The Story Of Martha Review
First of all when it comes to doing a story directly into the series continuity, the Year That Wasn't is certainly ripe for the picking. I've read a fair amount of fanfic (most of it Doctor/Master slash) for this setting but this book finally lays to rest some answers on Martha's year long mission. For sixteen chapters, it's broken down into nine sections.
The Story Of Martha by Dan Abnett is a five part story and sandwiched between each part are four other stories - The Weeping by David Roden, Breathing Space by Steve Lockley & Paul Lewis, The Frozen Wastes by Robert Shearmen and Star-Crossed by Simon Jowett. The sandwiched stories are a series of untold tales of Martha's travels with the Doctor, used to inspire the plethora of refugees that she visits in different places.
The interesting part of Martha's on the run antics are some of the amateur mistakes she makes (shiny earrings, noisy heels) but more importantly, the Master takes an assertive measure in trying to stop her by organising a kill squad, lead by Griffin and Miss Dexter and they're a determined bunch, especially the former.
Martha's misfortunes go into overdrive when her perception filter in Japan stops working and she's thrown into a labour camp. Worse still, a bioluminescent race called the Drast attempt to enlist her help in order to stop the Master. Their motives are far from noble as they've been on Earth for a decade, trying to take over the planet and can't now that the Master rules everything.
Of course Martha refuses to help them so they activate a Segue in order to flee, causing all of Japan to rebel and run amok. The Master retaliates by ordering Miss Dexter to instruct the Toclafane to burn the islands and it's a fairly graphic moment. The Master's sick humour certainly comes into play here as well.
The book begins and ends with the first scene from Last Of The Time Lords and while all the stories are excellent, I can't help but think that for a period in the series' chronology so vast with storytelling possibilities, why the writers just settled with just doing Martha's POV.
Given that the first four 2009 released books will see a solo Doctor go head to head with Sontarans, Daleks, Judoon and Slitheen, couldn't we have at least gotten a two parter in the book centring on the Doctor/Master/Valiant stuff? You could've had the Master change the Doctor back to his youthful self, have him tied up/gagged, try to get the Master to try and get him on side, have the Doctor try and sabotage things and then have him re-aged, coupled of course with some Time War/Rise to Saxon power dialogue between both Time Lords as well as some moments with Jack, Martha's family and Lucy.
Plus, wouldn't the Master be similarly industrious and have organised a kill squad for Torchwood as well as Martha? They'd be just as much as a threat to him as she is. However on the plus side, you do get youthful Doctor in the inspiration stories and there is a scene between both him and the Master when the latter instructs Japan's demise, so overall I'm pretty sated. It was an audacious and needed area to explore in terms of fiction and it's a success too, 9/10.