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Doctor Who Puffin Crossovers #8
Doctor Who: Dracula!
A vampire is on the loose!
On what they hope is going to be a holiday, the Doctor and his companions arrive in a quiet, unassuming seaside town called Whitby.
The terrible significance of the place evades them, until they happen upon a theatre production that captivates their attention . . .
Dracula!
Suddenly, murders are occurring left, right and centre, each victim with trademark puncture wounds on their neck. Ian is soon missing, and a town shrouded in myth and legend is beginning to live up to its name.
Clearly there is a Dracula at large. But the TARDIS team quickly realise: you can never trust a vampire . . .
On what they hope is going to be a holiday, the Doctor and his companions arrive in a quiet, unassuming seaside town called Whitby.
The terrible significance of the place evades them, until they happen upon a theatre production that captivates their attention . . .
Dracula!
Suddenly, murders are occurring left, right and centre, each victim with trademark puncture wounds on their neck. Ian is soon missing, and a town shrouded in myth and legend is beginning to live up to its name.
Clearly there is a Dracula at large. But the TARDIS team quickly realise: you can never trust a vampire . . .
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 3, 2025
It’s 1901. The first doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan arrive in the usually quiet seaside town of Whitby. But it’s not so quiet now. A body has been found. The victim has puncture wounds in her neck and has been drained of blood. The people are sure of it: he is back.
Meanwhile in the local opera house, a play is breaking all the records. It’s a full house every night. And yet the man in charge of the opera house is not celebrating the success, he’s feeling guilty. Because the name of the play is The Legend of Dracula.
The atmosphere is on point, making the whole setting quite spooky. There are also plenty of references to Dracula and Van Helsing. And I like how the play introduces us readers to the original story, especially for those like me who haven’t read the original yet. This makes it easier to understand some of the references without taking us out of the story at hand.
It’s at heart an easy and not too heavy or too scary Halloween read. It’s an atmospheric mystery story with some horror influences. And it’s executed well. Even though I’m not that big a fan of vampire stories in general, this still ended up being a solid and enjoyable read.
Meanwhile in the local opera house, a play is breaking all the records. It’s a full house every night. And yet the man in charge of the opera house is not celebrating the success, he’s feeling guilty. Because the name of the play is The Legend of Dracula.
The atmosphere is on point, making the whole setting quite spooky. There are also plenty of references to Dracula and Van Helsing. And I like how the play introduces us readers to the original story, especially for those like me who haven’t read the original yet. This makes it easier to understand some of the references without taking us out of the story at hand.
It’s at heart an easy and not too heavy or too scary Halloween read. It’s an atmospheric mystery story with some horror influences. And it’s executed well. Even though I’m not that big a fan of vampire stories in general, this still ended up being a solid and enjoyable read.
September 15, 2025
Smashing! Really enjoyable. I don’t consume much 1st Doctor era stuff but this was a very good read.
April 10, 2026
Se lía bastante en cierto punto, con muchos personajes hablando mucho muy quietos y muy juntos cuando deberíamos haber tenido algo más liviano, en mi opinión.
Ojalá hubiese sido con 6.
Pienso for the Vivabendys.
Ojalá hubiese sido con 6.
Pienso for the Vivabendys.
November 14, 2025
Could have been ripped from the screen. An excellent representation of the First Doctor. Six stars if you are a Doctor Who and Brenda and Effie fan, which you should be.
October 2, 2025
I haven't previously shown much interest in the Puffin Classic Crossovers range for the Doctor Who book line, but when they announced two novels based on Dracula and Frankenstein, I knew I had to give these recent novels a go. The 1st Doctor versus Dracula? Sign me up!
It's 1901, and it's been ten years since Dracula terrified the small town of Whitby out of their wits. The Tardis crew have arrived, the Doctor thinking he's finally got Ian and Barbara back home, but when they see how old-fashioned everything is, they're close to his friends' time, but still too far. Recently, disturbing events have occurred: people have been murdered, their bodies drained of blood and, worst of all, a stage play on Dracula is being performed at the nearby theatre. Van Helsing has returned to finish the job, but has Dracula really returned, or is it something far more terrifying?
