The New Series Adventures are a series of spin-off novels based on the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint.
The range of books does not have an official name. Fans use the term "New Series Adventures" or "New Series Books" in order to distinguish them from other Doctor Who book ranges. Others further divide them into "Ninth Doctor Adventures" and "Tenth Doctor Adventures" although there is no distinction in format between the two. Although the books make reference to events in the television series, they rarely make reference to each other, therefore the books can usually be read in any order. They have Gallifreyan numerals on the spine indicating the suggested order.
In "Doctor Who Files: The Doctor", there is a section on Gallifreyan numbers. The book illustrates a Base-7 number system instead of decimal or Base-10 system. For example on the novel The Price of Paradise, the number on the spine can be translated to 000015 in Base-7 or in decimal it is Book 12. Inside the books, chapters are numbered in the same way, with the thirteenth chapter carrying the same image as the eleventh.
The current publishing schedule for the line, which has been in effect since publishing began in 2005, is three books released simultaneously in the spring, followed by three simultaneous publications in the autumn. Beginning in 2006, the line also added a novella published in the spring.
All releases to date in the New Series Adventures line (with the exception of the novellas I Am a Dalek, Made of Steel, Revenge of the Judoon and The Sontaran Games) have been published first in hardcover. Two special edition boxsets, each containing ten novels have since been created for The Book People in paperback. In the case of the second box set some of the covers have been altered to remove Rose from them. In addition, there has also been a third box set of paperbacks for exclusive sale through Tesco supermarkets. It was published in between the two Book People box sets and contained The Stone Rose and The Nightmare of Black Island (both available in the first Book People box set) as well as The Art of Destruction (otherwise unavailable in paperback at the time) and a slightly different sized version of the novella Revenge of the Judoon. The same hardcover format and three-at-a-time publishing schedule is being used for original novels based upon the spin-off series, Torchwood.
Contents |
Publication history
Ninth Doctor Novels
With the revival of the television series, BBC Books retired its paperback Eighth Doctor Adventures and Past Doctor Adventures fiction lines in 2005 in favour of a new range of hardback books featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose. These have a reduced word count compared to the EDA and PDA lines, with an average page count of about 250. (Initially, the EDA and PDA lines overlapped with the New Series Adventures; the final EDA, The Gallifrey Chronicles, was published in June 2005, followed by the final PDA, Atom Bomb Blues, a Seventh Doctor adventure, being published in December 2005.
The canonicity of Doctor Who spin-offs is open to interpretation[citation needed], the 2005 series episode "Boom Town" makes a reference to the Doctor and Rose's trip to the Justicia system. This took place in The Monsters Inside, making it the first spin-off novel to ever be explicitly referred to in the television series. All the Ninth Doctor novels except Only Human contain "Bad Wolf" references[a] in common with the 2005 television series. Winner Takes All also features the recurring characters Mickey Smith and Jackie Tyler; Jackie also makes a cameo appearance in Only Human.
Unlike many of the BBC's earlier spin-off novels, no definite timeframe exists as to when each of the books take place, though the first three probably take place between "World War Three" and "The Empty Child". Of the latter three (which feature Captain Jack), Only Human and The Deviant Strain take place between "The Doctor Dances" and "Boom Town", while The Stealers of Dreams takes place after "Boom Town" as the events of that episode are referenced, although on-screen dialogue in the episode "Bad Wolf" makes it a challenge to place this novel into the show's continuity. However, it is possible that after "Boom Town", the Doctor, Rose and Jack went somewhere else before returning the egg to Raxacoricofallapatorious.
The first books in the series were popular in the UK. The books were not initially available in North America, but became sporadically available in the late summer; in Canada, the books were not carried by the same distributor as the BBC Books paperbacks, and were initially available only through comic book shops and online retailers when Diamond Comic Distributors took up the contract.
For reasons unknown, the Ninth Doctor adventures were not released on audiobook. It is now unlikely that they will be released in audiobook form, but it is not impossible for this to happen.
During 2005, the New Series Adventures featuring the Ninth Doctor were published concurrently with the paperback Eighth Doctor and Past Doctor Adventures series. However, following the publication of the Past Doctor Adventure Atom Bomb Blues (featuring the Seventh Doctor) in November 2005, no new paperback releases were announced, with BBC Books choosing to focus on the New Series Adventures exclusively as the books moved on to featuring the Tenth Doctor.
