What do you think?
Rate this book
Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #68
Doctor Who: Spectral Scream
When a psychic shriek for help nearly overwhelms the TARDIS, the Doctor and Belinda track the source to a distant planet. There they find a sentient, telepathic bioship named Adama and ragged colonists descended from the original crew. Adama is dying, and their spectral screams are growing strong enough to kill anyone in the vicinity.
When Adama crashed 100 years ago, it was with a great treasure on board, stolen from the ruthless Gangnax Imperium – technology that could either unite worlds or destroy them. If they are to save the bioship, the Doctor and Belinda must survive suspicious colonists, greedy bounty hunters and military forces determined to reclaim what’s theirs – before Adama’s final death throes destroy them all.
When Adama crashed 100 years ago, it was with a great treasure on board, stolen from the ruthless Gangnax Imperium – technology that could either unite worlds or destroy them. If they are to save the bioship, the Doctor and Belinda must survive suspicious colonists, greedy bounty hunters and military forces determined to reclaim what’s theirs – before Adama’s final death throes destroy them all.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 29, 2025
3 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Hannah Fergesen
2 books35 followersHannah Fergesen is a former literary agent who represented New York Times bestselling and award-nominated authors. Now, on the other side of the table, Hannah can be found exploring themes of grief, queerness, and self-acceptance through their own speculative fiction. The Infinite Miles is their first novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 3, 2025
“There is nothing that dancing can’t sort out. I didn’t always know that, but I do now.”
—
“She could go back to Earth, as scheduled, just in time to start her shift on the 24th, 7:30 AM. When she first got into the TARDIS back on Missbelindachandra I, all she wanted was for the Doctor to take her home. What was different now? Nothing. She didn’t owe the universe. It owed her! It owed her an entire planet. But what kind of nurse can ignore a cry for help, she thought. I won’t ignore someone’s suffering, not for anything.”
—
“Then she heard it. The strange and wonderful otherworldly racket that heralded the coming and going of an impossible time and space traveling blue box. Her heart leapt into her throat as she watched the police box materialize at the edge of the clearing, waiting for the door to open, for the light of the TARDIS to spill into the glade, haloing the man who fought with rebels and against the gods, the man who loved a good dance party and a sequined jumper, the man who was going to take her home.”
This book is proof that season 2 needed more diversity of writers and more episodes. In the show, the only character traits we get for Belinda is that she’s headstrong and has a desire to help people. We see her have fun sometimes, but we have no context for that. We don’t see her relationship with the Doctor grow in any meaningful way (no, the 30 second scene in Lux where he rapid-fire explains his history and she sort of feels bad for him doesn’t count), so there’s no reason to believe that she enjoys traveling with him. In fact, quite the opposite. But in the first couple chapters of this book, we see Belinda letting herself have fun so that she can let herself recharge. She takes the opportunity to dance even in the face of a terrible reality because she would rather do that than nothing at all. That scene showed that she not only cares for other people, but she’s also level-headed and knows how to respond to situations in the best way possible.
We see this character trait throughout the novel, and Fergesen often calls it back to her history as a nurse — she insists that the pair bring a medical kit while traveling an uninhibited planet, she helps a little boy when the Imperium arrives on the planet, she patches up Captain Kaigen when she’s injured (even though the captain is their captor), etc.
Fergesen also fills in significant gaps in Belinda’s character development. For example, almost every companion has a moment when they wonder about the Doctor’s past companions and his overall history, and Belinda never had that in the show. But Fergesen writes that scene in beautifully when the Doctor is briefly able to read her mind. This book also highlighted the Doctor’s caring nature, and by the end of the book Belinda feels much better suited and more willing to travel with him because of that. This isn’t something that’s even touched upon in the show. By the time we get to “The Well,” Belinda and the Doctor seem to have a good rapport — but there’s no basis or reason for it. It’s amazing to see Fergesen fill that gap, but it really highlights the downfalls of the actual show.
As for the Doctor, I like that this book shows how kind he is. He’s empathetic toward Psi, even when he lets the Doctor down. He recognizes and acknowledges Psi’s human nature and doesn’t treat Psi the worse for it. This is an amazing contrast to the Doctor’s out-of-character anger at Omo in The Story and the Engine — the fifteenth Doctor is supposed to be especially kind and empathetic because he’s more in touch with his emotions, and Fergesen does a great job of showing us that.
The plot is also great. The villain is an evil empirical force trying to subjugate a planet of peaceful inhabitants who want no part of their regime. It’s not very nuanced, but I prefer that — there isn’t much nuance to be had with a military superpower trying to force a forcibly colonize a peaceful group of people. This is such a wonderful contrast to episodes like “Kerblam” and “Lucky Day,” both of which praise large corporations and governments and make out protestors to be selfish and fanatical.
