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“FOREVER AUTUMN: A HALLOWEEN TALE WITH B-MOVIE CHARM”

With Forever Autumn, Mark Morris delivers a Halloween-themed Doctor Who novel that leans heavily into classic horror tropes and American small-town atmosphere. Set in the fictional New England town of Blackwood Falls, the story surrounds the Doctor and Martha as they investigate a malevolent green mist, a sinister magical book, and pumpkin-headed aliens lurking in the shadows. It’s a love letter to 80s horror, small-town Americana, and the timeless appeal of autumn spookiness.

From the outset, Morris paints a vivid picture of this sleepy town at Halloween: tree-lined streets littered with leaves, creaky old graveyards, and quirky locals—including a mumbling drunkard, an eccentric occultist, and a trio of curious kids. It’s a setting straight out of Stranger Things or The Goonies, and Morris knows exactly how to evoke that feeling of creeping unease beneath a veneer of suburban comfort.

CREEPY KIDS, MAGIC BOOKS, AND POSSESSED CATS

The story kicks off with three pre-teens unearthing a strange book buried beneath an ancient tree. It’s a scene that feels plucked directly from an 80s Halloween special—and sets the tone for what’s to come. From here, the story gradually descends into eerie chaos: a man with no mouth, possessed animals, trick-or-treaters transformed into literal monsters, and a living clown costume that fuses with its wearer in one of the novel’s most memorably grotesque sequences.

The Hervoken—spindly, taloned creatures with pumpkin heads—are effective monsters. Their design practically begs to be drawn, conjuring images of Slenderman crossed with seasonal iconography. They don’t speak, don’t monologue, and rarely appear directly, instead manipulating the world through terrifying agents—mud creatures, leaf beasts, and mind-controlled townsfolk. It’s a smart decision, making them feel all the more unknowable and dangerous.

Their connection to the Carrionites from The Shakespeare Code adds a nice lore tie-in. Like the Carrionites, the Hervoken operate through “magic” that’s really misunderstood science. Their crashed ship, hidden beneath the sacred tree, runs on fear—a deliciously creepy conceit that ties their evil to the emotional fabric of the holiday.

THE DOCTOR AND MARTHA VS HALLOWEEN HORRORS

The Tenth Doctor is spot-on here, blending charm, wit, and underlying steel. His banter with Martha feels natural, and his actions are consistent with his portrayal in Series 3. He’s a man of science confronting pseudo-sorcery, and Morris captures that tension well.

Martha gets a decent amount of focus too, though she largely follows the damsel-in-distress arc in the second half. She’s kidnapped by the Hervoken, prompting the Doctor to descend into their eerie subterranean lair. The plot from this point becomes more conventional: escape sequences, info-dumps, and a climax that tries to wrap things up a little too briskly for its own good.

STRONG ATMOSPHERE, PATCHY PACING

Morris excels at mood. His prose drips with seasonal imagery—mists clinging to lampposts, rustling leaves, eerie silences in the dead of night. He’s clearly drawing from a deep well of horror influences, from John Carpenter to Are You Afraid of the Dark? He even takes detours in the narrative to linger in the heads of frightened townspeople, building atmosphere rather than plot. While this adds flavour, it occasionally bogs the pacing down.

The middle section in particular can feel sluggish. Morris devotes entire chapters to describing the night-time fears of minor characters who never become truly relevant. It’s immersive, yes, but comes at the expense of momentum.

SUPPORTING CAST: FAMILIAR FACES, FORGETTABLE ROLES

While Blackwood Falls is well-sketched as a location, its residents are less developed. The three kids serve mostly as plot devices; the Halloween shopkeeper is memorable in concept but thinly characterised; and the town drunkard feels more like a trope than a person. Etta, the local witch, fares slightly better, acting as the town’s link to its hidden magical history—but even she only skirts the edges of relevance.

There’s a feeling that these characters exist to support the theme, not to evolve or grow within the narrative. It’s a shame, as a more emotionally engaging supporting cast could have given the horror greater weight.

A STRONG CONCEPT THAT FIZZLES AT THE FINISH

The final act, while containing some fun imagery and high-stakes action, can’t quite live up to the promise of the eerie build-up. Events unfold rapidly, and the ultimate resolution feels slightly rushed and conventional. Given how confidently the novel leans into unsettling imagery early on, the ending feels comparatively safe.

Still, there’s a lot to enjoy in Forever Autumn—especially for fans of horror-tinged Doctor Who. Between its strong setting, terrifying creatures, and seasonal flair, it makes for a highly readable holiday special in novel form.

📝VERDICT: 73/100

Forever Autumn is a spooky and stylish Halloween tale that marries Doctor Who with small-town American horror. Mark Morris creates a wonderfully eerie atmosphere, supported by some memorably creepy set-pieces and a strong concept in the Hervoken. While pacing issues and a flat supporting cast hold it back, it’s still a fun, if slightly uneven, seasonal read. Great for fans of autumn leaves, pumpkin monsters, and occult adventures.

Gets characterisation of the Doctor and Martha wrong, they feel off, and less endearing and this makes the story harder to invest in. Besides this, a great horror story - using a lot of horror elements well, in a really well paced story, with some likeable and strong side characters, in an eerie, well developed setting. Minor tweaks to the Doctor and Martha's dialogue to better characterise them how we know them, would really have elevated this into great territory.

The idea, which was more or less to have a Halloween episode, was a fun one. However, the pacing dragged on, and the Doctor and Martha both felt a little out of character at several points.