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“SPECTRAL SCREAM – MUSHROOMS, MINDS, AND MISSED MENACE”

A psychedelic spore-world, a telepathic brain in a jar, and the Doctor doing first aid: what more could you want?

Spectral Scream slots very comfortably into the Doctor Who Season 2 mould, capturing the tone and pacing of the Ncuti Gatwa era with flair. The novel’s worldbuilding is vibrant and imaginative, set on a lush, fungal-infected colony world where the society has bonded symbiotically with sentient spores and communicates through a shared fungal network—thanks to a dying telepathic brain-creature called Adama. It’s a rich, original backdrop that feels properly alien but biologically grounded, evoking the eerie quiet of Planet of the Ood and the tactile weirdness of The Web Planet.

This setting, half rotting forest, half psychic commune, is one of the strongest elements in the novel. The atmosphere is tangible, and the idea of a civilisation physically and mentally dependent on a single psionic being is compelling, especially when that being is slowly deteriorating. The society itself, structured around this connection, has an organic mysticism to it, made all the more tense by the looming threat of external interference and internal breakdown.

BELINDA: NURSE, HERO, COMPANION

This story gives Belinda a welcome opportunity to shine in her own right, not just as a new friend of the Doctor but as a companion with a specific skillset. Her nursing background isn’t just lip service; it actively shapes her decisions and actions. She tends to a villain’s wound, reminds the Doctor to pack a first aid kit, and keeps a level head when lives are at stake. It's a refreshing use of a companion’s profession and a marked shift from the more generalised “plucky helper” archetype.

We also gain insight into why Belinda continues to travel with the Doctor. Her moral compass and professional instinct make it impossible for her to ignore a cry for help, mirroring the Doctor’s own core drive. It's a strong thematic beat—companion and Time Lord bonded not just by circumstance, but by shared values.

FIFTEEN FEELS RIGHT

The Fifteenth Doctor is depicted with the same exuberance and charm we’ve seen on screen. His infectious optimism, emotional perceptiveness, and ability to win over even the most suspicious colonists are all captured well. While his dialogue occasionally leans into exposition, his essence remains intact—funny, fierce, and quietly wise.

This novel also makes space for quieter character beats. The Doctor and Belinda’s interactions are warm and grounded, and their mutual respect is a through-line, lending emotional weight to their decisions in the second half.

BOUNTY HUNTERS, BIOPROCESSORS AND BUREAUCRATS

The supporting cast is a bit of a mixed bag. Cy, the young colonist who gets caught up with shady bounty hunters, is a familiar but likable figure—the plucky local youth who makes a mistake and spends the rest of the story trying to set things right. The elder colonist, secretive but well-intentioned, adds a bit of gravitas. And Adama, the psionic brain in a jar, provides a tragic dimension: desperate to live but afraid that the means of healing—an experimental drug hidden away like treasure—could erase the centuries of experience and identity they've accumulated.

The bounty hunters, Rexon Stan and Farb, are entertaining if a little derivative, evoking the comic incompetence of Garron and Unstoffe (The Ribos Operation) or Grugger and Brotadac (Meglos). Their overconfidence, banter, and eventual downfall offer light relief but never quite feel like a genuine threat.

Likewise, Captain Kagan—supposedly a central antagonist—makes very little impression. She starts off stiff and duty-bound, only to quietly fade into the background by the time things heat up. While her eventual softening after Belinda saves her life is a nice beat, she never poses any real opposition to the Doctor and co., and her presence feels more like a subplot box being ticked than a fully fleshed-out arc.

PACING, TENSION AND A LACK OF PAYOFF

The novel begins with solid tension—the Doctor and Belinda answering a distress call, met with suspicion from colonists, and facing conflicting agendas from bounty hunters and the Imperium. But once everyone is on the board, the middle of the book begins to sag. Much of the action involves characters sitting in spaceships or safe rooms, exchanging exposition or vague warnings. The stakes are there, but the storytelling doesn't quite escalate them.

When things do converge, the story resists the temptation to go full-throttle. The climax is relatively subdued: no major battles, no grand confrontation—just a lot of talking, understanding, and a tidy resolution. It’s thematically consistent (this is a novel about memory, identity, and healing, not destruction), but it also makes the ending feel a bit flat, especially with the villains so undercooked.

📝VERDICT: 73/100

Spectral Scream is an engaging and visually inventive novel that deepens the character of Belinda Chandra and slots effortlessly into the tone and style of Season 2. Its fungal telepathy concept is fascinating, the emotional themes resonate, and the TARDIS team is on point. But it’s also a little too sedate in the final stretch, with forgettable villains and a climax that doesn’t quite scream—more of a whisper, really.