Review: Doctor Who: Rose

Back in the ancient past of the 1970s and 80s, the only way you could relive much of Doctor Who was through the ever increasing numbers of Target novelisations. They were often slight retellings with little done to expand the original scripts. There were a few notable exceptions though - particularly at the beginning and end of the range.  The Daleks novelisation, for example, reimagines the series' origins.  Others fleshed out minor characters and described much better special effects than seen on screen.

Most of these have long been out of print - superseded by VHS, then DVD and even the spoken word.

Rose forms part of what might become the next generation: novelisations of new series episodes.  I picked up Rose - based on the introductory episode of the new series. It had a lot to do - but primarily it had to sell Doctor Who to a whole new audience as well as reward those who'd kept the flame burning during the wilderness years.

Having read the prologue on a Kindle sample, I was convinced enough to read the rest on a long train journey.  The prologue promised a lot as it brought to life an off-screen character. Unfortunately, this opener turns out to the best addition to the book - giving succour to the idea that you should never judge a book by its opening chapters.

It's not to say that the rest is bad - there are lots of nice touches which make characters like Clive and Mickey much  more sympathetic and bigger more coherent set pieces, as well as some fun pieces of foreshadowing - it just feels slight when compared to the prologue.   Also, and in common with many previous novelisations, there's almost nothing about the Doctor's own internal dialogue - although a few projections of what the Doctor could be in yet unseen regenerations will either intrigue or annoy. Personally, I really want to see the giant frog story now.

Verdict: Recreation of the original Target magic.