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Doctor Who: Target Books #184
Doctor Who: Rogue
Earth’s Regency era – a time of culture, extravagance, sumptuous balls… and aliens?
While Ruby is a popular new addition to the Duchess of Pemberton’s ball, the Doctor’s world is about to be forever rocked by a dashing visitor from space. With many party-guests facing an identity crisis like no other, it is up to the Doctor and Ruby to stop the menacing Chuldurs’ plot.
Doctor Who presents a classic tale with an alien twist in a thrilling novelisation from the episode’s scriptwriters, Kate Herron and Briony Redman. Featuring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday.
While Ruby is a popular new addition to the Duchess of Pemberton’s ball, the Doctor’s world is about to be forever rocked by a dashing visitor from space. With many party-guests facing an identity crisis like no other, it is up to the Doctor and Ruby to stop the menacing Chuldurs’ plot.
Doctor Who presents a classic tale with an alien twist in a thrilling novelisation from the episode’s scriptwriters, Kate Herron and Briony Redman. Featuring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday.
216 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2024
18 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 20, 2024
"He couldn't lose anyone else. But he was ready to be the one who was lost"
Just finished. After a slightly "off" first chapter, which tried a bit too hard to emulate Douglas Adams, this novel became a thing of beauty, just like it's television counterpart.
It recreated and expanded the gorgeous relationship between the Doctor and Rogue, and had me in tears by the end. One of my favourites ❤️
Just finished. After a slightly "off" first chapter, which tried a bit too hard to emulate Douglas Adams, this novel became a thing of beauty, just like it's television counterpart.
It recreated and expanded the gorgeous relationship between the Doctor and Rogue, and had me in tears by the end. One of my favourites ❤️
November 30, 2024
WHY DID THE REMOVE THE CHEESE JOKE? Other than being appalled at that omission, this is easily the strongest of the 3 most recent novelizations, with bags of extra background to Rogue & his history prior to the episode, lots of fantastic extra observations from other characters, and even the odd amusing footnote. Wonderful stuff.
August 21, 2024
The episode I have been obsessing over since the costumes were revealed in May 2023. The episode I have continued to be obsessed with since it aired. The novelisation I was most anticipated for.
This lived up to my expectations and more. It was perfection and the extra detail about Rogue’s past and also where he ended up at the end of the story, with his hopes of seeing the Doctor again made me sob.
Beautiful. 5 stars. Kate and Bryony should write for Doctor Who again. ❤️
This lived up to my expectations and more. It was perfection and the extra detail about Rogue’s past and also where he ended up at the end of the story, with his hopes of seeing the Doctor again made me sob.
Beautiful. 5 stars. Kate and Bryony should write for Doctor Who again. ❤️
January 14, 2025
This episode was great and the novelization was was even better. I loved the supplemental scenes detailing the history of "Rogue." Given the chemistry between the Fifteenth Doctor and Rogue, I hope we see more of them in the next series.
August 12, 2024
TATTOO THIS ON THE INSIDE OF MY EYELIDS !!!
May 27, 2025
certainly tied with 73 Yards for my favorite episode of Fifteens first series. While not a Bridgeton viewer myself, I can appreciate the spin on the popular show and I just adore the Doctor and Rogue. I need them together again.
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August 12, 2024This is the first screen to book adaptation I've read and first Doctor Who book -
I enjoyed this quick read, it was nice to get more insight into my boy Rogue. The expansion on period drama references past Bridgerton were definitely an improvement and there were some altered moments of dialogue I thought worked well. Naturally I found myself grinning at all the romancy bits and I can't help but love Ruby.
The main pitfalls of the book I think are sticking too closely to the script, chapters are abrupt, the POV is allover the place and it barely wavers from the original scenes. Of course this is meant to be an adaption but I think it would have benefited from picking a couple of POVs to focus on even if that meant losing some scenes from the show, but expanding on them to fill in the gaps and add a bit more to the story. I'd have preferred to see the whole story from just Ruby and Rogues POVs, especially as I find Doctor Who is strongest when it's telling the companions story rather than the Doctors.
