With Doctor Who having dematerialised from our TV screens for a while, it’s great to see the adventures of the Fifteenth Doctor and Belinda Chandra continue in Spectral Scream by Hannah Fergesen: the second of two new original novels alongside Fear Death by Water.

Spectral Scream sees the Doctor and Belinda experience a psychic shriek whilst trying to get back to Earth on the 24th May 2025. Following this eerie spectral scream back to its source in the TARDIS, the duo discover a sentient, telepathic bioship named Adama and ragged, mushroom-covered colonists. Somewhere on the planet is an artefact with an extraordinary power being sought after by the colonists, as well as the all-powerful Gagnax Imperium and a pair of bounty hunters…

While the previous novel Fear Death by Water was set prior to the events of the most recent season, Spectral Scream is set during it. Author Hannah Fergesen starts the story with the Doctor using the Vindicator to try and get Belinda home, while references to the events of The Robot Revolution and Lux suggest that this adventure is set after The Well. There’s even a mention of a mysterious woman watching the Doctor and Belinda in a knowing wink for fans. The eponymous sound sends the travellers to the planet of Stenlar One Zero Five Six lower-case f (a name Fergesen has great fun reminding us of throughout the story) and from there the novel expands to explore multiple groups of characters with conflicting motivations. It’s the kind of expansive narrative that wouldn’t work within the confines of a 45-minute TV adventure, yet it never feels overlong as a novel, with Fergesen’s short, snappy chapters helping to keep the pace up.

Perhaps the most interesting idea Spectral Scream plays with is that of the telepathic bioship Adama, a sentient vessel that communicates with the characters, emanating a psychic field across the planet. It’s a fun sci-fi idea and a nice departure from the usual artificial intelligence storylines, leaning into some complex moral dilemmas as the stakes are raised over the course of the narrative. Hannah Fergesen frequently plays with readers’ expectations throughout the novel, introducing us to the peaceful Stenlarians before revealing the darker backstory of the leader, Elder Dagma. The bounty hunters aren’t what they appear either, and a fair amount of time is given to exploring Captain Kagan, representing the evil imperium. It’s difficult not to wonder if having three different factions is a bit too much for such a short novel, especially as the Stenlarians take a backseat for much of the second half and the full force of the Imperium is never delved into. The sub-plot with the bounty hunters almost threatens to overstuff the narrative, but it’s easy to understand why it’s included.

Spectral Scream has the space opera plotting of a ‘classic’ Doctor Who serial combined with the characters and emotional aspects of a ‘new’ Who episode, resulting in a story that probably wouldn’t work on TV but fits nicely in a prose format. It fits well as an expansion of the most recent season, and for those looking for more adventures with the Fifteenth Doctor and Belinda, this is well worth checking out.

Spectral Scream is available to order here!

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