A competent but unchallenging novel from one of the better Doctor Who authors of old. The characterisation of the regulars feels a little "off" so I'm not sure what gareth was working from - whether he'd seen performances or was just going from the character's bio. ( )

My book review:
http://ganimede.dreamwidth.org/22528.... ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1180946...

This is surely one of the best New Series Adventures, and one of the better Who novels in general. It is largely set in Bromley, which may not sound like a promising start, but this becomes the jumping off point for the Doctor (Nine, in this case) and Rose to get involved with Bromley's prehistory, where Neanderthals, local homo sapiens, and humans who have travelled there from the far future are all under threat from ambitious monsters and montrous ambition. Meanwhile, in the early 21st century, Jack Harkness is helping a displaced Neanderthal settle into contemporary Bromley. There is a certain amount of playing the situation for laughs, but also a bit of exploration of what it is that makes us human. The question of whether or not this applies to the Doctor lurks in the background, of course, but it's more about Rose and the people she meets, with the Jack story line operating as a contrast. Very interesting, and recommended. ( )

Enjoyable and interesting enough concepts, but I wanted more time with some of the characters (on both sides). Also, the Doctor's deus ex machina this time around felt extremely unlikely and contrived. ( )

I very much enjoyed the historical setting (although a bit more depth would have been nice) and I liked the ideas of the "popper-packs" as well. I liked the sub-plot of the Neanderthal in the 20th century but felt it was a bit tacked on to the main plot. Entertaining but not as good as it had the potential to be. ( )