‘CITATION NEEDED’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

The Encyclopaedia Gallifreya’s Story from Eleven to Thirteen

Once again, we have another unusual entry in ‘The Target Storybook’ anthology. This one is by Jacqueline Rayner. Remember the Encyclopaedia Gallifreya from ‘Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS’? Neither did I. Apparently, it’s this sentient series of encyclopaedic volumes in liquid bottles.

Each volume is connected to a current incarnation of a Time Lord. For this story, it’s specifically on the Doctor aboard his TARDIS in the library. I admit, Jacqueline’s style of writing in how the Encyclopaedia Gallifreya communicated was fascinating. It got me reading the story from start to end.

I was expecting characters like the Eleventh Doctor, Clara, the Twelfth Doctor, Missy, the Thirteenth Doctor, Graham, Ryan and Yaz to be communicating with the Encyclopaedia. Instead, we go through the Encyclopaedia’s life and its recording of the events of the latest new TV series Doctors, as of 2019. 😐

Okay, I take it back; there is a section of the story where the Thirteenth Doctor and her friends visit the planet Pfiig for a picnic. The Encyclopaedia tries to warn the Thirteenth Doctor TARDIS team about the upcoming threat, which is Tzim-Sha and the Ux featured in ‘The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos’.

Sadly, the Doctor and her friends don’t hear the Encyclopaedia. I assume the Encyclopaedia died at the end. I liked it when more versions of Clara are mentioned like Winnie Clarence from Jac Rayner’s comic story ‘Blood and Ice’. The Eleventh Doctor’s version of ‘Let It Go’ from ‘Frozen’ had me laugh. 🙂

‘Citation Needed’ rating – 6/10