Paul Magrs using this novel as a way to make the events of Dracula actually canon to the Whoniverse is both an insane and a surprisingly welcome edition. This felt like a genuine Past Doctor Adventure and despite a bit of silliness and charm, it makes for a very creepy and atmospheric read filled with blood and violence. The author's portrayal of the characters was brilliant, the threat was terrifying, and I loved the little tidbits about The Dark Times from the 1st Doctor.
Overall: An incredible novel that was exciting, scary and, most of all, fun. Paul Magrs has knocked it out of the park again! 10/10
It's 1901, and it's been ten years since Dracula terrified the small town of Whitby out of their wits. The Tardis crew have arrived, the Doctor thinking he's finally got Ian and Barbara back home, but when they see how old-fashioned everything is, they're close to his friends' time, but still too far. Recently, disturbing events have occurred: people have been murdered, their bodies drained of blood and, worst of all, a stage play on Dracula is being performed at the nearby theatre. Van Helsing has returned to finish the job, but has Dracula really returned, or is it something far more terrifying?
Paul Magrs using this novel as a way to make the events of Dracula actually canon to the Whoniverse is both an insane and a surprisingly welcome edition. This felt like a genuine Past Doctor Adventure and despite a bit of silliness and charm, it makes for a very creepy and atmospheric read filled with blood and violence. The author's portrayal of the characters was brilliant, the threat was terrifying, and I loved the little tidbits about The Dark Times from the 1st Doctor.
Overall: An incredible novel that was exciting, scary and, most of all, fun. Paul Magrs has knocked it out of the park again! 10/10
September 24, 2025
This is tasty, cozy gothic as opposed to out-and-out chills...and while it's not exactly an electrifying tale, it is one with massive bags of atmosphere while using the Stoker story as an jumping-off point, rather than as a straighforward riff on a familiar tale. I particularly enjoyed Susan having a bit of a fancy for Van Helsing Junior.
November 27, 2025
As a series. Doctor Who is no stranger to riffs and adaptations. Stories such as The Brain of Morbius which jumped off of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein or Christmas specials that brought in elements of Charles Dickens or C.S. Lewis in Modern Who, to name but a handful of examples. Puffin has spent the last few years having various authors following suit in a more explicit fashion with TARDIS crews from throughout the series history popping up in new versions of literary classics. The latest (and potentially final) entry in the range is such a natural fit that one’s surprised it didn’t happen much sooner: Dracula! (yes, the exclamation point is part of the title!).
Paul Magrs, who has a long list of Who writing credits behind him in various media and penned previous books in this same Puffin range, has an interesting premise to play with. Bram Stoker’s novel, after all, has become a classic with countless adaptations and crossovers. In doing this Doctor Who version, Magrs could have taken a couple of different approaches that those penning encounters between the Count and Sherlock Holmes have done in the past. The first is, like Loren D. Estleman with Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula, is to drop the Doctor and their companions into Stoker’s novel between scenes and acting as unseen influences upon the novel’s events. The other, which David Stuart Davies did with Sherlock Holmes and the Tangled Skein (itself adapted by Big Finish with modern voice of the Daleks Nicholas Brigg as Holmes), is to drop the vampire into another franchise to see how the characters react to his presence. Which approach did Magrs take here?
A path between them. One which sees the appearance of characters and elements from Stoker’s novel as part of the novel (notably Van Helsing and the Gothic parts of the town of Whitby) mixed in with at least some version of the novel’s events having occurred in-universe a decade before. Magrs also keeps in mind the show’s own encounters with and mythology around the creatures of the night, incorporating it as part of the narrative, something which allows him to also do his own spin on Stoker’s novel. It’s an interesting path to take, one that simultaneously pays tribute to the novel and its adaptations but not being slavish to it, allowing this to stand on its own.