This book is a perfect example of what modern Doctor Who does best — a progressive plot with amazing character development and characterization. Fergesen seems to have a better idea of the characters and emotional arc of this season than Russel T Davies.
—
“She could go back to Earth, as scheduled, just in time to start her shift on the 24th, 7:30 AM. When she first got into the TARDIS back on Missbelindachandra I, all she wanted was for the Doctor to take her home. What was different now? Nothing. She didn’t owe the universe. It owed her! It owed her an entire planet. But what kind of nurse can ignore a cry for help, she thought. I won’t ignore someone’s suffering, not for anything.”
—
“Then she heard it. The strange and wonderful otherworldly racket that heralded the coming and going of an impossible time and space traveling blue box. Her heart leapt into her throat as she watched the police box materialize at the edge of the clearing, waiting for the door to open, for the light of the TARDIS to spill into the glade, haloing the man who fought with rebels and against the gods, the man who loved a good dance party and a sequined jumper, the man who was going to take her home.”
This book is proof that season 2 needed more diversity of writers and more episodes. In the show, the only character traits we get for Belinda is that she’s headstrong and has a desire to help people. We see her have fun sometimes, but we have no context for that. We don’t see her relationship with the Doctor grow in any meaningful way (no, the 30 second scene in Lux where he rapid-fire explains his history and she sort of feels bad for him doesn’t count), so there’s no reason to believe that she enjoys traveling with him. In fact, quite the opposite. But in the first couple chapters of this book, we see Belinda letting herself have fun so that she can let herself recharge. She takes the opportunity to dance even in the face of a terrible reality because she would rather do that than nothing at all. That scene showed that she not only cares for other people, but she’s also level-headed and knows how to respond to situations in the best way possible.
We see this character trait throughout the novel, and Fergesen often calls it back to her history as a nurse — she insists that the pair bring a medical kit while traveling an uninhibited planet, she helps a little boy when the Imperium arrives on the planet, she patches up Captain Kaigen when she’s injured (even though the captain is their captor), etc.
Fergesen also fills in significant gaps in Belinda’s character development. For example, almost every companion has a moment when they wonder about the Doctor’s past companions and his overall history, and Belinda never had that in the show. But Fergesen writes that scene in beautifully when the Doctor is briefly able to read her mind. This book also highlighted the Doctor’s caring nature, and by the end of the book Belinda feels much better suited and more willing to travel with him because of that. This isn’t something that’s even touched upon in the show. By the time we get to “The Well,” Belinda and the Doctor seem to have a good rapport — but there’s no basis or reason for it. It’s amazing to see Fergesen fill that gap, but it really highlights the downfalls of the actual show.
As for the Doctor, I like that this book shows how kind he is. He’s empathetic toward Psi, even when he lets the Doctor down. He recognizes and acknowledges Psi’s human nature and doesn’t treat Psi the worse for it. This is an amazing contrast to the Doctor’s out-of-character anger at Omo in The Story and the Engine — the fifteenth Doctor is supposed to be especially kind and empathetic because he’s more in touch with his emotions, and Fergesen does a great job of showing us that.
The plot is also great. The villain is an evil empirical force trying to subjugate a planet of peaceful inhabitants who want no part of their regime. It’s not very nuanced, but I prefer that — there isn’t much nuance to be had with a military superpower trying to force a forcibly colonize a peaceful group of people. This is such a wonderful contrast to episodes like “Kerblam” and “Lucky Day,” both of which praise large corporations and governments and make out protestors to be selfish and fanatical.
This book is a perfect example of what modern Doctor Who does best — a progressive plot with amazing character development and characterization. Fergesen seems to have a better idea of the characters and emotional arc of this season than Russel T Davies.
August 16, 2025
I'm going to award this a strong 3.5 stars. It's a straightforward morality play like we've seen many times before, but it's anchored by an excellent characterization of the 15th Doctor & Belinda, avoiding cliches and histrionics an number of authors fall back on in trying to convey Ncuti Gatwa's performance. Reading this was a pleasant way to pass the hours.
November 3, 2025
This feels very much like a standard Doctor Who NSA novel - it was fun and enjoyable amd the characters felt realistic and to character, but it wasn't memorable, it wasn't indepth and it wasn't all that exciting.
June 13, 2025
This Doctor Who novel was released a few days before the end of the most recent season of the show, so as expected, it doesn't take any events from the last few episodes into consideration. Instead it appears to be set sometime between 2x2 Lux and 2x6 The Interstellar Song Contest, when Belinda Chandra is traveling with the Fifteenth Doctor as he sets up vindicator beacons throughout time and space to chart a course back to her parents and nursing job on contemporary earth.
