple Effect" by Marjorie Blackman - Sophie Aldred read at least two other stories in this collection, why not the one with her actual character?? But I loved the story. Starts like any number of Who eps, stuck in a weird spacetime thing, but transforms into an affecting AU/Dalek story.

"Something Borrowed" by Richelle Mead -- capably written but I didn't find it compelling otherwise, possibly just because I'm not super familiar with Six and his era.

"Tip of the Tongue" by Patrick Ness - Loved the whole setup of this, with the fairy-tale quality of the town and the believable Doctor Who alien twist. The payoff happens offscreen, though -- perhaps Ness bit off more than he could chew in the time allotted.

"The Roots of Evil" by Philip Reeve - The plot was predictable, but it had some really funny lines and good imagery. (Also why was Sophie Aldred reading this? And why, in the midst of doing a great job otherwise, does she make Four sound like that?)

"The Spear of Destiny" by Marcus Sedgwick - This one moves a little slow, but the tone is very true to the Third Doctor era. I don't usually like the "turns out we inspired XYZ famous story/myth" trope but it worked fine here. It's read by the author, and he doesn't try to do voices, so getting the characterization exactly right was less important, it felt more like a story written by a historian or bystander.

"The Nameless City" by Michael Scott -- Super good! Frazer Hines' narration is perfect, his Two is even better than his Jamie. The story works really well too, with scaled-down characters and settings, but enough layers to be satisfying. I never knew I wanted "Two vs. Necronomicon" before but I totally did.