Recommend me Who novels

[Darth_Daver]

I'm looking for original Who novels, please! (no episode novelisation)
Either Doctor is fine, but my exposure to 2-4 and 6-7 is very limited, so I'd probably be more enthusiastic about the ones I know better.

It shouldn't be too 'far out', if I can't reconcile it in my head with what little canon Who has, it'll be annoying me to no end.

Other than that, my only requirement is that it should be good!

Big name author is a plus, but not required.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Trying to think of what would be readily available right now...

Dark Horizons, by JT Colgan (or Jenny Colgan, in the paperback edition), is pretty fab. It's an eleventh Doctor pseudohistorical with Vikings, during the period after "The Wedding of River Song" when the Doctor is pretending to be dead. I absolutely loved it. It's not perfect (it needed another editing pass), but the prose sparkles, the characters are well-drawn, and the ending packs real emotional punch.

Gareth Roberts' Shada is the Douglas Adams book that Eoin Colfer's And Another Thing... wished it could be.

Jonathan Morris' Touched by an Angel (the eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory fight the Angels when they start messing with one man's life) is widely loved. I'll be honest, I wasn't a big fan of the book, but I'm mentioning it because it's loved by the larger fandom.

 

[The Wormhole]

Books from the modern day Doctors that stand out to me:

Judgment of the Judoon by Colin Brake
Prisoner of the Daleks by Trevor Baxendale
The Taking of Chelsea 426 by David Llewellyn
The Silent Stars Go By by Dan Abnett

These all feature aliens from the show (the last two are about Sontarans and Ice Warriors, respectively). All are Tenth Doctor except for Silent Stars, which is Eleventh Doctor.

Of the past Doctors, The Harvest of Time by Alastair Reynolds is really awesome. It's a third Doctor book, but Reynolds wrote it intending it to be accessible to fans of his work who aren't into DW, so you shouldn't have too many problems with it.

I also enjoyed Dreams of Empire by Justin Richards (Second Doctor), Last of the Gaderene by Mark Gatiss (Third Doctor) and Players by Terence Dicks (Sixth Doctor). All of which were part of the 50th anniversary reprint series, so should be readily available. Of course, since you're not as familiar with those Doctors your enjoyment may differ. Although, if you enjoy Gatiss's episodes, Gaderene is worth a look and Players features Winston Churchill.

 

[Lonemagpie]

And if you're already a Treklit fan, Jim Swallow, Una McCormack and myself have all done DW books.

 

[Christopher]

Of the past Doctors, The Harvest of Time by Alastair Reynolds is really awesome. It's a third Doctor book, but Reynolds wrote it intending it to be accessible to fans of his work who aren't into DW, so you shouldn't have too many problems with it.

I liked this one. It strikes a good balance between feeling like a classic UNIT-era alien-invasion story and feeling like an Alastair Reynolds hard-SF epic. Which is quite a neat trick, given how distinct those styles are.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Are there any novels starring old Doctors but set in modern times?

 

[Darth_Daver]

Are there any novels starring old Doctors but set in modern times?

ooo, yes please! First Doctor would be best!

 

[Iamnotspock]

Are there any novels starring old Doctors but set in modern times?

ooo, yes please! First Doctor would be best!

The Time Travellers by Simon Guerrier springs to mind. It's a First Doctor, Ian, Susan and Barbara tale set in 2006. Millennium Shock by Justin Richards is a Fourth Doctor story set on New Year's Eve 1999.

 

[Christopher]

Millennium Shock by Justin Richards is a Fourth Doctor story set on New Year's Eve 1999.

You're conflating two books, two of the few I happen to have. System Shock by Justin Richards is a Fourth Doctor/Sarah Jane novel set in 1998, while Millennial Rites by Craig Hinton is a Sixth Doctor/Mel novel set on New Year's Eve 1999 (and published a year before the Paul McGann movie used the same chronological setting -- although the book's in London while the movie's in San Francisco). The latter book reuses a few elements from the former, hence the confusion.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Millennium Shock by Justin Richards is a Fourth Doctor story set on New Year's Eve 1999.