Tenth Doctor Novels
With the departure of Christopher Eccleston from the role of the Doctor, BBC Books subsequently announced the publication of three novels featuring the Tenth Doctor and Rose, released on April 13, 2006. These books follow the same style and format as those featuring the Ninth Doctor, with a continuation of the spine numbering. Range consultant and commissioning editor Justin Richards told Doctor Who Magazine that there would be no Ninth Doctor novels in 2006, and the decision as to whether to continue to publish stories with the Ninth Doctor as a separate range has not yet been taken.
Abridged audiobooks were released of all of the Tenth Doctor titles (except the Quick Read series). The first three are narrated by David Tennant (who plays the Tenth Doctor), and were released on 3 July 2006. The Nightmare of Black Island (read by Anthony Head), The Art of Destruction (read by Don Warrington), and The Price of Paradise (read by Shaun Dingwall), were released in November 2006.
Four books in the series were released exclusively as paperback novellas under the Quick Reads scheme to inspire literacy among children. One of these novellas, Made of Steel, featured new companion Martha Jones before the character made her television debut ("Smith and Jones"). It was also the first New Series Adventure to be written by Terrance Dicks, a long-time veteran of Doctor Who and former writer for the original series, making him the only writer who has written novels for every line of Doctor Who fiction with the exception of the Telos novellas.
Despite the character of Martha Jones having left the television series at the end of the 2007 season (although she subsequently appeared in several episodes of the 2008 season), the novels released in the Spring of 2008 continued to feature her as a companion, rather than the Doctor's new companion, Donna Noble. Donna, however, featured in all three of the novels released in Autumn 2008.
The Boxing Day 2008 release saw the series cover new ground with one book featuring Donna Noble, one book covering Martha Jones' adventures between the episodes "The Sound of Drums" (2007) and "Last of the Time Lords" (2007), and one book featuring the Doctor travelling without a companion following the events of "Journey's End" (2008). The 2009 releases (including 6 books in the main series, 1 novella and The Darksmith Legacy) all follow the mould of the Doctor travelling without a regular companion. These books also feature aliens from the New Series, whilst this is not the first time this has happened, (The Monsters Inside) it is the first time they are on the cover, or referenced in the title.
Eleventh Doctor Novels
In December 2009, BBC Books confirmed that three hardcover novels featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond would be published in April 2010. British author Michael Moorcock has announced[1] that he will write a Doctor Who novel expected to be published by Christmas 2010. However he has not confirmed whether he will be writing for the Tenth or Eleventh Doctor.
Audio Stories
Starting with Stone Rose, all New Series Adventures featuring the Tenth Doctor have been released as abridged audiobooks a few months after the paper version was released. The first three were narrated by David Tennant but since then each book has been narrated by a different member of the supporting cast. In 2008 the first Audio only story Pest Control was released. This marked the return of David Tennant as narrator and also featured ambient music and limited sound effects. A further audiobook The Forever Trap was released in October 2008 narrated by Catherine Tate. This range received a third release in 2009 with The Nemonite Invasion also read by Tate. The fourth in the series, 'The Rising Night' will be the first not to feature Donna Noble as the companion.
Canonicity in relation to the TV series
- See also: Whoniverse
As with other Doctor Who spin-offs, the canonicity of the New Series Adventures novels remains open to interpretation, or a "grey area" as often cited in fandom[citation needed], although the producers have often stated that they do not think of Doctor Who conituity as a canon. The episode "Boom Town", however, was the first televised episode to include direct reference to the events of a novel, specifically the New Series Adventures release The Monsters Inside, which would subsequently be alluded to again in The Sarah Jane Adventures stories Revenge of the Slitheen and The Lost Boy.