There’s also the TARDIS crew appearing in the novel. The original 1963-4 TARDIS team is iconic, but perhaps surprising to appear in what is (notionally at least) a series aimed at young adult readers. How many tweens are watching 1960s Doctor Who is anyone’s guess! Magrs use of them here, for this longtime fan of the series at keast, works splendidly. Everyone has something to contribute to the narrative and often gets paired off with another character for portions of it (The Doctor with Van Helsing, Susan with Van Helsing’s nephew, Bernard, and Barbara with a stranger she encounters later on in the novel). In proper sixties fashion, Ian vanishes for the equivalent of a TV episode, as if to allow the late William Russell a week off! Though, to Magrs credit, he finds a compelling reason in-story for why that would take place. Each of them feels present and correct, including scenes that feel tailor made to Hartnell’s Doctor toward the novel’s end. It’s an impeccable pastiche of the first TARDIS crew and a highlight of Dracula! as a fun read.
Fun, but not perfect. Being aimed at a young adult audience does mean that there’s only so far that the actual horror can be depicted on the page, which can be frustrating when you’re reading a riff on a classic horror novel. Magrs does well for the most part, but the events at the novel’s climax are perhaps undermined by how little the novel can show what’s happening. The reveal of the novel’s villain and the final showdown is rather rushed, realizations and connections only made in the literary equivalent of a split second before its back to action. It’s a shame because the eventual villain and their connection to the infamous Count are intriguing, but not wheere Magrs can develop them to their full effectiveness. Something which might have taken a good read and made something that little bit more.
Even so, Dracula! offers up a Doctor Who crossover of sorts that you didn’t know you needed until you read it. One that neatly builds a version of Stoker’s novel into the show’s universe alongside a first rate pastiche of the original Classic Who TARDIS crew. Not to mention a good read that not only the target audience but longtime grown-up fans of Doctor Who can sink their teeth into.
Paul Magrs, who has a long list of Who writing credits behind him in various media and penned previous books in this same Puffin range, has an interesting premise to play with. Bram Stoker’s novel, after all, has become a classic with countless adaptations and crossovers. In doing this Doctor Who version, Magrs could have taken a couple of different approaches that those penning encounters between the Count and Sherlock Holmes have done in the past. The first is, like Loren D. Estleman with Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula, is to drop the Doctor and their companions into Stoker’s novel between scenes and acting as unseen influences upon the novel’s events. The other, which David Stuart Davies did with Sherlock Holmes and the Tangled Skein (itself adapted by Big Finish with modern voice of the Daleks Nicholas Brigg as Holmes), is to drop the vampire into another franchise to see how the characters react to his presence. Which approach did Magrs take here?
A path between them. One which sees the appearance of characters and elements from Stoker’s novel as part of the novel (notably Van Helsing and the Gothic parts of the town of Whitby) mixed in with at least some version of the novel’s events having occurred in-universe a decade before. Magrs also keeps in mind the show’s own encounters with and mythology around the creatures of the night, incorporating it as part of the narrative, something which allows him to also do his own spin on Stoker’s novel. It’s an interesting path to take, one that simultaneously pays tribute to the novel and its adaptations but not being slavish to it, allowing this to stand on its own.
There’s also the TARDIS crew appearing in the novel. The original 1963-4 TARDIS team is iconic, but perhaps surprising to appear in what is (notionally at least) a series aimed at young adult readers. How many tweens are watching 1960s Doctor Who is anyone’s guess! Magrs use of them here, for this longtime fan of the series at keast, works splendidly. Everyone has something to contribute to the narrative and often gets paired off with another character for portions of it (The Doctor with Van Helsing, Susan with Van Helsing’s nephew, Bernard, and Barbara with a stranger she encounters later on in the novel). In proper sixties fashion, Ian vanishes for the equivalent of a TV episode, as if to allow the late William Russell a week off! Though, to Magrs credit, he finds a compelling reason in-story for why that would take place. Each of them feels present and correct, including scenes that feel tailor made to Hartnell’s Doctor toward the novel’s end. It’s an impeccable pastiche of the first TARDIS crew and a highlight of Dracula! as a fun read.
