Doctor Who: The Crimson Horror

Doctor Who: Target Books #171

by Mark Gatiss

‘We must get to the bottom of this dark and queer business, no matter what the cost!'

Something ghastly is afoot in Victorian Yorkshire. Something that kills. Bodies are washing up in the canal, their skin a waxy, glowing red… But just what is this crimson horror?

Madam Vastra, Jenny and Strax are despatched to investigate the mystery. Strangely reluctant to assist their enquiries is Mrs Winifred Gillyflower, matriarch of ‘Sweetville’, a seemingly utopian workers’ community.

Why do all roads lead to the team's old friends Clara and the Doctor?

Who is Mrs Gillyflower's mysterious silent partner Mr Sweet?

And will the motley gang be in time to defeat the mysterious power that threatens all the world with its poison?

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Historical

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 11, 2021

About the author

Mark Gatiss (born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, screenwriter and novelist. He is best known as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen, and has both written for and acted in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock.

Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Gatiss has written three episodes for the 2005-revived BBC television series Doctor Who. His first, "The Unquiet Dead", aired on 9 April 2005; the second, "The Idiot's Lantern", aired on 27 May 2006 as part of the second series. In addition, Gatiss was the narrator for the 2006 season of documentary series Doctor Who Confidential, additionally appearing as an on-screen presenter in the edition devoted to his episode. Gatiss did not contribute a script to the third series, but appeared in the episode "The Lazarus Experiment", as Professor Lazarus. After his submitted script for the fourth series, involving Nazis and the British Museum, was replaced at the last minute with "The Fires of Pompeii", he eventually returned to the programme in 2010, writing the (also World War II-themed) episode "Victory of the Daleks" for the fifth series, in which he also appears uncredited as the voice of "Danny Boy". It has also been confirmed that Gatiss will be writing an episode for the 2011 season of Doctor Who, although details about the story are yet to be revealed.[19]
Gatiss wrote an episode of Sherlock, a modern day Sherlock Holmes series co-produced by him and Steven Moffat. The unaired pilot was shot in January 2009 and a full series was commissioned. This was aired in August 2010 and consisted of 3 episodes. Gatiss also starred in these as Holmes' older brother Mycroft. A second series has been confirmed, but dates have yet to be decided, since both Gatiss and Moffatt have additional commitments.[20]
Gatiss also wrote and performed the comedy sketches The Web of Caves, The Kidnappers and The Pitch of Fear for the BBC's "Doctor Who Night" in 1999 with Little Britain's David Walliams, and played the Master in the Doctor Who Unbound play Sympathy for the Devil under the name "Sam Kisgart", a pseudonym he later used for a column in Doctor Who Magazine. (The pseudonym is an anagram of "Mark Gatiss", a nod to Anthony Ainley, who was sometimes credited under an anagram to conceal the Master's identity from the viewers.) The pseudonym was used again in television listings magazines when he appeared in episode four of Psychoville, so as not to spoil his surprise appearance in advance.
In mainstream print, Gatiss is responsible for an acclaimed biography of the film director James Whale. His first non-Doctor Who novel, The Vesuvius Club, was published in 2004, for which he was nominated in the category of Best Newcomer in the 2006 British Book Awards. A follow up, The Devil in Amber, was released on 6 November 2006. It transports the main character, Lucifer Box, from the Edwardian era in the first book to the roaring Twenties/Thirties. A third and final Lucifer Box novel, Black Butterfly, was published on 3 November 2008 by Simon & Schuster.[21] In this the protagonist finds himself serving Queen Elizabeth II, in the Cold War era.
Gatiss also wrote, co-produced and appeared in Crooked House, a ghost story that was broadcast on BBC Four during Christmas 2008.

Reviews

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Mark Gatiss’ writing and have fond memories of the Matt Smith era of Doctor Who, I was always going to enjoy this. I am aware that some of Gatiss’ Doctor Who writing can be hit and miss for some people, but this most certainly is not the case for me. The Crimson Horror is one of my favourite episodes and this is a fresh take on it. As it is mostly told from Jenny Flint’s perspective. I always adored the trio of Jenny, Madame Vastra and Strax on the television show, and they are portrayed so well in this novella. Also Jenny and Vastra’s relationship is so sweet.
Gatiss really shines when he writes stories with a Victorian era setting. The chapter written from the Eleventh Doctor’s perspective is really enjoyable because he captures the voice of the character so well.

