Doctor Who - Ruby Red by Georgia Cook

Books
21

I just finished the ninth chapter.

I really enjoyed this to this point. The story starts to pick up now, and it actually feels like the differences between Ran and her sisters might get a conclusion that might be in favor of both parties. I actually really enjoy Cellisamere and Helgadane as characters even if they seem to not be the easiest for people to get along with. I always liked characters like that, so that is great. I’m also very much interested in the solution of the Genetrix and if they might actually find a way to remove that thing from Onfim without him dying.
So everything feels like it will be very interesting.

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22

I just finished the book.

I really enjoyed the read. The conclusion of the story was pretty interesting and I think the characters were chosen well for the story that was supposed to be told.

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23

I have read 10 chapters and agree with everything you say. It is a fun and interesting book.

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24

I tried my hand at writing a review, with this if anyone is interested in a longer version of my thoughts on this book.

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25

Just got this and it is lined up for my next read when I get a chance. Currently part way through Black Archive: The Rings of Akhaten and in a very intense period at work so I often don’[t much feel like reading at the end of the day (which I find unsettling, but it is what it is at this time of year).

Anyway, it’s always fun immersing myself in a fictional DW story. I must confess a weird quirk. As a neuro-atypical (and I know others manifest in wildly different ways), I find it very difficult to visualise faces for characters unless I have a visual point of reference. For this reason, I find it much easier to get into Target novelisations (where I have clear points of visual reference). For this reason, characterisation of Doctor and companions is critical for me when reading a totally original DW story. It grounds things for me in a way that I very much need (when I listen to Big Finish, I often have to look up the actors so I can visualise the people they are playing better - it’s quite disconcerting imagining faceless people all the time). Without spoilers, can anyone please comment on the success (or otherwise) of the Doctor and Ruby’s characterisation in this book please? Yeah, I know. Weird. Sorry.

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26

I think that both Ruby and the Doctor are very well written and it feels like something that would have fitted as an episode this season.

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27

I’m on chapter 15, been slow reading due to work, and I think both are characterised well. Fifteen is one of those Doctors with a certain way of speaking e.g. “Honey”, and I feel like Cook captions his energy well too.
I often look up the Big Finish actors too as I want some sort of reference! It’s not essential but I find it really helps sometimes.

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28

I just finished chapter 15 as well :grinning:

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29

I’m thinking I may just push through this last quarter before I start work later! It has been an enjoyable, light read thus far.

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30

I will try to finish it later today. Was reading during my kid’s nap but she woke up in the middle of chapter 17.

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31

That’s really helpful. Thank you. Looking forward a bit more to reading this now. :smile:

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32

I picked this up today and I plan on reading it next week! From what you’ve written so far, it sounds like a great first novel for 15 and Cook!

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33

That’s good to know. I’m glad I’m not the only one who needs that visual reference too. Plus, your comments on characterisation are particularly encouraging. :+1:

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34

I love a light read. I’m a researcher and academic so constantly reading and writing papers. A portion of my work also requires delving into research from 19th and early 20th century, as well as translating papers in other languages. I love it but it means that, in my own time, I really enjoy something fun and light. Thanks for the comments!

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35

I really hope that she gets to write an episode of the show next year. I think she is really talented.

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36

Her episode of Gallifrey from the most recent boxset was really good too!

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37

Just finished the book. And it holds up until the end. A fun story with interesting characters. I would love to have a sequel where 15 and Ruby meet Ran again.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes the new TARDIS crew.

4/5

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38

Oooh, thank you. Sounds like I’m in for a treat. Looking forward to this more and more now!

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39

Finally finished this and it was an enjoyable, light read. Very nice to have an extra adventure to slot into this short season. The characterisations are enjoyable and on point, a nice historical setting. Ran is a fun character and the development with her sisters is enjoyable even if simple and predicatable. This is just a good, solid story.

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40

I finished the book yesterday. As others have said, it was a light and fun read (it took me two days). The plot, while basic, moves quickly and features strong action, akin to an episode of New Who. I don’t think it fits into Season 1 very well, though, because this is a much more traditional adventure than anything we’ve seen this season. That’s not Cook’s fault, though, because how would she know what the next season was like when she wrote the book before the episodes were out?

Ruby is written very well, and I could imagine Millie saying and doing those things. The Doctor felt a lot like a generic New Who Doctor to me (a mix of 10/14, 11 and 15), and I didn’t get the Ncuti vibes from him (perhaps it was the lack of crying or the fact that he actively took charge of most situations rather than simply freezing and letting others do the work). The other characters are equally compelling and engaging. Ran serves as a valuable ally, exemplifying a character who chooses to direct her own life instead of allowing external influences to shape it. Her sisters are also fascinating, and the relationship between them is the most captivating aspect of the plot.

Genetrix is an intriguing villain. I liked her motivation and MO, and I thought she was effective enough. The final confrontation between her and the Doctor in the TARDIS is nice. The use of squidlike parasites to possess people made me think of Last Christmas or Alien, and for some reason I imagined Genetrix to look like Ursula from The Little Mermaid :joy:

I was slightly disappointed that the setting and time period didn’t come into play more. A wintry Russia of 1242 is a unique setting, and I expected us to spend more time with the human characters (the Prince, for instance), learning about the era and The Battle on the Ice (not a battle I was familiar with, so I spent a lot of time reading up on it after finishing the book! DW is educational, babies!) We primarily spend time with the Doctor, Ruby, and the Rentarans, which led me to believe that the setting and period of the story were underutilized. Cook could have set this story on any snowy alien planet or anywhere else in Earth’s history. The setting and zombies also reminded me of The Deviant Strain, but this one was a much better book, thankfully.

Georgia Cook writes good action and has a good grasp of modern Doctor Who stories, so this one is a delightful read. Her dialogue flows, and she gets the humour and character beats right as well. For me, it’s just some of the characterization, the familiar plot, and the wasted setting that slightly drag this down.

:star:6.7/10

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