A review by zmull
Doctor Who: Combat Magicks by Stephen Cole

3.0

Combat Magicks is a mostly forgettable Doctor Who novel. Author Steve Cole seemed to have a good idea for a setting, but not much of an idea for a story. The plot is the standard "split the team up and have them get threatened a lot" cliches that make up most mediocre Doctor Who historicals. That said, there are a few nice touches. The new Doctor is characterized well, which is especially notable given that Cole had certainly never seen Jodie Whitaker in the role when he wrote the book. Also, Ryan's dyspraxia is put to good use here. (Something the TV show gave up on almost right away.) And there's a nice scene where a Roman character recognizes the TARDIS from other trips back to Roman times. I'm a sucker for stories where the people the Doctor meets have already heard of her before.