I am very pleased with the new collection of Doctor Who Target novels, as I have always been meaning to read some of the older ones. Fans have always talked about being very fond of them.
From this new collection, I am considering reading Dalek next (soon), followed by the novelisation of the Doctor Who Movie.

[Oliver Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining novelisation of the Matt Smith era Who story with some very funny moments.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, but very cluttered. There isn't a bit of Victoriana that Mark Gatiss doesn't try to mine or pastiche...including various Victorian-set episodes of "Doctor Who". And then there is the inclusion of the Victorian version of James Bond's SPECTRE, which takes us into the realms of loopy. It can feel rather relentless at times, but it's mitigated by a new bonus opening story, set before the actual episode, and lots of first-person POVs from the characters. Strax, as usual, steals the show with his hilarity.

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

What muddle, tried to be cleaver by adding more than than the episode over 60 pages that are not in the television episode but don't work. Unless you an expert in Doctor who The in female jokes and reference to River Song.
Mark Gatiss Newton Aycliffe boy has done what no other Doctor Who star and writer has done appearances in the show and written episodes.
Dame Dina Rig played the horrible old hag in the episode and Mr Sweet is.
I love what has done to Stax

[Georgann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this! Narrator Catrin Stewart did a great job on the voices and accents. Strax was as funny as ever. Madame Vastra and Jenny are a delight. I appreciated the sound effects, especially for Mr Sweet! Ick!

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Synopsis) - Something ghastly is afoot in Victorian Yorkshire. Something that kills. Bodies are washing up in the canal, their skin a waxy, glowing red… But just what is this crimson horror?

(Review) - I'll be quite honest I don't remember this episode, it has been a long while since I went back and watched the 11th Doctor era of Who. But I actually really liked this book it was an absolute joy, and I think the reason for that is that with these target books of episodes is that they have extended content of events in the story and the inside workings of each characters mind, so you have a longer time to understand each character and how they think and feel! Also the story is told in diary entries, so you get different perspectives of each event, and a small side story dealing with Stax my favourite Sontaran! This book has a whole different beginning start to this episode then I remember from the show the little snippets i was getting in my head as i started to remember scenes. It seemed to me that it only started to tell the story of the show as we saw it near the end but the beginning was laying story foundation and character work and for some that might be dreary but I really appreciated it and actually made the book the absolute joy it was for me to read! And I can't reccomend it more for Who fans or those that want a Victorian piece with sci-fi elements, just simply wonderful.

5/5 Stars GoodReads 🌟⭐⭐⭐⭐

100/100 GingerPoints 🔥🔥🔥

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really strong retelling of the original episode. This one is structured in a similar way to a classic literature novel such as Dracula, with written accounts from the likes of Jenny and Strax, and it gives it this really engaging old timey feel, which works really well for the central narrative.

We also get a fun little side adventure with Jenny and Vastra at the beginning, where they investigate a talent show, and Jenny meets the Doctor for the first time. It makes me wonder if any future Target novels with the Paternoster Gang could get a similar approach. Could we get more of these side investigations?

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bodies are appearing around Sweetville, near Bradford at the end of the nineteenth century and the Pater Noster Team meets the Doctor when he infiltrates the village to uncover its secret.

Gatiss uses the epistolary style well, capturing the feel of 'Dracula' crossed with 'Sherlock Holmes' and deepens the episode with some sly digs at 'Britain's Got Talent'.

[Bo Schutte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked that it wasn't about the episode itself but told from Jenny's perspective (for the most part). I really like the Paternosterrow crew so this was a fun and quick read!

