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Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #5
Doctor Who: Only Human
Somebody's interfering with time. The Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack arrive on modern-day Earth to find the culprit -- and discover a Neanderthal Man, twenty-eight thousand years after his race became extinct. Only a trip back to the primeval dawn of humanity can solve the mystery.
Who are the mysterious humans from the distant future now living in that distant past? What hideous monsters are trying to escape from behind the Grey Door? Is Rose going to end up married to a caveman?
Caught between three very different types of human being -- past, present and future -- the Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack must learn the truth behind the Osterberg experiment before the monstrous Hy-Bractors escape to change humanity's history forever...
Who are the mysterious humans from the distant future now living in that distant past? What hideous monsters are trying to escape from behind the Grey Door? Is Rose going to end up married to a caveman?
Caught between three very different types of human being -- past, present and future -- the Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack must learn the truth behind the Osterberg experiment before the monstrous Hy-Bractors escape to change humanity's history forever...
253 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
65 people are currently reading
3755 people want to read
About the author
Gareth Roberts
73 books109 followersGareth Roberts has written TV scripts for various soap operas (including Brookeside, Springhill, and Emmerdale), Randall & Hopkirk (deceased), the revival of Doctor Who, the Sarah Jane Adventures, and Wizards vs Aliens.
Also for the Doctor Who universe, he has written the interactive adventure Attack of the Graske, the mobile phone TARDISODEs accompanying the 2006 series, several Big Finish audios, and multiple novels, as well as contributed to Doctor Who Magazine.
Also for the Doctor Who universe, he has written the interactive adventure Attack of the Graske, the mobile phone TARDISODEs accompanying the 2006 series, several Big Finish audios, and multiple novels, as well as contributed to Doctor Who Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 371 reviews
September 8, 2018
sweet baby jesus! this is the 1000th book i've read! how have i read ONE THOUSAND books??
February 8, 2012
This is by far the best Doctor Who novel I've read so far. It doesn't just capture Rose and The Doctor's characters - it elaborates on them (and the TARDIS and its language translation) and (I think) even adds to the mythology. And it's funny! And the plots totally out there - like all of my favorite Doctor Who eppies. It also kept me interested in a way that the last two books haven't - I'm actually reading The New Series Adventures in order so I'm hoping that this is a taste of what's to come.
There is even a serious message within the book for those who need to justify reading Doctor Who novels:)
The only reason I didn't give it a 5 stars is because there could have been a little more gravitas - a lot of people die and that usually brings out the Doctor's righteous fury :) But there wasn't enough of that here for my taste. The Doctor should have a little touch of terrifying in him. He is the oncoming storm after all;)
And did I mention funny?
There is even a serious message within the book for those who need to justify reading Doctor Who novels:)
The only reason I didn't give it a 5 stars is because there could have been a little more gravitas - a lot of people die and that usually brings out the Doctor's righteous fury :) But there wasn't enough of that here for my taste. The Doctor should have a little touch of terrifying in him. He is the oncoming storm after all;)
And did I mention funny?
July 30, 2011
OK, this is probably one of the best, if not THE best, Doctor-Who related novel I've ever read in any of the ranges - Target, Virgin NA, Virgin MA, BBC 8DA, BBC PDA, or BBC 9DA/10DA. I mean, I am a fan of the "Dark Doctor" books, and love the arcs of some of the previous series, but in terms of NAILING the characterizations and providing a fun, flowing read that you absolutely cannot put down, this is it. Plus, there are lots of underlying meanings (aren't there always?) beneath the surface - this time about our strange 'me-focused' consumer culture, and the nature of humanity at its core, as mirrored by Das the neanderthal... it's top-notch! Plus, The scenes/journals with Das and Captain Jack are awesome - and a good B-plot to counterpoint the main plot - about a non-digital culture that has learned to suppress and control every emotion with drugs... Hmmm, wonder if there's a message THERE somewhere??? :) Recommended!
September 7, 2021
When a Neanderthal appears in present day London, this alerts The Doctor, Rose and Jack that someone is meddling with time.
With Roberts stories, you know your in for a fun adventure.
Jack and the new arrival given the name Das has to stay put in their current location as The Doctor and Rose travel back to 29,185 BC.
The Jack and Das scenes are hilarious, very reminiscent of the movie California Man. Das try’s to get to grips with modern day London.
This is one of the best Ninth Doctor books.
With Roberts stories, you know your in for a fun adventure.
Jack and the new arrival given the name Das has to stay put in their current location as The Doctor and Rose travel back to 29,185 BC.
The Jack and Das scenes are hilarious, very reminiscent of the movie California Man. Das try’s to get to grips with modern day London.
This is one of the best Ninth Doctor books.
June 13, 2025
I think Das the Neanderthal may be my favourite Doctor Who character of all time - I wish he would show up in the show. This was a brilliant book - the ending was a bit bittersweet considering the fate of the other Neanderthals, but still a really good story. More like this please Doctor Who.
June 2, 2016
All I'm going to say about this one is that is is hilariously, utterly, fabulously insane !
July 24, 2015
What Gareth Roberts brings to the ongoing narrative of ‘Doctor Who’ is a tremendous and irresistible sense of fun. In ‘Only Human’ we find a Neanderthal in a nightclub in Bromley (my sister used to life in Bromley, and if there’s any town a Neanderthal would fit right in, it’s Bromley); cavemen and cavewomen who speak with broad, ‘Eastenders’ cockney accents; monsters who politely enquire whether a creature is human or not before devouring them; humans so dosed out of their skulls on pleasant, relaxing drugs that they don’t really mind being devoured; and Rose Tyler getting married in a Raquel Welch prehistoric bikini. All of this is weaved together with fantastic jokes and an eye for a great comic situation. It may look like a romp, but in a book called ‘Only Human’, there are some actual thoughtful insights into what it means to be – well – human. Both the Neanderthal (a distant cousin of us humans, who would of course be wiped out be us) and the future humans (our descendants, who happily numb their emotions with pharmaceuticals) do, through falling in love and experiencing grief, give the novel some emotional heft. They learn the limitations of being only human, but – thanks to The Doctor – also the brilliance of humanity as well. (It’s the kind of lesson Mr Spock was taught week in, week out in the 1960s, but nowhere near as po-faced as ‘Star Trek’.) As such it’s more than just a romp, and really, you’d be hard pressed to find another ‘Doctor Who’ novel (or another sci-fi novel, for that matter) which was this smart and this much fun.
April 30, 2020
the chaotic trio are at it again, but this time they were too separate :-(
April 18, 2023
I read this book years ago, but didn't remember it. This time I listened to the audio version, which was quite fun. The narrator did a good job giving each person a different voice, though Rose's, Jack's, and the Doctor's weren't quite right - though that'd be hard to accomplish.
The story has the Doctor, Rose, and Jack's about to set off for a different planet, Kegron Pluva, when a temporal distortion makes them change destinations. They go the Bromley and discover a Neanderthal there, Daz, displaced from his own time. They try to return Daz to his time, but can't, so Jack stays in the current time with him to help him adjust. In the mean time, Rose and The Doctor go to figure out what caused him to be sent to the future.
For a DW novel, this was pretty good. It was interesting having different species that didn't know what Lying was and believed whatever they were told.
The story has the Doctor, Rose, and Jack's about to set off for a different planet, Kegron Pluva, when a temporal distortion makes them change destinations. They go the Bromley and discover a Neanderthal there, Daz, displaced from his own time. They try to return Daz to his time, but can't, so Jack stays in the current time with him to help him adjust. In the mean time, Rose and The Doctor go to figure out what caused him to be sent to the future.
For a DW novel, this was pretty good. It was interesting having different species that didn't know what Lying was and believed whatever they were told.
March 1, 2025
2022 52 Book Challenge - June Mini Challenge - 3) Planes, Trains And Automobiles
This book was probably the worst Doctor Who novel I've ever read.
