Human Nature (Doctor Who novel)
| Doctor Who book | |
|---|---|
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| Human Nature | |
| Series | Virgin New Adventures |
| Release number | 38 |
| Featuring | Seventh Doctor Bernice Summerfield |
| Writer | Paul Cornell |
| Publisher | Virgin Books |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-426-20443-3 |
| Number of pages | 255 |
| Release date | May 1995 |
| Preceded by | Sanctuary |
| Followed by | Original Sin |
Human Nature is an original novel written by Paul Cornell, from a plot by Cornell and Kate Orman, and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The novel was also serialised in e-book form on the BBC Doctor Who website, but was removed from the site in 2010. A prelude to the novel, also penned by Cornell, appeared in Doctor Who Magazine #226, and was also available on the BBC website.
As with all Doctor Who spin-off media, its relationship to the televised serials is open to interpretation.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Bernice Summerfield is grieving since the death of Guy de Carnac (as seen in the previous novel, Sanctuary). The Doctor takes her to a market on a planet called Crex in the Augon system. He quickly sets off, telling her he'll be back in an hour, and Benny finds a pub where she orders a beer and finds a group of female human drinking partners. After Benny's had several drinks with them, the Doctor arrives and places a patch on her cheek — a pad that disperses the alcohol in her system. He tells her that they need to leave immediately, and leads her back to the TARDIS. He hands her a scroll, tells her he'll see her in three months, and collapses.
Meanwhile, the genesmith Laylock meets with his associates. They plan to follow the Doctor. In a long, dark room, a teenager named Tim awakens from a dream, having had a premonition that everyone will die.
Unable to understand Benny's grief on a human level, the Doctor has purchased a device which alters his biodata, transforming him into a human named Dr John Smith. Smith lives as a history teacher at a public school in 1914 England, and falls in love with a fellow teacher named Joan. However, when alien Aubertides, hoping to acquire Time Lord abilities, attack the school, Smith sacrifices himself and becomes the Doctor once more; as the Time Lord, he is unable to love Joan in the way the human John Smith did.
[edit] Reception
In a poll conducted by Doctor Who Magazine to mark the 35th anniversary of Doctor Who (#265, June 1998), Human Nature was voted the readership's favourite novel of the New Adventures series.
[edit] Television adaptation
Cornell adapted his own work for a two-part story in the 2007 TV series of Doctor Who. The first episode is titled "Human Nature" and the second, "The Family of Blood".[1] The names of many of the human characters in the novel are reused for characters in the television story, which is also set in a boys' school shortly before World War I.[2] The Family of Blood have some resemblance to the descriptions of the antagonists in the novel, though they have different names and are possessed humans rather than shapeshifters.[3]
[edit] Prelude
DWM published preludes to several New Adventures. The prelude to Human Nature appeared in issue 226. According to Cornell, he wrote his novel's plots with these preludes in mind.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Paul Cornell adapts Who novel for TV". Dreamwatch SciFi. http://www.dwscifi.com/articles/show/56. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
- ^ Tennant, David (2006-12-25). Jo Whiley Meets Doctor Who. Interview with Jo Whiley. The Jo Whiley Show. BBC Radio 1. London.
- ^ "Series Three Trailers: "The all-new trailer..."". BBC Online. http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/video/. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- ^ "Paul Cornell's notes on the DWM prelude.". http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/ebooks/human_nature/notes/page1.shtml.
[edit] External links
- Human Nature Prelude
- Human Nature at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Cloister Library - Human Nature
- Human Nature at The TARDIS Library
[edit] Reviews
- Human Nature reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide
