Doctor Who and the Invasion from Space [PROSE/1966.1.?]

★★★☆☆

  The joy of exploring such a rich, long franchise/mythos as Doctor Who is that you stumble upon the most unexpected of things. Doctor Who and the Invasion from Space is an all-but-forgotten novella, the very first original story written in prose form, and it's exactly the kind of historical relic you'd point a finger to and say "My, how Doctor Who has changed over the years!" The Doctor (referred to, of course, as Dr. Who) is implied to be human, he travels around with a destitute 17th-century family (and there are plenty of child-slapping around, I can tell you), and the entire story is chock-full of 1960s science fiction tropes. Eerily 'perfect' men, a sentinent spaceship and bratty children -- it's at this point that I really must tell you that your enjoyment of this book will depend on how much you enjoy these elements, and 60s sci-fi in general. 

  For me, this is such an easy read. The novella has these wonderful illustrations, enhancing both the atmosphere of the almost clinical, mysterious story and the flow of the piece as well. It's relatively short, but there's quite a lot of things to keep you entertained -- the omniscient air of the One (the sentient spaceship), the stereotypical mid-century depiction of families (parents being unnecessarily strict towards young children), and the Doctor himself. It's funny that this story heavily implies the Doctor to be human, really, because he's written as such an alien presence. He's a trickster, a demon, and an utter bastard to his human companions (he doesn't even call them that, bemoaning the fact that he "accidentally" saved them from the Great Fire of London). At the same time, he's a figure with a sense of humour, and one who -- despite his demeanor -- ultimately cares too much about his friends to leave them on the lurch and run off on his own even when he gets the chance to. For a very obscure novella from the sixties, I'd say that this is a rather superb characterisation of the First Doctor. I probably enjoyed Doctor Who and the Invasion from Space much more than I should've, but what can I say -- I like the First Doctor, and I like it when he's an intimidating figure. Steeped in the kind of atmosphere only found in mid-century sci-fi pulp fiction, this is one book I heartily recommend you read... provided you can actually find it somewhere. I haven't listened to the audiobook narrated by Peter Purves, but I doubt that I'd enjoy this story half as much as I did without all the exquisite illustrations of the original print.