The only bits that I actually liked was Jack trying to rehabilitate Das to the modern day.
This book was probably the worst Doctor Who novel I've ever read.
The only bits that I actually liked was Jack trying to rehabilitate Das to the modern day.
May 20, 2023
5 🌟
Nice to see another adventure with the Doctor, Rose, and Jack.
Nice to see another adventure with the Doctor, Rose, and Jack.
September 16, 2024
2.5/5. My main qualm with this book in the Ninth Doctor & Rose Tyler series is its author, Gareth Roberts, whose icky and problematic ideology (he has an unsavoury penchant for sexism and transphobia) tends to end up reflected to a greater or lesser extent in his work (as is the usual thing with the majority of authors). So that was a qualm about rereading this book, which I did because of my recent project of (re)reading and reviewing all six Nine&Rose New Series Adventures novels (perfectionism ahoy xD). And yeah, in this book we can definitely see some sexist choices and stereotypes which I didn't love (as I will detail below).
As to the more positive, the story and narration wasn't the most engaging of the six novels, in my personal opinion, but it was reasonably well written and the plot did hold my interest overall. The book tackles both history and science fiction, with a human colony from the far future who built a faulty ‘time engine’ and got stuck during the time of the Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens. The plot explores interesting themes such as genetic engineering and the ethics of science, as well as the strife between Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens, with the latter here portrayed as more violent, territorial and with genocidal intent against all 'lesser' human species. Time travel shenanigans aside, the themes of competitive replacement and the dangers of dehumanization, seen through a fully Whovian ethics lens, are the central points of the story, and in that sense I did enjoy the book, even though it has its flaws, and some of them are pretty jarring.
Note: There are many hypotheses for the extinction of the Neanderthals, among which we can name inbreeding and a small population size, competitive replacement - which is the hypothesis that is most explored in this book -, a change of climate, disease, natural disasters, and/or interbreeding and ultimate assimilation with early modern humans. Most likely, it was a combination of several of these factors which caused the extinction of the already low Neanderthal population. In spite of the more speculative nature of the dynamics of Neanderthals and early modern humans depicted in this book, it's not often that Neanderthals are given the spotlight in this way, so I found that to be a compelling part of the plot.
As to the main characters, Nine and Rose were well characterized overall, and while Jack Harkness did reflect some of the author's sexist ideas at times, his trademark (and creepy) approach to 'harassing everyone on first meeting them is such a good rep of pan(omni)sexuality' was toned down in this book with respect to the series and other media, which I appreciated. Other characters were more or less compelling regarding their characterization, with Neanderthal Das turning up to be an unexpected favourite with rather wholesome and endearing traits (I did enjoy the portrayal of the Neanderthal people in general, really), while I found others to be markedly more problematic in their characterization - Especially 'boss lady' Chantal Osterberg ticking off all of the stereotypical traits of the mad and amoral scientist who is also kind of a drop-dead beautiful femme fatale, and whose characterization I found to be not only rather lazy and two-dimensional, but also leaning on the more overtly sexist side.
More details below, so here be spoilers!
Female representation:
Rose Tyler is one again the main female protagonist with her role as Nine's companion (see more about her below), with Chantal Osterberg, the leading scientist of the research colony of humans from the future (also see below), being the leading secondary character. Some other women in the colony appear in the story as well with more minimal roles, with scientist Lene having the most importance (even though her plot is pretty much reduced to being a wife and having to process her terminal illness), and others just appearing very briefly (like the unfortunate Tina with her redshirt role). In late 20th Century, a nurse called Weronika makes a brief appearance as a wannabe companion figure (not much more to her), Jackie Tyler in her youth also has a cameo, and Neanderthal Das finds her mate in Anna Marie, a woman who fits the Neanderthal beauty canon to a T, but who Harkness charmingly describes as ugly, hairy, short and fat (nothing wrong at all with not conforming to limited societal beauty canons, I'm referring to the sexist way Roberts describes her through Harkness).
Finally, there's the women from the Neanderthal tribe (featuring Ka, who is in a relationship with one of the future human colonists, and Sakka) and the Homo Sapiens tribes, featuring the matriarch-like figure of the wise-woman Nan (thus named because she has a grandson). Wise-women are mentioned to exist in both types of tribes, and Nan seems to be one the leading voice of the tribe. But in spite of this, and her statement that "Wise man! Man! Men in charge, we all know how that ends up!" (that's not what's always exactly portrayed in the book, either, with Rose also being forced to marry some man she doesn't know, see below, and Chantal being demonized in the book as the evil boss lady that wrecks stuff, but OK), well, in spite of that she ends up paired with a creepy middle-aged dude from the future (who harasses Rose continually, see below), and suddenly Nan seems to need a man in her life so much that she defers to him automatically, so it looks like she won't be the leading voice of the tribe for much longer. Sigh. But I guess that Roberts needed to have his performative phrase to show us that he's not sexist at all!
+1 Rose is characterized fairly well, and, as per usual, shows the positive traits of agency, resourcefulness, curiosity, assertiveness, open-mindeness and intelligence she usually displays in the TV series, and also in this New Series Adventures book series.
-1 However, Rose gets the short end of the stick, often in a very gendered way, in this plot. For one, she is continually sexually harassed by icky (but adorkably excentric!) lecherous colonist Quilley. This includes him ogling her constantly (there is a sentence that quite literally reads "he looked her fur-bikinied body up and down and made an indescribable lustful noise" ewwwww), and also grabbing her at some point. Roberts already showing us he thinks sexism and harassment are funny, or something. Rose keeps being assertive and vocalizing how uncomfortable and angry he keeps making her, warning him to keep his hands off her, not to ogle her and to step out of her personal space (and then the sentence of "she was used to dealing with older men" while thinking about her discomfort as something that she has completely normalized is just :/). But this 'gag' drags on whenever this dude appears in the book, which is fucking exhausting and infuriating, and the Doctor generally doesn't seem to take this seriously, either, when he's present, which is also, well, promoting that Quilley's behaviour is more excentric than just plain wrong. Even when the Doctor deigns to comment on his behaviour, it's centered more on 'basic manners' rather than 'hello, can you please not harass my companion, and women in general, thank you'.
But this isn't the end for Rose having a (not) great time in this adventure. She then ends up in the Homo Sapiens colony forcefully clad in a painfully stereotypical fur bikini and having to marry the grandson of the homo sapiens matriarch. A companion stuck in a sexualized outfit and an arranged marriage conundrum, what an incredibly forward and interesting thing for Roberts to write! The only way I would have found this interesting in some way would have involved a clear social criticism lens of women's societal roles and arranged marriages and so on, but that is clearly so not the intention here, it's done mostly for hilarious shenanigans once more. Rose does use her wits and agency to try to get out of this pickle, but she also ends up having to actually marry the guy because plot reasons, and said guy is so fit Rose does actually feel attracted to him and is not that against him kissing her, so everything is all right, I guess! The Doctor also seems to think so, (jealously :S) rolling his eyes at the 'terrible ordeal' Rose must be going through, and then relishing having a go at Rose's 'husband' during their escape (the Doctor a good ally is not in this book). While he is not the most toxic male character in the book as that is reserved for Quilley (low bar, though), said husband (name of Tillun) also not the brightest tool in the box and upholds more than one systemic patriarchal idea about gender roles and what a wife should be, too.
So that's it for Rose having to go through shit, right? Wrong! She then loses her head - quite literally - thanks to the technological advances and the amoral inclinations of unhinged scientist Chantal, but what's more, this sizeable trauma is not addressed at all at the end of the book. To Rose's credit, who seems like she has to make use of extreme levels of agency, wits and a level-headed mind to go through Roberts' questionable plot choices in the story, she still finds the way to be proactive by shallowing said trauma and kicking the baddie's ass and criticizing her twisted amoral discourse...with her head literally under her arm. The Doctor was also subjected to invasive probing by Chantal in this book (who is gorier and more disturbing than one might initially think), but it's still the female character who gets the short stick of the (heavily gendered) traumafest in this story, which is not fun.
