Books-to-read-if-you-love-Doctor-Who

Reading lists

Books to read if you love Doctor Who

15th Doctor Audio Original

Doctor Who: Counterstrike

Clare Corbett reads an exciting new adventure for the Doctor and Belinda. 
 
Landing on an unnamed planet, the travellers find themselves besieged by a swarm of drones. They shelter in a cluster of hi-tech buildings, inside which lie living quarters and a control base. 
The only thing missing is any sign of life. While the Doctor puzzles over a base without people, Belinda finds herself whisked off by teleport. 
Meanwhile, three thousand light years away, project manager Hazzet is puzzled by unusual systems activity on the uninhabited Colony 5. 
An automated probe was sent there months ago - so why are there now apparently two bases on the planet, each poised to attack the other? 
With the Doctor in one base and Belinda in the other, a race against time begins to avoid mutually assured destruction… 
Clare Corbett reads Una McCormack’s cautionary tale of systems error and the perils of automation. 
 
Text © Una McCormack 2025 
Cover design by Lee Johnson Cover portraits © BBC 
Reading produced by Morrison Ellis. Sound design: Oliver Denman. Project editor: John Ainsworth Executive producer: Michael Stevens 
 
(P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Dr Una McCormack is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling science fiction writer of more than twenty novels, plus many audio dramas and short stories. 
An associate fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge, Una’s academic interests include feminist science fiction, transformative works, and creative writing practice and methodology. She writes and broadcasts regularly on these and other topics on local and national radio. She is on the editorial board of Gold SF, an imprint of Goldsmiths Press aimed at publishing new voices in intersectional feminist science fiction.

15th Doctor Novelisation

Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution

Varada Sethu reads this brand new novelisation of a recent TV adventure. 
 
What if the story of your life is written in the stars? 
Belinda Chandra grew up longing to travel – but never imagined rocket ships would be part of the deal. Abducted by killer robots and taken to a strange planet, Belinda must join forces with the Doctor to put right a revolution that might just be her fault… 
 
Reach for the stars as the Fifteenth Doctor and Belinda Chandra – as played by Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu – rock each other’s worlds for the first time. This novelisation of Russell T Davies’ script comes from best-selling tie-in author Una McCormack. 
Reader Varada Sethu plays Belinda in the BBC TV series. 
 
Reading produced by Morrison Ellis. Sound design by David Darlington. Executive Producer for BBC Studios: Michael Stevens 
 
(P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution (Target Collection)

Una McCormack is a New York Times bestselling author. She has written four Doctor Who novels: The King's Dragon and The Way through the Woods (featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory); Royal Blood (featuring the Twelfth Doctor and Clara), and Molten Heart (featuring the Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham). She is also the author of numerous audio dramas for Big Finish Productions. She has also written Doctor Who: Caged, featuring the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday, which won a BSFA award in 2025 for best science fiction for younger readers.

What if the story of your life is written in the stars? 
 
Belinda Chandra grew up longing to travel - but never imagined rocket ships would be part of the deal. Abducted by killer robots and taken to a strange planet, Belinda must join forces with the Doctor to put right a revolution that might just be her fault... 
 
Reach for the stars as the Doctor and Belinda - as played by Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu - embark on their first adventure together. This novelisation of Russell T Davies' script comes from best-selling tie-in author Una McCormack.

Daily Meditations from Wise, Witty and Wonderful Women

Woman's Hour

For 75 years, Woman’s Hour has brought us the most iconic and inspirational women from all over the world, delving into their lives and opinions, desires and lessons to others. Now, their wise words are brought to you each day in this daily guide. 
 
Woman’s Hour: Daily Meditations from Wise, Witty and Wonderful Women gives you a memorable quote to start your day, from a woman that has made us laugh, made us think and made us act, paired a thoughtful reflection on what that quote is teaching us. Featuring names such as Rosamund Pike, Jacqueline Wilson, Nina Simone, Annie Lennox, Mary Quant, Toni Morrison, Philippa Perry, Sandi Toksvig, Malala Yousafzai, Emma Thompson and many more, the topics range from the workplace to family, friendships to love, ageing to food, and just about everything in between. 
 