Fun, but not perfect. Being aimed at a young adult audience does mean that there’s only so far that the actual horror can be depicted on the page, which can be frustrating when you’re reading a riff on a classic horror novel. Magrs does well for the most part, but the events at the novel’s climax are perhaps undermined by how little the novel can show what’s happening. The reveal of the novel’s villain and the final showdown is rather rushed, realizations and connections only made in the literary equivalent of a split second before its back to action. It’s a shame because the eventual villain and their connection to the infamous Count are intriguing, but not wheere Magrs can develop them to their full effectiveness. Something which might have taken a good read and made something that little bit more.
Even so, Dracula! offers up a Doctor Who crossover of sorts that you didn’t know you needed until you read it. One that neatly builds a version of Stoker’s novel into the show’s universe alongside a first rate pastiche of the original Classic Who TARDIS crew. Not to mention a good read that not only the target audience but longtime grown-up fans of Doctor Who can sink their teeth into.
March 20, 2026
Doctor Who and Dracula???
These are a few of my favorite things......
The First Doctor,along with his granddaughter Susan,and their companions Barbara and Ian, land in 1901 Whitby. Barbara and Ian were hoping to be back in their time, but unfortunately,they are about 60 years too early.
The group decides to take a bit of a rest in the small town,and soon find themselves in a mystery.
A play about Dracula is being performed nightly, and people are ending up dead each night, with puncture marks and drained of blood.....
Is it really a vampire? Could it be Dracula?
If you keep in mind this is the First Doctor, and that you won't see some of the things you've grown accustomed to in a Doctor Who story, it is very good.
Very enjoyable and a bit surprising to me at least,in where the story went.
These are a few of my favorite things......
The First Doctor,along with his granddaughter Susan,and their companions Barbara and Ian, land in 1901 Whitby. Barbara and Ian were hoping to be back in their time, but unfortunately,they are about 60 years too early.
The group decides to take a bit of a rest in the small town,and soon find themselves in a mystery.
A play about Dracula is being performed nightly, and people are ending up dead each night, with puncture marks and drained of blood.....
Is it really a vampire? Could it be Dracula?
If you keep in mind this is the First Doctor, and that you won't see some of the things you've grown accustomed to in a Doctor Who story, it is very good.
Very enjoyable and a bit surprising to me at least,in where the story went.
February 4, 2026
I realise for all the adaptations (across all media) I've got on board with, I've never actually read the original.
Anyhow, this was great. I liked how Dracula and all the mythology was wrapped up in a sci-fi/Doctor Who bundle.
The characterisation was superb.
Anyhow, this was great. I liked how Dracula and all the mythology was wrapped up in a sci-fi/Doctor Who bundle.
The characterisation was superb.
October 5, 2025
Part of the subseries of Who books which tie-in to famous stories/literature (Wizard of Oz, Robin Hood, Treasure Island, etcetera), this book features the First Doctor (William Hartnell) and his original companions Susan, Barbara and Ian. Arriving in Whitby, Yorkshire in 1901, the TARDIS travellers find the town gearing-up to celebrate Halloween as a series of mysterious murders have begun happening.
Okay, so it's vampires. Let's not kid ourselves or beat around the bush; there's no twist that it's secretly alien fish people or something like that, they're actual vampires.
What you have to remember, however, is that vampires have been a part of Who lore since Tom Baker's era, so whilst some might find the supernatural elements in a science fiction series jarring (for example, I certainly did in Ncuti Gatwa's era), here is actually fits in pretty well. To begin with, how the vampiric shenanigans are revealed seems a bit hammy, but it would've been twice as bad if we'd had hammy vampires and then get told, actually it's killer robots pretending to be hammy vampires!
Where this book excels is in the setting of the scene. I've spend some time in Whitby (even went on an after-dark ghost tour) and Magrs does a wonderful job of conveying how the charming fishing town takes on an intriguing mysteriousness after the sun sets. Combined with things like a graveyard crumbling into the sea and the bones of Whitby Abbey dominating the skyline and it's easy to see why the place inspired Bram Stoker. All of this is something that Magrs takes full advantage of.
