I remember enjoying this one the most from the first three. I liked the development of the Slitheen and the setting is a good one. I think I remember it being quite a strong characterisation for both 9 and Rose.
Depending on how my reading/listening goes I might listen to the audiobook for this one as it may be fun to revisit.
Ten chapters down. The book is a bit slow to get going, but now it’s picking up a bit. I still find it a bit empty on an actual plot, though. Many characters don’t have much of a purpose, and the dialogue kind of floats around. The setting of the Justicia prison planetary system is interesting.
It is interesting how Nine and Rose are separated and trying to find ways to reunite. Both are better-written characters than in The Clockwise Man, but I am not sure I can sense Eccleston and Piper in them. Rose’s part in the story is much more interesting so far. There are a few great action scenes. The Slitheen are the central threat, and while I never found them particularly interesting on TV, here they work pretty effectively, and it’s great how they’re a bit more fleshed-out characters.
I am about 7 chapters in. And I think that the start is a bit slow. I like the environment of the prison but I think the story could move a bit faster.
I see now that my comment echoes a lot of what you wrote. I am also with you that the characters feel a little off. I think that it’s from 2005 might have something to do with it. It might not have developed during the show when the characters were not done yet.
Nineteen chapters down. Finishing this tomorrow I think. Not completely sold yet, even if the book picks up speed after the halfway point once it starts becoming clear what’s going on. There are Slitheen and Blathereen everywhere, but it’s nice to see them so well-used here and reas about their ongoing conflict. Other than that, it feels as if there is too much and nothing at all going on at the same time, which leaves me conflicted.
I think that the book overall was okay. The start was a bit slow but i liked the environment. The second half where the story started to unfold was better but I still nothing special. It was fun though to get another story with 9 and Rose and I will listen to Clockwise Men.
One reflection I had when listening to this and watching Aliens of London is that they must have thought that the Slitheen would be more popular than they were when 3 episodes of the first season and the second novel had them as a focus
Best thing of the book is that it is read by Jackie Tyllor.
I also finished reading this. I mostly agree with @Tian regarding the pace and content. While I find the setting intriguing to begin with, I feel that the latter half of the book feels much less palpable. This is more fast-paced than The Clockwise Man and more in line with a typical episode in Nu-Who, but I still felt a bit bored during the final third.
Rose is well-written, and I enjoyed her parts greatly, especially since she’s separated from the Doctor through most of the adventure. The Slitheen and Blathereen are also enjoyable and better portrayed here than in any of their TV appearances. The supporting characters are nothing special. The semi-cliffhanger ending left me a bit disappointed, but I expect there might be a sequel to this one in a later novel?
With the way they were plastered over all the merchandise - action figures, walkie talkies, bedspreads (my eldest still uses theirs) and then they’re appearances in the Sarah Jane Adventures, I think the Slitheen definitely were seen as something with the legs to run as a recurring monster. I think, sadly, the mismatch between physical and CGI versions in Aliens of London/WW3 put the kibosh on that. They do of course appear in another novel, The Slitheen Excursion, but I’m not aware of any follow up to the cliffhanger in Monsters Inside. What was it’s nature (been too long since I read it to remember).
I do know that in recent years the Slitheen have made a few appearances in various media. There’s a late Main Range Fifth Doctor audio that features them and they show up in the Titan Ninth Doctor comics.
