Doctor Who: The Bog Warrior by Cecelia Ahern is part of the Time Trips series - short stories that are bigger on the inside. I read the Kindle edition which was published May 8, 2014 from BBC Digital. Each story in the series is written by a different author and which incarnation of the Doctor varies from story to story.
In The Bog Warrior, Ten has arrived on planet Cashel hoping for a little peace and quiet to recharge his batteries, so to speak. And almost at once things begin to happen to prevent him from doing so, just as we knew they would. What follows is a short story loosely based on the Cinderella tale, but with some differences of course. For example, most of the live humans are named for elements or minerals, the exceptions being the first 2 people the Doctor meets. And instead of an evil stepmother there is an evil queen with an army of bog warriors.
A synopsis from the publisher:
Arriving on the planet Cashel, the Tenth Doctor witnesses a strange masked ball. To guarantee peace, Prince Zircon has to choose a bride from the Bog People – dead men and women who have been resurrected as slaves. Or as warriors. But Zircon is in love with the enslaved Princess Ash, whose parents were deposed and executed by the current Queen. As usual, the Doctor has walked right into trouble, and it's up to him to sort it out.
The overall idea of the story is a good one, but it loses something in execution. The characterization of the Tenth Doctor is spot on. The story moves along at a good pace for the most part. There are places where a sentence of show could replace one of tell and occasionally awkward phrasing. Things are kinda skipped over as to where they came from or why they work the way they do. They might have fallen victim to an overzealous editor somewhere along the way or never been there, but I think Ten would have looked for them. And yes, I know it's a short story, but it seems a sentence or three could have cleared up some of this confusion. Saying exactly what would include spoilers. Sorry I am not being too specific.
So, I give this story 2 stars. It's ok, but it wasn't very satisfying.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this story in exchange for my honest opinion.
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