The novel “Apollo 23” by Justin Richards was published for the first time in 2010.
When the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond stumble upon an astronaut in a space suit in a mall, they suspect that something strange is happening. By using the sonic screwdriver, the Doctor finds a quantum displacement and the two travelers take the Tardis to go to the Moon to investigate. There they find a secret base.
Nobody could think that there may be intruders on the Moon so the Doctor and Amy can easily pass for a scientist accompanied by his assistant. Their help seems needed because the quantum displacement equipment isn’t working properly. The Doctor discovers that someone sabotaged it and that’s just the first oddity.
“Apollo 23” is part of a series of novels connected to the new “Doctor Who” series. They’re targeted to a wide audience by being linear enough to be appreciated even by very young readers but sophisticated enough to interest more mature readers.
With the adventures of the Eleventh Doctor there was a small change in the size of the novels about “Doctor Who” new series’ adventures, which have become slightly larger. “Apollo 23” is one of the first books with the Eleventh Doctor as the protagonist, published a few weeks after his debut in the TV show.
Presumably Justin Richards had the chance to preview a few episodes with the Eleventh Doctor, or at least the screenplays because “Apollo 23” was written before the fifth season of the TV show was broadcast. However, the impression is that he made only partially an idea of the new Doctor and Amy Pond.
The result is that in the novel the Doctor has behaviors that might be fine for a number of his incarnations and that can be still good for the reader. The problem is that Amy Pond turns out to be a little flat while one of the strengths of the character is her “effervescence” and she’s also often in the background in the story.
As for the plot, Justin Richards seems to be heavily inspired to episodes of the TV show, in particular various adventures of the classic series with a bit of “The Waters of Mars” from the new series. Various elements are taken from “The Seeds of Death”, others come from Third Doctor serials.
Citing old adventures has become a way to wink to the fans, who enjoy recognizing them. I think the game is great when it comes to citations but in “Apollo 23” the plot seems to be made by putting together pieces of old adventures. The problem for me is that at that point sometimes the plot really becomes too predictable.
However, the story is complex because once they get to the Moon the Doctor and Amy start discovering a series of mysteries. There appear to be various layers of secrets so once discovered the Moon base the Doctor encounters the mystery of the sabotage of the quantum displacement and his investigation leads to discover a new layer of secrets.
This construction of the story with several twists constitutes its strongest part, allowing to keep the reader’s interest. At least until they recognize the reference, even “Doctor Who” fans can have moments of surprise when the Doctor comes across a new mystery.
In my opinion, “Apollo 23” had a good potential to be liked above all by readers who are fans of conspiracies. The way it was developed, however, makes the story a bit flat. These “Doctor Who” novels are fairly short so they can be read quickly and yet in this case at the end I was a bit bored.
Given its flaws, “Apollo 23” seems to me overall decent but nothing more. Younger readers or those who do not know the classic series and can find the plot original may like it. For the rest, I’d recommend it only to those who want to have the complete collection of “Doctor Who” novels.
