Doctor Who Time Trips: A Handful of Stardust by Jake Arnott and The Bog Warrior by Cecelia Ahern

The latest of the two Doctor Who Time Trips e stories wormed their way into my TBR last week! This time it's Jake Arnott and Cecelia Ahern penning the tales.

In "A Handful of Stardust" Doctor number six and his companion Peri find their way to sixteenth century England and come face to face with the notorious John Dee! Dee has discovered something truly magnificent but his thirst for knowledge is literally out of this world. Strangely it isn't Dee or his actions that have drawn the Doctor to earth, but someone (or something) else entirely. 

I won't say this one was my favorite of the series, but it definitely comes close to the top simply because of what the Doctor turns out to be up against. This is Colin Baker's Doctor, another one I'd not actually had the privilege of watching while I was growing up, so my introduction to him here was definitely a welcome one.

Rating: 3.5/5

And finally, Cecelia Ahern's contribution to the series - and the story that drew me to the Time Trips to begin with!

In "The Bog Warrior" Doctor Ten lands smack dab in the center of a Cinderella story. The ball held in the honor of Prince Zircon is meant to ensure peace between his kingdom and the Bog People: at the end of the event, the prince will select a bride from the realm. But Prince Zircon has no desire to marry one of the Bog People, because Prince Zircon is already in love. Unfortunately his direct resistance will mean certain war between the kingdoms. 

This was a fun installment indeed! Never have I ever imagined coming across a Cinderella Doctor Who mashup - but here it is and it worked so charmingly!

Rating: 4.5/5

There's one more story announced in this series, and it's to be penned by Joanne Harris herself. Apparently all of the Time Trips will be collected into a hardcover edition later this year as well.