This is no great work of literature, to be sure, but it is a fun and atmospheric adventure for the Doctor in his early(ish) days of adventuring. There are some surprises to be had regarding the personalities introduced (are they/aren't they) and I rather enjoyed the unlikely, but really quite fitting, team-up of the First Doctor and Professor Abraham Van Helsing.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
Okay, so it's vampires. Let's not kid ourselves or beat around the bush; there's no twist that it's secretly alien fish people or something like that, they're actual vampires.
What you have to remember, however, is that vampires have been a part of Who lore since Tom Baker's era, so whilst some might find the supernatural elements in a science fiction series jarring (for example, I certainly did in Ncuti Gatwa's era), here is actually fits in pretty well. To begin with, how the vampiric shenanigans are revealed seems a bit hammy, but it would've been twice as bad if we'd had hammy vampires and then get told, actually it's killer robots pretending to be hammy vampires!
Where this book excels is in the setting of the scene. I've spend some time in Whitby (even went on an after-dark ghost tour) and Magrs does a wonderful job of conveying how the charming fishing town takes on an intriguing mysteriousness after the sun sets. Combined with things like a graveyard crumbling into the sea and the bones of Whitby Abbey dominating the skyline and it's easy to see why the place inspired Bram Stoker. All of this is something that Magrs takes full advantage of.
This is no great work of literature, to be sure, but it is a fun and atmospheric adventure for the Doctor in his early(ish) days of adventuring. There are some surprises to be had regarding the personalities introduced (are they/aren't they) and I rather enjoyed the unlikely, but really quite fitting, team-up of the First Doctor and Professor Abraham Van Helsing.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
October 14, 2025
A fantastic insertion of The Doctor into the Dracula mythos. Never gets out of Whitby, but having spent time there earlier this year, that particularly appealed to me. The best of these DOCTOR WHO/literary mash-ups I’ve read so far.
October 11, 2025
Rating 3.5
Enjoyable cosy style horror story featuring the original tardis crew.
Quick easy read
Enjoyable cosy style horror story featuring the original tardis crew.
Quick easy read
March 15, 2026
The ‘Doctor Who/classic novel mash-up’ range has been something on my radar ever since it gained traction over the last few years, and with the last two being horror-focused before it apparently came to an end this year I may as well dive in, going backwards through my read-through of all eight. Which turns out to be a huge blessing since Paul Magrs’ romp of the original ‘63 TARDIS crew fighting against vampires including the old Count himself is the most fun I’ve had with an original Who novel in years (minus The Decades Collection), so awash with Gothic horror vibes and packed to the seams with set-pieces that Philip Hinchcliffe would revel in if he ever did a vampire-driven story ie the army attacking the Halloween party at the hotel. It even manages to integrate the Dracula story into the Who mythos in a clever way instead of the cheaper route of ‘the Doctor and co enter a fictional universe where Dracula is real!’. Hope I haven’t done the peak of this series by accident and the other seven end up being lesser by comparison!
September 20, 2025
Dracula is my favourite literary work and Doctor Who is my favourite franchise, so I'm absolutely in love with this crossover. In many ways, in fact, this story acts as a sequel to Stoker's original novel.
Paul Magrs is a veteran Doctor Who author, so he's certainly more than capable of writing compelling Who fiction no problem, and to add to the high quality narrative of this book, he characterises the first TARDIS team perfectly and gives each character an equal amount of attention.
The way Margs channels the same themes of suspense and sensuality as Stoker himself did is a real credit to his talent as an author.
While it does suck that this Puffin crossovers range has to end, this is a more than suitable read to end the range on. The only drawback is not much happens around the middle 50-ish pages of the book, but otherwise it's very entertaining.
Paul Magrs is a veteran Doctor Who author, so he's certainly more than capable of writing compelling Who fiction no problem, and to add to the high quality narrative of this book, he characterises the first TARDIS team perfectly and gives each character an equal amount of attention.
