Doctor Who: The Doctor of Oz

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like if "Doctor Who" met "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," then look no further. Jacqueline Rayner’s "The Wonderful Doctor of Oz" is exactly what it sounds like. After traveling to 1939 LA to see the world premiere of "The Wizard of Oz," the Doctor and her friends are shocked to learn nobody’s ever heard of the film, the book, or its author. Even more shocking is when a tornado carries the TARDIS (and all of its occupants) away to a suspiciously Oz-like land. To escape, the Doctor, Graham, Yaz, Ryan, and a stowaway named Theodore have to act out the events of the book and find the Wizard of Oz before the mysterious Wicked Witch gets to them. It sounds like it’s gonna be a big gimmick, but it’s surprisingly emotional. "The Wonderful Doctor of Oz" is a quick, fun read that exemplifies the endless possibilities of "Doctor Who.""The Wonderful Doctor of Oz" is pitched as a crossover between "Doctor Who" and L. Frank Baum’s "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." And that’s exactly what it is. The general plotline follows the original Oz tale pretty closely. The gang is greeted by “munchkins” and told to follow the yellow brick road to a wizard who can fix their problems. Along the way, they encounter scarecrows, “tin men,” poppy fields, porcelain dolls, lions, flying monkies, a reclusive wizard, and an evil wicked witch. All of whom are given a delightful "Doctor Who" twist.Most of the "Oz" creatures are pre-existing "Doctor Who" aliens—some from the classic era, some more modern. It’s a lot of fun seeing the way Rayner ties the more explicitly "Doctor Who" elements into the world of "The Wizard of Oz." But all of these easter eggs—and there are a lot of them—are just appetizers for the main course.While the original "Wizard of Oz" is about discovering your inner strength, smarts, heart, and bravery, Rayner explores what might happen if these inner qualities were literally ripped away from you. What happens if a scarecrow removes Graham's wit? Or if a tin man removes Ryan's kindness? Or if lions remove Yaz's bravery? Who are the companions when their defining characteristics are gone? Who is the Doctor when faced with a threat that’s robbing her friends of their very essence? And how is poor Theodore, a total stranger to the Doctor’s world, supposed to help save the day?This is where I feel the heart of the book is—characters losing who they are and having to rediscover themselves. Watching Graham, Ryan, and Yaz act so differently than they normally do hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting. It honestly hurt a little bit. Fans of these characters are going to find parts of this book difficult to read because of that. But the payoff to it all is so sweet. Theodore steals the show, though. I don’t want to say much about Theodore’s arc because I think it’s worth experiencing in the context of the narrative. Let’s just say that Theodore is the emotional core of the novel, and I love the way Rayner develops them. It’s surprisingly emotional and I think a lot of fans are going to love the direction it goes.If I had one complaint, it’s that everything is a bit short and predictable. To be fair, it’s a middle-grade book intended to follow the plotline or another book. So, it’s doing exactly what it sets out to do. Plus there’s the added mystery of who’s behind everything that should make the book a bit more interesting. The problem is that the mystery isn’t very compelling because it’s immediately obvious who the villain is. I mean, the book’s cover literally telegraphs it. And that’s a shame because the book waits so long to execute this painfully obvious reveal that you end up spending so much time just waiting to see the thing you already know you’re going to see. And it takes your attention away from everything else. Even worse, the book still treats the reveal like it’s a surprise. And maybe it would’ve been, if the cover hadn’t, ya know, given it away. Still, the strength of the emotional arcs vastly outweighs the slight disappointment in the mystery. Even with the subpar mystery, I adored this book.Overall, "The Wonderful Doctor of Oz" is absolutely delightful. It’s a middle-grade book that reads like one. But middle-grade books are a lot of fun. And "The Wonderful Doctor of Oz" simply bursts with creativity. The blending of the "Doctor Who" universe with the "Wizard of Oz" universe is so perfect it makes you wonder why it’s never been done before. And the character work is beautiful and goes to some surprisingly emotional places. Rayner brilliantly captures the voices of the Doctor, Ryan, Graham, and Yaz. These characters sound exactly the way you remember them and they come right to life on the page. Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about the book, even if I found parts of it disappointing. Theodore’s arc, alone, is worth reading the book. And everything else is just icing on the cake. If you love the Thirteenth Doctor, you’re gonna love this book. It’s creative, energetic, fun, and—most of all—hopeful.

It stars the Doctors arch enemy, who is a woman in this book. In Oz

Book is about the Doctor being in Oz.

This book was pretty good. I'll admit I haven't seen any of the 13th Doctor's seasons yet, but the premise of this book caught my attention and I had to add it to my read list. Perhaps if I knew more of the characters, I might have enjoyed it a bit more (if found it more heartbreaking when parts of their personalities were taken from the three of them). There seemed to be several references to Classic!Who, so those who have seen those will probably get a kick out of that - I certainly enjoyed some of the ones I knew.The Wonderful Doctor of Oz was written well and the story flowed nicely, if somewhat predictable as it was following the general plot of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I really enjoyed the character of the stowaway, overall. Though I guessed some things about this character pretty early on, it didn't take things away from the story at all.*Potential spoilers*I didn't much care for Theodore to gain confidence/superpowers really by 'absorbing' I suppose it a good word Graham's brains, Ryan's heart, and Yaz's courage. I felt it detracted a bit from the character's growth - he was starting to get there on his own, he didn't need that extra boost (not to mention, how would that really help when once that boost was gone) and I honestly felt it made no sense that he was figuring out some things that the Doctor really should have been able to figure out (if anyone was going to figure it out). Besides, it really felt too 'superpower-y'.I did enjoy that Theodore became Dorothy and was able to choose the life she wanted and allowed her to save the day.Missy was seriously irritating, I don't know it she's characterized that way in the show (again, haven't watched that far, yet), but she got under my skin in a way the Master never did. If this is true to character, kudos to the author for the portrayal. Though, I think it was funny when she was all put out at seeing the 13th Doctor, rather than the 12th(?). I actually rather hoped it would be the Rani as Doctor thought for a while there. It would have been nice to see a different villain.*End potential spoilers*

excellent condition & timely delivery

I always loved The Wizard of Oz as a kid and I love Doctor Who. Great mash up of the two. Really great book!

