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Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #10
Doctor Who: The Nightmare of Black Island
On a lonely stretch of Welsh coastline, a fisherman is killed by a hideous creature from beneath the waves. When the Doctor and Rose arrive, they discover a village where the children are plagued by nightmares, and the nights are ruled by monsters. The villagers suspect that ancient industrialist Nathanial Morton is to blame, but the Doctor has suspicions of his own. Who are the ancient figures that sleep in the old priory? What are the monsters that prowl the woods after sunset? What is the light that glows in the disused lighthouse on Black Island? As the children's nightmares get worse, the Doctor and Rose discover an alien plot to resurrect an ancient evil...
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 21, 2006
42 people are currently reading
2311 people want to read
About the author
Mike Tucker
105 books46 followersMike Tucker is a special effects expert who worked for many years at the BBC Television Visual Effects Department, and now works as an Effects Supervisor for his own company, The Model Unit. He is also the author of a number of original tv tie-in Doctor Who novels (some co-written with Robert Perry), and three books based on episodes of the television series Merlin. He co-wrote the factual books Ace! The Inside Story of the End of an Era with Sophie Aldred in 1996, and BBC VFX - The Story of the BBC Visual Effects Department with Mat Irvine in 2010.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
January 24, 2018
This is a deliciously creepy Doctor Who audiobook adventure. The Doctor and Rose Tyler arrive at a village on the Welsh coast just after a fisherman is killed by a creature from the sea. Children in the village are plagued by nightmares, and monsters roam at night. It isn't safe to go out after dark. The villagers blame a local old man for the goings on, but the Doctor wants to know how the old lighthouse, the monsters that roam around after dark and strange figures seen in the priory figure in to the problem. When he uncovers a plan to resurrect an alien being, the Doctor knows everyone involved is in serious danger, especially the children.
This was an exciting and seriously creepy story! Anthony Head narrates. He reads at an even pace and did an excellent job. Just over 2 hours long, this audiobook is an easy listening length and, as with all BBC Audio presentations, the production value is top notch.
I listened to this story while reorganizing my bookshelves, dusting and moving furniture. It was great company and made the time pass quickly. :)
I'm really enjoying these Doctor Who audiobooks from BBC Audio. I will definitely be listening to more! I'm hooked!! It's a great way to fill in time until the TV series starts up again. :)
This was an exciting and seriously creepy story! Anthony Head narrates. He reads at an even pace and did an excellent job. Just over 2 hours long, this audiobook is an easy listening length and, as with all BBC Audio presentations, the production value is top notch.
I listened to this story while reorganizing my bookshelves, dusting and moving furniture. It was great company and made the time pass quickly. :)
I'm really enjoying these Doctor Who audiobooks from BBC Audio. I will definitely be listening to more! I'm hooked!! It's a great way to fill in time until the TV series starts up again. :)
September 7, 2021
The Doctor and Rose arrive in a welsh village only to discover that the children are plagued with nightmares and monsters roam at night.
What could be the cause of all this?
It’s a great creepy New Series Adventure, the story is well paced with plenty of action.
A fun read!
What could be the cause of all this?
It’s a great creepy New Series Adventure, the story is well paced with plenty of action.
A fun read!
October 13, 2011
Oh, I can never get enough of the 10th Doctor and Rose! In this book there's a moment when someone refers to her as his girlfriend and he doesn't even flinch. The plot concerns yet another alien menace that happens to be hiding in the United Kingdom. What are the odds? But I liked the locals and the contrast between the ordinariness they tried to maintain in their lives and the horror that surrounded them. The Doctor and Rose seem to be very much in character, and I liked how they really had to work together and persuade others to help them in order to resolve the problem.
August 14, 2015
not sure what to think of this one
better then the last couple, though
better then the last couple, though
December 20, 2015
Source: I own this book.
