Thursday, September 21, 2017

Review: Doctor Who: Myths and Legends by Richard Dinnick

Title: Doctor Who: Myths and Legends
Author: Richard Dinnick
Publication: 
June 29th 2017 by BBC Books
Genre: Science Fiction, Retellings
Purchase Links: Amazon | 
Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Play | Kobo
Rating: 4/5

For thousands of years, epic stories have been passed down from Time Lord to student, generation to generation. The truth of these tales was lost millennia ago, but the myths and legends themselves are timeless.

These are the most enduring of those tales. From the princess Manussa and her giant snake Mara, to the Vardon Horse of Xeriphin, these stories shed light on the universe around us and the beings from other worlds that we meet. Myths hold up a mirror to our past, present and future, explaining our culture, our history, our hopes and fears.

A collection of epic adventures from the Time Lords’ mist-covered past, Myths and Legends is an unforgettable gallery of heroes and villains, gods and monsters.


I'm a huge Whovian as well as a fan of mythology and legends so when I saw Doctor Who: Myths and Legends available on NetGalley I didn't hesitate to request it. Needless to say I was beyond thrilled when I got approved for this title. I'm also really glad that it ended up being as amazing as I hoped it would be. 

The book contains 14 short stories in the world of Doctor Who that are all retellings of certain mythology and legends that I'm sure everyone is familiar with. Some stories were better than others but I definitely liked them all. Some stories were even brilliant, in my humble opinion. My favorite story was The Enigma of Sisterhood. Below you'll find all the titles and my rating for the stories. Also contained in this book are some truly amazing illustrations made by Adrian Salmon. These were a big part of why I loved it so much. 

The titles of all the stories + my ratings for them:

The Mondas Touch {Based on the story of King Midas} 5/5 

The Terrible Manussa {Based on the story of Medusa} 4/5 

The Unwanted Gift of Prophecy {Based on the story of the Cumaean Sybil} 5/5 

The Evil and the Deep Black Sky {Based on the story of Cylla and Charybdis} 3/5 

Jorus and the Voganauts {Based on the Argonauts' encounter with the clashing rocks of Symplegades} 4/5 

The Vardon Horse {Based on the story of the Wooden Horse of Troy} 3/5 

Defiance of the New Bloods {Based on the story of Prometheus} 4/5 

The Kingdom of the Blind {Based on the Argonauts' escape from the Cyclops} 3/5 ★ 

The Labyrinthine Web {Based on the story of Theseus and the Minotaur} 4/5 

The Angels of Vengeance {Based on the story of the three Furies and Orestes} 5/5 

The Jeopardy of Solar Proximity {Based on the story of Daedalus and Icarus} 5/5 

The Multi-Faceted War {Based on the story of Hercules and the Hydra} 3/5 

The Enigma of Sisterhood {Based on the lesser-known second riddle of the Sphinx} 5/5 

Pandoric's Box {Based on the story of Pandora}  4/5 



Richard is a writer for TV, comics and books.

He is currently working on the TV show, Thunderbirds Are Go! and is a regular contributor to Titan's 12th Doctor ongoing comic - amongst other ranges.

His new Doctor Who book, Myths & Legends is published in June 2017.

In the past he has written audio drama scripts for franchises such as Doctor Who, Stargate, Sherlock Holmes and Sapphire & Steel.

His first novel Alien Adventures was published by BBC Children’s Books in 2010 and he has since gone on to write books and short stories for Penguin UK, Titan Publishing, Black Library, Running Press and Snow Books.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


6 comments:

  1. Don't hate me, but I have never watched or read anything Dr. Who related. Some day I will give the franchise my time. It has always intrigued me, but I have to start somewhere. Maybe this is the perfect book to get me there! :)

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    1. Haha that's okay! I actually didn't start watching Doctor Who until 2014 but obviously I'm hooked now. And I haven't even watched Classic Doctor Who yet. But anyway hope you'll watch it someday and love the show as well. <3

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  2. I read this one too but I like more Doctor with my Doctor Who stories. I missed his humor and twisted thinking.

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  3. I love Dr. Who, haven't tried the books yet though!

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  4. I've always been wanting to get into Doctor Who but I keep procrastinating because I just don't quite know where to start... This sounds like a super fun book though, I love the retelling aspect!

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  5. I know I would love this one just because I know how much I love Doctor Who. I would be so curious to see how these retellings were done :D

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