My first Doctor Who book… let’s go!

I think I enjoyed the first half of this book more than the second. While I don’t dislike the book, I think a lot of it is rather forgettable or too convoluted. The atmosphere is very nice, although it felt more like a Victorian vibe than 1920s, and some of that setting seems to only be so that certain historical events can be referenced. Rose and the Doctor are great, I was surprised to find out that this was written before Series 1 aired, I felt a lot of the characterization was rather spot on. Rose sometimes became “generic companion” but when she and the Doctor were bantering I found the book utterly delightful. There were several dialogue moments which made me laugh out loud, such as the Doctor casually announcing that the TARDIS had been taken, or Rose and the Doctor steamrolling over Dickson as they’re taking him to the drawing room.

PETER DICKSON: But that’s the drawing room, sir.

DOCTOR: I don’t mind.

ROSE: And I don’t draw!

Rose’s interactions with Freddie are super endearing, and Freddie was a lovely addition to this book, as I really started to care for him throughout the book, and was rather distressed to see him in danger at the end.

That being said, there are way too many characters in this book. When I got to the dinner party scene and Freddie introduced like 5+ characters, I was like, oh boy. And then half of them don’t end up relevant, but 5 more characters get introduced! I had no idea who half the people were, which makes the whole mystery thing a bit difficult. I also felt there were one or two too many reversals. Characters are revealed to be the bad guy only to switch sides two seconds later. I think this works with Melissa in part, as her motivations for doing bad things become clear pretty fast, so the Doctor siding with her after she stops accusing him makes sense. The confusion over who is Shade Vassily is interesting in concept, but I found myself more frustrated than intrigued at points.

The pacing is definitely more like a Classic serial, which is interesting, but there were so many side elements, such as the Romanov connection and the Empire Exhibition, which felt tenuously connected and used to fill time respectively. If we had spent more time with characters like Melissa, Repple, and Wyse, I think the various reversals might have had more weight, as fun as it is to see Rose and the Doctor have a nice day out.

However, I liked the clockwork motifs throughout, and having the ending “battle” in Big Ben was an aesthetic choice that works nicely with the atmosphere. I wondered how they might connect with The Girl in the Fireplace, but it seems they don’t, though it’s a fun little Easter egg of sorts for why Ten might be familiar with the clockwork soldiers in that episode. 

Overall, I was very intrigued at the start, and found myself connecting to Rose, the Doctor, and Freddie; as well as the atmosphere, but the amount of stuff that is in this book almost burned me out as I was reading it. 3/5 stars.