Cost: Unknown
Title: The Nightmare of Black Island
Series: Doctor Who New Adventures #10
Author: Mike Tucker
Overall Rating: 3 stars
I liked this one, I really did. The story was interesting and it was fast paced, anything you could want from a Doctor Who book but the reason this is getting three stars is because at times, the Doctor and Rose had quite a childish dialogue. They didn't seem to be as connected as they are in the show, and that ruined the atmosphere for me a lot.
Why can't they ever just stay together in these books?
Cost: Unknown
Title: The Nightmare of Black Island
Series: Doctor Who New Adventures #10
Author: Mike Tucker
Overall Rating: 3 stars
I liked this one, I really did. The story was interesting and it was fast paced, anything you could want from a Doctor Who book but the reason this is getting three stars is because at times, the Doctor and Rose had quite a childish dialogue. They didn't seem to be as connected as they are in the show, and that ruined the atmosphere for me a lot.
Why can't they ever just stay together in these books?
September 12, 2012
I have given this four stars because I found the ending a little too fantastic even for Doctor Who.
The actual premise of the story almost charactizes Schizophrenia in an easy way to explain it to children. That is quite dark.
A battle Alien ship falls to earth in 1935 and eight children witnessed it. The mind of the main occupant separates itself and lands in the minds of each of the children. All end up either mad or scared to talk. One is not even known. Even the Doctor doesn't work it out until the last ten pages.
I liked Rose in this as she acted like a big sister to little Ali one of the modern children - in a similar gang to the first seven.
All children in YNYS DU are scared to go to sleep as the monsters in their nightmares come to life. Ali latches onto Rose and the Doctor and ends up being the only one who can save the day. She is quite a feisty little girl and I can't help but think she was a slight inspiration for Amelia Pond.
As I said this is the only one that I probably would give four stars too as there was one thing about the end that does not fit right for me but otherwise a wonderful story about what schizophrenia must be truly like.
The actual premise of the story almost charactizes Schizophrenia in an easy way to explain it to children. That is quite dark.
A battle Alien ship falls to earth in 1935 and eight children witnessed it. The mind of the main occupant separates itself and lands in the minds of each of the children. All end up either mad or scared to talk. One is not even known. Even the Doctor doesn't work it out until the last ten pages.
I liked Rose in this as she acted like a big sister to little Ali one of the modern children - in a similar gang to the first seven.
All children in YNYS DU are scared to go to sleep as the monsters in their nightmares come to life. Ali latches onto Rose and the Doctor and ends up being the only one who can save the day. She is quite a feisty little girl and I can't help but think she was a slight inspiration for Amelia Pond.
As I said this is the only one that I probably would give four stars too as there was one thing about the end that does not fit right for me but otherwise a wonderful story about what schizophrenia must be truly like.
May 28, 2010
This was a particularly strong entry in the BBC line of tie-in Doctor Who novels. Mike Tucker does lots of things right -- he nails the Doctor and Rose perfectly, gives both of them important things to do, and for an added bonus cooks up a scary, atmospheric romp and well-drawn peripheral characters. Tucker also gets extra points for excellent use of descriptive language. Just because a story is targeted to Young Adult readers doesn't mean that vocabulary or sentence structure need be dumbed down. Tucker's prose is evocative, and as an added special bonus, Anthony Head turns in a delightful performance as the narrator. Get the audio version just to hear him do the voices -- from the Doctor and Rose to the aliens and Welsh children -- it's a joy to listen to.
February 17, 2024
“Lewis Carroll. He was an odd one. Real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Completely denied having anything to do with the Alice books. Daft as a brush. You'd have liked him!”
March 26, 2022
Even though Ten isn't my Doctor, I had a lot of fun with this. It was a campy romp that would fit right in with any of RTD's other stories. It read quickly, there were no tangents of useless side characters, and Ten and Rose were decently enough in character that I believed it was them.
The story starts off simply enough, but does get more convoluted as it goes on. The ending is a little hard to follow, but if you just go with it and don't think about it too much, you'll have a good time. Rose and the Doctor end up in a island town in modern day UK where all of the children are having nightmares and literal monsters roam the woods at night. There's also a creepy old man who lives in a rectory with questionable staff, and a lighthouse that hasn't worked in 30 years. Hijinks ensue as Rose and the Doctor investigate and attempt to get to the bottom of it.