[Chris Griffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I confess to not being a fan of the original story. It All felt lightweight, and finding the book fleshed out with a new adventure taking up the first third of the book didn’t add any depth. It also didn’t help that the new story as a knock off Britains Got Talent in Victorian times wasn’t gripping
The passages by Strax remind us what a great character he is, and those by Jenny are well written and sound like the actress delivering the lines. She is the star of the book, the Doctor, Clara and Vastra seem to hardly be in it.
Not Mark Gatiss’s best effort 🙁

[Kaoru · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what Gatiss rode here. The constant shifting from one character's viewpoint to another gets irritating quickly, makes the plot hard to follow and makes it seem utterly disjointed. Paired with countless sideshows and a whole pre-story that is roughly 60 pages long and doesn't connect all that much to what comes after, this book is quite a mess, I'm afraid. For some reason though, the editor thought it was all fine and perfectly releasable. What can you do.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before reading Gatiss' novelization, I'd only seen The Crimson Horror once or twice, right around the time of its initial airing. And very little of it stuck with me over the years. So, I went into this with no expectations, simply hoping for something enjoyable. And, at first, it seemed promising. The idea of telling a Doctor Who story in an epistolary format is a neat one. It's just a shame that Gatiss doesn't really stick with it. Jenny narrates most of the book, with a few sections from Ada Gillyflower, the Doctor, Strax, and Jonas Thursday. The problem is that all of these segments are mixed together with more traditional prose. The book tries to handwave this away by suggesting Jenny is filling in the gaps all "authory," but it proves very distracting. Those segments never sound like they're written in her voice, so it breaks the illusion of this being a collection of documents and audio recordings explaining the tale of "The Crimson Horror." And that's really a shame as the epistolary stuff works remarkably well, adding a new twist on a familiar story. Strax's stuff is a bit uneven (but often funny), it's nice getting to hear directly from the Doctor, and Gatiss has such a strong grasp on Jenny's voice that you can easily imagine it in your head as you're reading it. Overall, I just wish the book had fully committed to the epistolary style. I think it would've been far more engaging that way.

The Crimson Horror is one of those Doctor Who stories that are kind of light on plot and heavy on atmosphere. And that creates a sizable problem for a novelization of the episode. How do you stretch a plot that already felt pretty thin into a 200-page novel? Gatiss's answer is to not stretch it much and add a (mostly unconnected) prequel instead. In fact, The Crimson Horror doesn't start until 40% of the way into the novel. Now, to be fair, the prequel adventure is rather fun, and it ends up being more interesting than the portion of the book that actually adapts its namesake's episode. But it is weird that you have to read nearly half the book to reach the beginning of the story you've set out to read. I don't want to go into any real detail about the prequel story, since it is totally new to the novelization, but I do think it's worth a read. As for The Crimson Horror, itself, I'm not sure there's enough there to please anyone who's not a hardcore fan. While the various points of view do beef up the characters some, the book speeds through its plot so quickly that the actual mystery itself feels like an afterthought. A lot of the emotional beats land much better, particularly those involving Ada, but I can't help feeling like the actual mystery is just as middling here as it is in the episode. Sure, this book was never gonna rock the boat, or anything, but I would've liked to spend more time beefing up the central mystery of The Crimson Horror some. Maybe it could've leaned harder into the Sherlock Holmes aspect of the mystery or something, I don't know. As it is, it's just kind of perfunctory—which is rather disappointing given how fun the prequel story is.

Overall, Mark Gatiss's novelization of The Crimson Horror ends up being about as average as the episode, itself, is. The added prequel is reason enough to give the book a read, but it does come at the cost of properly expanding the main story's narrative. The epistolary angle is neat, but it's not executed as consistently as I'd like. And, ultimately, it's still the same story as the TV version, with all the pros and cons that come with that. While it does provide a noticeably different experience when compared to the episode, I'm not sure the novelization is really any better. It's just a different version of the same thing. And, sure, it's not the job of a novelization to radically change the story, but the best ones can often enrich the experience. I don't think The Crimson Horror really does that outside of the added character moments. It's just a fun, extended prequel followed by a pretty average, though creative, retelling of the TV episode. The novelization won't suddenly make you a fan of the episode, but the added character moments and genuinely enjoyable prequel make it worth a read.

