📝10/10

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"Moffat's Day: A Novel Take on a Timeless Tale"

Steven Moffat takes his The Day of the Doctor script and spins it into a novelisation brimming with charm, creativity, and cheeky wit. He opens with a playful introduction, speaking directly to the reader as if narrating live, setting the tone for an inventive reimagining. Not content to simply retell the TV special, Moffat weaves in The Night of the Doctor (fully expanded) and scrambles the story's structure, letting readers choose between following the narrative chronologically or by its intentionally jumbled chapter numbers.

While staying true to the original plot, Moffat enriches the story with deeper character exploration, adding emotional layers and nuanced backstories. His signature humor shines throughout, with clever nods to Doctor Who’s 50-year history—ranging from Peter Cushing's Doctor to Ian Chesterton as Coal Hill’s governor. Even minor characters like McGillop and Atkins get moments in the spotlight, while Kate and Osgood enjoy significant development. Osgood’s awkward genius and budding feelings for McGillop are beautifully fleshed out, and Queen Elizabeth is given a sharper, wittier edge compared to her TV counterpart.

Moffat’s flair for the unexpected is on full display. A standout sequence involves the Doctor discussing Zygons while lounging in a bathtub with River Song, a scene both hilarious and illuminating. The book also switches perspectives and narrative styles, keeping things fresh: a chapter told through Osgood’s letter-writing, and another replaying the Tower dungeon scene from the viewpoints of all three Doctors, digging into their emotional states.

The climax at the barn is similarly expanded, as is the epic multi-Doctor Gallifrey-saving sequence, now featuring a longer Twelfth Doctor cameo. Moffat adds layers of storytelling through “Doctor Papers”—snarky interludes that frame the novel as a lecture, complete with meta commentary and sly challenges for the reader (don’t look for Chapter 9—it doesn’t exist). The eventual reveal of the commentator as the Curator is a delightful touch, and the much-hyped “Chapter 9 gag” is worth the wait.

Moffat peppers the novel with sly references, suggesting the monochrome world of the First and Second Doctors might be due to color blindness or hinting that Susan could be Queen Elizabeth I’s granddaughter. Even the final twist—a poignant scene between the Doctor and Cass—delivers a jaw-dropping reveal: this Doctor is none other than the Thirteenth.

This isn’t just a novelisation; it’s a celebration of Doctor Who’s legacy, brimming with heart, humor, and surprises. For fans, it’s an absolute treasure.

Moffat manages to take everything you know and love about The Day of The Doctor and dial it up to eleven (pun intended).

The extra characterisation is incredible here, the small glimpses we get inside all the characters heads, what they were thinking about, it's just so good, especially seeing the dungeon scene from multiple perspectives, each adding their own context to keep you on your toes, and the moments before The Moment, knowing what each doctor was thinking about before they almost do it.

The comedy is also incredible here, jokes never fell flat for me and Moffat always knows when to place them.

And then there's the added drama, I got goosebumps from the "be a doctor" like it was 2013 all over again, the added line about how after so long The Doctor was finally back in the room sent chills down my spine.

It's incredible and I highly recommend reading it, there's so much I haven't even mentioned here like Osgood's sections and everything about The Brig, I could go on for ages.

One of the cleverest books I have ever written. It's ingenious the way Steven Moffat plays with the timey wimey nature of his Doctor Who era via the chapter numbers, and I loved the appearances from various Doctor Who characters who didn't actually feature in the episode. The closing chapter is a neat twist too, with a certain incarnation of the Doctor you wouldn't expect to show up.