The best parts of the story come early, giving us additional insight into that character's state of mind at this stage of her journey: anxious to return home, but gradually warming towards the Doctor and thrilling at the dangerous wonders of the universe that he's been showing her. In my opinion, we didn't get to see enough of that aspect of her development on-screen, and so this volume helps flesh out her transition from reluctant TARDIS passenger to full-on Time Lord companion. I also like the moment when she sees a woman across the room who looks startlingly like her neighbor Mrs. Flood, but then dismisses the resemblance and never mentions it -- a cheeky way to tie in that element of the larger plot arc for the year without introducing any major spoilers or pesky continuity errors over who knew what information when.
Unfortunately, the rest of the tale that follows isn't nearly as noteworthy. The protagonists trace a psychic call for help to a dying sentient ship, stolen and marooned a century earlier by its builders after they learned their empire was planning to use its technology for conquest. Now the surviving thieves and their descendants are in trouble, and the heroes have to scramble to outwit the imperial agents and bounty hunters who have likewise traced the signal. As I often find myself saying about this kind of media tie-in book, it's not bad, but it's not really taking full advantage of the chance to do something spectacular with the franchise, either.
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/lesserjoke
--Or click here to browse through all my reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog
The best parts of the story come early, giving us additional insight into that character's state of mind at this stage of her journey: anxious to return home, but gradually warming towards the Doctor and thrilling at the dangerous wonders of the universe that he's been showing her. In my opinion, we didn't get to see enough of that aspect of her development on-screen, and so this volume helps flesh out her transition from reluctant TARDIS passenger to full-on Time Lord companion. I also like the moment when she sees a woman across the room who looks startlingly like her neighbor Mrs. Flood, but then dismisses the resemblance and never mentions it -- a cheeky way to tie in that element of the larger plot arc for the year without introducing any major spoilers or pesky continuity errors over who knew what information when.
Unfortunately, the rest of the tale that follows isn't nearly as noteworthy. The protagonists trace a psychic call for help to a dying sentient ship, stolen and marooned a century earlier by its builders after they learned their empire was planning to use its technology for conquest. Now the surviving thieves and their descendants are in trouble, and the heroes have to scramble to outwit the imperial agents and bounty hunters who have likewise traced the signal. As I often find myself saying about this kind of media tie-in book, it's not bad, but it's not really taking full advantage of the chance to do something spectacular with the franchise, either.
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/lesserjoke
--Or click here to browse through all my reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog
August 17, 2025
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/spectral-scream-by-hannah-fergesen/
A Fifteenth Doctor novel set during his travels with Belinda, probably between Lux and The Interstellar Song Contest, with the Doctor and Belinda exploring a world where a dying sentient spaceship’s screams are disrupting the mental state of everyone withing range, most notably the descendants of the original crew who live in Sevateem-like conditions. It’s a fairly standard plot, but what I like is that we get a lot more characterisation of Belinda than we did onscreen; one of the things I didn’t like about the most recent season was that we didn’t really get to know her, and Fergesen has done well by her in this story. Not a book for non-Whovians, but a pleasing extra for fans, especially younger fans.
A Fifteenth Doctor novel set during his travels with Belinda, probably between Lux and The Interstellar Song Contest, with the Doctor and Belinda exploring a world where a dying sentient spaceship’s screams are disrupting the mental state of everyone withing range, most notably the descendants of the original crew who live in Sevateem-like conditions. It’s a fairly standard plot, but what I like is that we get a lot more characterisation of Belinda than we did onscreen; one of the things I didn’t like about the most recent season was that we didn’t really get to know her, and Fergesen has done well by her in this story. Not a book for non-Whovians, but a pleasing extra for fans, especially younger fans.
September 21, 2025
Rating 3
Don’t watch nu-who so never seen this version of the doctor. Saw this for kindle at 99p so gave it a try.
Fast moving story, opened well with interesting ideas. Moved to a new planet covered with jungle and fungi growths, well described I thought as the doctor tries to track down source of psychic scream.
From then became a bit predictable I thought, due no doubt to how much I have read.
As the non target audience, I did find the juggling of pronouns made the story at times slightly confusing, and didn’t add to the overall reading experience. Also a couple of times of I felt the same phrases were being repeated in reference to the doctor.
The ending was pretty much exactly as anyone would expect for a doctor who story , of any generation.
Overall an okay read, glad I didn’t pay full price tbh, but would recommend to who readers.
Don’t watch nu-who so never seen this version of the doctor. Saw this for kindle at 99p so gave it a try.
Fast moving story, opened well with interesting ideas. Moved to a new planet covered with jungle and fungi growths, well described I thought as the doctor tries to track down source of psychic scream.
From then became a bit predictable I thought, due no doubt to how much I have read.