[Matthew Kresal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the 1970s and into the 1980s, the only way fans of Doctor Who often could encounter an older story was by reading it. The Target novelizations were slim books, frequently running little more than 150 pages. Yet, they became the cornerstone of the show's merchandise. These days, of course, that isn't the case with options including DVDs and streaming platforms. That hasn't stopped such demand for new Target-style novelizations of twenty-first-century episodes, which BBC Books began obliging with in 2019, with a new batch released in spring 2021. Among the latest entries was The Crimson Horror, the 2013 Eleventh Doctor episode that focused on the Paternoster Gang, adapted by its original writer, Mark Gatiss.

When the original Target books were in their heyday, they generally came in two types. The first, and by far the most common, were straightforward adaptations of the episodes that (at worst) felt like a copy and paste of the script with a few lines of description and "said" added. On the other hand, you would also get books that expanded upon the televised stories with more detail and backstories or, in some cases, reinstating material cut for time. The Crimson Horror falls very much in the latter category, helping the 45-minute episode become a 200-page novel.

Gatiss accomplishes that in no small part by adding what is, in effect, a prologue to the TV episode. One set a few years before with the Eleventh Doctor involved in an adventure with Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint before Strax becomes a part of the gang. This new prologue from Gatiss, set around a theatre holding something akin to a talent competition TV show a century ahead of time, is a fun little piece of work in its own right. Indeed, it would have been a neat separate short story elsewhere. As a prologue to The Crimson Horror, it's still neat but doesn't connect to the events of the episode quite as much as Gatiss (though the character of Jenny Flint, whose memoir makes up much of the narrative both here and throughout the novelization) lets on. Even so, for fans of this Doctor and the Paternoster Gang, it's something that makes the novelization a worthwhile venture.

The same is true of those familiar with Gatiss's work at large. His love of Victoriana is apparent throughout, including the epistolary format that echoes Bram Stoker's Dracula, among other references to people and events of the period. There's also Gatiss referencing numerous Doctor Who stories set in the same period, with part of the fun of this being in trying to spot the references as they come up. The sixties spy-fi influence on the episode is also on display here, including introducing a Victorian equivalent of James Bond villains SPECTRE, of which Mrs. Gillyflower is a member, as well as some of Paternoster Gang's antics. For those, such as this reviewer, who enjoyed the episode on-screen, it's something that adds all the more to the flavoring Gatiss brought to the episode some eight years ago.

What makes the novelization work so well is Gatiss's choice of the epistolary format. Gatiss transfers his script to the page through memoirs and diary entries, allowing perspectives on the episode's events from Jenny, Strax, and even the Doctor himself, plus a couple of supporting characters, all collected together into a single volume well after the fact. Not only does this allow Gatiss to tell the story of the episode without cheating the reader, but it also allows him to expand upon it with each point of view presenting a slightly different take on events that explores backstories and thinking behind the plot. Making so many voices distinct is a challenge, one that Gatiss rises to with apparent ease.

Though the extended prologue comes across as filler more than a proper expansion of the TV episode's narrative, The Crimson Horror's novelization remains worth seeking out. Partly for how Gatiss's love of the elements that influence his original script shines through in prose but also for how his choice of perspectives expands neatly upon the screen version. It's also an absolute pleasure to behold it and a great way to spend a few hours like it's 2013 all over again.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Crimson Horror was a stand out episode from Series 7 of Doctor Who which was first broadcast on the 4th of May 2013. The basic premise of the story followed the Paternoster Gang (Jenny, Madame Vastra and Strax) as they are hired to investigate a series of peculiar deaths up in Bradford. The victims of the so called "Crimson Horror" wind up in the local canals, terror glued to their faces and layered in a sticky red pigmentation. Sending Jenny to infiltrate a recent enterprise known as Sweetville which has opened up in Bradford under the ownership of the prim and proper Mrs Gillyflower; we soon learn there is a deeper mystery being hidden behind the factory doors of Sweetville and at the heart of it is the Doctor!