Start your day with the wisdom of these witty and wonderful women, from over 75 years of Woman’s Hour.

15th Doctor Novel

Doctor Who: Caged

Bonnie Langford reads a brand new novel adventure for the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday, as played on TV by Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson. 
 
When the Doctor and Ruby arrive on Cavia, they meet a gentle local who is certain that she has been taken for study by creatures from the stars. The Doctor is concerned to find mysterious meteors appearing in the sky, while strange robotic creatures crowd the forests, watching everything and waiting for&hellip; what? 
 
Who is interested in Cavia, and why? What is the sinister truth of the abductions? The Doctor and Ruby must discover the secrets of this mysterious world &ndash; and those who would seek to destroy it&hellip; 
Bonnie Langford, who plays Mel in the BBC TV series, reads Una McCormack's intriguing novel. 
 
? 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd &copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Una McCormack (Author) Dr Una McCormack is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling science fiction writer of more than twenty novels, plus many audio dramas and short stories. 
An associate fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge, Una’s academic interests include feminist science fiction, transformative works, and creative writing practice and methodology. She writes and broadcasts regularly on these and other topics on local and national radio. She is on the editorial board of Gold SF, an imprint of Goldsmiths Press aimed at publishing new voices in intersectional feminist science fiction. Bonnie Langford (Reader) Bonnie Langford is a beloved British actor, well-known for her role playing Melanie Bush, companion to the Sixth and Seventh Doctors, in Doctor Who. She has also starred in numerous West End productions, and played Carmel Kazemi in EastEnders. This is her first novel.

Are aliens ever abducted by aliens? And if they were, would anyone believe their story? 
 When the Doctor and Ruby arrive on Cavia, they meet a gentle local who is certain that she has been taken for study by creatures from the stars. The Doctor is concerned to find mysterious meteors appearing in the sky, while strange robotic creatures crowd the forests, watching everything and waiting for… what? 
Who is interested in Cavia, and why? What is the sinister truth of the abductions? The Doctor and Ruby must discover the secrets of this mysterious world – and those who would seek to destroy it…

Are aliens ever abducted by aliens? And if they were, would anyone believe their 
story? 
 
When the Doctor and Ruby arrive on Cavia, they meet a gentle local who is certain that she has been taken for study by creatures from the stars. The Doctor is concerned to find mysterious meteors appearing in the sky, while strange robotic creatures crowd the forests, watching everything and waiting for&hellip; what? 
 
Who is interested in Cavia, and why? What is the sinister truth of the abductions? The Doctor and Ruby must discover the secrets of this mysterious world &ndash; and those who would seek to destroy it&hellip; 
 
Featuring the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday, as played by Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson

11th Doctor Novels

Doctor Who: Eleventh Doctor Novels Volume 2

Nicholas Briggs, Arthur Darvill and Clare Corbett read these four original stories featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory. 
 
In The King's Dragon, by Una McCormack, the inhabitants of the city-state of Geath appear to be happy and rich; yet strange creatures are stirring, and an ancient civil war looks set to be revived. 
 
In The Glamour Chase, by Gary Russell, an ancient spaceship is discovered on Earth in 1936, and the Doctor finds that suddenly no-one is quite what they seem. 
 
In The Dead of Winter, by James Goss, a remote clinic in 18th Century Italy sees the arrival of the enigmatic Mrs Pond, with her husband and her physician. But who are the strange, faceless figures that rise from the sea? 
 
In The Way Through the Woods, by Una McCormack, Rory disappears in an ancient wood, and the Doctor and Amy discover than something ancient that dwells there is now waking up... 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Doctor Who: Whotopia

