Reviews

Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness

trin's review against another edition

2.0

2 1/2 stars. My least favorite of these novellas so far -- perhaps unsurprising, as Ness is an author I've bounced off before. This takes place during WWII, and features a small town in Maine that has already been invaded by aliens. Most of the narrative rests with two high schoolers, outsiders because one is mixed race and one is Jewish. However, this never affects the narrative in a particularly interesting way, the POV work feels sloppy (some random perspective jumps), and the Fifth Doctor barely figures. (I also do not buy him

Spoiler

asking these two young kids he's barely interacted with to travel with him

at all.) Maybe length restrictions hindered Ness, but there is too much stuff jammed into this story, and none of it given enough weight or resolution to be satisfying.

harleyrae's review against another edition

3.0

This story was certainly interesting. It wasn't like what I expected but I did enjoy it.

riverofhorton's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This story was one of those where the Doctor is more of a side character, only really popping up towards the end. That's not a bad thing, though.

There did seem to be quite a bit of set up for more social critique than was actually explored, and I would have loved for these to have been explored further, although that obviously isn't possible in such a short format. 

Overall, it was an enjoyable little story and I can see myself returning to this one in future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Classism, Racism, Slavery, Abandonment, Trafficking, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Hate crime, and War

saroz162's review against another edition

4.0

Very much a vignette, but none the worse for all that. It doesn't try to do something too big for its framework, unlike a couple of the previous entries in the series. There a couple of nice weird/goofy juxtapositions and a Twilight Zone-style moral message, with the fifth Doctor and Nyssa puttering around pleasantly in the background. It feels like Ness had fun writing it and it makes a cozy little "lunch break" story.

izumisano's review against another edition

3.0

I really enjoyed this story. I liked the storytelling aspect of it being through the focus of the civilains instead of the Doctor and his team. This short story felt the most whole compared to the other ones so far. However, if you are looking for a Fifth Doctor story, you won't find it here. It could have been any Doctor really as he only has like 3 lines in the whole story. You definitely don't get any feel or revival of Five or his companions.

jules_writes's review against another edition

3.0

It was an ok short story but it wasn't really about the Dr, he seemed to be more of a side character.

beth_books_123's review

4.0

A brilliant read- 4.5*

I really enjoyed this one. I do like Doctor Who stories which are not told from the Doctor nor the companion but are told from the people affected by the alien species/invasion/crime. It is nice to read about the bewilderment of the children, their oblivious nature to the extra-terrestrial items and the fresh writing which is unfortunately not always seen in Doctor Who stories.

wyldkyss's review

3.0

This has been the weakest of the anniversary short stories so far. The idea was interesting, but it felt a bit thin. If any one aspect got a bit more TLC, it would have felt more solid.

jagussow's review

3.0

Fun but predictable.

obscuredbyclouds's review

4.0

This is a cute little Doctor Who short story. Don't expect anything life-changing, it's just nice, fluffy and fun.