The narrative for the most part is a very faithful recreation of the episode's original plot. A running pattern I've noted here is a lot of these Target novelisations are penned by the original screenwriters so there's a lot of respect for the original script in these adaptions. Mark Gatiss who wrote the episode seems to have lost no footing in treading back through the clever story beats of his script. I appreciate how well he captures the story unfolding from different perspectives and the format in which the narrative is being told is appropriate to the time period it's set in. While also re-telling the original story I also have to commend Gatiss for adding a sort of mini-prelude to the Crimson Horror at the beginning of the book. He creates a completely original tale that spans for about 50 pages or so and it works as a really nice side story. If anything it cements how much I'd be happy see Gatiss write more novels for the Patermonster Gang, he seems to get their characters down brilliantly and he is great at writing Victorian era based stories.

In terms of pacing and tone I can't find much to find fault with here. Gatiss keeps the story moving forward constantly while giving the reader just enough context and exposition to follow things easily. I also enjoyed how while this is an episode of Doctor Who, the majority of the story plays through the perspective of other characters. I'm always a fan of the stories that utilise the Doctor as a secondary character more than a main character because it feels a lot more interesting. The Patermonster Gang are the main conduits for the story and they are used in clever and creative ways that makes them feel relevant. I enjoy how much humour Gatiss utilises in the story too. In a sense it's not a very serious story, it's filled with a lot of silly stuff but I think it get's away with the silliness by balancing it with other elements of character building and mystery.

The Crimson Horror is just as good in novel form as it is in TV form. It succeeds in telling a funny and entertaining story with great characters and a interesting setting. I know Mark Gatiss is no longer writing for Doctor Who and it's stories like this that make that fact all the sadder, I loved his work!

[Mikes Dw Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed this TV story, so i was very excited to read this. Its a story you can explore so much more into. Like the story about why Mrs gillyflower wants to create a new world. How ada felt about being blind and finding friendship with the doctor. And just how the hell did a sonic screwdriver glow fix the Dr's red glowing state.

But sadly we don't get any of that. In a nut shell it's 63 pages of a short story which has no contention to the rest of the story. The rest of the pages is a very rushed adaption of the tv story. It's more like a script than a book as the book doesn't have more time to expand on anything. Where we do get depth, it's wasted on pointless things. Why the hell do we need a backstory on why Strax likes and discovered sweets.

While we do get some better understanding how mr sweet was discovered and what mrs Gillyflower wants to achieve in the end, we get no real answers why. No development into her as a character either. It's such a shame because I've read a lot of target books lately and I useally read 1 in 2 days or 1 if I'm loving it. This took 3 days because it felt so pointless to read.

The short story at the start is an enjoyable one but it has no real connection too the rest of the story. It does have mrs Gillyflower appear at the end but that's it. Without spoiling it, it's about a couple of people with siren song powers to make people's heads blow off. Now this could of been revealed to be ada, her daughter to show us just how dedicated and evil mrs Gillyflower is. I also 100% believe this short story was probably for a short story collection but didn't get included so Mark stuck it in here.

So sadly, this is possibly the most disappointing target book I've read. It also makes me miss the Mark Gatiss who wrote Nightshade.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novelisation of Gatiss' own script for an episode featuring Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor and his companions Clara, Vastra, Jenny and Strax.
The Victorian detectives of the Paternoster Gang team up with the Doctor to solve two cases, the first of which features a series of grim decapitations and the second of which sees the wicked Mrs Gillyflower plotting to overthrow the world order from within Sweetville, a perfect town with a dark secret.

I'm a big fan of the Paternoster Gang, especially Strax; with their odd camaraderie, their humorous bent and their Victorian aesthetic, they're just thoroughly enjoyable characters to operate alongside the Doctor. I therefore was pleased by Gatiss' decision to tell this story largely from Jenny's perspective (with a few combat reports from Strax too) and in her Cockney housemaid vernacular, giving this book a unique feel in keeping with its setting.

Whilst the events of the main story unfold more or less identically to those seen onscreen, almost the entire first half of this book is taken up by a separate (albeit linked) and entirely new adventure for the main players. This means that even those very familiar with the televised version of the story will find a lot here that's brand new, which is a novel and appreciated approach to a novelisation.