The way Margs channels the same themes of suspense and sensuality as Stoker himself did is a real credit to his talent as an author.
While it does suck that this Puffin crossovers range has to end, this is a more than suitable read to end the range on. The only drawback is not much happens around the middle 50-ish pages of the book, but otherwise it's very entertaining.
September 21, 2025
The TARDIS lands in Whitby, early 20th century. The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan go to see the Dracula play and meet Van Helsing and his nephew Bernard.
It becomes obvious fairly early on that Bram Stoker's famous novel isn't fiction, it's a history book. Dracula did visit Whitby, Van Helsing did chase him.
Now, in the shadow of the play and All Hallow's, it looks like vampirism is back.
And Barbara meets Alucard, a friend or foe?
This is part of the children's series of Doctor Who novels, so I wasn't sure how author Paul Magrs would end this story, but he did it perfectly.
There's enough for adult Doctor Who fans to enjoy as well. 9/10
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent.
It becomes obvious fairly early on that Bram Stoker's famous novel isn't fiction, it's a history book. Dracula did visit Whitby, Van Helsing did chase him.
Now, in the shadow of the play and All Hallow's, it looks like vampirism is back.
And Barbara meets Alucard, a friend or foe?
This is part of the children's series of Doctor Who novels, so I wasn't sure how author Paul Magrs would end this story, but he did it perfectly.
There's enough for adult Doctor Who fans to enjoy as well. 9/10
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent.
September 11, 2025
I might be in the minority but I enjoy the First Doctor stories with Barbara and Ian. And Paul Magrs seemed to get their characters just right.
I also really liked what he did with the Dracula story. Having a contrite Dracula turned this from just another horror story to a redemptive story. Contrast Dracula’s remorse with Van Helsing’s unrelenting drive to kill all vampires made me question motives and hearts and vengeance. It made me question who’s right and who’s wrong. There was even one moment I felt sorry for Muriel, when it was revealed she was a victim of Dracula in the 1890’s.
I also really liked what he did with the Dracula story. Having a contrite Dracula turned this from just another horror story to a redemptive story. Contrast Dracula’s remorse with Van Helsing’s unrelenting drive to kill all vampires made me question motives and hearts and vengeance. It made me question who’s right and who’s wrong. There was even one moment I felt sorry for Muriel, when it was revealed she was a victim of Dracula in the 1890’s.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2025
Whitby, 1901, and the TARDIS lands just before Halloween. Deciding to take a small break from his adventures, the Doctor soon finds himself wrapped up in an adventure with Abraham van Helsing, who fears that vampires have returned to the town where Dracula first appeared.
A fun, atmospheric story, which Magrs has littered with in jokes and references to the wider universe of both 'Dracula' and 'Doctor Who'. As ever, though, I question the suitability of vampires in a children's adventure.
A fun, atmospheric story, which Magrs has littered with in jokes and references to the wider universe of both 'Dracula' and 'Doctor Who'. As ever, though, I question the suitability of vampires in a children's adventure.
September 30, 2025
Absolutely loved this gothic romp. A great atmospheric mash-up with the First Doctor and Dracula. Some nice touches for Susan too.
May 7, 2026
Doctor Who: Dracula!, by English author Paul Magrs, is the eighth and last title included in the Doctor Who Puffin Crossovers series. The story features the First Doctor and his companions Susan, Barbara and Ian, who are inadvertently transported by the TARDIS to the seaside town of Whitby.
As readers would know, in Bram Stoker’s renowned 1897 novel Dracula, Whitby, in North Yorkshire, England, is the town terrorised by Count Dracula after his ship runs aground on the shore below the East Cliff on the 8th of August.
In his novel, Stoker did not specify in which year the vampire descended on Whitby. But the author is known to have holidayed in that town in 1890, where he found the name “Dracula” in a book while visiting the local library.
It turns out that the Doctor and his companions have arrived in Whitby in 1901, ten years after a certain monster descended on the town and caused despicable madness and mayhem. Now the locals are getting worried because gruesome murders are once again occurring – and all the victims have puncture wounds on their necks.
