Touched by an Angel [PROSE/2011.6.23]

★★★★★

  Jonathan Morris can cook up a wonderful Doctor Who story in a heartbeat, that's no secret. With Touched by an Angel, however, he's managed to tap on something very special indeed: a deeply human undercurrent, something even non-fans of the mythos would be able to connect with. With an immersive writing style, Morris guides the audience into a twisted time-travel adventure (akin to Steven Moffat's tenure at the time) crammed full with scares, hard sci-fi concepts and clever solutions, but never lets go of that central heart. It is this determination that makes Touched by an Angel so successful as a novel; we are able to connect to Mark Whitaker, as he and Rebecca are characters devised with such care and detail. They're utterly believable, and therefore the tragedy that befalls them and acts as the catalyst of the adventure is even more heartbreaking.

  Morris also displays his talent in characters with this novel. The Eleventh Doctor is so lifelike in this novel, it's as if Matt Smith performs the story in front of my eyes; Morris's grasp on the character is that good. The Weeping Angels are one of Doctor Who's most iconic villains, sure, but they've never been as menacing as they are in this novel. They live within closed-circuit televisions, they can devise intricate plans to exploit your tragic past for nourishment, and they follow you wherever you go. The book details various imagery we never knew we could associate with the Angels, such as seedy university-adjacent nightclubs. With the delicate and powerful mix of personal drama and time-travel horror, I don't think this portrayal of the Angels can be topped anytime soon in any medium.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  

  Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. The characters are vivid, the Weeping Angels are utilized in such an ingenious way, the plot is engaging and imaginative, and the chunks of the novel dedicated to Mark and Rebecca's story together are some of the most well-written, emotional scenes to ever come out of Doctor Who. If you haven't read this yet, please find it as soon as you can. This thing is exquisite.