This story is entertaining, slow start. And its cover kinda gives away the villain. But I would recommend this story as you learn a lot About baums early life And the fact that there are 14 oz books

good book

What an amazing book!Without wishing to give away any spoilers, this is a must read. The Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Graham and Ryan (plus a few extra friends on the way) are swept away on a fantastical adventure based inside the Wonderful World of Oz. All of the characters just leaped from the page, they're just as charismatic and funny as on the show. Graham is as hilarious as ever (if not even more so!).There are LOADS of references, callbacks, aliens and such for Doctor Who fans of all eras, while at the same time telling such a sweet and important story. There are laughs, horror, typical Doctor Who shenanigans and so much more.I read it in one go, I was so hooked I couldn't put it down!

The first in what might be, perhaps, an ongoing series of Doctor Who crossover novels, sees the Thirteenth Doctor and her ‘fam’ failing an attempt to see the cinematic release of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and instead ending up in the actual events of the famous children’s novel it was adapted from.This is a well written and thoroughly enjoyable crossover between two wonderfully creative franchises. They lend themselves to each other really well, especially with the use of magic tinged with science in the land of Oz and Doctor Who’s science tinged with magic (the oft quoted Asimov adage concerning the relationship between the two certainly gets enough usage here). It is abundantly clear that the author knows both franchises really well, leading to a successful merging.Of course, Doctor who has made use of Oz novels before, most notably in the case of Ace. This book, however, is more than just referencing or borrowing from. It is a full-blown retelling of ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ through the medium of Doctor Who.One of the most enjoyable aspects of reading this is in trying to work out which elements from Doctor Who will correspond to the various creations from ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’. Some are utterly obvious, such as Cybermen filling in for the Tinman, but others are more subtle and imaginative and there are some nice twists and surprises (Toto in particular). It is somewhat unfortunate, though, that the cover utterly ruins some of the author’s efforts at subterfuge concerning the Wicked Witch of the West.The four lead protagonists from ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ are all represented by more than one thing. So, while Graham, Ryan and Yaz fulfil the roles of the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion, the three are also present in the story as some form of threat.As entertaining as this generally is, it does occasionally go a bit too far and the arrival at Emerald City has so many Doctor Who elements it begins to get a little silly and over the top.The fact that Dorothy ends up travelling with three companions is a perfect fit for this particular Tardis team. Often it seems a little too numerous, especially onscreen, but here each companion has an equal and distinct role easily bestowed upon them.Inevitably there is always going to be some appeal with the Doctor venturing into the world of Oz. It could easily have been done clumsily, though. Fortunately, this is an excellent re-imagining that captures the spirit of both.

Advertised as a book for children, I can honestly say this book is also a great read for adults, especially fans of the television series. Jacqueline Rayner is a very good author and has serious knowledge of the history of Doctor Who, proven by where the story is centred around, a place first introduced during the Patrick Troughton years, and the re-introduction of many of the Doctors' past enemies including the Chumblies, introduced during the William Hartnell years, as well as the return of a certain robot dog. You only have to look at the cover to get a hint of who is behind the Doctor and her fam's current predicament as they go on a quest to find the Wonderful Wizard Of Oz.The story is fast moving with manageable chapter lengths which entice you to just read another, and another, and maybe one more... oh, one more...This is certainly a book which I shall read a second time... or more. Also looking forward to reading Jacqueline Rayner's Doctor Who - The Legends Of Camelot, featuring David Tennant's Doctor and companion Donna Noble.

I confess I only bought this because Missy is on the cover, and it could have been awful, but it was a delightful surprise. The author, Jacqueline Rayner, has not only a pitch-perfect voice but also the literary chops to bring off the story. It's profoundly difficult to pull off whimsy, but this succeeds very well without once tipping over into cute or knowing. Even the Doc's 'fam' get to shine a little, and while the cover is frankly a spoiler (albeit not a very big one), there are more than a few unexpected delights. My only criticism is that the ending feels a bit hurried, but it doesn't detract from the story.

I had ordered this a while ago and hadn't read it yet/ I usually use audio books as have poor concentration, and find I'm reading less and less these days but eventually picked it up and....well, couldn't put it down. It is obvious who the witch is of course, but this is exactly the fun plan she would enact, why the Doctor ever thought it was anyone else I can't imagine! It has Missy Plan written all over it! It's very in character, perfect characterisation, and as usual the Doctor just accepts that Missy has always done these things just for her, even way back to Castrovalva!Loved all the references to Doctor-Mistress, what 13/Missy shipper wouldn't! K9 I think was there sim[ply to say Master and Mistress frequently and I thank him for that hahaWasn't all that keen on Theodore but then I'm fussy with original characters - they take time to grow on me.The entire constructed world that Missy took control of here is so perfect for her to mess with. Loved the moment she finally came face to face with 13 - we were robbed not seeing these two together!Brilliant book, buy it and read it uninterrupted and have a fun ride