And, important note, even if a female character manages to brave through all of the gendered clusterfuck of violence and oppression (that her author wishes her to go through) by displaying all her positive traits, it still says a lot about said author that she's subjected to all of it in the first place, and through a humorous lens more times than not, which is even worse, because the way in which patriarchal violence and oppression is approached in a story makes all the difference (for example, Handmaid's Tale has a very clear aim of denouncing said violence and oppression). So, male authors: Stop writing unnecessary and unwarranted traumafests for your female characters already!
-1 While Missy is in my view an excellent example of how an amoral and ruthless female antagonist can totally work, the character of Chantal Osterberg is not doing it for me at all. She is much more two-dimensional than Missy and, like I mentioned before, seems to be constructed out of fairly stereotypical traits that are seen through a more sexist view (this is even lampshaded in the book, through the sentence "It was hard to threaten somebody who didn't posses a full personality" Lol). Chantal is a brilliant scientist and the leading researcher and boss of her colony. She is also amoral, ruthless, unhinged and femme fatale-sexy, and that combo with Roberts' way of writing her ticked me off. Missy seem to conform to but at the same time fully subverts all of these gendered stereotypes for a female villain, but I feel that Chantal is just another example of the stereotypical female villain written by a questionable male author.
+-1 Chantal's plan of using the energy of the time engine to breed a new species - Hy-Bractors - that would be superior to humans and replace them (she totally intends for the colony to be slaughtered by her creations, except for her), and then rationalizing her actions with elevated philosophical dialogue on how this is supposedly good for evolution and the future and sustainability of the Earth, is on par with the standard 'mad scientist' discourse, I guess, but also a bit meh and confusing overall. I also still don't quite get how the bloodthirsty, animalistic, barely intelligent Hy-Bractors, who are engineered to be brutally efficient in their "dispatch of inferior human competitors", are supposedly an upgrade on the "naturally violent, competitive, hunting brain" of the humans? The explanation didn't quite make sense to me, but anyway xD In any case, their scenes were much gorier than I usually like to go for, too, so that part of the story didn't thrill me.
Other problematic issues, from a feminist and queer pov:
+-1 Jack Harkness: John Barrowman problematic real life personhood aside, I'm not the biggest fan of Captain Jack as a character, although I'm at least relieved this book toned down his boisterous persona a bit, especially regarding RTD's questionable choice of portraying a pan/omnisexual character as flirting with (which is often more like harassing) everyone who he passes on his way :S. He does get the chance to brag about his tight trousers, throw a couple of innuendos around (not so many, small mercies), and provide the Doctor and Rose with a naked diversion (sigh xD).
-1 One thing that really bugged me about Jack in this book is his treatment of Das's girlfriend/fianceé Anna Marie. It's fascinating how Jack is canonically supposed to literally want to jump everything sentient that moves (that is a queerphobic stereotype in itself, too, because pan/omnisexuality does *not* mean that), but yet he takes his time to wonder and get scandalized about how anyone can be attracted to Neanderthal Das, who has a 'feminine' high-pitched voice and is short and stocky without a waist, and how any man can be attracted to Anna Marie, who is, in his words, plain and fat and has facial hair and "a face only a mother or a Neanderthal could love". Aren't you supposed to be canonically attracted to everyone, dude?? I guess that means only canonically attractive people, or? Jack Harkness definitely serves as a conduct for Roberts misogyny here. Also, Jack mainly mentions attraction to women in this book (except for a couple of mentions about the Doctor), which is an additional point of weirdness considering that the book was written by a gay author.
-1 Another eyebrow-raising thing is that the book is supposedly revolving around the racial/speciesist strife between Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens, with the story sympathizing with the Neanderthals, portrayed, perhaps in a more idealized way (I tend to believe that utopia is hard to come by anywhere), as the more pacifist, friendly and harmonious society of the two, while the Homo sapiens tribes are depicted as way more violent and territorial, accepting only new people if they are of their own species, and married to someone in their tribe. And yet, Roberts also makes use of 'man/woman' descriptors only for Homo sapiens tribe members, and constantly uses 'male/female' to describe the Neanderthals - a distinction which markedly dehumanizes them and makes them more comparable to animals.
Ethical themes:
+-1 "'And what about them? They die, and it's history, and no one cares. Just a little bit of genocide along the way to building a mighty space empire? And that's just "the way it is here"?'" The book, via the voices of Rose and the Doctor, generally tackles moral dilemmas with the usual Whovian ethical messages, such as its anti-war stance and the belief that the ends don't justify the means. A central ethical theme is the persecution of the Neanderthals by the Homo Sapiens for deeming them 'inferior', and the Doctor and Rose share a few conversations about genocide and the problematic nature of humans in this respect. The Hy-Bractor 'monster' antagonists are annihilated in their majority in the end, though, which might have been the only way in the story to avoid the slaughter of both the Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, but it's still tackled by the Doctor with more nonchalance that should be expected.
+1 Another interesting topic discussed in the story is the exploration of the human colony, where people are not only genetically engineered to live longer and be canonically beautiful, but also supress their emotions with a constant use of chemicals to avoid any 'wrong-feeling', stripping them not only of empathy and meaningful inter-dynamics, but also of the capacity for agency and individual judgment, as they blindly conform to anything their boss and leader demands.
+1 Finally, Neanderthal Das faces persecution for being different among modern humans, which is linked to their original persecution and ultimate genocide by the Homo Sapiens according to the book. Das, however, manages to get a happy ending where he not only doesn't miss his original home, but relishes in modern technology and society and thinks that nothing is better than a life where you can buy junk food and watch TV in your sofa after work instead of a life dedicated to hunting to survive xD. This character is an interesting take, as it defies the stereotypes of Neanderthals as savage and stupid compared to Homo sapiens peoples, with Das very quickly acclimating to modern human life with hardly any problems. Fortunately, this character also does not display a stereotypical 'Neanderthal sexist attitude' for humorous kicks (which is a relief, because we do have sexism for humorous kicks in this book otherwise). For example, he manages to understand the concept of consent and healthy relationships much better than Jack Harkness from the 51st Century, for one, which is ironic to say the least.
As to the more positive, the story and narration wasn't the most engaging of the six novels, in my personal opinion, but it was reasonably well written and the plot did hold my interest overall. The book tackles both history and science fiction, with a human colony from the far future who built a faulty ‘time engine’ and got stuck during the time of the Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens. The plot explores interesting themes such as genetic engineering and the ethics of science, as well as the strife between Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens, with the latter here portrayed as more violent, territorial and with genocidal intent against all 'lesser' human species. Time travel shenanigans aside, the themes of competitive replacement and the dangers of dehumanization, seen through a fully Whovian ethics lens, are the central points of the story, and in that sense I did enjoy the book, even though it has its flaws, and some of them are pretty jarring.
Note: There are many hypotheses for the extinction of the Neanderthals, among which we can name inbreeding and a small population size, competitive replacement - which is the hypothesis that is most explored in this book -, a change of climate, disease, natural disasters, and/or interbreeding and ultimate assimilation with early modern humans. Most likely, it was a combination of several of these factors which caused the extinction of the already low Neanderthal population. In spite of the more speculative nature of the dynamics of Neanderthals and early modern humans depicted in this book, it's not often that Neanderthals are given the spotlight in this way, so I found that to be a compelling part of the plot.
