The novel “The Clockwise Man” by Justin Richards was published for the first time in 2005.

The Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler arrive in London in 1924, to visit the British Empire Exhibition. They just got out of the Tardis when they see a man in trouble due to an aggression and rush to help him. The man works for Sir George Harding and the three of them go to his residence, where the Doctor and Rose meet various people, including Anna, the wife of Sir George, and her son, Freddie.

Soon, the Doctor and Rose discover that Sir George’s friends are involved in a plan that aims to restore the monarchy in Russia. This strange conspiracy involves a woman who always wears a mask and Repple, who claims he’s the legitimate ruler of Dastaria, deposed just like the Tsar, but there are too many strange things about them.

Even in the years following the cancellation of the original “Doctor Who” series, the publication of a series of novels connected to it went on and after the broadcast of the TV movie novels with the Eighth Doctor were also published. With the launch of the new television series, the decision to start a new series of books that accompanied the new episodes telling the adventures of the Ninth Doctor was obvious.

This new series of novels has a linear plot that can be appreciated by very young readers as well but sophisticated enough to interest more mature readers too. To try to obtain this balance, the length has been established around 250 pages but they’re the size of a paperback though they are in hardcover.

“The Clockwise Man” is the first novel with the Ninth Doctor, published a few weeks after the start of the new television series. It was written much earlier so at least Justin Richards consulted with the production team and perhaps has seen some filming in order to learn about the characterization of the Ninth Doctor and Rose. It also contains a “Bad Wolf” reference, part of the narrative arc of the new series’ first season.

The novel starts with a slow pace because the Doctor and Rose arrive in London in 1924 and meet a group of people who are often not what they seem so a lot of that part is devoted to them. The problem of identity is crucial in “The Clockwise Man” and a good part of the plot consists in the progressive discovery of the characters’ secrets.

A masked woman conceals in an obvious manner something about herself but the others are hiding something too. Some secrets emerge rapidly, such as those concerning a plan to restore the monarchy in Russia, others are well hidden, such as those concerning a former alien dictator exiled to Earth. And what about the story of Repple, who claims he’s the legitimate ruler of Dastaria?

There’s a parallel between the Russian Revolution and the alien one. In the former case, the Tsar was overthrown ruthlessly, with the brutal killing of the whole royal family. The alien regime was overthrown with less violence but the choice to send the former dictator in exile on Earth has consequences. Whatever the choice, in the revolutions it’s always difficult to move on from the past.

Thanks to a chance encounter, it becomes easy for the Doctor and Rose at least to start learning the secrets of a group of people who conspire to restore the monarchy in Russia, probably too easy. Actually, the two travelers fit well in such a group as they too are hiding something about their identity, so much as to create some confusion for some other member of the group.

In the first part of the novel there’s a marked preponderance of the mysteries connected to the characters and Justin Richards reuses various elements he already put into his previous “Doctor Who” novels. In the second part some action starts, though honestly it’s pretty predictable despite the complexity of the plot.

The result is a novel competent but not exactly brilliant. The part connected to the mysteries around the characters is quite interesting despite the slow pace. The characters are developed quite well despite the length of the novel but that also poses some limitations. Overall, it’s a product for “Doctor Who” fans.