This is a fun read, but I don't think it would hold up against what I'm sure is a very healthy amount of fanfic to be found online
I enjoyed this quick read, it was nice to get more insight into my boy Rogue. The expansion on period drama references past Bridgerton were definitely an improvement and there were some altered moments of dialogue I thought worked well. Naturally I found myself grinning at all the romancy bits and I can't help but love Ruby.
The main pitfalls of the book I think are sticking too closely to the script, chapters are abrupt, the POV is allover the place and it barely wavers from the original scenes. Of course this is meant to be an adaption but I think it would have benefited from picking a couple of POVs to focus on even if that meant losing some scenes from the show, but expanding on them to fill in the gaps and add a bit more to the story. I'd have preferred to see the whole story from just Ruby and Rogues POVs, especially as I find Doctor Who is strongest when it's telling the companions story rather than the Doctors.
This is a fun read, but I don't think it would hold up against what I'm sure is a very healthy amount of fanfic to be found online
June 17, 2025
Normally I found these Target novelisations a bit of a struggle to get through but this one was genuinely such a fun read a made me appreciate this episode (which was already a favourite of mine) so much more.
August 8, 2024
I am obsessed
I have been obsessed with the Rogue episode ever sence it came out and the second I could I red the book and I could not be more satisfied. I got all the answers and sweet moments I wanted and more! The writing style is descriptive with an edge of humor to it and it fits the episode almost perfectly. Of course there are some small differences but that doesn't take away from the high quality story that is told through this book. 11/10
I have been obsessed with the Rogue episode ever sence it came out and the second I could I red the book and I could not be more satisfied. I got all the answers and sweet moments I wanted and more! The writing style is descriptive with an edge of humor to it and it fits the episode almost perfectly. Of course there are some small differences but that doesn't take away from the high quality story that is told through this book. 11/10
August 16, 2024
A tender, romantic episode is novelised without losing the tender romance, including more details about the Chuldur which helps beef up their threat. There are some lovely additions about Rogue's past and where he is left. Just write the follow-up episode already!
August 9, 2024
A trip to Regency England takes an unexpected twist when the Doctor discovers he's not the only alien attending the Duchess' party.
A bright and pacy novelisation of the story from 'Doctor Who'.
A bright and pacy novelisation of the story from 'Doctor Who'.
August 20, 2024
A faithful retelling with some added details in there to add to rogues character. Amazing. Loved it.
April 1, 2025
The book holds good representation of the episode itself, with additions regarding Rogue's history which are amazing and in some cases heartbreaking.
June 28, 2025
The playful Bridgerton-esque romp that gave Ncuti’s Doctor a gorgeous queer romance gets an even-more-playful novel extension from its original writers, and in the same vein as novelisations like The Day of the Doctor and The Crimson Horror it feels far more like an extended director’s cut of the episode rather than a mere retelling of the events; it’s especially noticeable with the character of Rogue himself who gets more expansion to his character, from the Bond-meets-McCoy-era opening sequence to the backstory of the previous boyfriend he lost, and how his sacrifice at the end is here not just an act of heroism from a man he has just met and loved but also him sparing him from the pain of loss that he himself went through (unaware perhaps of the Doctor’s own history of it). There’s even some chuckle-worthy footnotes and backstory that move the Chuldur past ‘generic threat’ but forget the cheese joke getting excluded, why did we not have the Shalka Doctor referenced alongside Fourteen and explained as a pre-Hartnell Doctor, this slander will not stand in my TARDIS!
June 8, 2025
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes the 15th Doctor! It goes deeper into Rogue as an episode and also Rogue as a character, we get to know a lot more about him than we do in the series. Ruby is also a lot more prominent in this book than in the episode, which I believe was a very good decision.