As to the main characters, Nine and Rose were well characterized overall, and while Jack Harkness did reflect some of the author's sexist ideas at times, his trademark (and creepy) approach to 'harassing everyone on first meeting them is such a good rep of pan(omni)sexuality' was toned down in this book with respect to the series and other media, which I appreciated. Other characters were more or less compelling regarding their characterization, with Neanderthal Das turning up to be an unexpected favourite with rather wholesome and endearing traits (I did enjoy the portrayal of the Neanderthal people in general, really), while I found others to be markedly more problematic in their characterization - Especially 'boss lady' Chantal Osterberg ticking off all of the stereotypical traits of the mad and amoral scientist who is also kind of a drop-dead beautiful femme fatale, and whose characterization I found to be not only rather lazy and two-dimensional, but also leaning on the more overtly sexist side.
More details below, so here be spoilers!
Female representation:
Rose Tyler is one again the main female protagonist with her role as Nine's companion (see more about her below), with Chantal Osterberg, the leading scientist of the research colony of humans from the future (also see below), being the leading secondary character. Some other women in the colony appear in the story as well with more minimal roles, with scientist Lene having the most importance (even though her plot is pretty much reduced to being a wife and having to process her terminal illness), and others just appearing very briefly (like the unfortunate Tina with her redshirt role). In late 20th Century, a nurse called Weronika makes a brief appearance as a wannabe companion figure (not much more to her), Jackie Tyler in her youth also has a cameo, and Neanderthal Das finds her mate in Anna Marie, a woman who fits the Neanderthal beauty canon to a T, but who Harkness charmingly describes as ugly, hairy, short and fat (nothing wrong at all with not conforming to limited societal beauty canons, I'm referring to the sexist way Roberts describes her through Harkness).
Finally, there's the women from the Neanderthal tribe (featuring Ka, who is in a relationship with one of the future human colonists, and Sakka) and the Homo Sapiens tribes, featuring the matriarch-like figure of the wise-woman Nan (thus named because she has a grandson). Wise-women are mentioned to exist in both types of tribes, and Nan seems to be one the leading voice of the tribe. But in spite of this, and her statement that "Wise man! Man! Men in charge, we all know how that ends up!" (that's not what's always exactly portrayed in the book, either, with Rose also being forced to marry some man she doesn't know, see below, and Chantal being demonized in the book as the evil boss lady that wrecks stuff, but OK), well, in spite of that she ends up paired with a creepy middle-aged dude from the future (who harasses Rose continually, see below), and suddenly Nan seems to need a man in her life so much that she defers to him automatically, so it looks like she won't be the leading voice of the tribe for much longer. Sigh. But I guess that Roberts needed to have his performative phrase to show us that he's not sexist at all!
+1 Rose is characterized fairly well, and, as per usual, shows the positive traits of agency, resourcefulness, curiosity, assertiveness, open-mindeness and intelligence she usually displays in the TV series, and also in this New Series Adventures book series.
-1 However, Rose gets the short end of the stick, often in a very gendered way, in this plot. For one, she is continually sexually harassed by icky (but adorkably excentric!) lecherous colonist Quilley. This includes him ogling her constantly (there is a sentence that quite literally reads "he looked her fur-bikinied body up and down and made an indescribable lustful noise" ewwwww), and also grabbing her at some point. Roberts already showing us he thinks sexism and harassment are funny, or something. Rose keeps being assertive and vocalizing how uncomfortable and angry he keeps making her, warning him to keep his hands off her, not to ogle her and to step out of her personal space (and then the sentence of "she was used to dealing with older men" while thinking about her discomfort as something that she has completely normalized is just :/). But this 'gag' drags on whenever this dude appears in the book, which is fucking exhausting and infuriating, and the Doctor generally doesn't seem to take this seriously, either, when he's present, which is also, well, promoting that Quilley's behaviour is more excentric than just plain wrong. Even when the Doctor deigns to comment on his behaviour, it's centered more on 'basic manners' rather than 'hello, can you please not harass my companion, and women in general, thank you'.
But this isn't the end for Rose having a (not) great time in this adventure. She then ends up in the Homo Sapiens colony forcefully clad in a painfully stereotypical fur bikini and having to marry the grandson of the homo sapiens matriarch. A companion stuck in a sexualized outfit and an arranged marriage conundrum, what an incredibly forward and interesting thing for Roberts to write! The only way I would have found this interesting in some way would have involved a clear social criticism lens of women's societal roles and arranged marriages and so on, but that is clearly so not the intention here, it's done mostly for hilarious shenanigans once more. Rose does use her wits and agency to try to get out of this pickle, but she also ends up having to actually marry the guy because plot reasons, and said guy is so fit Rose does actually feel attracted to him and is not that against him kissing her, so everything is all right, I guess! The Doctor also seems to think so, (jealously :S) rolling his eyes at the 'terrible ordeal' Rose must be going through, and then relishing having a go at Rose's 'husband' during their escape (the Doctor a good ally is not in this book). While he is not the most toxic male character in the book as that is reserved for Quilley (low bar, though), said husband (name of Tillun) also not the brightest tool in the box and upholds more than one systemic patriarchal idea about gender roles and what a wife should be, too.
So that's it for Rose having to go through shit, right? Wrong! She then loses her head - quite literally - thanks to the technological advances and the amoral inclinations of unhinged scientist Chantal, but what's more, this sizeable trauma is not addressed at all at the end of the book. To Rose's credit, who seems like she has to make use of extreme levels of agency, wits and a level-headed mind to go through Roberts' questionable plot choices in the story, she still finds the way to be proactive by shallowing said trauma and kicking the baddie's ass and criticizing her twisted amoral discourse...with her head literally under her arm. The Doctor was also subjected to invasive probing by Chantal in this book (who is gorier and more disturbing than one might initially think), but it's still the female character who gets the short stick of the (heavily gendered) traumafest in this story, which is not fun.
And, important note, even if a female character manages to brave through all of the gendered clusterfuck of violence and oppression (that her author wishes her to go through) by displaying all her positive traits, it still says a lot about said author that she's subjected to all of it in the first place, and through a humorous lens more times than not, which is even worse, because the way in which patriarchal violence and oppression is approached in a story makes all the difference (for example, Handmaid's Tale has a very clear aim of denouncing said violence and oppression). So, male authors: Stop writing unnecessary and unwarranted traumafests for your female characters already!
-1 While Missy is in my view an excellent example of how an amoral and ruthless female antagonist can totally work, the character of Chantal Osterberg is not doing it for me at all. She is much more two-dimensional than Missy and, like I mentioned before, seems to be constructed out of fairly stereotypical traits that are seen through a more sexist view (this is even lampshaded in the book, through the sentence "It was hard to threaten somebody who didn't posses a full personality" Lol). Chantal is a brilliant scientist and the leading researcher and boss of her colony. She is also amoral, ruthless, unhinged and femme fatale-sexy, and that combo with Roberts' way of writing her ticked me off. Missy seem to conform to but at the same time fully subverts all of these gendered stereotypes for a female villain, but I feel that Chantal is just another example of the stereotypical female villain written by a questionable male author.
+-1 Chantal's plan of using the energy of the time engine to breed a new species - Hy-Bractors - that would be superior to humans and replace them (she totally intends for the colony to be slaughtered by her creations, except for her), and then rationalizing her actions with elevated philosophical dialogue on how this is supposedly good for evolution and the future and sustainability of the Earth, is on par with the standard 'mad scientist' discourse, I guess, but also a bit meh and confusing overall. I also still don't quite get how the bloodthirsty, animalistic, barely intelligent Hy-Bractors, who are engineered to be brutally efficient in their "dispatch of inferior human competitors", are supposedly an upgrade on the "naturally violent, competitive, hunting brain" of the humans? The explanation didn't quite make sense to me, but anyway xD In any case, their scenes were much gorier than I usually like to go for, too, so that part of the story didn't thrill me.
