'Doctor Who': ‘Only Human’ (50th Anniversary Edition) book review

‘Only Human’ features the Ninth Doctor with Rose and Jack, from a time when the new series was in its infancy. After a prologue which introduces us to the villain in her infancy, improving the aged family cat to make it a more efficient predator, we begin the adventure in modern day Bromley where the TARDIS crew are investigating a dirty time engine. Soon embroiled in events, Rose’s street smarts come to the fore and the incorrigible Jack provides a flamboyant naked distraction as only he can.

Recovering an accidentally transported Neanderthal man, an attempt to return him to his time fails; exposure to raw vortex energy means and can no longer time travel. Instead, the Doctor resolves that Jack will live for a month in 2005 to induct the temporal refugee into society, while he and Rose investigate the source of the problem in pre-historic times.

Peppered though the book, interludes from the perspectives of Das and Jack tell the story of his integration. Television becomes a source of both information and confusion, as Das puzzles the actions of the tribes of humanity and makes a hilariously literal reading of Are You Being Served. It seems the Neanderthal’s major obstacle is the inability to grasp the concept of lying, illustrated with his problem understanding the difference between fiction and reality.

Back in time, Rose meets the ancestors and sees at close hand the differences when she’s abducted by a local human tribe. The Neanderthals are much nicer, but don’t seem to possess the survival instinct, while the early human fear of the outsider, as expressed through brutality and casual racism, gives them the edge.

The owners of the time engine are perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the novel. Born of a technological cul-de-sac, Roberts presents the prospect of a human race that, with all electronics lost to them, were forced to develop a highly sophisticated, steampunk-like analogue alternative. Mastering the art of customising their bodies, they have extended their lives to great age. As experts in chemical manipulation, they have gained control of their thoughts and skills, avoiding wrong-feelings and living in an oddly detached, drug enhanced daze. Of course, this makes them ripe for manipulation in the villain’s horrific experiment which threatens to rewrite history.

Gareth Roberts has a great grasp on the TARDIS team, presenting a spiky Ninth Doctor whose manic charm is matched by Rose’s resourceful nature. With plenty of allusions to modern day society, ‘Only Human’ is a superb slice of the bold, funny and scary tone of 2005 Doctor Who and well worth a revisit. In the introduction to this edition, he credits this novel with opening doors for him in Cardiff and it is easy to see why.