There's plenty of Gatiss' wry humour on offer here too, not least in his parody Victorian version of Britain's Got Talent. In fact, with the humour, the Gothic sensibilities and the Victorian setting, this book has Gatiss' distinctive style woven throughout it.
Personally, I'm a fan of his writing, so that's just fine by me.

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com *

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating between 3 & 3.5

When the story originally aired I didn't really like that much, despite the guest turn of Diana Rigg and the return of the Paternoster Gang.
This adaptation by MG takes the story and adapts it in an epistolary style, whilst also adding an earlier unseen adventure/investigation between the Paternoster Gang and Doctor 11.
The new story was an entertaining one that was very enjoyable, that takes up about 40% of the novel's length - which did surprise me a bit.
The actual adaptation expanded on the tv series slightly but not with that much additional story, just minor background to build the world a bit bigger. The epistolary style worked for me the majority of the time, the sections where Jenny wrote of things she wasn't directly involved with in her 'authory-style' are the parts which didn't quite hit the mark. Perhaps if MG ha simply written those in prose style with no explanation it would have flowed better for me.
Overall though a surprisingly enjoyable read even if it was only a couple of hours reading time.
An overall rating was difficult as the story is too slight to reach higher than than 3.5, but is definitely better than an average 3.

[Samael Kovacs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The episode this novel is based on has been growing on me, every time I watch it again, I love it a little bit more.

Mark Gattis is in my opinion a bit of an underrated Doctor Who writer, his stories are always quite unique and I cannot say that he has ever written anything boring, not to me at least.

Anyway, I was unsure, knowing this would be mainly from Jenny’s POV I think it really works.

One thing that did became a bit difficult was the constant switch in POV, like of course if Jenny isn’t in the scene, then it would be impossible but still, I would rather have a traditional narrator.

Easily without a single doubt the best thing about this was the short adventure that happened before the actual events of the episode. I didn’t know that was going to be a thing and was pleasantly surprised by a whole other story in here!! Combine that with the general extended vibe of the novel and you have a great treat of a novel.

I would say check this novel out, haven’t read many of the target novels but this one comes on top easily.

Honestly the only con here is the pov switching, I don’t like it.
Hope Gattis writes a Sleep No More novelization next.

[Rhys Causon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know why I decided to give this adaptation four stars.

Maybe it’s because it’s a great adaptation of my favourite Matt Smith story, once it actually gets to it half way through. Though the front half of the story is dedicated to filling in some much needed backstory for the Paternoster Gang (in a story I would have called The Siren’s song or something just as generic as that) the second half does a great job of covering The Crimson Horror beat for beat. And with the inclusion of multiple narrators it makes sense that it jumps around more so than some other Target adaptations (looking at the Dalek Target Adaptation there).

So while the first half wasn’t what I expected it was nice to read and the second half was just as enjoyable as the episode itself. Another solid Target Book.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3790473.html

Novelisation of Gatiss's Eleventh Doctor TV story The Crimson Horror, the one set in a nineteenth-century Yorkshire factory with guest stars Diana Rigg and her daughter Rachael Stirling. I really liked it. There is a lot more setup - we reach the first scene of the TV story on page 67 of a 178-page book!!! - which really helps to immerse us in the steampunk / Victorian industrial grunge aesthetic; and then the script itself is largely kept, but massaged for better pacing and to reduce the reader's reliance on visuals that we can't see on the page. As well as appearing a couple of times on screen, Mark Gatiss has written several good Doctor Who books, and this is another of them.

[Stephen Theaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madame Vastra (Silurian), Jenny Flint (human) and Strax (Sontaran) investigate odd goings-on in Bradford. Not bad, but this was never one of my favourite Mark Gatiss stories. I had hoped he would read the audiobook himself (his reading of Planet of the Daleks was superb), but since much of it is from Jenny's point of view, Catrin Stewart is an even better choice. The sections from Strax's point of view are very amusing, and read by Dan Starkey. The book reminded me of Alan Dean Foster's Star Trek Logs, in how so much of it is new. We're two-thirds in before the Doctor and Clara get involved in the main adventure.

