Rebellion on Treasure Island

"Once we entered the mist our men began to disappear."

Writer: Bali Rai

Format: Novel

Released: September 2023

Series: BBC Books Special 09

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Clara, River

Synopsis

"Who was that?" asked Clara. "And what are pieces of eight?"

The Doctor smiles. "Robert Louis Stevenson. I did tell you."

Summoned to 1700s Plymouth, the Doctor and Clara must investigate a mysterious thievery from the Crown of King George. 

Their travels take them to a remote island – but as the secrets of the theft are unearthed, the Doctor discovers something far more sinister. The spectre of a terrible intellect is afoot. 

Thankfully, the Doctor and Clara won't be alone. A pirate called Long John Silver, a runaway called Janey Hawkins, and a professor called River Song, are all along for the ride.

Verdict

Rebellion on Treasure Island was a great little novel to continue the Doctor Who and classic fiction crossovers! I must admit I have never read Treasure Island and it's probably the classic tale I'm least familiar of the ones to feature in the Doctor Who crossovers so far, but that didn't take away my enjoyment of the story. In fact it was fun to not really know where things were headed. The only character I really had any knowledge on was Long John Silver and he was presented in quite a fun way. I liked that there was effort made to explain how the TARDIS could take the Doctor and Clara to a world where they could crossover with fiction, with the systems in need of a little repair and literally having some wires crossed. That was all fine until River took over the reigns and ventured to Victorian London to pick up the Paternoster Gang and take them back into the alternate timeline. That didn't feel right and seemed a little off-putting. I was delighted to have them around, but how they arrived just felt a little off in line with the rest of the book. The story was really well placed within Series 7 and it was good to know that it was shortly after Cold War for the Doctor and Clara. She was anxious for some excitement and adventure instead of some TARDIS repairs. I can't say I blame her! I really liked the continuity with both The Snowmen and The Bells of Saint John in having the Great Intelligence return as the enemy. Clara having experience with it at the Shard was good and Walter Simeon also returning, albeit as an animated form at the behest of the Intelligence, was great stuff. It's quite incredible really that we get a story featuring all of these ingredients prior to The Name of the Doctor. Clara encountering River before that episode is fun stuff and I love the use of the memory worm to keep the on screen continuity intact. One thing I wasn't anticipating was just how fun the interactions between Strax and River were. Honestly, they were tremendous and now I can't help but want a whole series of audios with them. A real treat. River popping up in the Paternoster Gang spinoff would be most welcomed. I liked the mystery of the mist and the atmosphere created on Skeleton Island was terrific. That was an eery name and it suited. Trelwaney was a good villainous character and I liked how just the sheer mention of his name sparked horror and disgust in the likes of Janey and Long John. His employing the Doctor on the behest of George II was fun too. I was half expecting that to be a ruse but it didn't come to fruition. The same could be said of Fisher and his muteness coming and going. I thought that would be more of a story. I enjoyed Vastra's gathering information on the mist cloud and her amazement at it being pure data was good stuff. Clara getting captured within it, becoming a coin and that coin being dropped was great as well. There was a lot of trepidation in a story that was a rapid pace. It was easy enough to read in one day for sure! The pirate theme whilst present could have been tapped into a little more but the emotional pull of Long John Silver being ill was excellent. Janey really stepped up and I liked much it was mentioned that she shouldn't have to make the decisions she did at such a young age. She wasn't having much of a childhood. River using programming and inserting a kill switch into the make up of the Great Intelligence was logical and quite simple to wrap things up, and knowing that it would return in the Series 7 finale and the placement of this book chronologically I was quite alright with that. Overall, a terrific little read! 

Rating: 8/10