Other problematic issues, from a feminist and queer pov:
+-1 Jack Harkness: John Barrowman problematic real life personhood aside, I'm not the biggest fan of Captain Jack as a character, although I'm at least relieved this book toned down his boisterous persona a bit, especially regarding RTD's questionable choice of portraying a pan/omnisexual character as flirting with (which is often more like harassing) everyone who he passes on his way :S. He does get the chance to brag about his tight trousers, throw a couple of innuendos around (not so many, small mercies), and provide the Doctor and Rose with a naked diversion (sigh xD).
-1 One thing that really bugged me about Jack in this book is his treatment of Das's girlfriend/fianceé Anna Marie. It's fascinating how Jack is canonically supposed to literally want to jump everything sentient that moves (that is a queerphobic stereotype in itself, too, because pan/omnisexuality does *not* mean that), but yet he takes his time to wonder and get scandalized about how anyone can be attracted to Neanderthal Das, who has a 'feminine' high-pitched voice and is short and stocky without a waist, and how any man can be attracted to Anna Marie, who is, in his words, plain and fat and has facial hair and "a face only a mother or a Neanderthal could love". Aren't you supposed to be canonically attracted to everyone, dude?? I guess that means only canonically attractive people, or? Jack Harkness definitely serves as a conduct for Roberts misogyny here. Also, Jack mainly mentions attraction to women in this book (except for a couple of mentions about the Doctor), which is an additional point of weirdness considering that the book was written by a gay author.
-1 Another eyebrow-raising thing is that the book is supposedly revolving around the racial/speciesist strife between Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens, with the story sympathizing with the Neanderthals, portrayed, perhaps in a more idealized way (I tend to believe that utopia is hard to come by anywhere), as the more pacifist, friendly and harmonious society of the two, while the Homo sapiens tribes are depicted as way more violent and territorial, accepting only new people if they are of their own species, and married to someone in their tribe. And yet, Roberts also makes use of 'man/woman' descriptors only for Homo sapiens tribe members, and constantly uses 'male/female' to describe the Neanderthals - a distinction which markedly dehumanizes them and makes them more comparable to animals.
Ethical themes:
+-1 "'And what about them? They die, and it's history, and no one cares. Just a little bit of genocide along the way to building a mighty space empire? And that's just "the way it is here"?'" The book, via the voices of Rose and the Doctor, generally tackles moral dilemmas with the usual Whovian ethical messages, such as its anti-war stance and the belief that the ends don't justify the means. A central ethical theme is the persecution of the Neanderthals by the Homo Sapiens for deeming them 'inferior', and the Doctor and Rose share a few conversations about genocide and the problematic nature of humans in this respect. The Hy-Bractor 'monster' antagonists are annihilated in their majority in the end, though, which might have been the only way in the story to avoid the slaughter of both the Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, but it's still tackled by the Doctor with more nonchalance that should be expected.
+1 Another interesting topic discussed in the story is the exploration of the human colony, where people are not only genetically engineered to live longer and be canonically beautiful, but also supress their emotions with a constant use of chemicals to avoid any 'wrong-feeling', stripping them not only of empathy and meaningful inter-dynamics, but also of the capacity for agency and individual judgment, as they blindly conform to anything their boss and leader demands.
+1 Finally, Neanderthal Das faces persecution for being different among modern humans, which is linked to their original persecution and ultimate genocide by the Homo Sapiens according to the book. Das, however, manages to get a happy ending where he not only doesn't miss his original home, but relishes in modern technology and society and thinks that nothing is better than a life where you can buy junk food and watch TV in your sofa after work instead of a life dedicated to hunting to survive xD. This character is an interesting take, as it defies the stereotypes of Neanderthals as savage and stupid compared to Homo sapiens peoples, with Das very quickly acclimating to modern human life with hardly any problems. Fortunately, this character also does not display a stereotypical 'Neanderthal sexist attitude' for humorous kicks (which is a relief, because we do have sexism for humorous kicks in this book otherwise). For example, he manages to understand the concept of consent and healthy relationships much better than Jack Harkness from the 51st Century, for one, which is ironic to say the least.
September 23, 2025
Doctor Who: Only Human by Gareth Roberts is a quirky, fun, and surprisingly thoughtful adventure featuring the Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler, and Captain Jack Harkness. It’s one of those Doctor Who novels that feels like it could’ve been a lost episode from Eccleston’s era complete with the humor, heart, and moral dilemmas you’d expect.
The story kicks off with a bizarre discovery: a Neanderthal named Das has somehow ended up in modern-day Bromley (of all places), partying in nightclubs and struggling to adapt to 21st-century life. Naturally, the Doctor and Rose head back to the Stone Age to investigate, while Jack stays behind to help Das adjust to modern humanity. The premise is as bonkers as it sounds, and that’s part of the charm. It’s a mix of prehistoric drama, futuristic meddling, and classic Doctor Who themes about what it truly means to be human.
The strongest aspect of the book is how well Roberts captures the main trio. The Ninth Doctor’s gruff exterior and biting wit are spot-on, but he’s also given moments of quiet reflection and genuine compassion. Rose gets plenty of agency, and her interactions with both the Doctor and the humans of the past are some of her best moments in the expanded universe. Jack, as always, brings the laughs his attempts to teach Das how to blend into modern society are hilarious (and sometimes a bit heartwarming). The diary entries Jack writes about his experiences are a standout feature, offering a mix of humor and introspection.
The book juggles some surprisingly deep themes. It explores humanity’s history of violence and prejudice, particularly the treatment of Neanderthals by early Homo sapiens. There’s a fascinating subplot involving a futuristic human colony that suppresses emotions with drugs, raising questions about the cost of “perfection.” The story doesn’t shy away from moral ambiguity villains aren’t entirely evil, and victims aren’t entirely innocent, which adds depth to what could’ve been a straightforward romp.
That said, it’s not without its flaws. The pacing can feel uneven, with some sections dragging while others rush by. The villain, Chantal, is a bit of a caricature she’s a mix of femme fatale and mad scientist, which can feel dated. And while the humor mostly lands, there are moments where it veers into awkward territory, particularly in how some characters are treated.
Only Human is a funny, clever, and occasionally poignant Doctor Who novel that nails the vibe of the Ninth Doctor era. If you’re a fan of the Doctor, Rose, and Jack, it’s definitely worth a read. Just be ready for some wild tonal shifts and a few eyebrow-raising moments.
The story kicks off with a bizarre discovery: a Neanderthal named Das has somehow ended up in modern-day Bromley (of all places), partying in nightclubs and struggling to adapt to 21st-century life. Naturally, the Doctor and Rose head back to the Stone Age to investigate, while Jack stays behind to help Das adjust to modern humanity. The premise is as bonkers as it sounds, and that’s part of the charm. It’s a mix of prehistoric drama, futuristic meddling, and classic Doctor Who themes about what it truly means to be human.
The strongest aspect of the book is how well Roberts captures the main trio. The Ninth Doctor’s gruff exterior and biting wit are spot-on, but he’s also given moments of quiet reflection and genuine compassion. Rose gets plenty of agency, and her interactions with both the Doctor and the humans of the past are some of her best moments in the expanded universe. Jack, as always, brings the laughs his attempts to teach Das how to blend into modern society are hilarious (and sometimes a bit heartwarming). The diary entries Jack writes about his experiences are a standout feature, offering a mix of humor and introspection.
The book juggles some surprisingly deep themes. It explores humanity’s history of violence and prejudice, particularly the treatment of Neanderthals by early Homo sapiens. There’s a fascinating subplot involving a futuristic human colony that suppresses emotions with drugs, raising questions about the cost of “perfection.” The story doesn’t shy away from moral ambiguity villains aren’t entirely evil, and victims aren’t entirely innocent, which adds depth to what could’ve been a straightforward romp.
That said, it’s not without its flaws. The pacing can feel uneven, with some sections dragging while others rush by. The villain, Chantal, is a bit of a caricature she’s a mix of femme fatale and mad scientist, which can feel dated. And while the humor mostly lands, there are moments where it veers into awkward territory, particularly in how some characters are treated.