[Ian Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gloriously fun romp, improving on the TV episode and providing a fast-paced read. It’s over 60 pages before anything from the TV episode appears, with a ‘prequel’ story set among London’s theatre district being a great deal of enjoyment although not really having much to do with the main story.

The characters are a lot of fun, and I particularly enjoyed the first-person narratives from Strax, Jenny, and others. There are some aspects that are rather cheekily glossed over (the ‘rejuvenation machines’ and Mr Sweet’s origin, for instance) the extended page count could have been useful for but these are minor issues.

[John Peel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather pointless and silly TV story is transformed into an even more pointless and silly book. A rather James Bondish villain decides to wipe out humanity and start over with people of her choosing. Since this was barely enough plot to fill out the TV episode, the book adds a large chunk of fresh story that has less plot and more silliness, to do with a talent show in Victorian London that litters the place with headless corpses. The main attraction of the TV show was Diana Rigg's wonderfully mad Mrs. Gilliflower, but without her skills, the character in the book is just another loony. Disappointing.

[Justin Partridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whatta weird (but breezy!) adaptation of a fairly weird episode to start with.

The business and constantly switching of the POV character keeps this from being a truly great Target but Gatiss’ prose is still fun enough to keep it from getting truly bogged down. It’s weird, it’s like all the stuff he adds though doesn’t really enhance the experience of the episode, it just piles more stuff on top of it. But it’s not like a bad read or a slog really. Just really busy and slightly self-satisfied in parts.

“Silver of liver” and all the Fifth Doctor shoutouts are fun tho. I might review this in full for D/M just to try and work through more of my feelings and thoughts about it.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gatiss here does a really great job in transforming a very forgettable episode into a very funny and exciting novel.
The episode is restructured into a number of differing account's of its events - Gatiss's best work here is capturing so many unique and memorable voices and inserting some great comedy (or even just playing the same comedy as the episode with much better pacing).
An extended prologue as well adds to the sense of joy, and period-fun that Gatiss seems to be so in love with (and its hard not to agree with him while reading it).
Honestly just a book that was far better than I expected it to be, and a well needed improvement to the episode it's based on.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, fluffy romp of an episode gets the Target treatment and to reach his page count Gattis pads it out into a cluttered, borderline trying too hard romp.

I appreciate him expanding on Madam Vastra and company's role and backstory, as well as when he attempts to tie them into Who history more, but there's a lot of stuff that just reeks of 'I'm so clever!' and it's just not.
The main story and all the leads are handled well, but the jumping between 5 points of view in a book that's about 150 pages becomes jarring.

Would love to see Madam Vastra and Co. get more adventures, or their own books, and Gattis would be welcome to write them, but this was a good, not great effort.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've seen the episode itself, so maybe I've just forgotten half of it, but this felt like it crammed a lot more in. It's no surprise that Mark Gatiss' familiarity with the Victorian setting is rich in detail, quite a few nods that I recognised, and probably a lot more that I missed. I didn't expect to be getting a Victoria Wood quote in a Dr Who novelisation, but I'm here for it.

[Michael Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minus one star for the drawn-out and dull Simon Cowell parody, but this is otherwise a fun (and major) expansion of Gatiss's 2013 TV episode. The blend of imagined Victoriana and 1960s spy-fi will be a familiar delight to fans of his Lucifer Box books. He builds a whole world around the Paternoster Gang and I hope he gets the chance to follow up on some the threads he lays here.

[Mark Welton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great holiday read. Very easy, good humour, lots of references to pop culture from the 70’s to present day sneaked in. Felt a bit like Moonraker, book & film which I don’t think is accidental knowing the author is a Bond fan. Good knowledge, and an obvious love for this period of time from the author.

[PointyEars42 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 stars. Despite being a combination of Gatiss' love for Victorian England and The Paternoster Gang, this was not an episode I particularly liked. The poor animatronics and Clara-in-distress ensure that I do not remember it fondly. It is, however, _so_ much better as an audiobook. I really enjoyed Catrin Stewart's reading too. Of course, extra points for Jenny/Vastra.