‘KEPT SAFE AND SOUND’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

A Boy called Jack meets K-9

This story is by Paul Magrs and it features K-9 Mk III. The first time I read this story, I found it rather disappointing. In my opinion, it doesn’t concern K-9 very much. Instead, the story focuses on a boy called Jack and his mother. I wanted more of K-9’s involvement as opposed to this being Jack’s story.

There doesn’t seem to be much point to the story. It focuses on Jack’s obsession with books, particularly the Books of Mayhem. Jack happens to meet K-9 by chance in the tale. K-9 also seems to be dismantled piece-by-piece all the way throughout this dull tale, which I didn’t fully comprehend.

If this is the Mark III version of K-9, where was Sarah Jane in all of this? It’s also a story that contradicts what will happen later in ‘School Reunion’. I know this story was written before ‘School Reunion’ and I’m sure Toby Whithouse took no notice of this story, but it doesn’t make sense here.

Upon re-reading the story again, I found that Jack managed to acquire K-9’s brain which can be downloaded into possibly future models of K-9. Maybe the K-9 Mk III featured in ‘School Reunion’ is not the same Mark III we saw in ‘A Girl’s Best Friend’ and ‘The Five Doctors’. Open-ended debate? 😐

Mind you, I don’t think that makes the story any better. I didn’t find Jack interesting enough as a character, despite the rough times he has with his mother, especially when she got drunk. Overall, reading the story a second time was a better experience, but I still didn’t find the tale that engaging.

‘Kept Safe and Sound’ rating – 2/10