Book Review: Doctor Who - The Fires of Pompeii

 

Series 4 of Doctor Who is easily my favorite iteration of the show.  There isn't a single story in the thirteen-episode season which doesn't constitute as a legitimate hit. One of my fondest stories from this season is James Moran's The Fires of Pompeii. Serving as a historical-piece narrative, the episode did an amazing job in showcasing the dynamic of Donna and The 10th Doctor with a emotionally grounded situation about the tragedy of the Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD. This episode, along with Keith Temple's Planet of the Ood are the latest wave of stories to receive the Target novelization treatment with Moran himself penning the book.

The story of The Fires of Pompeii follows The Doctor and Donna Noble on their first official adventure in the TARDIS together.  Despite intending to head to Rome, the TARDIS lands the duo in Pompeii on the eve of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The immediate situation causes conflict between The Doctor and Donna as Donna wants to use the opportunity to save the residents of the city; whereas The Doctor wishes to leave and let history take its course. Despite being keen to leave, the pair find themselves tied up in a bigger conspiracy at the heart of Pompeii which includes a wealthy family, a sisterhood of fortune tellers and an alien race seeking to rise in the fires of Pompeii itself.

James Moran exceeded in multiple fronts when it came to writing the story of The Fires of Pompeii. I myself love a good history episode of Doctor Who, I find the show is a perfect format to not only entertain but educate its viewers on history as well as science. Pompeii is a tragic tale of mother nature and the way Moran pays respect to that tragedy by tying the central core of it around The Doctor and Donna's personal struggle to save Pompeii vs letting events proceed is brilliant writing. The other core concepts that are utilized within the boundaries of the narrative help unify everything in a really cohesive fashion. Caecilius and his family help exemplify the emotional layer of the story as it gives The Doctor and Donna a personal perspective at the people who will die in the coming tragedy.  The Sibylline Sisterhood and the Pyrovile invasion give the story the much-needed Sci-Fi flavor that you would associate with Doctor Who. These components were all reflective in the original TV episode, but what I enjoyed about the Target novelization is Moran did his best to write the story up in a new format as apposed to simply writing around the screenplay.

When it comes to tone and pacing, Moran balances the story perfectly with the tonal requirements of the scenes that take place.  Pompei at its very foundation is a tragic story and Moran gives all the necessary weight and emotion to the tragedy.  This is offset with a remarkably witty and flavorful humor behind the story too.  There's a great deal of levity and comedy embedded in the writing style which helps keep the story balanced and consistent all throughout.

The Fires of Pompeii is a truly definitive story in the entirety of Doctor Who. It exemplifies all the best elements of what the show was originally created for.  It does an amazing job in educating the viewer on an important historical even while also delivering a really smart and imaginative story which ties the premise into the world of Doctor Who.  The target novelization reflects all the same strengths as the TV show but with a new variation in formatting.  It's a real shame James Moran didn't write any more episodes for the show, the guy understood the assignment better than anyone!