DW: Nuclear Time

Poor Rory, not even in a decent photo shoot for the book covers, just photoshopped in with the Doctor and Amy...

Nuclear Time by Oli Smith isn't so much a Doctor Who story as it is a "neat idea" by Oli Smith in which the Doctor, Amy and Rory have been inserted. Clues that tell you this: more time spent with the non-DW characters than with them. Amy and Rory are in no way involving with anything resembling a plot nor advancing it. The Doctor is forced into a silly plot device to interact with others at only one moment. The ending is just a mess of "and then the Doctor does something clever to wrap things up".

The two main characters are Redvers and Gilroy, and it's not clear what exactly their relationship is. It should military guy/scientist, but at times it's played as a "bromance", and as just two guys in conflict. Either way, they aren't that interesting, although they take up a large chunk of the book.

Not that the main main characters are better treated. Amy and Rory are sidelined, and Rory is nearly competent, so that's not appropriate characterisation right there. The Doctor is also sidelined in a way, and while Oli Smith is clearly trying to be clever, it's just as clear that the idea is better thought of than indicated by the execution.

Easily skippable book.

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