This was my first DW read by Mike Tucker, and he blended the YA format with a more adult story beautifully. There wasn't any pandering or overly descriptive language. It was certainly a change from the Classic Doctor stories that can bog you down with unimportant characters, pages of exposition and overly complicated language. It was honestly refreshing, and I'm glad I gave it a read.
The story starts off simply enough, but does get more convoluted as it goes on. The ending is a little hard to follow, but if you just go with it and don't think about it too much, you'll have a good time. Rose and the Doctor end up in a island town in modern day UK where all of the children are having nightmares and literal monsters roam the woods at night. There's also a creepy old man who lives in a rectory with questionable staff, and a lighthouse that hasn't worked in 30 years. Hijinks ensue as Rose and the Doctor investigate and attempt to get to the bottom of it.
This was my first DW read by Mike Tucker, and he blended the YA format with a more adult story beautifully. There wasn't any pandering or overly descriptive language. It was certainly a change from the Classic Doctor stories that can bog you down with unimportant characters, pages of exposition and overly complicated language. It was honestly refreshing, and I'm glad I gave it a read.
March 2, 2025
2018 52 Book Challenge - 22) A Book You Read In School
This was quite a decent Doctor Who novel. The premise was interesting and it was well paced with a creepy atmospheric feel to it. The Doctor and Rose were both characterized well
This was quite a decent Doctor Who novel. The premise was interesting and it was well paced with a creepy atmospheric feel to it. The Doctor and Rose were both characterized well
November 23, 2019
An enjoyable little adventure that did not enthrall me quite as much as I hoped, but does make use of a fantastic Welsh setting that includes an abandoned lighthouse, a creepy old manor and a creepier forest, some fantastic monsters brought into reality from children's nightmares, and such fun features as: Rose being darling with a little girl enlisted to assist on the adventure while she and the Doctor are split up, a reunion hug, the Doctor not batting an eye at Rose being referred to as his girlfriend, and a very cute opening scene in which Rose is napping in the console chair, using his coat for a blanket while he fusses around with the controls.
February 13, 2010
Doctor Who, the lately revived British television show that started in the 60's, has long been a favorite of mine. However, when I first saw David Tennant portray the Doctor I was IN LOVE. The downside was that they aired very few episodes for my liking. If only I could get my hands on more of his adventures......TA DA!
This particular book is David as the Doctor on an adventure with his companion Rose (as played by Billie Piper). The writer is good at "keeping the feel of Doctor Who" and seems to understand the characters very well. I did find Rose a bit more annoying on the page than in the show but maybe because her only real contribution was her looks and the chemistry between her and the Doctor (very hard to convey on the page, though not impossible).
In this particular tale, Doctor and Rose are called to a mysterious island off England's coast where nightmarish beasts seems to roam freely. Of course after a lengthy investigation and a great deal of getting into trouble, they find that the real nightmare might be alien in nature.
Very easy read, but great fun and a great way to get your Doctor fix!
This particular book is David as the Doctor on an adventure with his companion Rose (as played by Billie Piper). The writer is good at "keeping the feel of Doctor Who" and seems to understand the characters very well. I did find Rose a bit more annoying on the page than in the show but maybe because her only real contribution was her looks and the chemistry between her and the Doctor (very hard to convey on the page, though not impossible).
In this particular tale, Doctor and Rose are called to a mysterious island off England's coast where nightmarish beasts seems to roam freely. Of course after a lengthy investigation and a great deal of getting into trouble, they find that the real nightmare might be alien in nature.
Very easy read, but great fun and a great way to get your Doctor fix!
