Doctor Who: Human Nature

A 7th Doctor novel

By: Paul Cornell

Narrated by: Lisa Bowerman

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

An unabridged reading of the 7th Doctor novel by Paul Cornell, which formed the basis for the 10th Doctor television story "Human Nature/The Family of Blood".

Hulton College in Norfolk is a school dedicated to producing military officers.

With the First World War about to start, the boys of the school will soon be on the front line. But no one expects a war - not even Dr. John Smith, the college’s new house master.

The Doctor’s friend, Benny, is enjoying her holiday in the same town. But then she meets a future version of the Doctor, and things start to get dangerous very quickly.

With the Doctor she knows gone and only a suffragette and an elderly rake for company, can Benny fight off a vicious alien attack? And will Dr. Smith be able to save the day?

©2015 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2015 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Masterful

Liz Bowerman's reading was lovely, highly emotive, and she blended into different characters seamlessly. Paul Cornell's classic really shines here, a story with his usual spiritual touches that link Doctor Who to the infinite, as well as to the human passions of the heart(s).

Lisa Bowerman rocks a good story

Yes, Human Nature would later become the episodes Human Nature / The Family of Blood on television featuring the 10th Doctor and Martha. This was the original novel. Which was better? By leaps and bounds, the greatly re-worked TV episodes. Not that the novel isn't good, but the later version took the bare bones idea and made it great. Here we have sort of the same plot, just with Benny and the 7th Doctor. Some of the characters are the same, and the story is similar. It just worked better with 10 and Martha. That said, Lisa Bowerman provided top notch narration, and her impersonation of Sylvester McCoy is charming.

Oh my Telos you need this book NOW

This book is amazing! I was skeptical at first, seeing as how I had already seen the David Tennant episode, which I adored, but I was worried the book would be too similar to enjoy it as it’s own thing.
Well, how wrong can a man be! This book is a masterpiece in its own right, expanding on characters who were reduced to plain stereotypical bulling side characters on tv, for the sake of time. Somehow John Smith and Joan’s relationship is more beautiful than in the episode, and, you know what, I really should stop comparing this book to the season 3 episode, since this came first and is, as I say, superior to it (sorry other Tennant fans, you heard me right). If you get the book, the tragic story made all the more real by an arguably more distant Doctor to change back to will make the end seem bittersweet and I swear I’ll never stop crying about the epilogue. 20/10 only downside is the music occasionally being a bit misused. You’ll see what I mean. Definitely recommend.

Better Than The 2-parter in Series 3

This book is fantastic!!! The way they expand certain characters I thought was very interesting. I also loved seeing the expansion of the relationship between John Smith and Joan. It makes it equally as painful as well. I never really liked the villains in this story so that’s why it’s not like a masterpiece or anything like that. There are also moments that are top tier Who moments for me that I’ll never forget purely because of this novel. I couldn’t ask a better 1st Dr Who novel since the familiar territory and the narration is very solid here.

Naturally Good

Human Nature by Paul Cornell is the book which the Tenth Doctor TV episodes 'Human Nature' & 'Family of Blood' are based on, but the book is way better! For me this is one of the best Doctor Who novels ever published, and the audiobook version read by Lisa Bowerman is magnificently good, bringing Paul Cornell's novel of humanity to life.

This is a Seventh Doctor story with Bernice Summerfield as his companion, and was originally published as part of the New Adventures range in 1995 when there was no Doctor Who on the TV. The plot of this book is similar to the TV adaptations of course, but the details are quite different, so this book can be enjoyed separately from the TV episodes without any real conflict... unless you are a person who wonders how the same story can fit in to Doctor Who continuity twice, with two different Doctors!

Human Nature is a Doctor Who story about love, war and the emotions that make people tick, which features real characters not cardboard cut-outs. I thought the alien villains were a bit weak when it comes to being fearsome, but that is only a small minus to an otherwise excellent story.

confused

very confused about this one. did not understand the last 3 chapter s