You're conflating two books, two of the few I happen to have. System Shock by Justin Richards is a Fourth Doctor/Sarah Jane novel set in 1998, while Millennial Rites by Craig Hinton is a Sixth Doctor/Mel novel set on New Year's Eve 1999 (and published a year before the Paul McGann movie used the same chronological setting -- although the book's in London while the movie's in San Francisco). The latter book reuses a few elements from the former, hence the confusion.

Actually, no, Justin did write a BBC book called Millennium Shock, which is indeed a 4th Doctor story, and direct sequel to System Shock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Shock

 

[Christopher]

Oh. Well, that's confusing. Can it be reconciled with Millennial Rites, considering that that book also tied into System Shock?

 

[Lonemagpie]

Oh. Well, that's confusing. Can it be reconciled with Millennial Rites, considering that that book also tied into System Shock?

It's years since I read it, but I don't remember any specific link or conflict.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

I'm halfway through watching Doctor Who the first time around...and oh my god, it's so excellent! I will read the novels once I'm finished with all of the episodes. I finished all of the "Classic Doctor Who" and am halfway through the new Doctor Who now.

I wish they would make novels about the 10th doctor...I am finding myself completely infatuated with David Tennant...

 

[Christopher]

But that means that at least three incarnations of the Doctor were simultaneously on Earth on December 31, 1999: his Fourth and Sixth incarnations were both in London at the same time his newborn Eighth self was in San Francisco. Quite a coincidence.

 

[diankra]

Well, there nine to twelve Tennant novels a year during five years in the role, so plenty to catch up on. People here have just been tending to mention titles from/reprinted recently, as they're easier to find.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Well, there nine to twelve Tennant novels a year during five years in the role, so plenty to catch up on. People here have just been tending to mention titles from/reprinted recently, as they're easier to find.

I haven't done much research into the Who novels, but would this be accurate, as in all novels featuring the 10th doctor?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Tenth_Doctor_novels

And if so, I do totally want to read the Tenth doctor novels. When I was looking it up originally it said something about no plans for Tennant novels, but then I just found that wiki.

Sorry, I'm a n00b. Or a wh00b...

 

[diankra]

Worth mentioning that the 9/10/11 novels are mostly young adultish, whereas the earlier books are more adult-adult. Sometimes very adult... for about six months around 1993 the f-word was in liberal use!

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Ah, good to know. Thanks!

 

[Allyn Gibson]

But that means that at least three incarnations of the Doctor were simultaneously on Earth on December 31, 1999: his Fourth and Sixth incarnations were both in London at the same time his newborn Eighth self was in San Francisco. Quite a coincidence.

The third edition of Ahistory lists one more story that take place on December 31, 1999. Besides the already mentioned stories (System Shock, Millennial Rites, Millennium Shock, and the television movie), the seventh Doctor and Mel were there in the 1994 DWM story "Plastic Millennium."

The fourth Doctor and Romana visit Paris on January 1, 2000 in The Forgotten.

And Iris Wildthyme visits San Francisco on December 31, 1999 in The Panda Invasion.

 

[Iamnotspock]

Millennium Shock by Justin Richards is a Fourth Doctor story set on New Year's Eve 1999.

You're conflating two books, two of the few I happen to have. System Shock by Justin Richards is a Fourth Doctor/Sarah Jane novel set in 1998, while Millennial Rites by Craig Hinton is a Sixth Doctor/Mel novel set on New Year's Eve 1999 (and published a year before the Paul McGann movie used the same chronological setting -- although the book's in London while the movie's in San Francisco). The latter book reuses a few elements from the former, hence the confusion.

Actually, no, Justin did write a BBC book called Millennium Shock, which is indeed a 4th Doctor story, and direct sequel to System Shock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Shock

Thanks Lonemagpie. Indeed, no confusion here.

Here's the TARDIS Wikia page too, FWIW; Millennium Shock.