Book Review - Doctor Who: The Wonderful Doctor of Oz by Jacqueline Rayner
A fun spin on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Rayner is a reliable writer for Doctor Who and has been for many years. The Wonderful Doctor of Oz isn't the best story I've seen from her but it has a lot of charm, not to mention clever references.
Without giving too much away, the Thirteenth Doctor and her 'fam' (Yaz, Graham and Ryan) are sucked into a land calling itself Oz, along with a young American stowaway named Theodore. However, this Oz doesn't quite match L. Frank Baum's descriptions, populated by Chumblies instead of munchkins and flying Ogrons instead of Flying Monkeys. Also the Wicked Witch is an old frenemy of the Doctor (the cover spoils it but I won't). As they follow the key plot beats, the fam lose their brains, heart and courage, making a visit to the Wizard imperative. But does the man fit the legend?
My favourite parts of The Wonderful Doctor of Oz are the crossover characters. I loved seeing K9 join the team and the way Rayner works aliens from the Whoniverse into the key characters of Oz. The resolution of Theodore's plot was unexpected but I appreciate how it fits into the Oz books and one of the core messages of the Thirteenth Doctor's run. Not only this, I learned a lot about Baum too, namely his support of women's suffrage. That being said, this novel avoids his other political leanings which was probably for the best, considering it's targeted at young fans of the show.
That being said, I do feel the book was overlong and the fam's behaviour after losing their standout qualities became a little too comical to be believed. It was a bit of a slog to finally see the Doctor confront the villain, but I'm glad I persevered.
Rayner didn't hit the bullseye with this Doctor Who tale but she gets a decent yarn out of a novelty premise. I recommend The Wonderful Doctor of Oz for another good Thirteenth Doctor adventure, particularly if you also like the Oz series.