Doctor Who The Monsters Inside by Stephen Cole

Doctor Who The Monsters Inside Reviews

• 
  ☙ nemo ❧

  Rose Tyler is the light of my life and if you don’t like her then I don’t trust you and you’re definitely Rassilon
• 
  Allison

  Sometimes a girl needs a good old fashioned escapist time Some people buy romance novels; I buy Doctor Who novels And you know what? I wouldn't mind re reading this one so there
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  ArwendeLuhtiene

  255 This is the fourth DW book with Rose and the Ninth Doctor that I've read and while I uite enjoyed the rest of them this one didn't uite hook me S The narration style and uality wasn't my favourite and even though I think the premise was really promising I also think the social criticism got derailed uite a lot by the alien menace of the story which is a shame S Some spoilers in the points below1 The initial premise of a human made planetary system serving as a series of concentrationlabour camps and prisons for the criminals of the Galaxy both human and alien was very promising and there was some social criticism related to that in the story The system is corrupted primarily based on money and people in high ranks gaining power no surprises there People are mistreated tortured and exploited in the labour camps which also include several science experiment projects using the detainees as test subjects and problem solvers Those deemed criminals it seems that often unjustly or for minor offenses are sent to long prison terms with abusive wardens and minimally decent living conditions There is also some criticism of speciesism and racismxenophobia in the way the system segregates humans and aliens in different complexes and seems to mainly exploit the latter for their science projects 1 All this background called for way social criticism than we finally ended up getting though Mid story the social criticism content that was coming via the Doctor and Rose against this human made penitentiary system is suddenly basically put on hold indefinitely as the alien antagonists Slitheen and other Raxacoricofallapatorian families turn out to be impersonating than one high rank officer in the complex From this point I felt like the Slitheen aliens the main antagonists are actually not from the Slitheen family but I'm going to use it this way to avoid saying 'Raxacoricofallapatorians' xD became the only antagonists in the tale effectively seeming to shift the blame to them and pretty much forgetting about the human made complex full of freaking labour camps and prison mistreatment S The fact that most of the human workers and leaders mentioned are either Slitheen posing as them these are also the most evil and morally wrong or described as greymoral andor becoming allies of the Doctor and Rose even though than one continues to be complicit in the system doesn't really help matters in this case The end also reminded me of Kerblam in this way The aliens are fully defeated and these greymoral humans who became allies of the Doctor suddenly find themselves in charge of matters and decide to make the system better Which could sound good and like a very Whovian ending but it's not fully clear which subjective criteria they are going to implement and if they're actually making the complex less of an authoritarian capitalist exploitative torture detainment site and of a humane set of prisons for those who do deserve a prison sentence The freaking existence of labour camps are also not really addressed at this point and the Doctor and Rose seem to only insist on them freeing those detained aliens and human inmates who have helped in the cause against the Slitheen S The fact that the social critiue was so suddenly shifted to the bad alien menace of the Slitheen against the not so bad after all humans does whitewash and diminish the actual problematic issues the story was dealing with in the first place I think 1 I uite liked how Rose was depicted in the tale She is well characterized and very proactive as usual She spends most of the book on her own and becomes a Doctor figure at one point with a companion of her own a low rank male warden from the prison they sent her to There is also some female bonding and Bechdel going on with Rose making friends with her fellow cell inmate Riz and also developing alliances and tenous friendly dynamics with scientist warden Flowers and other fellow female inmates 1 However I felt like the Doctor was 2D and less interesting to read about in this tale I uite like the Ninth Doctor but I don't think he was as fleshed out in this tale as he could have been even though he has his fair share of social criticism while it lasts at least S techno babble and action 1 Even though I think Rose is well depicted and there are a fair number of female characters in this book the treatment of the rest of the female characters is sorely lacking in some respects The descriptions of each and every one of the women in this book scream of 'male writer syndrome' and are full of problematic and pretty sexist clichés The narrator keeps evaluating their physical appearance in a way that's unsolicited cringy and a double standard compared to most male characters and than one woman be she a high ranking officer a scientist an inmate or a warden or even an alien are helpfully described as being 'fat' 'plain' 'old' 'short' 'jealous of prettier women' or 'with testosterone than the thin male warden they're comparing her to' This soured my experience of the book uite a lot 1 There are also some problematic jokes having to do with implementing 'mixed sex cells' with male and female inmates in the teenager prison Rose is sent to clearly drawing on the sexual assault possibilities S However most inmates also choose to behave like prom is coming and making lists of which inmates are hot?? Female inmates also seem to prefer obsessing over handsome male wardens rather than feel miffed about their generally horrible treatment coincidentally these are the most humane and sympathetic of the complex compared to the btchy female wardens S It's worth mentioning that the evil Slitheen were actually hoping that the 'mixed sex cells' would lead to the inmates reproducing and giving them labourers for their exploitative purposes aka sexual assault in than one case and women as incubators yay S 1 In the same line of thought scientist warden Flowers who works in the alien labour camp the Doctor is trapped in and who becomes her companion of sorts in this tale is depicted as 'plain' nearing early middle age and 'overweight' and thus horribly insecure forever jealous of prettier women and desperately 'needing some exercise' and the Doctor himself puts it because she can't keep up with him when running wow She's also pragmatic in the moral sense and doesn't really care about exploiting other people if that means her career is going well but even so all that is brushed aside pretty uickly and she ends the story with even control in the complex after all the baddie was her female superior who was actually an Slitheen in disguise not the complicit underlings But instead of actually making the system better like they claim they want to do she starts making a list of 'hot male inmates sentenced for minor offenses' so that they can be their personal assistants WTF Feminism this is not 1 There are also some unfortunate racist touches here and there The sole female character described as Asian is said to be stereotipically 'petite and delicate but with a comically low voice' wat and the few black and dark skinned characters are described as 'swarthy' and who even uses that any to describe poc it sounds so cringy?? 1 There is some greymorality going on both among the humans in charge of the penitentiary complex and among the Slitheen which I do appreciate even though that also becomes a bit problematic when complicit underlings in the system are not really held accountable in the story S Or that the most sympathetic and humane wardens in the story turn out to be male which kinda promotes the archetype of the btchy they're called this in the book than once woman in charge S Rose is initially bullied and attacked by a pack of female inmates fully stereotyped as big burly and rough who give her a very hard time but in the end they kind of apologize for it when Rose becomes a hero figure of the prison with her uncovering the Slitheen she shouldn't have to prove herself in this way to be respected though And the actual Slitheen in this book are greymoral and become tenous allies of the Doctor in most of the story as they are also against the other Raxacoricofallapatorian family who serves as the main antagonists of the tale There are also two female Slitheen in the tale with proactive roles 1 And to conclude this the Slitheen are not my fave Whovian alien at all I actually uite dislike them Apart from the juvenile 'farts and belches' shenanigans which I'm not a fan of and the horrible prosthetics the rampant fatphobia in their characterization is the main reason for this The book ends up basically demonizing all fat people because they might be monsters in disguise and I find that deeply disturbing S Rose and other characters have to be careful of any fat person in power they encounter because an Slitheen might be lurking inside ready to chase and kill them and it's actually a huge plot twist when one of them turns out to be in the body of a gasp slim womanWhen I started reading this book I linked the title The Monsters Inside to another Whovian critiue of how humans can often be the actual monsters rather than the monstrous aliens we're supposed to be thinking about Especially with the background of a dystopian human complex full of concentration camps and prison mistreatment But we actually got a very literal meaning of the title with the murderous power hungry Slitheen hiding inside the humans in power and becoming the actual baddies of the tale Which was pretty disappointing but ah well
• 
  Lenihan

