Typically readable and enjoyable
It’s early days for The Devil’s Chord as I write this, but even so the redoubtable Nicholas Whyte has already given his opinion on it, and I’m glad to say he liked it. Nicholas is one of the few people who have consistently reviewed my Black Archives, so it’s something of a relief to find that this one - which does break the format more than a little - managed to communicate what it was about, even if it’s only to him. He also picked out the history of Doctor Who licensing The Beatles that forms chapter two as one of the highlights, which is more than a little gratifying since it was only meant to be a sentence in the original pitch and only expanded because I thought it was so interesting.
The five chapters, and the two witty appendices that follow, ensure this book makes for a rewarding read.
There was also a positive - but not glowing - review from Hamish Crawford in Celestial Toyroom issue 555, who found the book enjoyable and interesting but would have preferred a bit more of a focus on the episode itself. Fortunately, the overall tone and the odd nugget of insight prevented him from throwing the thing completely out of a window.
This is the Black Archive we need to read in the current time of confusion.