Doctor Who: In Wonderland

Doctor Who Puffin Crossovers #6

by Paul Magrs

Embark on a strange and enchanting adventure with old friends and familiar foes in this glorious crossover of Doctor Who and Alice in Wonderland.

The Doctor and his companions visit the dreaming spires of peaceful Oxford, hoping for a brief respite from their travels.

But when Lewis Carroll appears at a garden party and their fellow guests transform into animals, they realise that everything is not as it seems . . .

An unknown cosmic foe has trapped them in a twisted version of Alice’s Wonderland. Separated from the Tardis and from each other, their only hope of escape lies in cryptic clues teased by fan-favourite characters from Carroll’s classic tale.

Genres: Doctor Who, Time Travel, Science Fiction, Classics, Aliens, Fantasy

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 25, 2024

Reviews

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Black Guardian Vs Alice in Wonderland
If you have not read Lewis Carroll this is a tolt waste of time
Set after Mayded Undead this is a missing Black Guardian episode that in book form is better than could be in the 80s

[Charity Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well done bringing these worlds together

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the Doctor recognises Charles Dodgson at a garden party, a mysterious effect opens the realm of Wonderland to himself and his companions.

Magrs' writing in this short novel mixes 'Doctor Who' lore with Lewis Carroll's particularly odd brand of fantasy. A fun novel which is designed to encourage younger readers to open a classic novel of their own volition. There seems to be a lot of Magrs' Easter eggs to contend with (note, as an easy example, that the caterpillar wears a fez), making this a book which deserves to be read again.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never drank the Alice-in-Wonderland kool aid but I applaud the achievement of this mash-up with season 20, and at a particularly interesting point in the continuity -- talk about fanwankery at its most insidious. I love how Tulrough plays the spoil-sport here, acting as a poisonous greek chorus. I also appreciate how it all fits snugly into the wider story arc of that 1983 season. Well done.

[The Blind Bard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give this a poor review, but this was honestly a disappointment for me. Doctor Who meets Wonderland—that's a perfect combination and one which I've been wanting for years. But I found the book so boring, the Fifth Doctor was barely recognisable, the writing was clunky, the ending felt like a let down, and there wasn't much imagination. I liked the Dormouse, though.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun and sweet read. The author clearly knows these characters very well.

[Jon Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most flat out fun any Who book has been in years: Magrs brings the most vivid depiction of a Davison era team seen in Who literature and drops them into an imaginatively used Wonderland. If you’re not laughing at the way Magrs deploys the Black Guardian or the Jabberwocky you might well be in the family Grinch.

[Elio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was about 30 sticky buns worth of fun to read:)

[Xander Toner · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to read a Doctor Who novel that feels like you're being wrapped in a warm blanket, Paul Magrs' In Wonderland will do it for you. The book is just has this effortless polite charm and such a good sense of humour that it made for the most pleasant reading experience.

A skill that Magrs' really exceeds at is his writing for pre-existing characters. The dialogue for the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa and Turlough was uncannily spot on. Each individual character voice came through in such a vivid way across the entire book. With this being a story with a four person TARDIS team, its a wise move to focus on Turlough in the way that the story does. Yes, you get to see inside the thoughts of all four people, but Turlough is the real lynchpin of this story and the one seen in the most depth. The novel starts with his thoughts about the crew he's travelling with, and his conflicting opinions on everyone, and his mission set by the Black Guardian is shown throughout. It may feel one-note at times, but I think the book is varied enough where this never really becomes a problem.

The plot was interesting and passed by very quickly, never lingering on a particular scene or problem for too long, and I never felt overwhelmed despite the large amount of side characters involved. My lack of any nostalgia or knowledge for the works of Lewis Carroll, outside of the common public zeitgeist didn't diminish from my reading experience at all, nor did I feel like I wasn't clued in for any part of the story. Going in, I was a little apprehensive that in not knowing much about Alice in Wonderland, that I wouldn't have clue what was going in, but this really wasn't the case.

I think things did wrap themselves up a little quickly when it came to the conclusion, and if you're wanting wholly satisfying answers as to why the Doctor and company ended up in Wonderland in the first place, I don't think you'll quite get them. This isn't really the type of book that requires big convoluted Doctor Who explanations about why things are happening or what technobabble was used for them to escape. It coasts on its wit and charm, and I was very happy to let it do just that.

[Erin Curran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea of storybook crossovers for a series of Doctor Who novels. I've already been eyeing other books in the selection, particularly Nine and One's stories...

Alice in Wonderland was the perfect book for a story like this one, and I particularly enjoy exploring the worlds of Doctors who I haven't seen many episodes of. I've watched a handful of Peter Davison's stories, but not enough to be well versed on his era. Enough to understand the Adric was the original "haunt the narrative" character before Rose Tyler 😂

I found parts of the story confusing, as is the nature of Alice and Wonderland. I couldn't wrap my brain around what was going on at times, but not to the point where it ruined my reading experience.

Because I haven't watched many of 5's stories, I don't have much experience with Turlough as a companion-the only story I've watched with him in it is The Five Doctors. But man was he a nightmare to read. Always complaining and being nasty to everyone, was he like that in the show? I suppose it's possible he got nicer once the "kill the doctor" ploy was over with (I assume from my knowledge of the show that this would not be the last we see of his Guardian friend).

Nyssa was a delight though. I'd die for her, she's such a sweetheart.