Only Human is a funny, clever, and occasionally poignant Doctor Who novel that nails the vibe of the Ninth Doctor era. If you’re a fan of the Doctor, Rose, and Jack, it’s definitely worth a read. Just be ready for some wild tonal shifts and a few eyebrow-raising moments.
May 15, 2013
So, here I've been lo these many months, out of my mind with excitement that soon (but not soon enough), I'd be holding a Doctor Who novel written by my favorite living science fiction writer (that would be Alastair Reynolds*, duh, and may he live long and prosper**), and one that concerns one of my favorite Doctors (that would be the Third, portrayed by the inimitable Jon Pertwee), and I realized, hey, I've never actually read a Doctor Who novel.
So I went hunting. Concurrently with a recent mania to watch the whole of the Ninth Doctor's single TV season and an accompanying wild hair to write a novel starring said Ninth Doctor, because Christopher Eccleston is another favorite.*** And Only Human had the best blurb. This might be Jasper Fforde's fault for making me sympathize so with Neanderthals. I'm just not sure on that.
I am now dangerously close to writing a blog post that is longer than the actual novel, which is short and sweet but packed with goodies to satisfy the wibbly wobbly timey wimey longings of any Who fan, new or old, with offerings ranging from a Neanderthal lost in 21st century England (whom Captain Jack, of all people, must help to acclimatize) to a population of technologically advanced modern humans living in a Prisoneresque village in prehistoric England but strangely uninterested in the Neanderthal and Homo sapiens sapiens populations nearby unless their "popper packs" (basically a ripoff of the Penfield Mood Organs from Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) compel them to, even though studying these populations and the charismatic megafauna that share their world is why said H.s.s. are there and then (for of course, they are time travelers, using a cheap and dirty version of time travel so cheap and dirty as to make Captain Jack's vortex manipulator look like something from the pages of Inhabitat).
But so, the Doctor and cavemen of various species. Who doesn't love a combination like that? I'm certainly in for a go, even if Rose has to come along, too, which she does, but no tale is perfect, right?****
Anyway.
Like I said, there's a lot packed into this short little book. While Captain Jack is training the displaced Neanderthal, Das in 21st century living, the Doctor and Rose travel back to Das' time (to which he cannot return because of reasons. And cheap and dirty time travel tech. Wibbly wobbly) to find out how/why Das got when he is and put a stop to whatever's going on because it is Bad. And they find the aforementioned Penfield Mood Organ junkies. Who are all enslaved via their Poppers by a charismatic and devastatingly (and artificially) intelligent, ruthless scientist named Chantal. Everybody wants to please Chantal. And Chantal is up to no good. Basically a Master/Rani hybrid, is Chantal. Except a bit more effective; at one point even the Doctor is drug-boozled into wanting to please Chantal -- and were this not a Doctor Who story, one might well have come to believe the jeopardy in which this places him. As it was, it was not at all easy to see how he was going to get out of his predicament. While Rose was off cavorting with cave men.
So, I wound up enjoying this little romp rather a lot. And I'll say this for my fellow Rose haters: book Rose, at least this book Rose, is rather more enjoyable than TV Rose -- not because Billie Piper did a bad job on TV or anything, just that the kind of stuff Gareth Roberts put her through would not be easy at all to pull off on TV, and is very likely way more satisfying for people who consider her dominance of the early seasons of NuWho to be their flaw rather than their glory.
Heh.
*I say this not only because it's true, but also because Reynolds occasionally reads my blog and my saying this makes him blush, and I'm just sadistic enough to enjoy making him blush. Especially when, for reasons that blast out my logic circuits, right now Britons can enjoy Harvest of Time, but I as an American not legally do so for another month. Harrumph.
**Heh.
***For those who will surely ask, my current (because they fluctuate, because I'm only human (heh) order of favorite Doctors is: Ninth, Third, Eleventh, Sixth, Fourth, First, Seventh, Second, Tenth, Fifth. Usually Eleventh is higher, and he's like to regain a higher spot on my list after the bravura performance in the most recent Neil Gaiman-penned episode in which Matt Smith got to pull a Gollum/Locutus of Who thing. But I'm all about the Pert right now because of Alastair Reynolds. Duh.
****And there I've outraged all the Rose partisans out there. Bring it. I've been dealing with people who aren't down with my dislike of Perpugilliam Brown† for decades now, and Al Bruno III and I are still even friends.
†I wasn't going to nerd out quite so much for this post, but dudes, trying to choke the life out of Peri on his very first day beneath Colin Baker's blonde curls is a huge part of why the Sixth Doctor is so high on my list. That and I'm just generally a bit partial to Bastard Doctors.
So I went hunting. Concurrently with a recent mania to watch the whole of the Ninth Doctor's single TV season and an accompanying wild hair to write a novel starring said Ninth Doctor, because Christopher Eccleston is another favorite.*** And Only Human had the best blurb. This might be Jasper Fforde's fault for making me sympathize so with Neanderthals. I'm just not sure on that.
I am now dangerously close to writing a blog post that is longer than the actual novel, which is short and sweet but packed with goodies to satisfy the wibbly wobbly timey wimey longings of any Who fan, new or old, with offerings ranging from a Neanderthal lost in 21st century England (whom Captain Jack, of all people, must help to acclimatize) to a population of technologically advanced modern humans living in a Prisoneresque village in prehistoric England but strangely uninterested in the Neanderthal and Homo sapiens sapiens populations nearby unless their "popper packs" (basically a ripoff of the Penfield Mood Organs from Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) compel them to, even though studying these populations and the charismatic megafauna that share their world is why said H.s.s. are there and then (for of course, they are time travelers, using a cheap and dirty version of time travel so cheap and dirty as to make Captain Jack's vortex manipulator look like something from the pages of Inhabitat).
But so, the Doctor and cavemen of various species. Who doesn't love a combination like that? I'm certainly in for a go, even if Rose has to come along, too, which she does, but no tale is perfect, right?****
Anyway.
Like I said, there's a lot packed into this short little book. While Captain Jack is training the displaced Neanderthal, Das in 21st century living, the Doctor and Rose travel back to Das' time (to which he cannot return because of reasons. And cheap and dirty time travel tech. Wibbly wobbly) to find out how/why Das got when he is and put a stop to whatever's going on because it is Bad. And they find the aforementioned Penfield Mood Organ junkies. Who are all enslaved via their Poppers by a charismatic and devastatingly (and artificially) intelligent, ruthless scientist named Chantal. Everybody wants to please Chantal. And Chantal is up to no good. Basically a Master/Rani hybrid, is Chantal. Except a bit more effective; at one point even the Doctor is drug-boozled into wanting to please Chantal -- and were this not a Doctor Who story, one might well have come to believe the jeopardy in which this places him. As it was, it was not at all easy to see how he was going to get out of his predicament. While Rose was off cavorting with cave men.
So, I wound up enjoying this little romp rather a lot. And I'll say this for my fellow Rose haters: book Rose, at least this book Rose, is rather more enjoyable than TV Rose -- not because Billie Piper did a bad job on TV or anything, just that the kind of stuff Gareth Roberts put her through would not be easy at all to pull off on TV, and is very likely way more satisfying for people who consider her dominance of the early seasons of NuWho to be their flaw rather than their glory.
Heh.
*I say this not only because it's true, but also because Reynolds occasionally reads my blog and my saying this makes him blush, and I'm just sadistic enough to enjoy making him blush. Especially when, for reasons that blast out my logic circuits, right now Britons can enjoy Harvest of Time, but I as an American not legally do so for another month. Harrumph.
