Review: The Many Hands

Martha Jones’ final regular appearance in the New Series Adventures before the arrival of a certain Chiswick super-temp comes in the form of The Many Hands, by experienced Doctor Who author Dale Smith, making his Tenth Doctor debut.

The Doctor and Martha are in Edinburgh, in the mid eighteenth century, where strange things are happening. (Aren’t they always?) This time, dead bodies are walking from the Nor’ Loch, which is unusual enough in itself, before you take into consideration the fact that they’re being animated by disembodied hands, let alone that resident Alexander Monro has a room full of the things . . .

As The Many Hands begins, it’s difficult to know what sort of book it’s going to be. It starts with a gentle but intriguing prologue, and then bursts into action with twenty-something unrelentingly fast pages. The opening chapter is gloriously frenetic and exciting, and it’s certain to grab the reader’s attention. When things subsequently calm down, the slowly-unfolding plot is just about enough to keep the intrigue going, but it’s so much of a contrast to how things began that it feels a lot more pedestrian than perhaps it is. Seventy pages later, the same thing happens: after a superbly-written skirmish between soldiers and the undead, the following steadier-paced prose seems a bit of a disappointment, and this happens again and again. Of course, varying the tone and pace isn't a problem at all, but so diametrically opposed are the two halves of this novel that neither is as impressive as it deserves to be; the big action beats are just so good that the bits in between can sometimes feel like tedious longuers. Perhaps more consistent pacing might allow both halves to shine.

Whatever one's feelings about the pace, though, the prose is generally extremely good. It’s rich, dark, and tangibly a bit more “grown-up” than that of other books in this range, with a healthy dollop of the macabre for good measure. Readers who have avoided this series because of its perceived immaturity might be better catered-for here; long-time followers of the range might be less impressed, given that “creepy” has been done with slightly better results in Wishing Well and Forever Autumn, amongst others.

The characteristic humour of the current Doctor Who is also present, but it’s primarily confined to witty dialogue, rather than overt one-liners (with the notable exception of the Doctor speculating that he’d make a good Hamlet, which is simultaneously brilliant and groan-inducing). Mostly, this subtler approach works well: the conversations between the Doctor and Martha are great, full of playful banter and friendly teasing. By this point, Martha’s an experienced time traveller, and she’s confidently taking things in her stride, meaning she can interact with the Doctor on a more equal level.

Sadly, Martha’s character suffers when she’s on her own, with some of the weakest companion characterisation in this series to date. Mostly, the problem is that she doesn’t “sound” like the television Martha, with some awkward dialogue which doesn’t quite fit. However, on a handful of disappointing occasions, her personality seems to extend no further than “generic medical student” – that’s alright for a scene when she’s tending to an injured man, but completely bizarre when she’s involved in a frantic action sequence. “As she ran,” Smith writes at one point, “[Martha] kept her mind busy by listing the organisation of the human lung.” Seriously?

Elsewhere, though, characterisation is good, with Monro (well, both Monros, to be exact) and McAllister the best of a terrific bunch in terms of guest characters, and the Tenth Doctor very much in-keeping with his on-screen persona.

In all, The Many Hands seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. When it’s firing on all cylinders, it’s genuinely superb; when it relaxes, it’s less impressive. Though there’s a lot – seriously, a lot – to enjoy in this novel, there are a few too many downsides for it to shine amongst its peers. One thing’s for sure, though – Dale Smith deserves a second chance at the New Series Adventures.