Jonathan Morris (Author) Jonathan Morris is a long-standing contributor toDoctor Who Magazine and has written five Doctor Who novels and over 70 audio dramas for Big Finish Productions. He has also authored documentaries for the Doctor Who DVD range and contributed to The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who and The Shakespeare Notebooks. Outside of Doctor Who, he's written for various TV comedy shows and has had numerous sitcom scripts optioned and piloted. This is his first monster book. Simon Guerrier (Author) Simon Guerrier is co-author of Doctor Who: The Women Who Lived and Whographica for BBC Books, and has written countless Doctor Who books, comics, audio plays and documentaries. He has been a guest on Front Row and The Infinite Monkey Cage on Radio 4 and, with his brother Thomas, makes films and documentaries – most recently Victorian Queens of Ancient Egypt for Radio 3. Una McCormack (Author) Una McCormack is a New York Times bestselling author. She has written four Doctor Who novels: The King's Dragon and The Way through the Woods (featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory); Royal Blood (featuring the Twelfth Doctor and Clara), and Molten Heart (featuring the Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham). She is also the author of numerous audio dramas for Big Finish Productions. She has also written Doctor Who: Caged, featuring the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday, which won a BSFA award in 2025 for best science fiction for younger readers.

Welcome to the Whoniverse. First stop: everywhere. 
 
Six decades may only be a handful of heartbeats to a Time Lord, but for Doctor Who it's the adventure of several lifetimes. Evolving over 60 years, the world's longest-running sci-fi TV show has gifted us a universe of menacing monsters and unforgettable heroes. You might even call it a 'Whotopia'. 
 
Now you can roam free through the Doctor's dimension as never before in this special commemorative book for Doctor Who's diamond anniversary. Join all the Doctors as each tells their own story. Learn about their legions of legendary allies - and hear from the monsters' own mouths about what makes them tick. Find danger on alien worlds and threats here on Earth in all eras. And explore the gadgets, robots, spaceships, computers and mind-blowing creations that crowd the never-ending corridors of Whotopia. 
 
Crammed with exciting new images and in full colour throughout, Whotopia: The Ultimate Guide to the Whoniverse is the essential celebration of 60 years of Doctor Who.

Time Lord Victorious

Doctor Who: All Flesh is Grass

The second of two exciting new novels featuring the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Doctors, connected to the multi-platform Doctor Who project Time Lord Victorious.

Even a Time Lord can’t change the past. 
 
A wasteland. A dead world… No, there is a biodome, rising from the ash. Here, life teems and flourishes, with strange and lush plants, and many-winged insects with bright carapaces – and one solitary sentient creature, who spends its days watering the plants, talking to the insects, and tending this lonely garden. This is Inyit, the Last of the Kotturuh. 
 
In All Flesh is Grass we are transported back to The Dark Times. The Tenth Doctor has sworn to stop the Kotturuh, ending Death and bringing Life to the universe. But his plan is unravelling – instead of bringing Life, nothing has changed and all around him people are dying. Death is everywhere. Now he must confront his former selves – one in league with their greatest nemesis and the other manning a ship of the undead…

Doctor Who: The Target Storybook

A brilliant new collection of spin-off stories from famous episodes throughout the history of Doctor Who - and a new format for the successful Target publishing range.

We’re all stories in the end… 
 
In this exciting collection you’ll find all-new stories spinning off from some of your favourite Doctor Who moments across the history of the series. Learn what happened next, what went on before, and what occurred off-screen in an inventive selection of sequels, side-trips, foreshadowings and first-hand accounts – and look forward too, with a brand new adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor. 
 
Each story expands in thrilling ways upon aspects of Doctor Who’s enduring legend. With contributions from show luminaries past and present – including Colin Baker, Matthew Waterhouse, Vinay Patel, Joy Wilkinson and Terrance Dicks – The Target Storybook is a once-in-a-lifetime tour around the wonders of the Whoniverse.

Doctor Who: Royal Blood

An original novel featuring the Twelfth Doctor and Clara as played by Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman

“The Grail is a story, a myth! It didn’t exist on your world! It can’t exist here!” 
The city-state of Varuz is failing. Duke Aurelian is the last of his line, his capital is crumbling, and the armies of his enemy, Duke Conrad, are poised beyond the mountains to invade. Aurelian is preparing to gamble everything on one last battle. So when a holy man, the Doctor, comes to Varuz from beyond the mountains, Aurelian asks for his blessing in the war. 
But all is not what it seems in Varuz. The city-guard have lasers for swords, and the halls are lit by electric candlelight. Aurelian’s beloved wife, Guena, and his most trusted knight, Bernhardt, seem to be plotting to overthrow their Duke, and Clara finds herself drawn into their intrigue... 
Will the Doctor stop Aurelian from going to war? Will Clara’s involvement in the plot against the Duke be discovered? Why is Conrad’s ambassador so nervous? And who are the ancient and weary knights who arrive in Varuz claiming to be on a quest for the Holy Grail…?