**Heh.
***For those who will surely ask, my current (because they fluctuate, because I'm only human (heh) order of favorite Doctors is: Ninth, Third, Eleventh, Sixth, Fourth, First, Seventh, Second, Tenth, Fifth. Usually Eleventh is higher, and he's like to regain a higher spot on my list after the bravura performance in the most recent Neil Gaiman-penned episode in which Matt Smith got to pull a Gollum/Locutus of Who thing. But I'm all about the Pert right now because of Alastair Reynolds. Duh.
****And there I've outraged all the Rose partisans out there. Bring it. I've been dealing with people who aren't down with my dislike of Perpugilliam Brown† for decades now, and Al Bruno III and I are still even friends.
†I wasn't going to nerd out quite so much for this post, but dudes, trying to choke the life out of Peri on his very first day beneath Colin Baker's blonde curls is a huge part of why the Sixth Doctor is so high on my list. That and I'm just generally a bit partial to Bastard Doctors.
June 16, 2021
What can I say, I am a big fan of doctor who, so don't know if I would ever say something bad.. hahahahah
August 24, 2015
So, a few weeks ago at Barnes and Noble I decided to go out on a whim and buy the first Doctor Who based book I’ve ever read. I’m a huge fan of the TV show (and by that I mean Doctor Who basically runs most of my life – I’m actually watching it as I write this), but never delved into reading any of the fiction that’s associated with the show. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to; it’s just that I’ve been skeptical and a bit afraid to delve into such a massive array of side fiction. But, I had nothing to be afraid of with this book. I absolutely LOVED it. It was, as nine would say, Fantastic.
This novel is part of a revamped book series that was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. These stories were picked among the many stories written as companions to the series as the best. This series has one book feature per doctor and a few for side monsters. This particular story is based on the ninth doctor. In this story, Nine and Rose discover a Neanderthal man that has appeared in London’s club scene one night. This is just the start of the adventure that awaits them. Rose and Nine travel back in time to figure out how he got there while Captain Jack stays in the present and helps this strange new man adapt to modern-day life in London.
My expectations were pretty low for this, but I always try to keep my expectations low (keeps me from worlds of disappointment). However, I didn’t need to have low expectations, but they definitely gave Roberts’ writing the ability to soar higher than I could have imagined. I loved, loved, loved his story. Roberts captures the characters supremely, and I honestly felt like I was watching an episode of Doctor Who. I am completely heartbroken that Captain Jack is not on the show any longer, so this was a great fix for that hankering, and Roberts got his character spot on.
The writing is also very well done. I have no complaints about Roberts writing style or his plot devices and story progression or any complaints about this book in general. This book was an extremely easy read; I flew threw it pretty fast, but it is dense enough to provide a great story and more laughs from the characters that all Whovians already love. Roberts does a perfect job of balancing humor and seriousness just like the show does. Prepare yourself to laugh and cry, okay, it’s not that sad by any means, but you might just be sobbing, like me, over how much you miss these wonderful characters on the show, because they are captured so well.
I’m just going to go ahead and end this review here, because I’m pretty much useless at this point and will just continue to tell you over and over again how much I adored this book (and Doctor Who in general). So, if you’re a fan, I definitely recommend this book. I will absolutely be reading more Who-related stories by this author and dabbling more into the literature associated with Doctor Who (or, you know, just let it consume me completely, which is the most likely scenario).
Thanks for reading! Feel free to add me as a friend on here and also check out my tumblr page at www.dreamingthroughliterature.tumblr.com and my blog at www.dreamingthroughlitearture.wordpre...
This novel is part of a revamped book series that was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. These stories were picked among the many stories written as companions to the series as the best. This series has one book feature per doctor and a few for side monsters. This particular story is based on the ninth doctor. In this story, Nine and Rose discover a Neanderthal man that has appeared in London’s club scene one night. This is just the start of the adventure that awaits them. Rose and Nine travel back in time to figure out how he got there while Captain Jack stays in the present and helps this strange new man adapt to modern-day life in London.
My expectations were pretty low for this, but I always try to keep my expectations low (keeps me from worlds of disappointment). However, I didn’t need to have low expectations, but they definitely gave Roberts’ writing the ability to soar higher than I could have imagined. I loved, loved, loved his story. Roberts captures the characters supremely, and I honestly felt like I was watching an episode of Doctor Who. I am completely heartbroken that Captain Jack is not on the show any longer, so this was a great fix for that hankering, and Roberts got his character spot on.
The writing is also very well done. I have no complaints about Roberts writing style or his plot devices and story progression or any complaints about this book in general. This book was an extremely easy read; I flew threw it pretty fast, but it is dense enough to provide a great story and more laughs from the characters that all Whovians already love. Roberts does a perfect job of balancing humor and seriousness just like the show does. Prepare yourself to laugh and cry, okay, it’s not that sad by any means, but you might just be sobbing, like me, over how much you miss these wonderful characters on the show, because they are captured so well.
I’m just going to go ahead and end this review here, because I’m pretty much useless at this point and will just continue to tell you over and over again how much I adored this book (and Doctor Who in general). So, if you’re a fan, I definitely recommend this book. I will absolutely be reading more Who-related stories by this author and dabbling more into the literature associated with Doctor Who (or, you know, just let it consume me completely, which is the most likely scenario).
Thanks for reading! Feel free to add me as a friend on here and also check out my tumblr page at www.dreamingthroughliterature.tumblr.com and my blog at www.dreamingthroughlitearture.wordpre...
June 4, 2013
For the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, the BBC commissioned a reprint of eleven novels to represent each of the Doctors. I love that they chose to reprint beloved novels instead of publishing new ones, to show off the history of the character. Books and radio plays have been as much a part of the series as the television show.
The book chosen to represent the Ninth Doctor is ONLY HUMAN by Gareth Roberts. Roberts has written books covering both Classic and New Who. He's also written a couple of episodes, including fan-favorite "The Lodger." I had high hopes for ONLY HUMAN, given Roberts' pedigree and my love of Nine, and those hopes were not dashed.
The Doctor and his companions Rose Tyler and Captain Jack Harkness are in modern-day London when they run across a Neanderthal, known as Das. Soon enough the Doctor and Rose are going back in time to discover how Das ended up so far from home and Jack is attempting to help him blend in. I particularly liked the parts about Das and Jack - they're both far from home (Jack is from the future), but have very different perspectives on the present. Jack's bisexuality is just as matter of fact as always.
Meanwhile, the Doctor and Rose have stumbled upon a research team from a dark period in human history/future, when emotions are controlled by chemicals. Leader Chantal seeks to "improve" the human race, starting from the very beginning. It's an idealistic motive twisted in monstrous ways. This would be an episode to watch from behind the couch.
I'm not sure ONLY HUMAN would intrigue readers not familiar with the characters. It's a fun adventure full of great personalities, but the book isn't concerned with introducing the Who mythology. But it's a great choice for fans. I'll admit to not being that excited about cavemen, but I was proved quite wrong in my estimation of the setting's potential.
The book chosen to represent the Ninth Doctor is ONLY HUMAN by Gareth Roberts. Roberts has written books covering both Classic and New Who. He's also written a couple of episodes, including fan-favorite "The Lodger." I had high hopes for ONLY HUMAN, given Roberts' pedigree and my love of Nine, and those hopes were not dashed.
The Doctor and his companions Rose Tyler and Captain Jack Harkness are in modern-day London when they run across a Neanderthal, known as Das. Soon enough the Doctor and Rose are going back in time to discover how Das ended up so far from home and Jack is attempting to help him blend in. I particularly liked the parts about Das and Jack - they're both far from home (Jack is from the future), but have very different perspectives on the present. Jack's bisexuality is just as matter of fact as always.
Meanwhile, the Doctor and Rose have stumbled upon a research team from a dark period in human history/future, when emotions are controlled by chemicals. Leader Chantal seeks to "improve" the human race, starting from the very beginning. It's an idealistic motive twisted in monstrous ways. This would be an episode to watch from behind the couch.
