Who Reviews Forever Autumn by DJ Forrest

Written by Mark Morris

For BBC Books

Published 2007

Forever Autumn by Mark Morris has sat on my bookshelf for ever such a long time. I had this idea to read them all once I’d purchased every single 10^th Doctor novel. However, there’s been a considerable number of books published involving the 10^th Doctor, with the varying companions and there are still a few I don’t as yet own, and because of this, I decided I wanted to read them all in order. That’s not as easy as it sounds, and so it sat there, and waited. Until eventually, when I stared at the considerable array of novels on several shelves, that, I needed to read them, review them, and then decide which ones deserved to remain on the shelf, or go to the auction site.

I have a few favourite authors, and I’ve kept a few of the novels because I like the structure of them, the writing of them, and the humour within, and those who seem to connect with the 10^th that others seem to lack. And you notice that within the story – which ones have the 10^th pegged perfectly. Which ones can write about the companions and ‘get them’ before they become immortal, or before they grew a brain and became less of the temp from Chiswick but a companion you’d warm to.

I’m aware that the novels are aimed at a younger reader than myself – although in some ways, some of the novels don’t make it as obvious as others.

Forever Autumn never has that feeling that it’s aiming its story at a much younger audience, but I guess it is. One reader pointed out recently, one tiny flaw with the story, in that the author had slipped up in writing about a character’s back yard, calling it a ‘garden’. A minor detail when you think of the bigger picture that the story conveys.

I was quite taken by the alien content in the story, continuing with the Halloween feel to it, by having wraith like creatures that reminded me of the Silents in a dementor costume, with swirling green mists making life difficult for the locals to do much, other than run when scary ass clown suits chase them down the street, hell bent on wreaking destruction wherever they go.

I liked, no, I loved this story. It’s a Keeps for sure. Mark Morris is a fantastic writer, who knows how to scare the crap out of you. If this is a book for young children, then I am surely a wimp. Hell, I know I’m a wimp. I only have to look at Mark Morris’ Facebook profile to remind myself of a childhood fear, and one that I’m now hoping I’ll not have etched on my mind when I go to sleep tonight.

Halloween is a time of monsters and aliens, of rocket ships and spirits, of pumpkins and graveyards, of Time Lords and Drs, and things that go mwhahaha in the night. Be sure that cushion is big enough to hide behind, that you’ve checked the strength of those torch batteries – because when the lights go out, you’ll want to be sure you’ve got a safe place to hide.

Well I’m spooked already!