Doctor Who is an ever expanding universe that stretches not only into the world of TV but also comics, books and audiobooks. The great thing about the expansiveness of Doctor Who is the plethora of Doctors, companions and aliens that can be used in any of these stories. The newest season, which is the premise for the novel being reviewed, brings us Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor and Millie Gibson as the latest companion, Ruby Sunday. The new Doctor and Ruby have also made their way into the world of books, through both the adaptations of the episodes, as well as three new books that expand on their adventures in between episodes. Doctor Who: Caged is the second of the three books centered around the Doctor and Ruby, each providing their own standalone adventure.
[Warning: This article will remain major spoilers free, but may include minor ones relating to plot.]
Caged brings an all alien mystery to Doctor Who
Doctor Who: Caged is written by Una McCormack and follows the Doctor and Ruby attempting to unravel a mystery on a distant world. The major draw of the book and one that definitely got me interested is the idea of “are aliens ever abducted by aliens?” This is what the story revolves around as we follow an alien called Chirracharr as they get abducted from their planet, sent back and then become determined to find out who or what abducted them. The Doctor and Ruby then stumble upon the alien and team up to track down what is really going on.
I enjoyed the premise of the book and the mystery surrounding what happens. McCormack does a great job feeding the right information to the reader, and it truly felt like I was along for the ride of a Doctor Who episode in book form. The book unfortunately splits up the Doctor and Ruby for around half of the novel, which was a shame to see, as they work so well together. This causes the plot to kind of stretch in the latter half of the book, but it definitely pays off when the pair reunites. The plot thickens greatly when we learn about a whole new alien race who have a select group of scientists that are keeping a big secret from the rest of their population, Ruby spends a lot of time with these aliens whilst the Doctor is with Chirracharr.
The book’s mystery is a good one and while it won’t get spoiled here, there is a lot of action towards the end of the book as everything starts to click into place surrounding mysterious buildings on mountains, robot armadillos and something only known as the Repository. Reading the book truly feels like a great Doctor Who episode and the premise of it not being set on Earth is a great addition as we rarely get alien stories, which was another draw to me as a fan.
Not a lot of growth for 15 and Ruby in this story
There are a few criticisms with this book, the main one being that while they are in character in the book as far as the things they say and do (such as the Doctor’s knack for naming things and his happy attitude and Ruby wanting to care for everything and everyone) unfortunately, the Doctor and Ruby don’t get much characterization. I feel this may be from the lack of knowledge about the season before writing the book. There are no connections to any ongoing mysteries from the season either, such as Ruby and it snowing in her presence and also Susan Twist. With what we now know from the finale, it seems strange that these are missing from the book. It seems difficult to fully connect with the pair in the book, which is a shame, but also understandable due to it being written before the show aired.
The aliens that act as side characters to the Doctor and Ruby, however, are great, and it is very interesting to see how they interact and react with the pair. It also helps elevate the Doctor and Ruby’s roles in the novel, as they do start to feel more characterized towards the end, especially with a heartfelt moment between the two in the last chapter.
Doctor Who: Caged is a great example of how books can work better than bringing things to TV, with the scale of the book, especially towards the end, it would have made for an expensive episode, but with it being a book it allows for a grander scale and also for these crazy alien designs to come alive. The big end fight truly feels alive and electric as everything to do with the mysteries set up in the book at first all comes crashing together for the finale, I found this to be the best part of the book and the true power of Doctor Who and its themes and messages truly shine by the end.
Doctor Who: Caged is a short, memorable read for fans
There isn’t too much else I could say without diving into spoilers, but I feel that is far better left if you actually pick up the book yourself. I do recommend it, despite the lack of connection to the show itself or said season, it’s a perfectly fine standalone novel with an amazing mystery. The book’s main draw for me is the fact it is completely set on alien worlds, a welcome break from the quarries of England. The book works great too at bridging some of the time in between episodes to truly flesh out the time the Doctor and Ruby spent together in their first season.
My rating: 6/10
Doctor Who: Caged by Una McCormack is now available where books are sold. Are you already a fan of the 15th Doctor? What do you think of this new book? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus!
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