I really need to reread Blood Cell. I read it when I was pretty young and don’t remember the plot super well, but I remember it being pretty weird, which I enjoy in a doctor who book.
7 Likes
It does really cool things with first-person narrative!
6 Likes
I keep hearing good things about the Blood Cell. Maybe I should read it at some point.
6 Likes
I haven’t read too many Who Books sadly, hope to fix that in this Year. Of the ones I have read I have a few favorites which would be:
Scratchman: A perfect Adaption of an Idea Marter and Baker seemed to have for a while, but never were able to make. It’s a lovely read and is one of my very favorite 4th Doctor’s Stories.
The Crooked World: I love this, an odd yet wonderful mix between Cartoon Antics and some griping drama!
Goth Opera: Do I need to say more?
I Wonderland: Yet another 5th Doctor book and one which I really enjoyed, Margs is great and did here what I thought was impossible: Made me care about yet another Sci-Fi Crossover with Wonderland. (Don’t get me wrong I love Wonderland Imagery as much as the next person, but it gets tiring after a while especially as it has been overused in a lot of Media sadly).
Imaginary Friends: I am a first Doctor Fan, so of course I adore this book!
Honorable Mention goes to The Years of Intelligent Tigers and yes the Target for Day of the Doctor is great!
12 Likes
I don’t remember a ton from it, but I do remember there was at least one scene from it that had a fun Clara moment. Can’t remember how her characterization was in the book overall though. I love her and twelve though, so I really do need to go back and reread it at some point.
5 Likes
Oh Clara was great in The Blood Cell!
4 Likes
By cover alone, I’d say Time Lord Fairy Tales. That weeping angel short story has stuck with me for years. Haven’t read all of it but it’s still beautiful.
Though based on the actual plot, it’d be Torchwood: The Undertaker’s Gift. The imagery of everyone falling during the assault, and Jack having to carry 3 other people at once to safety, I just love the determination there. And gothic themes just fit Torchwood
7 Likes
I also like Time Lord Fairy Tales. I thought the anthology was a bit hit or miss, but yeah the weeping angel story has been with me since I was a kid. I still think about that story.
4 Likes
Going a bit old school and they’re not on the site but my favourite Doctor Who books are all non-fiction ones:
The Discontinuity Guide is an absolute gem:
The Completely Useless Encyclopedia is laugh out loud funny:
And the greatest work of unnecessary fan research is A History - especially the three volume 4th edition:
10 Likes
Nice choices in the non-fiction category. I didn’t put any in my response, but AHistory definitely would have made the cut (heck, I have 3 versions!). I’d also add the Handbook and Decade series’ from the Howe/Stammers/Walker team, the I, Who books from Lars Pearson, Bookwyrm and hopefully its upcoming sequel, maybe a few more. Tons of great stuff out there.
5 Likes
The About Time series is another standout.
4 Likes
I haven’t ready many but Day of the Doctor’s novelisation is amazing, and I have a very very soft spot for Scratchman; especially the audiobook version ready by Tom Baker himself
7 Likes
I’ve owned it since it came out but never actually read it! Maybe soon… 
4 Likes
I’ve never laid hands on any of the About Time books. Mostly I’m aware of them from posts by people anxiously awaiting the next one. That suggest to me that people quite like them.
5 Likes
I’ll throw in a couple of other non-fiction books that are favourites of mine.
The first is ‘The New Audio Adventures: The Inside Story’ by Benjamin Cook. It’s a very honest (possibly too honest) account of the making of the first 50 or so Big Finish Doctor Who audios. I think there was supposed to be a Volume 2 but it never came to pass.
My other favourite is another Benjamin Cook work: ‘The Writer’s Tale’ by Cook and RTD. Like ‘The Inside Story’, this is brutally honest and really made me appreciate RTD and his work a lot more than I had previously.
8 Likes
Interesting, sounds like the content is similar in approach to “Bernice Summerfield: The Inside Story”. I was profoundly disappointed by that one because there’s a ton of behind-the-scenes detail, but what I really wanted was something that would provide synopses of all of Benny’s various adventures and give me an organized sense of her timeline.
It’s not bad or anything, it’s just not what I was hoping for. But if you like “The New Adventures: The Inside Story” this might appeal too.
7 Likes
I’ve only read a few, but I’ve enjoyed:
The Writer’s Tale by Russell T Davies (Incredibly insightful into script writing and RTD’s mind towards the series. Absolutely loved it)
Nightshade by Mark Gatiss (Gripping. Dreary. Wonderful atmosphere.)
Shada by Gareth Roberts (The only version of Shada I’ve experienced, and I loved it!)
The Myth Makers by Donald Cotton (I listened to the audiobook, and Stephen Thorne has the perfect voice for it. It’s the only way I’ve experienced this story too)
I intend to read many more, and indeed own a sizeable VNA collection and about 10 Target novels now! I’m meaning to get around to Love and War and The Day of the Doctor target novel!
10 Likes
I’ll have to look into that. I’m aware of the book but, because I’m not as familiar with the Benny audios, I never thought about getting it. But I do like behind-the-scenes stuff and it’s the sort of book that would probably encourage me to listen to more Benny.
3 Likes