Quick Reads

There’s an initiative launched on World Book Day to get the UK, reading. Quick Reads are as described as “are exciting, short, fast-paced books by leading, bestselling authors, specifically written for emergent readers and adult learners.” which could sound a bit patronising. However there are some excellent authors contributing which you can see on this BBC website, along with previews. Some times historical author Tom Holt has an SF book. Tom Holland’s The Poison in the Blood is about the death of Paris. Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe is also on my to read list, but the first one I got was a story set in an archaeological excavation of a Roman villa dating from AD 70.

I am a Dalek is set on a dig that, for some reason I didn’t quite follow, is at the bottom of a Roman well. Here a few artefacts are found. A turning spike for raising water from the well, something like a pizza slice and a mosaic. The mosaic is odd. It would be it’s at the bottom of a well, but I’ll come to that. It’s shows a few ancient myths, bunches of grapes and a dalek. If you’re not a fan of Doctor Who, a Dalek is a creature of ultimate evil that exists only kill. They are supposedly all destroyed, but even their name strikes fear into the heart of the galaxy. They look a bit like a pepperpot with a sink plunger and some sort of towel rack sticking out.

This is a brief adventure capitalising on the success of the current Doctor Who series and it’s a bit of a disappointment. An anachronism to be discovered by the Doctor is an obvious plot ploy, but it could be done well. Unfortunately it’s simply all a bit too far-fetched. The Daleks were supposedly all wiped out in the Time War, though they have made a return in the TV series, only to be all wiped out from time once again. Now there’s another one with a mosaic at the bottom of a well? It stretches belief too far. What is a mosaic doing at the bottom of a well? “The Doctor guessed that when the Britons looted the town above, they tossed it down the caves too.”

When it’s done well, the Quick Reads is an excellent idea. The short story is underrated and this is a serious effort to engage people with reading. If you download the token then (in the UK) you can pick up the books at £1:99 each. But the books have to be good to ensnare people and this one reads like merchandising commissioned to meet a strict deadline. —–