Doctor Who: At Childhood’s End

Ace!

Sophie Aldred's character Ace is arguably my favorite classic Doctor Who companion. I loved her opposite Sylvester McCoy's 7th Doctor - on TV, as well as in those unlicensed BBV "Professor and Ace" audio dramas of the 1990's, and in 20 years (and counting!) worth of official Doctor Who audio dramas from Big Finish Productions. So I went into this with high hopes.
Thankfully I was not disappointed. Her storytelling, plot development, and prose style are all quite good, and her knowledge of the Doctor Who universe is excellent. This is truly one of the better Doctor Who novels out there. And what better way to experience it than to listen to it read by Sophie herself! In addition to still being able to perfectly channel Ace, she does a cracking good 13th Doctor, and handles the other voices with skill as well.
One of the clever things this novel does, is find a way to sort of reconcile all of the various post-TV futures for Ace. Because in addition to Ace's future in the Virgin New Adventures books, there are also the not-completely-consistent futures in the various audio drama series' by Big Finish - their 7th Doctor adventures, their "Lost Stories", and their Gallifrey series. It isn't explored in great depth, but this novel, at more than one point touches on the idea that young Ace was at one point was given glimpses of all of these as possible futures. Doing it this way, skillfully sidesteps having to declare allegance to any one specific timeline.
"At Childhood's End" also successfully tackles explaining why Ace and the Doctor stopped travelling together in the first place - something otherwise never really explained in any of the post-TV books/audios - and allows the two of them to figuratively revisit that, and work it out.
This is all not to say that the book is all about drumming up the past. It's also a rather good, brand new adventure for the current Doctor and her companions, that could easily have been adapted for television.
I'm really hoping this isn't just a one-off for Sophie. She clearly knows her character, as well as the Doctor Who universe, and how to tell a compelling story. So hopefully this sells well enough for her to consider writing another. C'mon, Sophie! More!

8 people found this helpful

Sophie Alfred Aced it!

Sophie Aldred Aced it with this book! A little of the old and the new Who series. It's always a bit awkward when an old companion meets a newer Doctor. They have to get used to seeing a different face (and different gender in this case) and they wonder how many times the Doctor has changed since they were last together and how many other companions have traveled with the Doctor. This story blends it all together so well. Ace, the companion of the 7th Doctor meets up with the 13th Doctor and her companions to face what seems like an old familiar for to Ace and her Doctor. Excellent story line and great narration by Sophie Aldred! She nailed the voices perfectly!

2 people found this helpful

For Whovians

Sophie Aldred is an Outstanding author and narrator. Thank you for sharing this story and for being a great companion.

2 people found this helpful

My favorite Doctor Who novel

I've read and listened to most of the new who novels and this one has won the title of favorite with a wonderful blend of my favorite classic companion and the new crew. Sophie Aldred does a wonderful job performing, coming as no surprise to those familiar with her audio work. Ace is of course, always wonderful in her capable hands and it's great to hear her read her own story.

1 person found this helpful

Soooo Good!!

This is the first 13th Doctor story I’ve listened to, it was totally worth it! A really great plot that tied up some loose ends from a few recreations past. I enjoyed every minute.

To Sophie

Well done, Sophie. Really enjoyed the bringing together of the classic and new. Well done!

superb book

Absolutely loved this book & Sophie's understanding of the characters, the ethos the emotion and journey of the companion is superb!

What fun!

Sophie was not only one of my favorite Doctor Who companions as Ace, she’s also a talented storyteller! This book was so much fun I had a hard time putting it down. Well done Sophie you have brought a wonderful era back to life.

Incredible performance

Those of us of a certain age recall the wonderful, albeit at times cheesy, Classic Who episodes of the 60s-80s. Due to college obligations in a part of the US where the local PBS stations did not air Doctor Who, I missed out on the McCoy years. This is the most likely reason why this story did not engage me as much as it might have otherwise. It does fall under what I consider 'Doctor Light' given The Doctor is a supporting character, but this is not in itself a major flaw ('Blink' is one of the all time great Who stories). And the story itself is solid, and the performance is spot on. Sophie Aldred has an amazing vocal talent to sound like many different characters, keeping each distinct and believable. You can easily believe it is Jodie Whittaker is voicing her character. My problem? I didn't understand the basic reason reason for the conflict Ace holds against her Doctor. I almost stopped listening a few times, but Sophie's excellent performance kept drawing me back. I don't have much interest in listening to his particular Doctor Who story again, but I am absolutely going to seek out other stories narrated by Sophie. She is THAT good.

LOVE

Squiget!! The best character. Sophie did SUCH a good job!!!! NAILED IT! Would read it again!