Doctor Who: New Series Adventures - The Monsters Inside Review

Stephen Cole earned my respect with his Time Lord Victorious novel, along with any input he had as the editor of The Clockwise Men, so it’s safe to say my expectations were high for this one.

His Time Lord Victorious novel came out 15 years after this one.

I shouldn’t have placed my hopes that high.

The Monsters Inside feels like Cole dipping his toes into Modern Who as he has worked on Doctor Who novels prior to this one. With no experience of his prior work, and rather only what’s to come, this feels like a very safe book.

For the most part the narrative beats are like that of the previous novel.

The Doctor and Rose split up for a bit, meet their own cast of characters whilst a larger plot ensues around them, and then they all meet back together for the finale.

The difference is the Doctor was seen as more of an endgame in that book. We got to peek inside of his head however if he was present during all of Rose's investigations or that of the other characters then the plot would've been over substantially quicker.

Here, the novel focuses on the Doctor and Rose however Cole tries to split the narrative into two only for it to come together at the end, rather than the mystery hunt the previous novel did.

In theory that sounds all well and good however the time spent fleshing out these two subplots made the side characters feel lesser.

I didn't finish the book thinking about how amazing and vital certain characters were like Freddy, Sir George or Wyse from The Clockwise Men.

I know at this point it comes across as if I'm just going to compare and detract The Monsters Inside with The Clockwise Men but there's a reason I started off this way.

Cole has already earned my respect with books from his future however this is still early days for him. Seeing as he was the editor for the previous book it's interesting that it feels like the thing he picked up on most were the story beats rather than how they were executed.

Instead of this cast being fleshed out they feel more like the expendable cast in a horror film.

I can still remember the names of Aske and Repple from The Clockwise Men because their motives and characters were explored to some extend. Here it's a stereotypical prison drama cast.

What's more is the idea of locking the Doctor and Rose up whilst explaining how the prison works seems like an ideal way to set up a Doctor Who Prison Break story. Instead the tension from the prison, whilst strong to begin with, is swiftly gone when it just becomes another Doctor Who adventure again.

Cole tries his hand at forming a more mature story here by inserting words into Rose's mouth like "bitch" or with a scene towards the start where she's nearly scalped but they come across as little more than a teenager trying to sound cool.

I don't think that this is a bad story but I have more criticism than praise especially with its rushed Fast and Furious style ending.

I cared about the outcome of the previous novel because the characters were well written and I genuinely wished them well regardless of the trouble they face. Here the cast are faced with a large spectacle event that just feels hollow because without caring for these side characters my mind is reminded the Doctor and Rose survive this and go on for another two series of TV together.

In terms of what I enjoyed, The Monsters Inside brings back a Christopher Eccleston monster and for the most part they feel redeemed for their lacklustre episodes. It's only when the novel pulls the whole "their our distant relatives" or "we're a cousin race" and my respect for undoing the slapstick presented in this species is gone.

The Doctor and Rose were nice adaptations of their characters but the novel never elaborates on them. I don't feel like I've learned more about the way these two interact or care any deeper for them because they're just cardboard cut-outs with a soundboard here. Efficient enough to seem entertaining but never more complex than a poster with their faces on.

I think that if I had read this first over The Clockwise Men the comparisons wouldn't exist and my respect for this novel would be higher. I think it's a worthwhile read if you're just passing by but nothing to get invested in.

6/10