[Pete Miles · Rating 1 out of 5]

You might as well just read Alice in Wonderland

This is barely a Doctor Who book, it's more a quick spin on Alice in Wonderland. There is nothing much beyond rehashing images from that and the story framing that is extremely slight. I found it tedious and predictable. The characters gate crashing Wonderland were occasionally reminiscent of the 5th Doctor and his companions, but they could mostly have been anyone. The book seems very lazy to me. If you are going to somehow allow the Doctor to cross over to a fantasy world based on a book, at least have something else to say other than just doing that. This just felt like stealing characters and images from someone else's book, without adding anything interesting. I had just 're-watched the Black Guardian trilogy when I saw this book and bought it as I thought it might conjure up some of the same atmosphere of that period. It doesnt.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4

An enjoyable mashup of Doctor Who and the Alice in Wonderland characters.
The characters of Doctor and companions from season 20 felt familiar whilst the addition of their inner thoughts added something for me at least.
It is quite a linear storyline that despite the various subplots for the companions, runs along pretty much as expected tbh for anyone familiar with the tv stories of the period which are all four parters.
Not sure how to describe it tbh but it was an entertaining story that also felt familiar in its construction. (More thought required once it has cogitated for a while)

It also felt familiar when read alongside another recent Who novel which featured the third doctor and jo grant getting trapped in a mythological/fictional story land. Wonder why the BBC books range published two similar ideas so close together.

Overall an enjoyable read and a definite recommendation.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is slotted in between ‘Mawdryn Undead’ and ‘Terminus’ and etches the characters perfectly. The forthright Tegan Jovanka, the sweet and trusting Nysa of Traken and the sneakily untrustworthy Turlough. Peter Davison’s Doctor strides through it all, full of boyish enthusiasm and uncertainty. This was the first mash-up of Doctor Who and a classic novel that I’ve read and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Wonderland retains its magical flavour. The ever-changing unreality moves the story on a pace. I loved the way Paul Magrs managed the balance between both genres. Allowing each to ‘hold their own’. Like reading ‘Alice in Wonderland’ there’s a poignancy about leaving at the end of the story. I look forward to reading Paul Magrs other entries in the Doctor Who mash-up series. ‘Josephine and the Argonauts’ and ‘The Return of Robin Hood’.

[Rollin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know I needed to read this until I did. I currently love the Fifth Doctor run, and though I am not the hugest fan of the Black Guardian plotline in the show, I still enjoyed this immensely. This brought up a couple things I never even thought about, mainly in the terms of Nyssa and Traken, the idea of them having giant butterfly's kind of freaks me out. And I am lowkey sad that Tegan didn't keep the Dormouse (The tea line made me tear up). Also in this books universe Divided Loyalties (Prose) happened.

I wish I knew more about Alice Adventure's in Wonderland, sadly most of my knowledge is from secondary sources like games. Still managed to follow along. Might be harder for someone with less knowledge on it.

[Bethany (Bethany and Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since I heard about this book, I’ve been excited to read it. If you’re a fan of the original story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland you’ll enjoy this book. It’s full of references to the original story and features a lot of classic characters and scenes.

I really liked as well, how it’s inserted into the TV show, like there’s an actual place!!

I did feel like the story was confusing to follow at times. I suppose that can be forgiven because that’s kind of the point in a Wonderland story. Things felt VERY random and things weren’t really explained.

It’s still a good read, however. If there were half start ratings, it would probably be a 3.5 so I rounded it up

[Macey · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think five is my favourite classic who doctor so its kind of a shame he looks like. that. anyways they should let dw writers loose on public domain stories more often this was quite fun it was cool how they got wonderland but also alice liddel & charles dogson / lewis caroll in there as well. BUT they missed a prime opportunity for teagen to say 'oh rabbits' though maybe that is a bit on the nose

also reading this reminded me how much i miss paper books :( paper books save me..... save me real physical book.....

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite TV show crosses over with one of my favorite books and it works beautifully.

Perfectly captures the feel of a 5th Doctor serial, makes great use of Who history and makes equally good use of Carroll's story and characters.
Everyone sounds right, while we also dig a little deeper into the Tardis crews history and personalities.

I was skeptical about this Doctor Who meets famous literary characters series, but this was a great place to start and I'm now looking forward to checking out more.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an easy target for this book as I love both DW and Alice in Wonderland. So it should come as no surprise that I ended up loving this. I quite enjoyed the chaos that ensued when the Doctor and his companions were drawn into the world of Wonderland. Loved that they got to meet not only Lewis Carroll but also Alice Liddell. It was also a hoot that the author kept calling Turlough shifty in various ways. All in all, very enjoyable.

[Sean Urry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet again Paul Magrs takes a classic tale and adds his special magic.
Definitely the right Tardis team to take to Wonderland and what a great story this would have been for the 5th Doctor if it was televised (with a much bigger budget than the BBC normally gave them !!)
Thanks Paul, another winner

[Alice Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, some very fun themes. If you've not seen Doctor Who or read Alice, it will probably go completely over your head, so a niche audience. But it was brilliantly fantastical and an easy read. I do think it went on a little long however.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun 5th Doctor story set after Mawdryn Undead. Its the first one I've read that fitted into the Black Guardian trilogy. I think you have to have more than a passing knowledge of Alice in Wonderland to appreciate all the jokes. The book is bizarre but in a good way, and very meta. A good read.

[Eliza Clara Hemming · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming little trip to Wonderland, perfectly suited to the breezy, oh-so-English Fifth Doctor. It ties in nicely to the Black Guardian saga, and the sequences with an older Alice are nicely done.

[Helen Marsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely tomorrow through wonderland.

[Joe Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

So easy to read, with some of the best characterisation you will read of these regulars and aping the mad, improvised, scattershot creativity of Lewis Carroll. Magrs in Wonderland is a gorgeous fit.

[Michael Mulloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting twist on Wonderland!

A long-time Who writer takes on Wonderland and doesn't disappoint. This is an entertaining All-Star tribute to one of the all-time classics.

[Brett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of my favourites in this “Doctor meets fictional character” series. Maybe the next one will be more to my liking.