List of New Series Adventures
Novels
| # | Title | Author | Doctor | Featuring Companion | Published | ISBN | Audiobook Narrator |
| 1 | The Clockwise Man | Justin Richards | 9th | Rose Tyler | 19 May 2005 | ISBN 0-563-48628-7 | N/A |
| 2 | The Monsters Inside | Stephen Cole | 9th | Rose Tyler | 19 May 2005 | ISBN 0-563-48629-5 |
N/A |
| 3 | Winner Takes All | Jacqueline Rayner | 9th | Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith | 19 May 2005 | ISBN 0-563-48627-9 | N/A |
| 4 | The Deviant Strain | Justin Richards | 9th | Rose Tyler, Captain Jack Harkness | 8 September 2005 | ISBN 0-563-48637-6 | N/A |
| 5 | Only Human | Gareth Roberts | 9th | Rose Tyler, Captain Jack Harkness | 8 September 2005 | ISBN 0-563-48639-2 | N/A |
| 6 | The Stealers of Dreams | Steve Lyons | 9th | Rose Tyler, Captain Jack Harkness | 8 September 2005 | ISBN 0-563-48638-4 | N/A |
| 7 | The Stone Rose | Jacqueline Rayner | 10th | Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith | 13 April 2006 | ISBN 0-563-48643-0 | David Tennant |
| 8 | The Feast of the Drowned | Stephen Cole | 10th | Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith | 13 April 2006 | ISBN 0-563-48644-9 | David Tennant |
| 9 | The Resurrection Casket | Justin Richards | 10th | Rose Tyler | 13 April 2006 | ISBN 0-563-48642-2 | David Tennant |
| 10 | The Nightmare of Black Island | Mike Tucker | 10th | Rose Tyler | 21 September 2006 | ISBN 0-563-48650-3 | Anthony Head |
| 11 | The Art of Destruction | Stephen Cole | 10th | Rose Tyler | 21 September 2006 | ISBN 0-563-48651-1 | Don Warrington |
| 12 | The Price of Paradise | Colin Brake | 10th | Rose Tyler | 21 September 2006 | ISBN 0-563-48652-X | Shaun Dingwall |
| 13 | Sting of the Zygons | Stephen Cole | 10th | Martha Jones | 19 April 2007 | ISBN 1-84607-225-5 | Reggie Yates |
| 14 | The Last Dodo | Jacqueline Rayner | 10th | Martha Jones | 19 April 2007 | ISBN 1-84607-224-7 | Freema Agyeman |
| 15 | Wooden Heart | Martin Day | 10th | Martha Jones | 19 April 2007 | ISBN 1-84607-226-3 | Adjoa Andoh |
| 16 | Forever Autumn | Mark Morris | 10th | Martha Jones | 6 September 2007 | ISBN 1-84607-270-3 | Will Thorp |
| 17 | Sick Building | Paul Magrs | 10th | Martha Jones | 6 September 2007 | ISBN 1-84607-269-7 | Will Thorp |
| 18 | Wetworld | Mark Michalowski | 10th | Martha Jones | 6 September 2007 | ISBN 1-84607-271-9 | Freema Agyeman |
| 19 | Wishing Well | Trevor Baxendale | 10th | Martha Jones | 27 December 2007 | ISBN 1-84607-348-0 | Debbie Chazen |
| 20 | The Pirate Loop | Simon Guerrier | 10th | Martha Jones | 27 December 2007 | ISBN 1-84607-347-2 | Freema Agyeman |
| 21 | Peacemaker | James Swallow | 10th | Martha Jones | 27 December 2007 | ISBN 1-84607-349-9 | Will Thorp |
| 22 | Martha in the Mirror | Justin Richards | 10th | Martha Jones | 1 May 2008 | ISBN 1-84607-420-7 | Freema Agyeman |
| 23 | Snowglobe 7 | Mike Tucker | 10th | Martha Jones | 1 May 2008 | ISBN 1-84607-421-5 | Georgia Moffett |
| 24 | The Many Hands | Dale Smith | 10th | Martha Jones | 1 May 2008 | ISBN 1-84607-422-3 | David Troughton |
| 25 | Ghosts of India | Mark Morris | 10th | Donna Noble | 4 September 2008 | ISBN 1-84607-559-9 | David Troughton |
| 26 | The Doctor Trap | Simon Messingham | 10th | Donna Noble | 4 September 2008 | ISBN 1-84607-558-0 | Russell Tovey |
