The Book Report #73
Episode #72
Doctor Who – The Resurrection Casket
By Justin Richards
The Book
Another book from my to-be-read bookcase. We commence with the second shelf.
This book was released in 2006 by BBC Books Worldwide Ltd. I have found out that BBC Books is now an imprint of Penguin Random House.
My copy is the sixth printing and has 258 pages, including an ‘About the Author’ section and advertisements for other books in the series. And also some acknowledgements.
What Did I Think
I think I have read this book before, which is never a bad thing. And it’s been a while since I have read a Doctor Who story that I couldn’t hear the characters’ voices. I may need to rewatch some episodes.
This book follows the adventures of, at the time, the tenth Doctor, David Tennant. Although with today’s current roster of Doctors, that number is wrong. But never mind that now, anyway, he is sharing his adventure with his companion Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper.
The TARDIS shuts down just as it has to force land on a planet. The Doctor cannot reenter the TARDIS because of a constant EM pulse which has taken over a vast amount of space. There is no answer to where it came from, where it originated. They don’t know how far it goes, but for now, they have landed in a place where electricity and any computer appliance can not work.
The TARDIS is dead, and the only way to get her working again is to go outside the boundary. But the only technology available is advanced steam engines.
The story is loosely built on the foundation of the novel Treasure Island. Using different aspects to find the long-lost treasure of what was thought to be a long-dead Captain.
The search in this book is for the lost treasure of Captain Glint, while in Treasure Island, it’s Flint. The crew of Glint are robots powered by steam, and the black mark sends a giant furry monster. Who wants nothing more than to rest and relax and do his own thing without being called forth to kill the holder of the black mark. His name is Kevin.
The Titled Item
The Resurrection Casket is part of the treasure. It is believed to be a casket that can resurrect the dead or heal any injury. And so, treasure hunters have been hunting and searching for years to find the grand prize.
This ends up being a slow race to get off the planet and continue the search, all the while, everything is hissing and steaming its way up and away. I do like the idea of the steam engines being strong enough to pull this off, but I’m not sure how practical this would be.
This does feel like an episode idea that was turned into a novel. No complaints here. As this goes through the process of how any Doctor Who episode would progress.
However, I also felt that this wasn’t the strongest of outings for a Doctor Who adventure, not only because of the use of the Treasure Island idea. It did feel a tad tired. And although I did enjoy travelling with them through the story, there was not enough of something to make me go wow!
Would I Recommend
If you miss the old “new” Doctors. This would be the best way for you to revisit them, apart from the audio stories. Although not the greatest of stories, I would recommend them completely. And this story, in particular, a combination of new and old tales, is being used in a different way. This may be for you.
Please give this book a go.
Would you like to purchase your very own copy?
You could try these online stores: Amazon UK/USA. Waterstones. AbeBooks UK/USA, Barnes & Noble or eBay UK/USA.
Alternatively, you could try your local bookshop or even your local library.
