Booklog 3/2025: Tom Baker: Scratchman – a Dr Who novel – Audiobook

[jacey]

Written and narrated by Tom Baker, as you would expect this audio version brings the 4th Doctor to life beautifully.  There's a framing story. The Doctor is being interrogated on Gallifrey and is being asked to account for his actions. The main story emerges in which the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry land on a remote island where people are turning into scarecrows. But this quickly turns into something more surreal as the Doctor, Sarah and Harry end up in a strange dimension where the enemy is the Scratchman, i.e. the Devil. I'm a little perturbed when the narrative focus slips. This is largely written in the Doctor's first person point of view, but sometimes shifts into what Harry and Sarah Jane (and secondary characters) are getting up to and thinking. Am I being too persnickity? Is it something only an author would notice? To be honest it doesn't really spoil the enjoyment, but it is noticeable.

Comments

[watervole]

I hate POV shifts too...

I've done a lot of editing over the years - I can never just ignore them.

[jacey]

Agreed. Shifty viewpoints make me uncomfortable. It should have been written in 3rd person/omniscient - not my favourite, but it would have worked. I wonder what his editor was thinking... or was he too big a name to edit? Don't get me wrong, i love Tom Baker, and I could listen to him reading Wo (or the phone book) all day, but...

[watervole]

Ah! That could be it... I remember Paul Darrow's novel for Blake's 7.

It was terrible, with basic science errors that made me wince.

[jacey]

Oh, that's a pity. The Darrow novel is on my wish list. I'll probably remove it rather than get myself in a tizzy over it. What's wrong with employing a good ghost-writer, anyway?

[watervole]

Really dire. As in a human colony successfully living in the open on a moon of Uranus.

And having lots of daylight from the light of the other moons...

And other horrors I can't now remember. Also, Avon was very badly out of character - no subtlety at all.
Paul clearly wanted him to be Clint Eastwood.

[jacey]

Thanks for the warning. One to avoid. Avon is my favourite character, and I like him sneaky rather than Clint Eastwood-ish.