June 5, 2007
The writer managed to capture Ten's manic behavior. No small feat. On one of the Doctor Who comm, someone asked how in the future would the 10th Doctor be remembered. What would be in his "film reel"? Someone came up with the best answer : a jump cut scene where Ten goes : "No! Yes! No! Wait! No! Oh! Wait! Aha!..." and I might add makes his hair go in a thousand directions. Tucker managed to give us the reader *that* Doctor in Nightmare of Black Island. It's the closest I've read so far to Tennant's performance. The Doctor is smart and rude and completely off his rocker. And it works. Rose is a little more in the background in this caper than the other 3 books in the Ten series but has a few good scenes. All and all a good Doctor Who novel. Lots of actions, a fun and crazy Doctor and some nasty aliens.
December 21, 2007
This was one of the better Doctor Who novelisations I've read. The characters reflected the "real" Rose and Ten, as well as their actions. And the plot was actually pretty creepy... an old "war god" alien had crashed on earth years ago, and several kids who witnessed the crash received bits of it in their minds, rendering them permanantly unable to function in society. The aliens' people came to Earth (Wales!) in order to piece him back together again, using the nightmares of children to fuel his resurrection. The Rose and The Doctor, of course, thwart their plans! :-) An enjoyable read.
March 26, 2017
A good rollicking read. This got my eldest daughter into reading sooo this gets a high mark. It's just like reading an episode of the TV series, a simple uncomplicated read that could easily be read in a day.
May 27, 2018
Excellent characterisation of both the Doctor and arose. The writing is fast paced and the plot is delightfully creepy.
August 13, 2018
Awesome
Great story about the Doctor and Rose with a bunch of kids, monsters and a lighthouse almost with reptilian aliens.
Great story about the Doctor and Rose with a bunch of kids, monsters and a lighthouse almost with reptilian aliens.
February 15, 2024
(Synopsis) - On a lonely stretch of Welsh coastline, a fisherman is killed by a hideous creature from beneath the waves. When the Doctor and Rose arrive, they discover a village where the children are plagued by nightmares, and the nights are ruled by monsters. The villagers suspect that ancient industrialist Nathanial Morton is to blame, but the Doctor has suspicions of his own. Who are the ancient figures that sleep in the old priory? What are the monsters that prowl the woods after sunset? What is the light that glows in the disused lighthouse on Black Island? As the children's nightmares get worse, the Doctor and Rose discover an alien plot to resurrect an ancient evil...
(Review) - I've said it once and will say it again till im blue in the face, Doctor Who works best when it leans into the horror sci-fi side of the genre. Don't get me wrong i love when DW goes all fun and silly and lighthearted or when it goes the route of dark and heartbreaking. But theres just something about horror and the doctor running around in the middle of a nightmare and in this case that's exactly what you get here, that to me just feels a perfect fit. This story deals with the idea of children's innocents and because of that they have more imagination to visualise the best of life but also the most terrifying of monsters! And it's this where the doctor and rose come into it, to protect the children and well who better to fight the monsters, then the person who the monsters run away from ... the doctor. This was really well written and throughout, my own downside is i wish it was a bit longer, the final fight could of been longer and then i would of felt it deserved the full 5 stars, as its a bit anti climactic but honestly apart from that, from beginning to end it works fantastically and is very enjoyable. And so far out of these new DW novels I've read only 1 was a bummer because of the narrator. So if that doesn't convince you how worth it these books are i don't know what will.
4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
90/100 GingerPoints 🔥
(Review) - I've said it once and will say it again till im blue in the face, Doctor Who works best when it leans into the horror sci-fi side of the genre. Don't get me wrong i love when DW goes all fun and silly and lighthearted or when it goes the route of dark and heartbreaking. But theres just something about horror and the doctor running around in the middle of a nightmare and in this case that's exactly what you get here, that to me just feels a perfect fit. This story deals with the idea of children's innocents and because of that they have more imagination to visualise the best of life but also the most terrifying of monsters! And it's this where the doctor and rose come into it, to protect the children and well who better to fight the monsters, then the person who the monsters run away from ... the doctor. This was really well written and throughout, my own downside is i wish it was a bit longer, the final fight could of been longer and then i would of felt it deserved the full 5 stars, as its a bit anti climactic but honestly apart from that, from beginning to end it works fantastically and is very enjoyable. And so far out of these new DW novels I've read only 1 was a bummer because of the narrator. So if that doesn't convince you how worth it these books are i don't know what will.