I'm not sure ONLY HUMAN would intrigue readers not familiar with the characters. It's a fun adventure full of great personalities, but the book isn't concerned with introducing the Who mythology. But it's a great choice for fans. I'll admit to not being that excited about cavemen, but I was proved quite wrong in my estimation of the setting's potential.
May 8, 2013
Set during the 9th Doctor's era, with Rose and a pre-Bad Wolfed Captain Jack. During the 90s and the early oughts, like most Whovians, I survived its absence by reading imports of the Target Missing Adventures books. There were some great books in that series. I came to expect a certain level of quality from them. In plot, writing, characterization, etc. My expectations of the New Series books are a bit lower, to say the least. Some are quite good, most are okay and more than a few are just bad. Gareth Roberts, who wrote a few Doctor books in the 90s (Find The Well-Mannered War), surprised me. This was very good. Not just New Series good, but Target Missing Adventures good. It's a proper Doctor story. It has humor, darkness and pathos. Humanity at its best and its worst. It has creatures who aren't human demonstrating more "humanity" than most of the humans in the story. It has Captain Jack when he was a century and a half younger than in Torchwood or his adventures with 10. It shows how he grew from the reckless amoral time-traveler who almost accidentally destroyed the Earth in WWII to a person who cares about others more than himself. It's not great literature. It's not groundbreaking, but I enjoyed it. Thoroughly.
September 25, 2016
This Doctor Who novel really gets the tone of the Doctor, Rose, and Jack down well. You don't see too much of the Neanderthal time period in this series, so it was a refreshing to see. I also enjoyed seeing Das, one of the Neanderthal's react to the 21st century way of life alongside Jack. On the same note, this gives me a good idea of how the TARDIS works to translate speech and thought.
March 24, 2017
I love me my sci-fi. I'm pretty skilled at suspension of disbelief. But this one was just a stretch too far for me in places.
There were bits I liked, and characters I liked - Das especially. But overall, not one of my favourite Dr Who novelisations. And not enough Captain Jack.
There were bits I liked, and characters I liked - Das especially. But overall, not one of my favourite Dr Who novelisations. And not enough Captain Jack.
December 27, 2013
Fantastic! Good read, good plot, true to the characters.
November 5, 2021
Somebody's interfering with time. The Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack arrive on modern-day Earth to find the culprit and discover a Neanderthal Man, twenty-eight thousand years after his race became extinct. Only a trip back to the primeval dawn of humanity can solve the mystery.
What can I say other than, this is basically the best DW novel I have ever read/Experienced. It's up there sharing the top spot with SHADA! And how can it not share that spot, in this story you have Jack left babysitting a Neanderthal man called Das, and takes him out to nightclubs and he pulls a few ladies. While you have the doctor and rose 28 thousand years ago exploring why and how this man has ended up on modern-day Earth. The story is fast, funny, witty! Everything you want out of a DW story, i was laughing, and then i was hit with huge concepts on humanity that made me think. I have always said that a piece of literature based of an established IP needs to expand and go places the orginal wouldn't or couldn't, and sadly DW doesn't have the budget to go as huge as it wants and that is the charm of the show, doing huge sci-fi on a minimal budget and it still being Impact ful. And this book definitely feels like a missing episode, something that would of been fantastic on the show only if they could! So in that respect this book works perfectly with what it needs to be and just comes out to me at least as one of the best works of DW literature I have ever experienced. And would highly recommend it to any DW fan and or anyone who is a lover of science fiction.
5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟
100/100 Dino dots 🦖🦕
What can I say other than, this is basically the best DW novel I have ever read/Experienced. It's up there sharing the top spot with SHADA! And how can it not share that spot, in this story you have Jack left babysitting a Neanderthal man called Das, and takes him out to nightclubs and he pulls a few ladies. While you have the doctor and rose 28 thousand years ago exploring why and how this man has ended up on modern-day Earth. The story is fast, funny, witty! Everything you want out of a DW story, i was laughing, and then i was hit with huge concepts on humanity that made me think. I have always said that a piece of literature based of an established IP needs to expand and go places the orginal wouldn't or couldn't, and sadly DW doesn't have the budget to go as huge as it wants and that is the charm of the show, doing huge sci-fi on a minimal budget and it still being Impact ful. And this book definitely feels like a missing episode, something that would of been fantastic on the show only if they could! So in that respect this book works perfectly with what it needs to be and just comes out to me at least as one of the best works of DW literature I have ever experienced. And would highly recommend it to any DW fan and or anyone who is a lover of science fiction.
5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟
100/100 Dino dots 🦖🦕
September 4, 2019
The Ninth Doctor is my favorite Doctor. He was my first, and my introduction to Doctor Who, so maybe I’m biased, but I absolutely loved Only Human.
It’s a fantastic Doctor/Rose/Jack story, that gives us some golden moments of dialogue, including Jack creating a, *ahem*, distraction.
The story itself wasn’t my favorite story, but I love the Doctor, Rose, and Jack interacting so much that it makes up for the story being being less than. There’s also just so little Ninth Doctor that I soak up everything he’s in.
I’d say, objectively, if you love the Ninth Doctor, you’ll really enjoy this story. Otherwise, you may find the plot tedious or not interesting.
It’s a fantastic Doctor/Rose/Jack story, that gives us some golden moments of dialogue, including Jack creating a, *ahem*, distraction.
The story itself wasn’t my favorite story, but I love the Doctor, Rose, and Jack interacting so much that it makes up for the story being being less than. There’s also just so little Ninth Doctor that I soak up everything he’s in.
I’d say, objectively, if you love the Ninth Doctor, you’ll really enjoy this story. Otherwise, you may find the plot tedious or not interesting.
November 16, 2023
Had fun with this one!
My experience with Doctor Who novels has been mixed; it really is like reading commissioned fanfictions and can be a hit or miss.
In this one, I really enjoyed the underlying giddy and excited tone that mixed nicely with Rose's, Jack's and Nine's characterisations! Always here for kitchy talks about human nature too, and there is a lot of that in this book. At times it got a little crowded and confusing when it came to placements.
But! I would have liked to watch the story as an episode on screen and I think that is what counts with these novels.
My experience with Doctor Who novels has been mixed; it really is like reading commissioned fanfictions and can be a hit or miss.
In this one, I really enjoyed the underlying giddy and excited tone that mixed nicely with Rose's, Jack's and Nine's characterisations! Always here for kitchy talks about human nature too, and there is a lot of that in this book. At times it got a little crowded and confusing when it came to placements.
But! I would have liked to watch the story as an episode on screen and I think that is what counts with these novels.
August 27, 2024
Je to život měnící, dokonalá kniha? Ne. Ale pokud jste fanda Doctor Who, tak je toto zatím to nejlepší knižní zpracování, jaké jsem četla. Je to plné akce, napětí, sci-fi historických zápletek a trochu toho morálního poučení, jak by každá správná epizoda DW měla mít. Takže touto optikou, rozhodně 10/10.
February 17, 2017
A rousing adventure with the 9th Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack. Well written and with so much attention to the characters I could hear them all in my head as I read. I would have like a bit more Jack but what woman or man hasn't said that? *wink* A great read for any fan of the TV series.
March 9, 2024
Borrowed this on Libby just so I could listen to Anthony Stewart Head read me a story for five hours, and it was well worth it. Very in character, and ASH does a good job with the Doctor's and Rose's accents (although Jack's sounded VERY weird coming from him).
November 30, 2024
This was the best Doctor Who NSA book I’ve read so far, good setting, good monsters, good plot. The log entries from Jack and Des were the best part, I’d probably have rated 5 star if there were more of that.
February 21, 2017
Better than the other Doctor Who audiobooks I've read!
May 25, 2017
Another thrilling adventure with the Doctor and Rose!!!
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