A 9th Doctor Adventure

This is yet another 50th Anniversary special book. It was written by Gareth Roberts & published in 2005. Roberts has written a few of my favorite episodes of the modern Doctor Who, including “The Shakespeare Code” and “The Unicorn and the Wasp.” (He also wrote “The Lodger,” which brought us Matt Smith’s gams). According to his bio, he also wrote for The Sarah Jane Adventures, a show I hope one day to see without having to pay for it.

We know Roberts loves us, because he not only gives us a story with the 9th Doctor and Rose, but he throws in some bonus Captain Jack for fun and frivolity. The gang finds out that someone is messing about with time. How do they find out? Well, there’s a Neanderthal running around and getting into fights. They investigate, rescue the caveman, and the Doctor realizes that someone is using a dirty rip engine way back in about 30,000 BC.

The Doctor and Rose head back in time to see what’s going on. They can’t take the caveman (his name is Das) back because the rip engine messed with his cells and if he went through time again, he would die. So Jack stays behind, gets a flat with the caveman, and starts giving him human lessons. Das adapts a little too well, with such a good teacher.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Rose uncover a rather nasty plot hatched by people in the future (way in the future, from a post-apocalyptic Earth). They commence thwarting, but not without a whole bunch of casualties.

I eventually will work my way through all of the 50th anniversary books. Maybe when I go back, I’ll actually read them in order. . . .