| 27 | Shining Darkness | Mark Michalowski | 10th | Donna Noble | 4 September 2008 | ISBN 1-84607-557-2 | Debbie Chazen |
| 28 | The Story of Martha | Dan Abnett[b] | 10th | Martha Jones | 26 December 2008 | ISBN 1-84607-561-0 | Freema Agyeman |
| 29 | Beautiful Chaos | Gary Russell | 10th | Donna Noble, Wilfred Mott | 26 December 2008 | ISBN 1-84607-563-7 | Bernard Cribbins |
| 30 | The Eyeless | Lance Parkin | 10th | None | 26 December 2008 | ISBN 1-84607-562-9 | Russell Tovey |
| 31 | Judgement of the Judoon | Colin Brake | 10th | Nikki Jupiter, Judoon Commander Rok Ma[c] | 2 April 2009 | ISBN 1-84607-639-0 | |
| 32 | The Slitheen Excursion | Simon Guerrier | 10th | June[c] | 2 April 2009 | ISBN 1-84607-640-4 | |
| 33 | Prisoner of the Daleks | Trevor Baxendale | 10th | Space Major Jon Bowman, Koral of Red Sky Lost | 2 April 2009 | ISBN 1-84607-641-2 | Nicholas Briggs |
| 34 | The Taking of Chelsea 426 | David Llewellyn | 10th | Jake & Vienna | 17 September 2009 | ISBN 1-84607-758-3 | |
| 35 | Autonomy | Daniel Blythe | 10th | Kate Maguire | 17 September 2009 | ISBN 1-84607-759-1 | |
| 36 | The Krillitane Storm | Christopher Cooper | 10th | None | 17 September 2009 | ISBN 1-84607-761-3 | |
| 37 | Apollo 23 | Justin Richards | 11th | Amy Pond | 22 April 2010 | ISBN 1-84607-200-0 | |
| 38 | Night of the Humans | David Llewellyn | 11th | Amy Pond | 22 April 2010 | ISBN 1-84607-969-1 | |
| 39 | The Forgotten Army | Brian Minchin | 11th | Amy Pond | 22 April 2010 | ISBN 1-84607-987-X |
- Rain of Terror by Mike Tucker was originally listed in the second batch of three novels, but was replaced by The Stealers of Dreams a few days later. In Doctor Who Magazine #374, Tucker explained that his heavy workload elsewhere left him with no time to make the changes that had been requested by the production office after he submitted his outline.
- The Last Museum by Jacqueline Rayner was listed, but was replaced by The Price of Paradise. The story would have involved the Museum of the Last Ones, a facility which attempts to keep endangered species alive. The synopsis asks what would happen when the stasis cabinets break down and the specimens released, and how the museum's Curator would react to meeting the Doctor, the last remaining Time Lord. The idea appears to be recycled in The Last Dodo.
Novellas
Also released as part of the range are five novellas published as part of Quick Reads, a series of books aimed at promoting literacy. These books are published in paperback editions only, to date the only New Series Adventures titles not available in hardback.
| # | Title | Author | Doctor | Featuring | Published | ISBN |
| 1 | I am a Dalek | Gareth Roberts | 10th Doctor | Rose Tyler | 19 May 2006 | ISBN 0-563-48648-1 |
| 2 | Made of Steel | Terrance Dicks | 10th Doctor | Martha Jones | 1 March 2007 | ISBN 1-84607-204-2 |
| 3 | Revenge of the Judoon | Terrance Dicks | 10th Doctor | Martha Jones | 6 March 2008 | ISBN 1-84607-372-3 |
| 4 | The Sontaran Games | Jacqueline Rayner | 10th Doctor | None[c] | 26 February 2009 | ISBN 1-84607-643-9 |
| 5 | Code of the Krillitanes | Justin Richards | 10th Doctor | None | 4 March 2010 | ISBN 1-84607-928-4 |
Decide Your Destiny books
The Decide Your Destiny books are gamebooks, in which the reader takes the role of the Doctor's companion.
