the space pirates - Rated 
a prose novel telling an all new doctor who story, featuring david tennant's tenth doctor and his companion rose tyler. as usual with these they can be read by all ages and the book is a self contained story in roughly 250 pages. this one came a couple of years ago when we hadn't seen much of the tenth doctor on screen at the time, but it captures the character perfectly.
the story involves the doctor and rose getting stranded on a world with steam powered technology since more modern things don't work, and getting involved in the hunt for the lost treasure of a legendary space pirate. the setting is well realised and quite original and very stylish. all the characters are much the same, but the book never gets silly or stupid.
The one problem it has it that it takes about a hundred pages to get going, and the nature of the plot and story means younger readers will probably get more out of it than older ones. but stick with it because it does manage some good plot developments and some excellent twists. not a bad book, but could be a little better
Who for da Kidz - Rated
The Doctor and Rose have just landed on a planet that has such a strong magnetic pulse that traditional technology does not work. Unfortunately, for our dynamic duo, this means that the TARDIS has locked them out! They must find a way off the planet and an opportunity arises when a rich local man hires them to search local space for a casket that is reportedly able to bring the dead back to life. With a steamship manned by a crew of Robots the Doctor must not only discover the casket, but also unravel the age old myths surrounding one of the most famous space pirates that ever lived (and died, and lived again?).
Combining space and pirates is a great idea for a Dr Who book and Justin Richards is able to do so by creating a planet that powers future technologies using steam power. Some of the ideas in this books are fantastic, especially the robots that move using steam. Unfortunately, it's the overly fantastic ideas and slight reliance on pirate clichés that makes this book feel very much a juvenile novel. If you take into account that the book is written for younger Who fans you can forgive some of the poorer writing and obvious flaws in the technology. However, if you are an older fan of the Doctor and you are well versed in science fiction this novel may be too basic for your tastes.
The Resurrection Casket - Rated 
I did think this book was one of the best. Good storyline and a good monster, Kevin, who apologises before ripping you apart. A good book, buy it!
So, it's Treasure Island in space then... - Rated 
Really, why would you bother? I'm an avid fan of Doctor Who, I have been since I was about 5 or 6. And yet, what do we get here? Warmed up leftovers and not even the authors own leftovers: this is Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate novel 'Treasure Island' translated into space. It doesn't even bother to add much! If I knew it was this easy to write a Doctor Who novel (take out of copyright book, steal everything, publish it under your own name) I'd have done it years ago!
And this man is IN CHARGE of the entire BBC books Doctor Who range! Give me strength.
A Good Romp - Rated
The TV tie-in book series continues from where the Ninth Doctor picks up with the Tenth Doctors latest batch of books. One of the things that is important for a Who fan is that the Doctor in question is written in character. Over the years a few writers haven't quite pulled it off and the reader has been left with 'auto doc' who comes over as a mixture of the writers favourite Doctor and the one they are attempting to write. However I can say despite the trappings of the book being so similar to the previous Doctor Justin Richards has nailed David Tennants character perfectly.
The book places The Doctor and Rose in a world of space pirates that feels a bit final fantasyesque. The plot soon kicks in and it's off on a treasure hunt. As expected in a Justin Richards book there's a few plot twists some of which are easily worked out but he sneaked a few in that got past me. Also there's a good lot of gags in here which made me smile and is an achievement considering I'm a bit of a grumpy sod (a clue for one that may pass over the kids heads is 'Bruce Foxton' I'll say no more).
I preferred the first half of the book where it threatened to become a better read than it eventually was but I can't see many people not enjoying it as its a fun enough read. The last half does get a bit bogged down as characters are chased down corridors and hide behind snooker tables. Also it doesn't know when to end and in all honesty could have ended a good 30 pages earlier and made a tighter read. As such it's a good read but the early bits promised something better.
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