  My very first Doctor Who book one of the five I've bought while I was in London I started on it while I was in the tube on my way back to the hotel and boy it was a good readI admit that I started on this book with some doubts The back cover gave away some hints of the Rose and Doctor being separated throughout most of the book and old enemies showing up as well which didn't appeal to me Yes I still bought it and read it as the first book and it was amazing The characters were perfectly kept in character but important than that the writing style read like a train Perhaps because it's written for children though at the same time that could mean a book is too dull to read But it was exciting with moments of joy and laughter as well as terrifying moments that made you want to read on and on In short I finished this book in a day I couldn't stop reading it I read it on the tube I read it while waiting in line to check in at the airport I read it at the airport while I was on the plane and I finished it back in Holland while on the train from Schiphol to AmersfoortI loved it And that's all I feel like saying about this book I'm not going to tear it apart and show what made it good because that would just ruin this wonderful experience I can't wait to continue with the next Doctor Who novel
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  Amy

  This was a delightful little book Set as Rose's first trip to an alien planet the Doctor and Rose are separated for almost all of the story but that only makes it all the better Firstly because they spend the whole thing trying to get back to each other and their devotion and loyalty and belief in the other is wonderfully done Also because Rose really shines in this book as a very strong willed determined woman who basically kicks ass and gets her way back to the Doctor herself Absolutely adored this without a doubt It was also great to see view spoilerthe Slitheen return especially since this book is clearly aware as the current showrunner does not seem to be that Slitheen is a family name and not a species name and we get to meet another family the Blathereen as well hide spoiler
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  Daniel Kukwa

  I truly wanted to enjoy this novel The opening 30ish pages are exciting and intriguing the writing style is very smooth and Mr Cole has an excellent grasp of the 9th Doctor Rose But no matter how hard people try no one has yet come close to writing a truly excellent Slitheen story They are the Doctor Who monsters that irritate me the most and they are particularly irritating annoying in this novel I can't say I was any fond of the Rose in jail plot line prison cliches teenage angst meets Orange is the New Black Stephen Cole has lacuered a very slick coating over a story I could barely muster enough interest to follow to the final pageand that's a great pity
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  Ken