4/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
90/100 GingerPoints 🔥
June 13, 2023
3.5 Stars
February 8, 2025
absolutely so banger much better than the last one
Read
September 7, 202501/09/25 - 07/09/25
4
Really solid. Can just fully visualise this as an episode of the show. Cool premise, great supporting characters and lots of monsters!
"A dream, that's all. A nightmare..."
4
Really solid. Can just fully visualise this as an episode of the show. Cool premise, great supporting characters and lots of monsters!
"A dream, that's all. A nightmare..."
July 22, 2023
Cool concept but parts of the story were a little confusing and hard to follow.
May 24, 2021
Underwhelming
September 10, 2021
Lot of the same problems that plague this series in general, the characterization of the Doctor and Rose is flimsy and no character development for the duo.
I give it points for an interesting concept though
I give it points for an interesting concept though
October 23, 2021
Part Frankenstein's monster story, part Nightmare on Elm Street. The Doctor and Rose arrive on the Welsh coast to discover aliens using the nightmares of the local children to recreate their leader Balor a creature of chaos and destruction.
Fast paced and action packed with mysteries to solve monsters to fight and kids who need to be saved from an alien threat that has been using the fears of the children to unleash a very real threat. It takes some creativity from the Doctor, courage from Rose and the imagination of the children to stop an alien invasion and save a Welsh village from a living nightmare.
The Doctor and Rose take turns playing detective in this story and it helps move things along as both approach the mystery from different sides and uncover the answers and come up with a plan to save the kids and their parents.
Fast paced and action packed with mysteries to solve monsters to fight and kids who need to be saved from an alien threat that has been using the fears of the children to unleash a very real threat. It takes some creativity from the Doctor, courage from Rose and the imagination of the children to stop an alien invasion and save a Welsh village from a living nightmare.
The Doctor and Rose take turns playing detective in this story and it helps move things along as both approach the mystery from different sides and uncover the answers and come up with a plan to save the kids and their parents.
February 11, 2021
Another fantastic Doctor Who adventure with the 10th Doctor and Rose. With the addition of some creepy nightmarish monsters on an otherwise picturesque sleepy village of Black Island...
Great little plot and story and something worthy of the screen. I can just imagine this one going out on the bbc on a Saturday night, and definitely kept you on the edge of your seat. Plenty of drama, action and suspense and filled you with uncertainty for just how the Doctor and Rose would get themselves out of this one! Enjoyable little read.
Great little plot and story and something worthy of the screen. I can just imagine this one going out on the bbc on a Saturday night, and definitely kept you on the edge of your seat. Plenty of drama, action and suspense and filled you with uncertainty for just how the Doctor and Rose would get themselves out of this one! Enjoyable little read.
August 6, 2011
I don't read novelizations of tv shows. Ever.
That said, I read this one, because I have lost my Doctor, and I am sadly missing him.
The author did a fairly good job of portraying Ten, and the plot wasn't horrible...but the writing is pretty much on level with a Nancy Drew book.
That said, I read this one, because I have lost my Doctor, and I am sadly missing him.
The author did a fairly good job of portraying Ten, and the plot wasn't horrible...but the writing is pretty much on level with a Nancy Drew book.
July 14, 2015
This one was actually quite good for being a quickie novelization.
I love Anthony Stewart Head, and he can speak to me any day.
The plot was alright, I could easily see it as an actual episode.
All about nightmares. Ooooh.
I love Anthony Stewart Head, and he can speak to me any day.
The plot was alright, I could easily see it as an actual episode.
All about nightmares. Ooooh.
January 17, 2009
almost as good as Peacemaker, lots of fun for Doctor Who fans. Humor, suspense, quips, and a mystery to solve.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews