Doctor Who Summer Reading Suggestions
Summer Reading Suggestions – by Jamie
From Jamie:
So, what follows is a list of novel suggestions for you guys to review at some point with authors, Doctors/Companions and a short comment about it. Think of it as a Doctor Who Summer Reading List. (There are titles that I enjoy that you’ve already reviewed that I didn’t add to this list.)
#1: The Time Travellers by Simon Guerrier. This one takes place shortly before Dalek Invasion of Earth and features the First Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara. One of the first Doctor Who novels I read, it’s a nice alternate timeline story with ties to the War Machines.
#2: The Dark Path by David A. McIntee. This features the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria. It also features the Delgado Master and gives some of his origins and how he became our favorite villain.
#3: The Scales of Injustice by Gary Russell. This is one I haven’t read. However, it features the Third Doctor, Liz Shaw, UNIT, the first chronological appearance of Mike Yates and the Silurians. It appears to be a bit continuity heavy and the highlight for you guys is that it is one of a handful of appearances by the Myrka.
#4: The Wages of Sin by David A. McIntee. This features the Third Doctor, Jo Grant and Liz Shaw. It features Liz’s first trip in the TARDIS and has the Doctor and meeting up with Rasputin. I really enjoyed it and think you guys will too.
#5: The Face of the Enemy by David A. McIntee. This one takes place while the Third Doctor and Jo are on Peladon. Instead, it features UNIT, the Master, Ian and Barbara and acts as a sequel of sorts to Inferno. Really good novel.
#6: Wolfsbane by Jacqueline Rayner. This one has been a long time since I’ve read it. It features the Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry Sullivan. It also features the Eighth Doctor who gets to team up with Harry when he’s separated from the other two.
#7: Evolution by John Peel. This is one of the Virgin Missing Adventures and features the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane. This sees them meeting both Rudyard Kipling and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I remember it being a fun read, but as with most of these, it’s been ages.
#8: Eye of Heaven by Jim Mortimore. I haven’t read this one. Part of me is very hesitant. Featuring the Fourth Doctor and Leela, this is told in a non-linear style. Tardis Wiki lists four different storylines and which chapters go with what. This may one for two of you to tackle: one reads it linearly, the other reads it in the order the Tardis Wiki has for the different storylines.
#9: The Sands of Time by Justin Richards. This is a Virgin Missing Adventure and features the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan. I enjoyed this one which acts as both a sequel and prequel to Pyramids of Mars. Also features the characters from Black Orchid.
#10: The Shadow in the Glass by Justin Richards and Stephen Cole. This is a Sixth Doctor novel and features him meeting the Brigadier and encountering Hitler. I enjoyed this one and think it’s one of the better Who novels I’ve read.
#11: Mission: Impractical by David A. McIntee. Haven’t read this one. It’s a rare novel that features Frobisher as the companion along with Sabalom Glitz. Also appears to feature Ogrons.
#12: Illegal Alien by Mike Tucker and Robert Perry. This one features the Seventh Doctor and Ace. It was originally a TV episode submitted for Season 26, but was delayed until the next season and thus, never made. It features Cybermen during the Blitz and according to Tardis Wiki (the source of all knowledge), the epilogue has ties to the Invasion (and maybe an appearance of Cyberman Bob).
#13: Matrix by Mike Tucker and Robert Perry. Taking place right after “Illegal Alien”, this also features Seven and Ace, and deals with the Valeyard, the Dark Matrix and Jack the Ripper. It wasn’t as good as some of the others but goes deeper into the Doctor’s psyche.
#14: War of the Daleks by John Peel. I’ve mentioned this one in some of my feedback. It’s early in the BBC Eighth Doctor run of novels (number five in line) and features the Eighth Doctor, Sam Jones, Daleks, Davros and Thals. It attempts to retcon the destruction of Skaro from Remembrance and has ties to most if not all previously televised Dalek stories.
#15: Alien Bodies by Lawrence Miles. The next release in the Eighth Doctor Adventures, this is the first novel that strictly deals with the series arc: the War in Heaven or the War with the Enemy. (Note that though this war is between the Time Lords and The Enemy, it is not the same as the Last Great Time War of New Who.) It’s a good story that leaves wanting more in this arc.
#16: Legacy of the Daleks by John Peel. This features the Eighth Doctor on his own (possibly around the same time as Wolfsbane). It acts a sequel to Dalek Invasion of Earth, a sort of sequel to Frontier in Space and a prequel to Deadly Assassin. It features Susan, the Daleks and the Delgado incarnation of the Master. It’s a really good story and acts well as a sequel to Dalek Invasion of Earth. However, it contradicts (or is contradicted by) the Big Finish Eighth Doctor stories featuring Susan, the two Masters, and Doctor Who Magazine’s comic Doorway to Hell. Still, worth reading for a good time with a Doctor Who novel.
#17: The Silent Stars Go By by Dan Abnett. This features the Eleventh Doctor, Amy Rory and the Ice Warriors in the far future. I remember enjoying it, but not much else. One interesting thing is that all the chapter titles are taken from Christmas carols.
#18: Plague of the Cybermen by Justin Richards. This features the Eleventh Doctor solo against the Cybermen. A good story, but I don’t remember much.
#19: The Dalek Generation by Nicholas Briggs. This again features the Eleventh Doctor solo, this time featuring the Daleks. I found this one better than the Cybermen story as it looks at the psychology of those who grew up during the Dalek wars and have known nothing else. It also features the first chronological appearance of the Dalek Time Controller (for it) who appeared heavily in Patient Zero, the Lucie Miller Series 4 finale and the Dark Eyes series.
#20: Big Bang Generation by Gary Russell. This features a solo Twelfth Doctor at some point before the end of Series 9 meeting Bernice Summerfield. It’s a fun novel, though if you’ve to some of the Benny audios from around publication date (Legion onwards, I think) you might get more out of it as I had no voices in my head for most of the Benny regulars. Otherwise, it’s a good read. The chapter titles are all Duran Duran songs (which I’ve never listened to so I got nothing out of them) and this originally going to be Twelve and River, but Husbands of River Song was already in the works.
Do you have some summer reading suggestion you want to share? Just add yours to the comments below, or go to our Facebook page and add them there. And be sure to follow our Goodreads ‘Doctor Who Book Club – Traveling the Vortex’ group.