As one of the townsfolk speculates, could it be someone deliberately copying a popular theatre production based on Stoker’s novel that is currently performing at the local opera house? “Either that, or these performances are summoning evil back to our shores!”
Treating the two stars from the theatre production as suspects, the Doctor teams up with the “dapper and elegant” Professor Abraham Van Helsing to investigate the mysteries. “Of course! Van Helsing! The vampire-hunter in the novel,” Ian thinks at one stage. “So, he was real!”
Thus ensues a thrilling adventure full of twists and turns, with fiction and “facts” overlapping each other in typical fast-paced and happily chaotic Doctor Who fashion. As multiple storylines converge in an epic climax, all our presumptions and prejudices are thrown out the window in the most charming way.
The story is absolutely, wonderfully well-written, somewhat silly yet highly satisfying, with plenty of suspense and creepy atmosphere, plus a modest amount of blood and violence that will soothe even the most fervent fans of vampire lores. There is no doubt that Stoker would be pleased.
The author does an awesome job blending make-believe and truth-telling, highlighting the notion that storytelling itself is a sort of TARDIS that transports readers across different timelines and dimensions. Stories, like dreams, are always “bigger on the inside”, and there are such enthralling adventures in there if we dare to explore them.
To this reviewer, who knows very little about the original Doctor Who series (1963-1989), it is interesting to note the non-existence of the sonic screwdriver. Instead of relying on exhilarating racing and chasing (think of the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, for example), the First Doctor uses his logic and wit to resolve conflicts and overcome unexpected challenges. Fascinating!
As readers would know, in Bram Stoker’s renowned 1897 novel Dracula, Whitby, in North Yorkshire, England, is the town terrorised by Count Dracula after his ship runs aground on the shore below the East Cliff on the 8th of August.
In his novel, Stoker did not specify in which year the vampire descended on Whitby. But the author is known to have holidayed in that town in 1890, where he found the name “Dracula” in a book while visiting the local library.
It turns out that the Doctor and his companions have arrived in Whitby in 1901, ten years after a certain monster descended on the town and caused despicable madness and mayhem. Now the locals are getting worried because gruesome murders are once again occurring – and all the victims have puncture wounds on their necks.
As one of the townsfolk speculates, could it be someone deliberately copying a popular theatre production based on Stoker’s novel that is currently performing at the local opera house? “Either that, or these performances are summoning evil back to our shores!”
Treating the two stars from the theatre production as suspects, the Doctor teams up with the “dapper and elegant” Professor Abraham Van Helsing to investigate the mysteries. “Of course! Van Helsing! The vampire-hunter in the novel,” Ian thinks at one stage. “So, he was real!”
Thus ensues a thrilling adventure full of twists and turns, with fiction and “facts” overlapping each other in typical fast-paced and happily chaotic Doctor Who fashion. As multiple storylines converge in an epic climax, all our presumptions and prejudices are thrown out the window in the most charming way.
The story is absolutely, wonderfully well-written, somewhat silly yet highly satisfying, with plenty of suspense and creepy atmosphere, plus a modest amount of blood and violence that will soothe even the most fervent fans of vampire lores. There is no doubt that Stoker would be pleased.
The author does an awesome job blending make-believe and truth-telling, highlighting the notion that storytelling itself is a sort of TARDIS that transports readers across different timelines and dimensions. Stories, like dreams, are always “bigger on the inside”, and there are such enthralling adventures in there if we dare to explore them.
To this reviewer, who knows very little about the original Doctor Who series (1963-1989), it is interesting to note the non-existence of the sonic screwdriver. Instead of relying on exhilarating racing and chasing (think of the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, for example), the First Doctor uses his logic and wit to resolve conflicts and overcome unexpected challenges. Fascinating!
November 7, 2025
I don’t know how this book about the first Tardis team facing vampires was boring but it was.
It could be the fact that I’ve only had limited experience with these characters and this version of the Doctor. But from what I know of the characters they were written well it was the plot I had issues with.