| # | Title | Author | Doctor | Featuring | Published | ISBN |
| 1 | The Spaceship Graveyard | Colin Brake | 10th | Martha Jones | 5 July 2007 | ISBN 978-1-40590-376-9 |
| 2 | Alien Arena | Richard Dungworth | 10th | Martha Jones | 5 July 2007 | ISBN 978-1-40590-352-3 |
| 3 | The Time Crocodile | Colin Brake | 10th | Martha Jones | 5 July 2007 | ISBN 978-1-40590-350-9 |
| 4 | The Corinthian Project | Davey Moore | 10th | Martha Jones | 5 July 2007 | ISBN 978-1-40590-345-5 |
| 5 | The Crystal Snare | Richard Dungworth | 10th | Martha Jones | 4 October 2007 | ISBN 978-1-40590-381-3 |
| 6 | War of the Robots | Trevor Baxendale | 10th | Martha Jones | 4 October 2007 | ISBN 978-1-40590-382-0 |
| 7 | Dark Planet | Davey Moore | 10th | Martha Jones | 4 October 2007 | ISBN 978-1-40590-379-0 |
| 8 | The Haunted Wagon Train | Colin Brake | 10th | Martha Jones | 4 October 2007 | ISBN 978-1-40590-380-6 |
| 9 | Lost Luggage | Colin Brake | 10th | None | 6 March 2008 | ISBN 978-1-40590-401-8 |
| 10 | Second Skin | Richard Dungworth | 10th | None | 6 March 2008 | ISBN 978-1-40590-402-5 |
| 11 | The Dragon King | Trevor Baxendale | 10th | None | 6 March 2008 | ISBN 978-1-40590-403-2 |
| 12 | The Horror of Howling Hill | Jonathan Green | 10th | Martha Jones | 6 March 2008 | ISBN 978-1-40590-404-9 |
| 13 | The Coldest War | Colin Brake | 11th | Amy Pond | 29 April 2010 | ISBN-978-1-40590-686-9 |
| 14 | Claws Of The Macra | Trevor Baxendale | 11th | Amy Pond | 29 April 2010 | ISBN-978-1-40590-685-2 |
Original audiobooks
| # | Title | Author | Doctor | Featuring | Read by | Published | ISBN | Notes |
| 1 | Pest Control | Peter Anghelides | 10th | Donna Noble | David Tennant | 8 May 2008 | Audio exclusive | |
| 2 | The Forever Trap | Dan Abnett | 10th | Donna Noble | Catherine Tate | 9 October 2008 | Audio exclusive | |
| 3 | The Nemonite Invasion | David Roden | 10th | Donna Noble | Catherine Tate | 12 February 2009 | Audio exclusive | |
| 4 | The Rising Night | Scott Handcock | 10th | None | Michelle Ryan | 2 July 2009 | Audio exclusive | |
| 5 | Day of the Troll | Simon Messingham | 10th | None | David Tennant | October 2009 | Audio exclusive | |
| 6 | The Last Voyage | Dan Abnett | 10th | TBA | David Tennant | 7 January 2010 | Audio exclusive | |
| 7 | The Hounds Of Artemis | James Goss | 11th | Amy Pond | TBA | 8 April 2010 | Audio exclusive |
Monsters Books
Darksmith Legacy
BBC Children's Books released two books in January, and have been releasing new episodes every month since.
| # | Title | Author | Doctor | Published | ISBN |
| 1 | The Dust of Ages | Justin Richards | 10th | 29 January 2009 | ISBN 978-1405905138 |
| 2 | The Graves of Mordane | Colin Brake | 10th | 29 January 2009 | ISBN 978-1405905145 |
| 3 | The Colour of Darkness | Richard Dungworth | 10th | 26 February 2009 | ISBN 978-1405905152 |
| 4 | The Depths of Despair | Justin Richards | 10th | 26 March 2009 | ISBN 978-1405905169 |
| 5 | The Vampire of Paris | Stephen Cole | 10th | 30 April 2009 | ISBN 978-1405905176 |
| 6 | The Game of Death | Trevor Baxendale | 10th | 28 May 2009 | ISBN 978-1405905183 |
| 7 | The Planet of Oblivion | Justin Richards | 10th | 25 June 2009 | ISBN 978-1405905190 |
| 8 | The Picture of Emptiness | Jacqueline Rayner | 10th | 30 July 2009 | ISBN 978-1405905206 |
| 9 | The Art of War | Mike Tucker | 10th | 27 August 2009 | ISBN 978-1405905213 |
| 10 | The End of Time | Justin Richards | 10th | 24 September 2009 | ISBN 978-1405905220 |
Notes
- ^a The Clockwise Man: page 120, The Monsters Inside: page 136, Winner Takes All: page 22, The Deviant Strain: page 162, The Stealers of Dreams: page 113
- ^b The Story of Martha itself was written by Dan Abnett. However the four short stories that alternate withthe main plot were written by David Roden, Steve Lockley and Paul Lewis, Robert Shearman, and Simon Jowett.
- ^c Although the Doctor is not travelling with a TV series companion, the blurb of these books indicates that he has a temporary companion for that story: June in The Slitheen Excursion, Nikki in Judgement of the Judoon, and Emma in The Sontaran Games.
See also
References
External links
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