Doctor Who universe review: Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Squire’s Crystal
By James Aggas
Bernice Summerfield finds herself in the wrong body in The Squire’s Crystal, one of Big Finish’s earliest novels for the Doctor Who character from 2001.
Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Squire’s Crystal – the third novel published by Big Finish for the former Doctor Who companion – is a rather enjoyable story by Jacqueline Rayner. It’s also an extremely important one – not just for the novels, but even for the audios.
The first thing that leaps out about the story is how simple and straightforward it is. Honestly, after a novel as complicated and involved as The Gods of the Underworld, it’s something of a relief that the follow-up is far easier to follow by comparison.
One thing that helps is that Rayner uses one of the classic tropes of science-fiction – the body swap story. Due to Benny being deceived by an extraordinarily handsome man, Benny finds her body possessed by an ancient and evil sorceress. Thankfully, Benny is able to find a body to use in the meantime – in this case, the very handsome man who deceived her in the first place…
The novel is one of several released from Big Finish that have been given audiobook readings in recent years, with other stories like The Gods of the Underworld getting the same treatment.
Image courtesy Big Finish Productions
Benny’s new POV
Initially, it’s almost surprising that this story wasn’t written for the audio medium. Not just because of how important it is (which we’ll get to in a moment), but also because body swap stories are often a fun and easy way for actors of ongoing characters to get to try something different.
Having said that, The Squire’s Crystal definitely works well in the literary medium. One thing that helps is how much Jacqueline Rayner focuses on Benny’s perspective. While it’s mainly told in the third person, we do get to hear Benny’s thoughts as she struggles to get used to being in a man’s body.
As a result, the story is given plenty of humor and a generally light tone, overall. It also has a rather straightforward plot, with the main goal throughout being Bernice simply wanting to return to her own body. For a fairly short novel – one a little less than 200 pages – that’s exactly what you want, especially when it’s paced just right, too.
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Filling in a key gap
Outside of the novel itself, the audiobook version is an absolute joy to listen to on its own terms. This is mainly thanks to Lisa Bowerman’s excellent narration. Not just because, thanks to her playing the character for over twenty years, she knows Benny perhaps better than almost anyone. But also because she gets to voice a lot of distinctive and colorful characters in this story, and she clearly has a lot of fun voicing each and every one of them.
As well as how well the story works on its own terms, there’s also the rather crucial mythology that it helps to fill when it comes to the audios. Back when this novel was first published, it was assumed that fans would want to enjoy stories of Bernice in both mediums, especially during a time when Benny was still transitioning from literature to audio. However, after more than two decades worth of audio dramas featuring the character, that might not be the case now.
Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Squire’s Crystal is a simple but extremely entertaining story. It’s certainly worth checking out. Not just because of how it’s one of a couple of novels that sets up a major development in Benny’s life. But, more importantly, it’s also an extremely fun story, one that puts the archaeology professor into a rather bizarre and hilarious situation.
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Have you read The Squire’s Crystal? Do you think it was a strong story for Benny? Let us know in the comments below.