Hello my loves!
I can honestly say that I never (ever!) thought I would find myself reviewing anything that had anything to do with Doctor Who. Seriously. A friend of my mother’s tried to get me into the original series as a kid, and that was just a whole lot of nope. Nothin’ doin’.
HOWEVER. I have friends. Annoying friends. Annoying best friends who do not hesitate to nag me until I finally get around to doing what they want out of sheer irritation. If you’re reading this, you know who you are. Stop laughing.
A point of pride for me, though, is that while I’m finding that I do enjoy the Doctor Who reboot, and despite my colossal upset when I found out that Eccleston only stayed on as the Doctor for one season (EFF YOU, PTB!!), I was even more excited to find out that there are Doctor Who books and episode novelizations. I’ve always felt that no matter the series, you can never get as much into the show or movies as you can through books, and the details are what makes the story epic. And as a reader, honestly, one of the first things you do when you find a move or TV series you enjoy is find out if there are books involved. And lo, since Doctor Who has been around for approximately a millennium (see what I did there?), there are loads and loads of books!
I chose Doctor Who: Rose because it is the 
novelization of the first episode of the reboot, and that episode was what properly got me interested in the series, never mind the subsequent episodes. Now let’s be real: I live in what you might call “a small studio, comfortable for a single person” and what might less charitably be labelled “a studio the size of the Doctor’s left boot.” I’ve made it work for me (I’m actually quite proud of it), but it does mean that I have to be absurdly careful about the quantity of physical books that I acquire. Luckily, this was available on Audible, which I am using far more often than I did previous to moving, and even better: Camille Coduri, who plays the part of Jackie Tyler in the series, is the person narrating!
The book itself was exactly what I expected: chock full of extra details which made me happy as a reader (listener?), but also gave new layers of meaning to the episode when I went back and watched it again after having ‘read’ this book. Because I am that kind of reader. And honestly, some of the details involved actually make the episode a lot more heartbreaking. Clive, my man, I am so, so sorry. Mickey, my dude…..I am so sorry.
I don’t usually read sci-fi like Doctor Who, though given my general reading proclivities that is somewhat surprising, and I actually really enjoy shows like Stargate: Atlantis as well, so it’s a wonder I didn’t like Doctor Who long ago. This book, far more than the TV show, has rather convinced me of both the genre and the specific fandom of Doctor Who. You can bet your ass I’ve already started looking for the perfect T.A.R.D.I.S. coffee mug. You can also bet your ass that, despite not having finished Season 1 (still fuming over Eccleston leaving), I already have plans to watch the entire reboot series. The whole thing. Plus the books (probably audiobooks until I have a bigger apartment, there are soooo many).
If you’re looking for a gentle introduction into science fiction, or into the general Doctor Who franchise, I really would recommend either this audiobook or the novel itself, which I will be acquiring when I have the space to do so. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, the detail, and the denouement of the novel.
Five star ‘read’, people. Check it out.
Feature photo credit: Taken by me, comme d’habitude.
Categories: Science Fiction
Printed Pages and Coffee 
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