Frankenstein and the Patchwork Man

"All the town's ghosts. Stitched together by the devil's seamstress."

Writer: Jack Heath

Format: Novel

Released: April 2025

Series: Puffin Classics 07

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis

He tidied his hair, smoothed down his vest, and extended a hand. 'Perhaps we can begin anew', he said. 'Dr V. Frankenstein, at your service.'

When an unsettling folk tale leads the Ninth Doctor and Rose to a remote village in Wales, they get more than they bargained for. 

A scientist has taken it upon himself to create new life – imitating Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a book that has sent shockwaves around the country. 

But, much like his fictional counterpart, this Doctor is playing god, and with focus beyond his understanding. As the Doctor and Rose attempt to put the brakes on the experiment, before it gets out of control, a sinister supernatural presence reveals itself...

Verdict

Frankenstein and the Patchwork Man was an excellent novel to continue the Puffin Classics! This range has been incredibly unique and whilst it does appear that this is the penultimate release, I thought it was a very fun take on the story of Frankenstein. Again, like pretty much every original novel in which the respective story is based upon, I have never read Frankenstein but it feels like it has a big presence in Doctor Who history. On screen we have the magnificent The Haunting of Villa Diodati episode that sees Ashad the Lone Cyberman as the inspiration, and of course then Mary Shelley had a brief spell as a companion to the Eighth Doctor on Big Finish. So I feel like it's a story and certainly a concept I know well. It's also very well suited to Doctor Who and the title here is just great for the Whoniverse. The whole idea behind the Patchwork Man is frightening and full of horror which is exactly what you would want from this kind of adventure. A being stitched together from parts of the local village's dead was incredibly gruesome. That is some image! It's almost a shame he didn't grace the book cover. I was though surprised that he spoke as early as page thirty as I thought there would be much more of a build to any kind of interaction. I thought the moment the fiction hit reality as far as Rose was concerned was strong because unlike some others in this range, this felt very much based in realism which was impressive. In saying that, the odds of men of science being called Frankenstein in a village seven miles away from Cardiff seems highly unlikely, but I did appreciate the influence of the Mary Shelley novel on them. Young Vincent in particular took things to the extreme though when it came to wanting to prove he could bring life back to the dead. It was deeply disturbing! I thought his father also apparently inventing electricity in the form that we would know today ahead of its time was some achievement! Given the fire of the house that happened within the story, the invention would go unknown for decades until it was discovered as history told. I thought the characterisation of both the Ninth Doctor and Rose was superb throughout the story and that really helped it feel authentically Series 1. There were the obvious throwbacks to The Unquiet Dead which had a similar kind of feel to this book and the dialogue was just spot on in capturing the relationship between the pair. Janine was a really good character and Rose really sympathising with her as a servant was a fascinating look into the modern woman. She almost felt guilty for living in a time where there was relative equality and she was still finding it difficult adjusting to the culture and norms of the past. Janine's desire in life was just for her daughter to one day serve the son of the man she was currently serving. Rose was shocked by the lack of ambition and how willing she was to assist with the bath! I thought the action that came from escaping the fire after Vincent took matters into his own hands was good, if not a little long. It also seemed strange they were so intent on getting upstairs! I enjoyed the Voltigrades as the true enemy of the piece in the form of conscious electricity. They were only conscious when brought together though and the Doctor's reaction to learning that Vincent had stored the power of numerous lightning strikes into a single batter was rather incredible. I thought the Patchwork Man, who was later humanised as Adam, being consumed by Voltigrades made sense in reanimating him and the foreshadowing of The Parting of the Ways with Rose sacrificing herself for the Doctor when she thought it might be the other way around to end their travels was poignant. She shot the Patchwork Man with a spear into Lake Lamond and that action as a giant puddle to be irresistible to disperse and separate the Voltigrades dismantling the consciousness and saving the village. I thought things going round circle and taking Adam to the transhumanists on Tyronica Prime was lovely to bookend things with that initially being the intended destination for the TARDIS. Overall, a really strong read and take on a legend! 

Rating: 9/10