Doctor Who: Only Human - Gareth Roberts

Title: Only Human
Author: Gareth Roberts
Paperback: 222 pages
Publisher: Ebury Publishing
Published date: April 2013
FTC: Received to review from TLC Book Tours


Only Human by Gareth Roberts is the second book I was fortunate to be able to review for TLC Book Tours as part of Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary celebration.  A few years ago I was so excited to see Doctor Who back on the air.  I didn't get to catch it on TV but caught it on Netflix.  The opening credits with the classic Doctor Who theme...sigh. Good memories.  Still I was pretty alone in my Doctor Who fandom. It hadn't blown up like it has recently.  I LOVED Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor.  He seemed so cool with his leather jacket but still had that sense of humor that is always the Doctor.

This book brings back the Ninth Doctor with his companion Rose - who has become iconic in the series - and Captain Jack Harkness.  If you haven't watched any Ninth Doctor episodes you are missing out.  Check out The Empty Child episode where we first meet Captain Jack.  It is one of my favorite episodes - London during WWII blitz and that creepy creepy child.

Captain Jack

I remember the last Ninth Doctor episode where Christopher Eccleston is no longer and David Tennant becomes the Tenth Doctor.  I was so mad because I loved the Ninth Doctor and who was this silly character with funny hair and shoes?  Ok.  So I came to love the Tenth Doctor along with everyone else. David Tennant, you rock.  Still, Christopher Eccleston will always hold a place in my geeky heart because you were the first Doctor since I sat on the couch watching Doctor Who with my dad.

Back of the book:

Reports of a time disturbance lead the Ninth Doctor to modern-day London, where he discovers a Neanderthal Man, twenty-eight thousand years after his race became extinct.  A trip back to the dawn of humanity only deepens the mystery: who are these strange humans from the far future now living in the distant past? The Doctor must learn the truth about the Osterberg experiment before history is changed forever.

My thoughts:

In Doctor Who stories there's obviously three "types": past, present and future.  I tend to love the past ones - you know when the Doctor and companion meet Queen Victoria, or Agatha Christie, or Shakespeare.  Present ones are usually pretty good too but I'm hit or miss with future ones.  They can be good or too sci-fi silly.  I loved that this book did an awesome job of having the Doctor and Rose go to the past - way way past, when Neanderthal's walked the earth - but also had a futuristic bent with future time travelers also mucking around observing early man and Neanderthals.

Most of the story revolves around the Doctor and Rose but there are sections where we learn about the Neanderthal man, Das, who was accidently sent to modern England.  Captain Jack is tasked with trying to modernize and acclimate him to the modern world.  These parts are written journal style by Das and Captain Jack and are quite funny.  Obviously there's something sinister really going on in the past and the Doctor and Rose save the day.  These books are so much fun.  I'm really going to have to get my hands on the rest of the series.

GIVEAWAY!!!

Remember to enter my Giveaway for either Festival of Death, Only Human, or Who-ology.  When I originally posted the giveaway I didn't know I could only give away one book so make sure you designate which book you want.  Don't worry if you've already entered but have changed your mind.  If you win I'll confirm which one you want.

Check out the huge lineup of Doctor Who reviews for TLC Book Tours and more giveaways!