3.5 stars
Some stories were better than others. Some narrators were extraordinary, others were just okay. Overall a satisfying read.

This anthology of Doctor Who short stories is a unique way to take a trip through the history of the series, not to mention through time and space, with one story featuring each Doctor, through to the current 13th. There are a few notable highlights among the stories, including Neil Gaiman's "Nothing O'Clock" (11th Doctor) and Philip Reeve's "The Roots of Evil" (4th Doctor), but a few of the stories are just not as exciting or interesting. I put the book aside for several months after being a bit bored by a couple of stories in a row.

You're likely to enjoy the anthology more if you're familiar with each of the Doctors and the featured companions - without that familiarity you can follow along but may not appreciate the writers' efforts to incorporate their characters' well-known mannerisms. The newest story by Naomi Alderman ("Time Lapse") is a great showcase for 13 and her companions.

I listened to the audiobook version of the collection and while most of the narrators were great I was most impressed by Sophie Aldred, who played Ace on Doctor Who in the 1980s - she's an exceptional narrator who really captures the characters' tones and accents in her reading.

3.5 stars.
It was fun to return to the adventures of the Doctor. We see each of the Doctors (except the the War Doctor) deal with a problem with a Companion.

I remember watching a few of 3’s and 4’s adventures when I was young, but really got into the stories with 9. So, I particularly enjoyed 9’s-13’s stories, as I actually had seen their Companions in action over months.

The stories were mostly light, fast-moving, with humour and crotchetiness sprinkled throughout—a low stakes foray into the Doctor’s personality and aliens encounters.

This collection of Doctor Who short stories, much like the programme’s long history, is quite hit and miss. For me the highlights include Tip of the Tongue, a thoughtful Fifth Doctor story by Patrick Ness set in 1950s America; Nothing O’Clock, a spooky Eleventh Doctor story by Neil Gaiman; and Time Lapse, a delightful Thirteenth Doctor story by Naomi Alderman in which the year 2004 goes missing. (I have consequently added some Naomi Alderman novels to my to-read list.)

I was least impressed by Richelle Mead’s Something Borrowed, featuring the Sixth Doctor preventing a doomed marriage; and Derek Landy’s The Mystery of Haunted Cottage, in which the Tenth Doctor and Martha are transported into the world of an Enid Blyton-esque children’s book.

The audiobook narration is also varied. A few stories are read by their own authors, when I feel actors would have done them better justice. Several are read by Sophie Aldred (though sadly not the one featuring Ace, who she played on the show itself), who is excellent, despite one of them being my least favourite story in the collection. Nicholas Pegg (current voice of the Daleks) also does a serviceable job of his reading duties, Frazer Hines does a sterling impression of his former co-star Patrick Troughton, and Samuel Anderson (who played Danny Pink) was good despite not even attempting Peter Capaldi’s Scottish accent.

Overall I give the collection three stars, but individual stories range from two to four.

Love 3, 5, 9, 11's story!! Audiobook curtesy of Libby

3.25/5

Love 3, 5, 9, 11's story!! Audiobook curtesy of Libby