Humane. The last word in Only Human by Gareth Roberts. It is a story concerned deeply with our humanity: our frailty to our perfection, our cruelty to our compassion, our living, and dying, and loving, and surviving. It sounds like so many other Doctor Who stories when I put it like that, but the twist this time, is that everyone--villain to victim--is human. Not that that has never happened on Doctor Who either. Exploring what it means to be human is a central Doctor Who theme, but Only Human takes this theme head on, pushing its bounds, and the result is beautiful. I had a lot of reasons to be excited about this book. Any regular viewer of modern Doctor Who is familiar with Mr. Roberts's work: he wrote Closing Time, The Lodger, Planet of the Dead, The Unicorn and the Wasp, and The Shakespeare Code. Though unless you have read the Doctor Who comics you have not judged his ability to take on the Ninth Doctor and RoseI assure you, they are captured perfectly. I was eager for another tale for the Ninth Doctor. Finally, there are the added bonus of diary entries from our favourite captain. They are a nice touch of lightness. A couple of cautions. One, the Jack in Only Human is young. His somewhat snobby, flummoxed tone may take some getting reacquainted to, especially for fans of the world-weary Jack we come to know in Torchwood. Two, we do not spend a lot of time with the Doctor throughout the course of the story. The upside of this is that Rose gets a much more prominent role. This is a thinker's story. In the end the villain is not entirely villainous, the victims are not entirely innocent, and the Ninth Doctor's disdain for humans feels justified. It achieves one of my favourite objectives about Doctor Who, it leaves us with no easy answers. The motivations of everyone involved are sympathetic, even if the results are not. Finally, I wish to say that I think Only Human is one of those Doctor Who stories you could share with a group of non-Whovians. The potential for discussions on science, genome advancement, utopias, moral philosophy, and identity are there, which take us well beyond love of a particular man in a box. Please let me know what you thought below, though please take care to avoid spoilers in the comment sectionthey are not nice. Or if you are up for a broader debate on the book's themes feel free to contact me via the email address in my bio or Twitter.
A person who thought a lot, then decided thinking with other people is more fun. If you fancy a chat, feel free to email NicoleatWhatCulture@excite.com