It never really felt like they were properly in danger and I feel like this book summed up how I feel about some of the stories in this series by having the Doctor be confused about if parts of what they are dealing with a fictional or not. “First, it’s made-up, and then it’s real!”
Not the best example of what this collection can be like but I can’t say if it’s the worst out of all the others… just the worst one I’ve read so far.
It could be the fact that I’ve only had limited experience with these characters and this version of the Doctor. But from what I know of the characters they were written well it was the plot I had issues with.
It never really felt like they were properly in danger and I feel like this book summed up how I feel about some of the stories in this series by having the Doctor be confused about if parts of what they are dealing with a fictional or not. “First, it’s made-up, and then it’s real!”
Not the best example of what this collection can be like but I can’t say if it’s the worst out of all the others… just the worst one I’ve read so far.
November 18, 2025
En vrai c'est vla cool pour livre Doctor Who pour les gosses. Je veux pas avoir trop d'exigences sur le livre, j'en vois quand même quelques défauts.
Je trouve aussi que la question de la moralité du docteur, et est-ce que le docteur est une bonne personne revient beaucoup ces temps-ci, et même si je pense la question sous exploitée dans ce livre, elle est importante et mérite d'être posée. J'espere que Magrs ou un.e auteur.ice aura l'occasion de pousser plus loin l'emprise que le docteur peut avoir eu sur sa petite fille.
Je trouve aussi que la question de la moralité du docteur, et est-ce que le docteur est une bonne personne revient beaucoup ces temps-ci, et même si je pense la question sous exploitée dans ce livre, elle est importante et mérite d'être posée. J'espere que Magrs ou un.e auteur.ice aura l'occasion de pousser plus loin l'emprise que le docteur peut avoir eu sur sa petite fille.
April 30, 2026
A really fun spooky adventure with one of my favourite TARDIS teams.
Its really cool that Magrs was allowed to write gory and action based scenes for this novel considering the hartnell era would never have done this in the 60s.
I like how Barbara and Susan got to have a large chunk of the action in this story as usually Ian would take charge in the TV series, not hate to Ian its just nice to have a change.
Magrs captures The First Doctor's impatient and often rude personality perfectly but all the while keeping him likeable.
Its really cool that Magrs was allowed to write gory and action based scenes for this novel considering the hartnell era would never have done this in the 60s.
I like how Barbara and Susan got to have a large chunk of the action in this story as usually Ian would take charge in the TV series, not hate to Ian its just nice to have a change.
Magrs captures The First Doctor's impatient and often rude personality perfectly but all the while keeping him likeable.
November 21, 2025
I am really enjoying this series. In this one, the original TARDIS team ends up in the coastal town of Whitby. The town is going through a crisis, as there is a serial killer on the loose. I loved the spooky atmosphere and the inclusion of galactic vampires. The plot was well done, and the side characters were interesting and included some famous ones from Stoker's Dracula. I had a lot of fun with this story and can't wait to read more in this series.
December 2, 2025
Molt ben trobat. Sorprenentment dinàmic en tema acompanyants. Coneix bé l'obra original i el mite vampíric i fa servir-ho bé en una estructura whovian. Hi ha un parell de personatges que venen de Stoker que em grinyolen una mica, per com els vaig interpretar jo a l'obra original, però estrictament dins aquest llibre compleixen bé les seves funcions
December 28, 2025
A really enjoyable read. Very well written. Paul Magrs captured William Hartnell’s Doctor and all of his companions perfectly.
The other characters in the small town of Whitby were enjoyable in their own way.
I really loved the setting for the story.
The other characters in the small town of Whitby were enjoyable in their own way.
I really loved the setting for the story.
January 7, 2026
Really enjoyable book👌
April 25, 2026
Really good for a first doctor story.
October 31, 2025
I wasn't really enjoying this book, I felt it wasn't really going anywhere for me.
I also wasn't feeling in the mood to read.
maybe I will read this again another time.
i didn't Finnish this one.
I also wasn't feeling in the mood to read.
maybe I will read this again another time.
i didn't Finnish this one.
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