May 30, 2025
This episode really stuck out for me in the series and I’m glad they made the target books of the episodes to further explore the stories and give a different format to enjoy the media.
It’s an entertaining story and it does help that Rogue is such a lovable new character too and I think people will look forward to the moment that he makes another reappearance in the show. I enjoyed learning more about his backstory in this!
And Dan Starkey was a pure genius in narrating the audiobook and he was a true one man band when it came to giving a voice to each one of the characters and boy did he do them justice! He did a fab Ncuti doctor and had Rogue spot on. It was so easy to get into the audiobook as it was so well narrated.
It’s an entertaining story and it does help that Rogue is such a lovable new character too and I think people will look forward to the moment that he makes another reappearance in the show. I enjoyed learning more about his backstory in this!
And Dan Starkey was a pure genius in narrating the audiobook and he was a true one man band when it came to giving a voice to each one of the characters and boy did he do them justice! He did a fab Ncuti doctor and had Rogue spot on. It was so easy to get into the audiobook as it was so well narrated.
June 4, 2025
This was a really strong novelisation of the episode. It added some more interesting backstory to Rogue but kept the flow of the original episode. A fun read
November 14, 2024
Probably the best of the recent Fifteenth Doctor novelizations, as is fitting for being the only one written by the author(s) of the original episode in question. Kate Herron and Briony Redman tell just as thrilling a queer love story for the Doctor on the page as they did on the screen, and while we don't quite get the visual impact of the sumptuous Bridgerton-style setting and outfits -- or the audio of some well-placed Kylie Minogue -- it's overall the same fun romp giving way to ultimate tragedy.
Plotwise, we follow the Time Lord and his companion Ruby Sunday to a nineteenth-century ball doubling as the site of a shapeshifting alien invasion, where they get mixed up with a dashing bounty hunter stalking his latest target. The pseudonymous Rogue isn't the first one-off romantic partner for Doctor Who's lead, but he's a welcome step forward in representation for the franchise, engaging in a whirlwind and banter-filled flirtation that's nevertheless taken seriously by the script/novel and culminates in the two men sharing a passionate kiss. It's a thrill to read as well as watch, particularly with an eye towards how groundbreaking this sort of normative queerness could be for the show's future.
What elevates the prose version of this tale is the extra focus on Rogue himself, who's promoted to more of a viewpoint protagonist alongside the Doctor and Ruby. We are treated to additional backstory on him and the boyfriend he's lost, which both deepens the character and helps contextualize -- spoiler -- his sacrifice at the story's end. He isn't merely taking out the villains and coincidentally saving the life of someone he just met; he's consciously acting to spare his new love interest from experiencing the pain of loss that he's suffered so achingly himself. That's an element that's not really present in the episode that aired, and whether it was rescued from an earlier draft or belatedly worked in for this adaptation, it definitely strengthens the connection between the two star-crossed lovers.
(It's still silly that the Doctor doesn't seem to think it's especially urgent to find and rescue him afterwards, though. What's up with that?)
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Plotwise, we follow the Time Lord and his companion Ruby Sunday to a nineteenth-century ball doubling as the site of a shapeshifting alien invasion, where they get mixed up with a dashing bounty hunter stalking his latest target. The pseudonymous Rogue isn't the first one-off romantic partner for Doctor Who's lead, but he's a welcome step forward in representation for the franchise, engaging in a whirlwind and banter-filled flirtation that's nevertheless taken seriously by the script/novel and culminates in the two men sharing a passionate kiss. It's a thrill to read as well as watch, particularly with an eye towards how groundbreaking this sort of normative queerness could be for the show's future.
What elevates the prose version of this tale is the extra focus on Rogue himself, who's promoted to more of a viewpoint protagonist alongside the Doctor and Ruby. We are treated to additional backstory on him and the boyfriend he's lost, which both deepens the character and helps contextualize -- spoiler -- his sacrifice at the story's end. He isn't merely taking out the villains and coincidentally saving the life of someone he just met; he's consciously acting to spare his new love interest from experiencing the pain of loss that he's suffered so achingly himself. That's an element that's not really present in the episode that aired, and whether it was rescued from an earlier draft or belatedly worked in for this adaptation, it definitely strengthens the connection between the two star-crossed lovers.
