“Back in Britain, it’s just about teatime on Saturday 23
November 1963 – and the fun is about to start!”
The Doctor isn’t, as it happens, talking about a certain popular
BBC programme which just happens to have started exactly then, but nevertheless this is just one of the
fan-pleasing references which abound in Tommy Donbavand’s first – but hopefully
not last – Doctor Who book.
Donbavand is known as the author of the popular “Scream
Street” series of children’s books, which I admit I haven’t read – my daughter’s
still slightly too young, and my son too old, although he'd probably have loved them ten years ago -
but on the evidence of Shroud of Sorrow I may well seek them out for her
in a couple of years, because Donbavand certainly knows how to write and how to
construct a gripping story.
Shroud of Sorrow was published on 11 April 2013, one of
three new books – the others being The Dalek Generation by Nicholas Briggs, and
Plague of the Cybermen by Justin Richards (I nearly wrote "Justin Fletcher" there - oops) – featuring the Eleventh Doctor.
Shroud is, however, the only one of these to also feature new companion Clara
Oswald, and since we the viewers -
currently three episodes into the “new” series - still don’t know that much
about Clara, it’s interesting to see her
portrayal here. I wondered how much information Donbavand was given
about Clara to enable him to write her character, and whether there would be
any subtle clues regarding her mystery.
Interestingly, given the Oswald connection (though nothing
is made of this), Shroud of Sorrow is set in the immediate aftermath of JFK’s
assassination on 22 November 1963 – also, of course, the day before Doctor Who
first appeared on our TV screens. Indeed, the fan-fest starts at the very
beginning, when PC Reg Cranfield sees a face, the last one he expects, emerging from the mist near
Foreman’s scrapyard on Totter’s Lane, on 23 November 1963.....
It's not just PC Cranfield who's seeing the most unlikely faces in the most unlikely places, though. Over in the States, reeling from the shock of the President's death and in the first stages of grieving, people are also seeing faces emerging from coffee stains, from patterns of raindrops.... and they're pushing through into the real world. The Parkland Memorial Hospital, and America, and indeed the world, needs a doctor.
I enjoyed reading this very much indeed. The characterization of the Eleventh Doctor is spot on. Clara is also well portrayed, although as I don't really feel I have that strong an impression of her character yet from the TV series, it's difficult to say "this is Clara". I didn't detect any clues as to the Great Clara Mystery (then again, I'm not exactly Sherlock), although there is a possibly interesting brief little scene with Clara and the TARDIS, which is played for laughs and probably has no greater significance than that, but who knows?
In contrast to the other books released at the same time which revisit classic monsters, Shroud of Sorrow features a brand new villain, which is original and well portrayed. By the nature of this villain's modus operandi, the story inevitably packs a hefty emotional punch, particularly in the early stages, where things can become quite dark (and there's one bit in particular which I defy anybody to read without getting a lump in the throat). However, there's plenty of humour too, and things seem to change mood and direction around the middle when the Doctor enlists help from an unlikely source. This did feel a bit silly and fantastical at times, but it kind of works.
There's plenty here to reward fans who love nothing more than references to past adventures and companions (and yes, I am one of those fans, and I'm guessing Tommy Donbavand is too). Without giving too much away, I think I can still say that Chapter 14 reduced me to a quivering blob of emotion, especially when..... Spoilers!
I was intrigued beforehand that - like much speculative fiction - the plot involves the JFK assassination. However, this is really more of a plot device and starting point rather than an integral part of the story, and the actual events of the assassination are never directly addressed, nor the fact that the Ninth Doctor was, apparently, somewhere in the Dallas crowd as the motorcade passed....
All in all, a great read which I finished in less than a day. Highly recommended. Loved it. More please!