  This is one of three books that launched the New Series Adventures with The Doctor as the show came back to our screens in 2005I first read this story along with the other two upon release 12 years ago I had since thought it was the weakest of the trio Surprisingly I enjoyed it on a re read and inevitably compering with the othersI also feel the monsters in this story have always worked better as an idea in print rather than visually on TV This story really adds an extra menace to them
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  Harry Williams

  A brilliant brilliant Doctor Who book There were a number of things I really liked about this novel and I’ll go through some of them for you The first thing is the characters Cole managed to cram in uite a lot of characters and somehow made them uite interesting and likeable He perfectly characterises the ninth doctor who is my third favourite doctor and Rose and even though I’m not a fan of her she was okay in this book and actually gets a lot to do If you know your Doctor Who books then you’ll probably know that the Slitheen are in it and here they are really well written I’ve always been a fan of the Slitheen ever since I first saw them in 2005 and it was a joy to experience a new story with those farting aliens again They are faced with another een creature but I won’t spoil what that similar Slitheen creature is There are some great moments with those two factions of Aliens that really help the story to move a long at a brilliant pace I also really liked the setting of the prison which they were on as at times there were a couple of moments that felt uite claustrophobic and tight While it isn’t really that atmospheric the setting itself was a really neat idea from Cole as it helped a lot when it came to the world building of the book I really liked the huge scale of the book as I think it could’ve done with a bit expansion and that could’ve made it even better and a bit interesting I guess that shows I didn’t want the book to end Overall this book was a joyful experience and one that I highly recommend especially if you’re a fan of the Slitheen and Series 1
• 
  Fangs for the Fantasy

  It's time for Rose to finally have an adventure on a planet other than earth and the Doctor is just the Gallifreyan to take her When the Doctor and Rose land on Justicia yes that's really what Cole named it Rose is entranced by a beautiful flower growing in the desolate landscape Before they can contemplate the stark beauty for any length of time they come across humans building replicas of the Great Pyramids in Egypt complete with overseers who have vicious whips It's not long before the Doctor and Rose are noticed and despite fighting to get back to the TARDIS are captured and taken to different prisons The Doctor and Rose had the misfortune to land on a penal colony without permission and that carries a hefty sentence Rose and The Doctor immediately begin to work on a way to reunite but it's not long before they realise that something is not right with the prison The sound of copious farts and belches and a bright blue light hint that the prison may not be in human control after allAs you can see from the cover The Monsters Inside is an adventure story staring the 9th Doctor and his companion Rose You're going to have be patient with me while I fanpoodle for a moment because I simply loved The Monsters Inside despite the fact that the antagonists were the puerile and disgusting Raxacoricofallapatorian try saying that three times uickly It easily could have been an episode of NuWho because Cole managed to capture the personalities of the Doctor and Rose perfectly Every time the Doctor gave one his larger than life smiles or snarked I pictured Eccleston Rose is characterised as plucky brave and smart For much of the story Rose and The Doctor are separated so the book changes POV several times As much as I love seeing The Doctor and Rose together the separation highlighted their closeness because the both of them were so desperate to get back to each other no matter what Rose didn't sit around like a helpless damsel waiting for the Doctor to find her ans she never doubted they would be reunited The Doctor's absence gave Rose the chance to step into the roll expert as she led some her fellow prisoners and a guard out of danger Rose even proved that she has been listening to all of the technical jargon she has learned in her travels with The Doctor as she explained the mechanics of the situation to her fellow prisonersWhile being alone worked well for Rose it didn't work uite as well for The Doctor Fans of the series know that the companions serve as a foil for the Doctor Because The Doctor was separated from Rose we were treated to his inner monologue That took away some of the mystery for me As a viewer we are meant to know the Doctor is up to something but we aren't really supposed to know what exactly That said I do believe the revelation of the Doctors thoughts was thoroughly tempered by the great characterisationThe 9th Doctor can easily be described as the PTSD angry Doctor He will do what he has to do but he is always looking for the redemption of those he faces In the case of channeling River Song and warning spoilers the Blathereen though they plan to kill millions and breed humans as a captive workforce The Doctor is willing to allow them to live It's only when they insist on their murderous plans that The Doctor is forced to act He begs them to stop and finally warns them to stop but in the end when the Blathereen are not persuaded the annihilation is near totalRead More
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  Callie *Fights Censorship*

  Perfect If you love the show how could you not enjoy this book Awesome plot great characters the Doctor's character is written prefectly I don't have one bad thing to say about this book I thought it was truly excellent I couldn't put it downSPOILERSI loved everything about the prison aspect and the Slitheen are pretty much my favorite aliensWhile some people might not like that Rose and the Doctor are apart for most of the book I loved it since I'm a huge Rose fan and love to see her on her ownPLUS the scene in which the Doctor gives Rose secret coded messages to convince the wardens that she is a genius was one of THE best Doctorose moments