(It's still silly that the Doctor doesn't seem to think it's especially urgent to find and rescue him afterwards, though. What's up with that?)
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
--Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6...
--Or click here to browse through all my reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog
May 30, 2025
Normally, a book that is a tie-in to a movie or a show doesn't add much besides maybe a little of expanding on certain scenes. This book builds on the character of Rogue. Brilliant move to do that, it really makes this book go from average to great
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2025
An enjoyable adaption that I found better than the episode it was based on. I particularly liked the segments when it narrative or notes break the fourth wall.
August 30, 2024
Rogue was my favourite episode of Ncuti Gatwa's first season as the Doctor and Rogue himself was my favourite "minor" character of the season so I may be a little bias but the book is so much better than I expected it to be.
Rather than telling us the episode exactly the novel makes the story of the episode its own. Rogue as a character is built upon, given his own chapters focusing on his thoughts and experiences. Rogue's past is also explored, introducing us to Art, the late lover who was only briefly alluded to in the episode. All this has only solidified Rogue as one of my favourite Doctor Who characters in general. I hope to see him return in novel or comic form at least, if not in future episodes.
The focus on Emily is also heartwrenching as it really puts the genuine tragedy of herself and the horrors of what the Chuldur do into perspective.
The writing style is also wonderful. Easy to read and containing the perfect amount of almost Douglas Adams level humour that compliments the inherent campiness that Doctor Who has always had. The book also holds onto the Historical Drama themes well, flowing naturally between that and Science Fiction.
Overall a fantastic retelling of one of my favourite episodes of one of my favourite shows.
I'll just end it with one thing: Find him.
Rather than telling us the episode exactly the novel makes the story of the episode its own. Rogue as a character is built upon, given his own chapters focusing on his thoughts and experiences. Rogue's past is also explored, introducing us to Art, the late lover who was only briefly alluded to in the episode. All this has only solidified Rogue as one of my favourite Doctor Who characters in general. I hope to see him return in novel or comic form at least, if not in future episodes.
The focus on Emily is also heartwrenching as it really puts the genuine tragedy of herself and the horrors of what the Chuldur do into perspective.
The writing style is also wonderful. Easy to read and containing the perfect amount of almost Douglas Adams level humour that compliments the inherent campiness that Doctor Who has always had. The book also holds onto the Historical Drama themes well, flowing naturally between that and Science Fiction.
Overall a fantastic retelling of one of my favourite episodes of one of my favourite shows.
I'll just end it with one thing: Find him.
February 2, 2025
I'm still on the fence regarding Russell T Davis's second stint as Doctor Who showrunner. I'm totally behind everything he seems to be trying to do but I'm not totally sure the execution is succeeding.
It could well be, as a 50-year old fan, I'm not RTD's target audience, and that's totally fine. I'm still watching and learning what new Doctor Who can be.
Be I am very much not on the fence with the most recent batch of new Target novelisations. All of them, particularly this version of Rogue, have been thoroughly enjoyable.
I believe this is Herron and Redman's first book but you would never know it. It confidently takes the quirky story we saw on TV and elevates it to a wonderfully camp, funny and often thrilling romp with a few good solid tugs on the heart-strings.
Highly recommended.
It could well be, as a 50-year old fan, I'm not RTD's target audience, and that's totally fine. I'm still watching and learning what new Doctor Who can be.
Be I am very much not on the fence with the most recent batch of new Target novelisations. All of them, particularly this version of Rogue, have been thoroughly enjoyable.
I believe this is Herron and Redman's first book but you would never know it. It confidently takes the quirky story we saw on TV and elevates it to a wonderfully camp, funny and often thrilling romp with a few good solid tugs on the heart-strings.