As the non target audience, I did find the juggling of pronouns made the story at times slightly confusing, and didn’t add to the overall reading experience. Also a couple of times of I felt the same phrases were being repeated in reference to the doctor.
The ending was pretty much exactly as anyone would expect for a doctor who story , of any generation.
Overall an okay read, glad I didn’t pay full price tbh, but would recommend to who readers.
October 2, 2025
An amazing audiobook and a compelling story. It would have made a great episode and I’m glad we get a new story with this Doctor and Belinda. We didn’t get enough of them as a duo and I feel like we didn’t really get to know her! We see some more of her caring and determined side in this. And she definitely holds her own.
Narrated by Michelle Asante (Abena from the show - she sounds just like Belinda Chandra, so much so, I thought it was her narrating! She did a convincing Doctor too!). And the backing of sound effects and echoes etc.. made it an experience and for that reason, I love the Who audiobooks.
Will continue to consume all the new (&old) stories I can because the Doctor is a kind of nostalgia I always go to!
Narrated by Michelle Asante (Abena from the show - she sounds just like Belinda Chandra, so much so, I thought it was her narrating! She did a convincing Doctor too!). And the backing of sound effects and echoes etc.. made it an experience and for that reason, I love the Who audiobooks.
Will continue to consume all the new (&old) stories I can because the Doctor is a kind of nostalgia I always go to!
July 21, 2025
I liked the telepathy dialogue and it definitely is a good thing that the Gatwa era brought back the NSA books, but the downside there is that they're not as in-depth or thrilling as other DW book series, and this one is no exception.
The spotlight is more on Belinda than the Doctor here, and I felt she was mostly true to her character (at least prior to "Wish World"). But again, nothing particularly exciting happens. It's just a fun read.
Still, shout-out to the Waterstones worker who presumably dropped the copy I picked up, as the damaged cover allowed me a hefty discount so I was quids in.
The spotlight is more on Belinda than the Doctor here, and I felt she was mostly true to her character (at least prior to "Wish World"). But again, nothing particularly exciting happens. It's just a fun read.
Still, shout-out to the Waterstones worker who presumably dropped the copy I picked up, as the damaged cover allowed me a hefty discount so I was quids in.
August 12, 2025
The second post-Ncuti era novel and again we’re left with the underlying feeling of “gone too soon” as Hannah Fergesen absolutely nails the vibe of the Doctor and Belinda and the 2025 season (complete with Mrs Flood cameo).
Vividly painted in words, the characters can easily be imagined on-screen as the Doctor does as the Doctor does and helps the helpless, the underdog.
If you’re missing the series in general or Ncuti in particular then you can’t go wrong here.
Vividly painted in words, the characters can easily be imagined on-screen as the Doctor does as the Doctor does and helps the helpless, the underdog.
If you’re missing the series in general or Ncuti in particular then you can’t go wrong here.
June 13, 2025
A very standard Doctor Who romp. It’s a cool premise, but sort of middling overall. Fergesen captures Belinda’s voice reasonably well, but Fifteen just feels very generic here. It’s a fun enough read, but simultaneously forgettable.
June 29, 2025
I consider this to be the best of the Fifteenth Doctor novels so far. The setting gives off an eerie and unsettling vibe and the initial premise is intriguing. I also feel that The Doctor and Belinda are well characterised throughout.
December 7, 2025
I can only just this against other DOCTOR WHO novels, and even then only DOCTOR WHO novels based on the new series. On that metric this is a lot of fun. If the last runs had been 12 episodes, this would have been a solid episode 9. Certainly better than other fifteenth doctor novels I’ve read.
June 13, 2025
Loved it!
June 13, 2025
Literally feral for any new stories with Belinda I can get my hands on.
June 14, 2025
Doctor Who on a nicer "Last of Us" planet.
July 22, 2025
That had me hooked!!!
August 16, 2025
I thought the story was basic but very fun. I love how it helped grow the Doctor and Belinda's friendship.
The mushroom stuff was great imagery and I kinda wish we got this on screen.
The mushroom stuff was great imagery and I kinda wish we got this on screen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2025
Wonderful.
September 21, 2025
This is my fave of the 15th Doctor section of this series - 3.5*
I've FINALLY caught up with this series. I DID IT.
I've FINALLY caught up with this series. I DID IT.
December 31, 2025
A Whoniverse story put to print that feels ripped straight from the screen, fitting in well with the Season Two canon.
January 31, 2026
Decent enough book, didn't particularly stand out to me.
June 22, 2025
Well it was nice getting a preview copy of this and a couple of other titles at MCM London Comic Con last Saturday! This is some pretty standard Who, a run-about with appropriately heavy themes and ties into the wider narrative well.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews