| Title | : | Doctor Who: The Clockwise Man |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0563486287 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780563486282 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 256 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2005 |
Who is the Painted Lady and why is she so interested in the Doctor? How can a cat return from the dead? Can anyone be trusted to tell - or even to know - the truth?
With the faceless killers closings in, the Doctor and Rose must solve the mystery of the Clockwise Man before London itself is destroyed...
This is the first of a new series of hardcovers featuring the new Doctor Who from the new TV series.
Doctor Who: The Clockwise Man Reviews
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MOTHER: look at this. look at the state of your wardrobe. save your money and BUY SOME MORE CLOTHES, stop BUYING BOOKS!!
ME: yes mother
ME, LITERALLY TWO HOURS LATER: *buys the first ten books of the New Who Adventures*
MOTHER: *pops up out of nowhere* hi can you wash the - DID YOU JUST BUY TEN DOCTOR WHO BOOKS
UPDATE the seller cancelled the order and i am FUMING
Update #2: not only did i buy the first ten books (again), i also bought 26 others. i have a problem. -
As I've posted about on my journal earlier, the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, completely sold me on being a Doctor Who fan at last. And as I have also lamented, Mr. Eccleston held the role for entirely too little time. So I was rather interested when I was browsing at the University Bookstore the other day and found out that the BBC has been releasing hardback Ninth and Tenth Doctor novels. I picked up the first one, The Clockwise Man, by Justin Richards. Disappointing read, unfortunately. The bones of a good plot were there, and it did rather feel like a Doctor Who episode at least in terms of the story, but the writing was very pedestrian--and Richards' fascination with sentence fragments, while not quite as pronounced as Annie Proulx's, was still enough to grate.
Worse yet, the author seemed to have very little grasp of how to write either the Doctor or Rose as characters. There were little bits here and there all throughout the book that just made no sense--for example, a bit where the Doctor is talking to Rose and seems unable to remember the word 'syllable', and as if he somehow doesn't have a perfect grasp of English. Which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
I may check out other Ninth or Tenth Doctor novels by different authors, but I dunno yet. This one was not exactly encouraging. Two stars. -
This is a Ninth Doctor and Rose story. It takes place between the episodes "The Long Game" and "Father's Day"
This book series is produced by the BBC. It is not necessary for enjoying the tv series. Its purpose is to share the adventures that happen off camera.
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The Clockwise Man is a steam-punk style adventure that takes place in 1924 London. The Doctor and Rose arrive with intentions of going to the British Empire Exhibition. However, they find themselves tracking down a mysterious, inhuman murderer; meeting a woman who always hides her face behind masquerade-type masks; a cat that can return from the dead; and discovering people who may not know the truth about their own identities. Rose and the Doctor must tie all these stories and loose-ends together before London is destroyed.
This was my first Doctor Who novel, and I thought the author really captured the Ninth Doctor & Rose's personalities within the pages. Also, the novel makes many references to different tv story-lines which made it more believable within the Doctor Who canon.
I enjoyed most of this book, however the ending dragged a little, and I thought the author added too many random twists throughout the story. Still, I'm looking forward to checking out other Doctor Who novels.
On a side note - While reading this novel, I came across a possible inspiration for this story (at least it seems like it could be to me) - 'The Turk'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turk ... I never heard about the history of 'The Turk' until yesterday, however I found it to be "Fantastic!" :)
My epub file had many spelling errors and missing words which took away from my reading experience. I would recommend getting the paperback/hardcover if you decide to read this novel.
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Continuity -
1) Clockwork men also appear with the Tenth Doctor in "The Girl in the Fireplace" and with the Twelfth Doctor in "Deep Breath".
2) There is a mention of Rose 'dressing up' while the Doctor only has a 'new shirt' (similar to "The Unquiet Dead").
3) Rose has a conversation with one of the servants in the Imperial Club, and the girl makes her think of Gwyneth, who appeared in "The Unquiet Dead".
4) In the club, the Doctor looks at a painting of the French Revolution and says "That's not right" .... In the very first episode of Classic Doctor Who, "An Unearthly Child" the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan Foreman, reads a book about the French Revolution and says exact the same words.
5) The Doctor mentions to Rose at the end of the Series 2 episode "Tooth and Claw" that Queen Victoria suffered from a condition called Haemophilia. This is also mentioned in the book when The Doctor and Rose visit the British Empire Exhibition.
6) Melissa Heart says the Doctor and Rose keep turning up like a 'Bad Wolf'. Rose corrects her and says she means 'penny' as in the phrase 'keeps coming back like a bad penny'. The phrase 'Bad Wolf' was the arc word to Season 1 (2005). -
Another foray into the novels of Doctor Who, and this time with less than pleasant results. This book was just... bad. The characters of The Doctor and Rose were just way off, in my mind. No way would Rose ever, EVER smash a cat into a wall by the tail, especially if she didn't know it wasn't real already. And the Doctor himself was just way less respectful of other life-beings than he really would be. The man who just discovered, to his dismay, that he wasn't real and was actually mechanical, and the Doctor rips his face off and then smashes his head into a glass wall? I don't think so.
Also, the Doctor gave away his leather jacket at the end. SO unlike him!! :-) I've heard a lot of people complaining that reading novels based on TV shows is too often like reading bad fan fiction... and in this case, I agree with them! -
The first batch of New Series Adventures featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rise, more importantly these initial set rekindled my love of reading.
Set in 1920’s London. The Doctor and Rose plan on visiting the British Empire Exhibition, only to get tangled up in a mysterious hunt for a inhuman murderer.
It’s a great fun story, plenty of mentions to various surroundings of the time.
It will always be one of my favourites. -
As a stand-alone book, poor. As a companion to television Dr. Who, pretty good. I mean, you don't expect something like this to be a bestselling medal-award-winning novel, do you? So I think reviewers that say it's basically a waste of time, though not in so many words, are being a bit harsh, because it was good at what it was supposed to do - entertain people who are already fans of the show.
It was a moderately exciting mystery, which keeps you guessing, but not in an annoying way, you know what I mean? I've read so many books that are so mysterious, it begins to get irritating, because you simply don't know enough about the characters, setting and plot.
This book isn't like that. It's pretty enjoyable, and has a nice, sharp plot, although in my opinion, the characters of the Doctor and Rose could have been portrayed better in some instances. -
I can certainly say that one of my favorite aspects of this novel is, aside from seeing more of the Ninth Doctor and Rose, of course, is that the narrator of the audiobook can do a great Christopher Eccleston impression.
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I am going to be upfront and just admit that I am a massive fan of Doctor Who. Anything even remotely related to Doctor Who immediately catches my attention. It's still a little while to go until the next series and finding myself going through a serious case of withdrawal, I have decided to give the books based on the series a shot.
The Clockwise Man is the first book in the New Who series. New Who began when the series was brought back to life after a sixteen year hiatus. Christopher Eccleston played the role of the 9th doctor and had the immense responsibility of introducing the Doctor to an entire new generation of fans. Naturally, the rebirth of the series spawned a new series of books, allowing the fans to have even more adventures with the Doctor and his companions.
The Clockwise Man takes the Doctor and Rose backwards in time to 1924 London and takes place between the episodes "The Long Game" and "Father's Day" of series one. The Doctor and Rose decide to see The British Empire Exhibition and naturally even a sight seeing trip with The Doctor leads to a mystery which must be solved. It's not long before not only the Tardis (the doctor's time machine disguised as a police box), his leather jacket and precious sonic screwdriver go missing. It seems that the painted lady has determined that The Doctor is the vicious butcher that she has been looking for.
The Clockwise Man felt quite a bit like steampunk because of the mechanicals in the story. It did however contain little references to the series for the sake of continuity. For instance, Rose changes completely into to period clothing while the Doctor runs around in his leather jacket with no one batting an eye. There's even a mention of "Bad Wolf," which fans of the series will immediately recognize as a warning to the Doctor that trouble is coming.
Even with all of the little references, The Doctor really felt off to me. First off, no true Doctor would ever struggle to find a word. Not only is he fluent in English, he often thinks so quickly that few can keep up with him. I found myself wondering repeatedly where the Doctor's arrogance, sarcasm and confidence went? Then, there is the issue that in many ways, The Clockwise Man turns the Doctor into an action hero. Yes, I said action hero. Instead of outsmarting the bad guy, the Doctor actually gets into a physical altercation and allows someone else to try and save the world using their mind and abilities to shut down some tech. An action doctor is not unheard of (see the 6th doctor and the 3rd doctor); however, that certainly wasn't a part of the 9th doctor's personality. He didn't even say, "Fantastic" which fans of the series will recognize as the 9th Doctor's catchphrase. Who is this man? The answer is, not the Doctor or at the very least, not a proper representation of The Doctor as played by Christopher Eccleston.
Read More -
On the way to the London's 1924 British Empire Exhibition, Rose Tyler in flimsy green dress and Doctor Who #9 in his brown leather jacket lose the TARDIS time-travel box, and interrupt a strangulation attack on servant Dickson, being interrogated about the evening meeting of conspirators: "Anna" Anastasia, her son Freddie ~10 the last Romanov, kind stepfather Sir George Harding, Repple ousted righful Elector of Dastaria, Major Aske his psychiatrist or jailer - we are not sure of truth at first, "The Painted Lady" masked Melissa Heart - who points a red laser weapon hither and thither. Ticking clockwork (maybe called clockwise to distinguish from TV Marie Antoinette "Girl in the Fireplace" episode) - to conform with current technology - cats prowl, eyes glowing green or laser red. Large slow Mechanicals kill innocents - accidentally or in mistaken good cause searching for a hidden criminal alien Katurian, exiled mad mass murderer dictator Shade Vassily.
Repple and Aske sponser our heroes to clever chess-player Mr Wyse, who volunteers to run the Imperial House club for exiled royals, while reclusive top-floor resident Mr Pooter is away. Who is helping and harming and really the vicious Vassily? True to the TV series are the dialogue, roles, interactions, running, unfolding secrets, twists, difficult choices, loss of brave individuals, and philosophies.
"Being human isn't only about flesh and blood." p191 "Even machines need something to die for." p216 Thankfully, unlike disappointing "I am a Dalek", there was only one reference to other episodes "You do keep turning up. Like a bad wolf." p120 I prefer Justin Richards to Gareth Roberts. Research conducted inside Big Ben makes the final combat setting more real. -
3.5
The Doctor himself best describes at least part of the story:'It's about a Painted Lady. It's about clockwork killers. A manhunt. Mistaken identity. Assassination. The usual ingredients.'
You see, this both tells you a lot and nothing at the same time.
I liked the main idea of the story. There is a lot of danger involved, but that's nothing new for the Doctor and a companion. I kept forgetting this is Eccleston's Doctor and for some reason I kept imagining Tennant's. I loved both, but the ninth got too little time in the series.
I loved the steampunk touch. It is well explained and flawlessly incorporated into the alien storyline.
I hated moments when the Doctor acted out of character. There is a moment when he can't remember the word syllable! Let me write that again: the Doctor cannot remember the word in English. I couldn't accept that. And he wasn't joking either. Then again, the rest of the time he was his crazy self.
At first I didn't like the story because Rose was acting dumb. She was never my favourite in the series, but then I remembered Amy freaking whining Pond and Rose seems perfect in comparison. So I forgave her talking and calling the Doctor in a moment when she shouldn't be seen.
While I liked Freddie as a character, the way he was used to forward the plot got too tedious.
And the villains? Now, some may not agree with this, but they got way too many opportunities.
Still, with all the above I cannot but like the story. I mean, the steampunk Doctor Who. Even with the flaws, it kept the good stuff. -
The Doctor and Rose travel back to 1920s London to check out the British Empire Exhibition. What they get really is a missing Tardis, members of the help being attacked and hurt badly or worse. And mysterious ticking sound. Who or what is behind all of this. Another adventure in the past for them both.
For my first Doctor Who book I was quite impressed. My plan was to try and read the books in relation to the show but alas I was enjoying it too much to slow my viewing. I'm hoping to get all of the 9th doctor books read before watching too many of the next. -
When I first laid eyes on The Clockwise Man, I was disappointed that the book got such a low rating. I was pretty reluctant to open the book because I thought it would fall short of a good book, but I was wrong. I really liked this book.
When the book started out, I was trying too hard to force myself into picturing the characters as the Doctor and Rose. It made the beginning less enjoyable for me than I would have hoped. Eventually though I just stopped trying so hard to force an imagination and just let the story carry me away. That was where the fun began.
The characters (Rose and 9) sometimes did not seem like Rose and 9. I pictured them differently and even kept pointing out to myself how they did or said things they wouldn't usually say, making them sort of strangers. As the story continued, I realized that Rose was actually a pretty cool character in the books. I'm not a very big Rose fan and I was happy to see her go in the TV show. However, in the books I found her witty and smart as well as brave, making her the perfect companion. Well done Justin!
The plot at the beginning seemed boring and slow, hence the 3.5 stars. They took a lot of time going to unnecessary places or just poking around. That being said, there were parts of the beginning that I really did love such as the sass from characters etc.. As I entered into the second part of the story, I LOVED it.
The plot was fast paced and really vivid in my mind. I could picture the doctor and Rose clearly and they really did act like themselves. I liked the suspense at the end. I really loved the clockwork aspect. A great character was Freddie-- a hero in the stars.
I really liked how the author mislead the reader into thinking certain characters were villains and then suddenly yanked the carpet from under your feet.
This story was well done but the first part needed improvement in a lot of areas. To any future reader: Don't force your mind to see the characters or plots, let your mind do the work on its own! -
This is my first time ever to have read a novelization of either a TV show or a movie. But, being such a fan of the revamped Doctor Who series and having finished several outstanding novels lately, I was ready to try it for some lighter reading. Aside from some eBook formatting/editing issues (line breaks weren't adequately used in my ePub edition...one line would be about the Doctor doing something, and the very next would begin a totally different scene without any kind of editing/spacing to alert the reader that this was happening), this was quite a pleasant surprise. This really kept me turning those ePages with great elements of mystery, and I could actually hear the 9th Doctor and Rose's voices in my head as I read, which says a lot for the book, I think.
I chose to begin with this novel for no other reason than it was the first book to begin the new series. Not a bad beginning at all, and thanks to this experience, I will no longer be afraid to try other TV or movie novelizations I've been pondering, such as: Babylon 5, Torchwood,Star Trek, and maybe even some Star Wars, although this latter looks overwhelming. (As an aside, I was pleased to find out that at a certain point in the Star Trek Deep Space 9 novels, they become the canonical 8th season, and many of the Babylon 5 novels are considered cannon too.) Does that finally and officially put me into the nerd category? -
I love 9 and Rose, there's a clever twist, and Repple and Freddy are adorable supporting characters. But the entire enterprise feels padded, Rose is very much out of character, and the climax is overly drawn-out.
The third book I've read with this incarnation of the Doctor, and Stealers of Dreams is the only one I'd recommend if you're trying to choose one. -
I adore Doctor Who. It's one of my favorite shows on television. This is my first time reading any of the spin off books. And in true Doctor Who form this fit right into the world. I could absolutely see this being an adventure Rose and the Doctor were on.
This was a fun romp with a historical backdrop for Rose and the Doctor. I liked seeing the clockwork men in this one. The Doctor of course ends up in center of trouble and a case of mistaken identity sends everything spiraling. I could just picture all of this playing out including the race across London and into Big Ben.
I'm glad I picked this one up. I love expanding the adventures I know of that the Doctor's been on. I'll have to try some more of the written stories. -
I might be a bit too nice giving this book 4 stars, but the thing is, this is I think the best Doctor Who book I've read even if I like the 10th and 11th Doctor way better. (Sorry, Nine.) This just had an intriguing plot, some more "philosophical" themes like the whole thing about empires and I don't know it just seemed like good craftsmanship.
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For a Doctor Who fan, and a novel fan, Doctor Who: The Novel should have been a five-star shoo in. Unfortunately it was a shoo-out-and-exterminate-yourself.
The Ninth Doctor wasn’t much like Christopher Ecclestone’s portrayal. Richards captured his detached confidence well, but no other aspect of his personality was apparent: his passion, his anger, his dry humour or his swagger. Admittedly, it’s hard to recreate a character in print already well etched in the reader’s mind, but had there never been a TV series, had the reader come to this book tabula rasa, then the ‘hero’ would be read as a bland, aloof and essentially pointless character who was as much a Time Lord as he was a stick of celery. His most recognisable features are were the leather jacket and sonic screwdriver, both of which I could don without setting foot on Gallifrey.
Rose was better managed. Her feisty boisterousness shone through along with tinges of empathy and compassion making her a much more well-rounded character. She was so strong the story could have survived with her alone. The remaining cast, with a few exceptions, were a bland menagerie of boring stock characters and red shirt tokens.
The plot itself had the capacity to be a good one. There were various layers and in the hands of a better writer could have been enjoyable. However Richards – unfortunately the Creative Director for the BBC Books Doctor Who Series – created all the atmosphere of a tea party in a morgue. For a huge chunk of the book, nothing happened. Nothing. The Doctor faffed about playing chess and chatting, Rose wandered about feeling inquisitive and by the time the action kicked in, I was almost too fed up to care.
From the attack on the hotel through to the goldfish bowl prison, things were actually good. The action was pacey, the dialogue was snappy, the holder of the upper hand was constantly changing as loyalties were switched, examined and re-examined (even if the treatment of the cats was a bit violent before their secret was revealed). Then the dénouement came. And stayed. And continued some more. The whole Big Ben sequence left me wanting to climb those same stairs and throw myself from the top of London’s most famous clock to end the misery. The climax lasted so unnecessarily long that I would have been quite happy if the Doctor was killed and London vaporised just to reach a conclusion.
The book wasn’t without any merit. Freddie is a brilliant character, and there was a huge and important theme: the nature of humanity. This was explored with some skill that made its point without overegging it and there were beautifully poignant moments that actually present a challenge to ‘human beings’ about humanity itself.
Nevertheless, the reason for the long running time for this novel is due to the sheer effort it took for me to keep picking it up. If I had a TARDIS of my own, I’d go back a few months and throw this book away before I had the chance to read it. -
Мое знакомство с New Series Adventures началось не с первой книги; но даже в этом случае я бы не забросила идею почитать Доктора, потому как «The Clockwise Man» удивительно хорош. Мне импонируют вкрапления clockpunk’а (название себя оправдывает), котики с laser eyes и завихрения сюжетных интриг (злодей обнаруживает себя только в конце). Второстепенные персонажи доставили многократно больше основных, и я даже жалею, что эта история не выросла в самостоятельный роман без участия в докторофраншизе. Aske и Repple так вообще занимают теперь отдельное место в моем сердце, со всеми их причудами и неожиданными ревелейшенами. А на месте Доктора и Роуз мог быть менее инертный персонаж, который добавил бы смысла происходящему, а не наоборот. Концовка затянута, ходы повторяются, но в целом скучно не было :)
Я и раньше не страдала симпатией к Девятому, а Ричардс усугубил мою зарождающуюся неприязнь на раз-два. Есть такой момент, когда Роуз размышляет, замечает ли вообще Доктор ее присутствие рядом. Так вот, деточка, – этот Доктор на тебя лишний раз не взглянет. Нет, он спасет тебя и все такое, но при этом ты никогда не станешь для него важнее звуковой отвертки. А еще ТАРДИС украли в самом начале истории, и до самого конца про нее не вспоминали. Ну типа норм, подумаешь, кто-то стырил межпространственную боевую подругу, зато вон там интриги и плюшки. А ТАРДИС волш��бным образом сама вернется, угу.
Собственно, и Роуз показала себя не с лучшей стороны. Вместо того, чтобы скрутить жгут и остановить кровотечение, она бестолково причитала и тупила со страшной силой, тем самым практически угробив маленького мальчика. Сделать скидку на то, что она только недавно начала путешествовать с таймлордом и еще не успела приобрести навык быстродействия в экстремальных ситуациях? Неа, это ни разу не оправдание. С Донной, конечно, мало кто сравнится. Но я также думаю о Понд, которая никому не давала спуску, да и способности здраво мыслить не теряла, даже будучи заброшенной в самую гущу приключений в одной пижаме. Может быть растерянность, недостаток хладнокровия и жизненного опыта помогает простым смертным (=зрителям) ассоциировать себя с таким персонажем, как Роуз, но лучше уж я буду восхищаться вышеуказанными рыжими женщинами, чем фейспалмить от компаньонов-тугодумов.
Читает книгу Nicholas Briggs (больше известный как «голос Далеков»). Выразительности ему не занимать, вопрос у меня только один – зачем надо было таааак растягивать паузы между словами? Была у него, наверное, какая-то установка, вроде «начитай на 7 часов, чтобы лишний диск оправдать». Я засыпала в перерывах между фразами, так что пришлось ускорить воспроизведение, в итоге время прослушивания укоротилось до станд��ртных 5 с половиной часов.
annikeh.net -
I am a fan of the new run of Doctor Who, although not its earlier incarnations, and this is my first run at one of the Doctor Who books. The first thing that really stands out to me is how close they held to the feeling of the show. Both Rose and the Doctor read on the page just as they do in the book and completely hold up to a fans expectations of the characters. There are also some nice references to things from the show, including a good Bad Wolf references. Little Easter eggs like that is fun to see.
The plot itself is a little convoluted at first and hard to get ahold of, but once the story gets going it starts to work itself out. Maybe it is the longer format of a book but the plot is more rounds about then you would get in an episode of the show and is overall just not as tight. The pacing really picks up near the end of the book as things come to a climax. Once you get a sense of whom the villain is and the motivation the climax comes off as a really fun read.
As with most franchise titles this book has much more focus on the existing characters then on the side characters. The problem is that the existing characters can’t get much in the way of development because the characters have to end essentially where they started so the characters continue to fit with the show. There is more opportunity with the new characters introduced for just the book, but because the main characters are the focus this is a missed opportunity. Couple this with the fact that series books are generally written by different people so there is little expectations of these secondary characters being carried based this one book. But this is what should be expected for a series based on a television show and it should not be held against the book. It is just the nature of the beast.
http://homeofreading.com/doctor-who-the-clockwise-man/ -
In 1920s London the Doctor and Rose find themselves caught up in the hunt for a mysterious murderer. But not everything is what it seems. Secrets lie behind locked doors and inhuman killers roam the streets. Who is the Painted Lady and why is she so interested in the Doctor?
Fantastic! To quote the late great 9th Doctor, that's exactly to me what they story was. I easily found myself drawn into the book as if i was one of the doctors companions. The story it's self was written well and kept me hooked till the end, each mystery present had my brain going overtime trying to figure it out, as it does most times i watch WHO, and like those times and so it should be, things don't make sense until the Doctor reveals all and you are blow away with the revelations. I also enjoyed the little hints to, "bad wolf" which is a story arch that follows both the 9th and 10th doctor, and a few other little hints here and there, including some future adversaries. This was my first time reading a Doctor Who novel and to start with one of my favourites Nine! Was just plain and simply FANTASTIC! And so is this story, definitely one to read if your a lover of Nine or Doctor Who in general.
4.5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
98/100 leather jackets 🧥 -
Some fun moments sprinkled throughout but overall I didn't love it.
The plot was convoluted & not very engaging, and although the characters were good at times, they were somewhat inconsistent. I thought the Doctor's attitude towards imperialism, genocide, etc. was unusually calm and mellow. Sorry not sorry, I refuse to believe that Nine is a monarchist! -
Pretty good audio. A couple of things did not read true of the 9th Doctor, but overall it was a very enjoyable story. The little boy is adorable.
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The Doctor and Rose find themselves in 1920s London during a murder. Mysterious clockwork figures lurk in the shadows. Not everyone is who or what they seem.
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a rather solid doctor who novel that gave me the chills several times.
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'"I never forget you. How could I ever forget you, Rose Taylor?"
"Tyler," she corrected him. But they were both smiling now.' -
This is the sort of book where you can tell what will happen five minutes before it actually happens.
Otherwise a very serviceable Doctor Who adventure. -
Fun, easy read. 4.5/5.
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Shortly after the new Doctor Who series launched in 2005, BBC Books launched a series of original books featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler as portrayed on television by Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. These books have commonly come to be known as the
New Series Adventures. These books were launched 3 at a time with the first three being The Clockwise Man,
The Monsters Inside, and
Winner Takes All.
In The Clockwise Man by Justin Richards, the Doctor and Rose land at the British Empire Exhibition in 1924, where they discover that people are being murdered. In the process of investigating, they meet, among other people, the deposed Czar of Russia. One character referenced simply as Anna in the novel is most likely supposed to be Anastasia.
I'm not going to go into a lengthy exposition on this book, but I certainly enjoyed it. It was nice to "see" Christopher Eccleston and Rose again. I really liked Eccleston as the Doctor and felt he didn't stay long enough. The novel also featured clockwork men which were not too dissimilar to those later featured in
The Girl in the Fireplace. I'm not sure if there was any connection between them, but there doesn't appear to be. The novel also mentioned "Bad Wolf", which was part of the story arc for this season: a nice touch. -
The Doctor and Rose arrive in 1920s London and plan to attend the British Empire Exhibition but when they get to London the TARDIS is stolen. Rose and the Doctor investigate a strange sound which happens to be an attack on the servant Dickson. They rescue Dickson but they find themselves caught up in a murder mystery with inhuman killers. Soon a mysterious masked woman appears who calls herself the Painted Lady. The Painted Lady is very interested in the Doctor and she also has some strange companions. At the Imperial Club we meet Mr.Wyse who seems very nice and intelligent. At the Hotel is also Repple who is a gentleman who is not quite what he seems. A strange black cat also roams the halls of the Imperial Club. The Doctor and Rose also encounter several people who seem to be connected with Russia and the Romanovs. The main plot of the Clockwise Man is who is killing innocent people and who is the alien dictator sentenced to earth. The Doctor and Rose make a great team who always solves the puzzle and find the villain before the earth is destroyed. The Clockwise Man was a quick and fun read that did contain some problems but still manages to be entertaining. I would recommend The Clockwise Man to Doctor Who fans and science fiction and steampunk readers might also enjoy this book.