Highly recommended.
December 11, 2024
I loved this. I didn’t rewatch the episode beforehand because I was hoping that the book would refresh without seeming tired, but it gives a whole lot more. Unlike The Star Beast, which was obviously written off an early script (complete with clunky transphobia lines, a lack of subtlety in the end sequence, a crap fan service white guy as bad padding and very little more), this is a really fresh version of the episode, full of the spirit of the episode, cracking romance, great lines and playful side swipes at gender and nerd culture. A great, glowing read, just like the Doctor and Rogue. Chef’s kiss.
February 18, 2025
“Let’s argue across the stars.”
This was a sneaky quick read as I started this on a train back in January and wanted to get it finished before I started my next one, and it was just as good, if not better, than the episode it was based on.
I loved the episode when it aired, Ncuti and Jonathan were spectacular, and reading this just made me love their interactions even more.
This also delved more into Rogue’s background which was great to explore, and had genuinely been one of my only criticisms of the episode (even though I knew it was due to time constraints).
All in all, a pretty easy and enjoyable read, and we love a doomed gay romance! 💙
This was a sneaky quick read as I started this on a train back in January and wanted to get it finished before I started my next one, and it was just as good, if not better, than the episode it was based on.
I loved the episode when it aired, Ncuti and Jonathan were spectacular, and reading this just made me love their interactions even more.
This also delved more into Rogue’s background which was great to explore, and had genuinely been one of my only criticisms of the episode (even though I knew it was due to time constraints).
All in all, a pretty easy and enjoyable read, and we love a doomed gay romance! 💙
September 15, 2024
A really nice adaptation of one of my favourite episode of this season. It’s a quick and easy read, perfect to share with younger fans as well (my 2 sons already want to read it)
I love that we get to see more of Rogue’s life, learn more about his and Art’s life. And I always like how those adaptations have little differences from what was shot in the end, showing you last minute changes that were made before filming ^^ (I’m glad they changed the pond scene here for example)
And the ending broke my heart a second time! ❤️
I love that we get to see more of Rogue’s life, learn more about his and Art’s life. And I always like how those adaptations have little differences from what was shot in the end, showing you last minute changes that were made before filming ^^ (I’m glad they changed the pond scene here for example)
And the ending broke my heart a second time! ❤️
August 16, 2024
Herron and Redman’s adaptation of their original TV script adds a lot of depth to what was an otherwise lovely Doctor Who romp. It’s a faithful retelling of the TV episode, to be sure, but it adds a ton of extra backstory to Rogue. Here, you really understand his tragedy and it’s a lot easier to understand his connection with the Doctor. Overall, a fun romp with a really lovely emotional core - easily one of the better Target novelizations as of late.
August 13, 2024
Enjoyable retelling of the episode by the writers themselves. Doesn't expand much on the plot beyond giving Rogue a little more backstory, but it was entertaining nonetheless, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the episode.
August 15, 2024
Excellently queer and scattered with innuendo 👌 Easy to read, found it impossible to put down.
This was my favourite episode of Ncuti’s first season and showed off his acting skills playing against Johnathon Groff (who I have LOVED since Glee), it had everything, and the book did not disappoint!
This was my favourite episode of Ncuti’s first season and showed off his acting skills playing against Johnathon Groff (who I have LOVED since Glee), it had everything, and the book did not disappoint!
August 15, 2024
The best Target novelisations are the ones that get to flesh out the TV story and Rogue does this in spades as we get to explore Rogue’s life before he meets the Doctor, the background of the Chuldur and a few Pratchett-esque footnotes to chuckle at.
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September 19, 2024Wonderful Rogue backstory, details of his fate, another Houdini reference and a Douglas Adams homage. Dan Starkey is a very talented narrator, able to do serviceable voices for most characters and some entertaining ones for the rest. More than a retelling and well worth a read/listen.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews