This is also a Fela Kuti story, so here’s a quick review, because I wouldn’t want anyone interested in either of those two persons to miss this treat. I had the pleasure and privilege of reading an advance copy.
The story opens with the diligently secretarial Miss Smith on her way to her increasingly unsettling, not to say exasperating job. Her employer is eccentric to say the least, and while her duties are hardly demanding, she’s too intelligent not to feel that something, somewhere, is amiss. Soon after she goes to a Fela Kuti studio session with her friend Doreen, the mists begin to clear…
One of the best things for me about reading Doctor Who fiction is finding an author who understands how words on a page can do different and interesting things with a story which a performance on the screen cannot. Tade Thompson definitely gets this, and has the skills to use these differences to full creative effect. Readers will swiftly realise who Miss Smith’s strange employer is at the same time as seeing him through Miss Smith’s eyes, and feeling the immediacy of her confusion and irritation.
Sarah Jane’s situation turns out to be tied to a seriously ominous threat which UNIT are struggling to understand during the UK’s memorably hot summer of 1976. Thompson recreates those days with telling details which will ring true for those of us who recall it, as well as creating a resonant atmosphere for those who were not there. Similarly, his portrayal of the Doctor rings true to the show of that era and simultaneously chimes with the programme’s current perspectives.
Bringing Fela Kuti back to the story, Thompson offers a strikingly alternative response to the Doctor and his interference in various times and places from those who have no reason to trust a white Englishman. Indeed, they have good reasons not to. Understanding these different reactions, as well as seeing some British colonial history from the other side, becomes crucial, if the current menace is to be contained. As the drama unfolds, Thompson extends one of the classic Who themes, specifically the importance of keeping an open mind, into today’s broader perspectives on decades and empires past. Thus the story is underpinned by both contemporary relevance and Doctor Who’s enduring strengths.
This is a story for both established and recent fans to thoroughly enjoy. That’s no mean feat.