13th Doctor Novelisation

Doctor Who: Molten Heart

Dan Starkey reads this brand new novel featuring the 13th Doctor, as played on TV by Jodie Whittaker.

Una McCormack is a New York Times bestselling author. She has written two Doctor Who novels featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory: The King's Dragon and The Way through the Woods, as well as several audio dramas for Big Finish. She lives in Cambridge with her partner, Matthew, and their daughter, Verity.

Dan Starkey reads this exciting original adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor 
 
“To find treasures, you must dig deep, below the surface ... down to the heart.” 
 
Deep below the surface of the planet Adamantine lies a crystalline wonder world of lava seas and volcanic islands, home to living rock-people. 
 
But when the Doctor and her friends arrive they find Adamantine under threat. The seas are shrinking, the magma is cooling, and mysterious, fatal Seething Pools are spreading fast. 
 
Something has come to Adamantine – but what does it want? Fearing an invasion is underway, the Doctor must lead an expedition to the surface of the world to save its molten heart… 
 
Dan Starkey reads this original story featuring the Thirteenth Doctor, Yasmin, Ryan and Graham, as played by Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh.

An original novel featuring the Thirteenth Doctor as played by Jodie Whittaker, with Yasmin, Ryan and Graham

Don’t dig too deep. You never know what you’ll find beneath the surface. 
 
Deep below the surface of the planet Adamantine lies a crystalline wonder world of lava seas and volcanic islands, home to living rock-people. 
 
But when the Doctor and her friends arrive on Adamantine they find it under threat. The seas are shrinking, the magma is cooling, and mysterious, fatal seething pools are spreading fast. 
 
Something has come to Adamantine – but what does it want? Fearing an invasion is underway, the Doctor must lead an expedition to the surface of the world to save its molten heart… 
 
Featuring the Thirteenth Doctor, Yasmin, Ryan and Graham, as played by Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh.

Doctor Who: The Way Through the Woods

With Rory missing, the Doctor and Amy investigate an ancient force in the woods

Una McCormack is the author of Doctor Who: The King's Dragon, featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory. She lives in Cambridge, where she reads, writes and teaches. She and her partner have no cats and many Daleks.

'As long as people have lived here, they've gone out of their way to avoid the woods...' 
 
Two teenage girls disappear into an ancient wood, a foreboding and malevolent presence both now and in the past. The modern motorway bends to avoid it, as did the old Roman road. In 1917 the Doctor and Amy are desperate to find out what's happened to Rory, who's vanished too. 
 
But something is waiting for them in the woods. Something that's been there for thousands of years. Something that is now waking up. 
 
 A thrilling, all-new adventure featuring the Doctor, Amy and Rory, as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the spectacular hit Doctor Who series from BBC Television.

A 12th Doctor novel

David Warner reads a new novel featuring the 12th Doctor and Clara, as played by Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman in the hit BBC TV series.

Una McCormack is the author of several science fiction novels (including a New York Times Bestseller), and numerous short stories in that genre. She is also a prolific fanfiction writer, setting up and organising a number of online writing groups and resources for fanfiction writers. She teaches writing at undergraduate and graduate level. Her previous Doctor Who novels are 'The Way Through the Woods' and 'The King's Dragon'.

David Warner reads a new novel featuring the 12th Doctor and Clara, as played by Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman in the hit BBC TV series. 
 
“The Grail is a story, a myth! It didn’t exist on your world! It can’t exist here!” 
 
The city-state of Varuz is failing. Duke Aurelian is the last of his line, his capital is crumbling, and the armies of his enemy, Duke Conrad, are poised beyond the mountains to invade. Aurelian is preparing to gamble everything on one last battle. So when a holy man, the Doctor, comes to Varuz from beyond the mountains, Aurelian asks for his blessing in the war. 
 
But all is not what it seems in Varuz. The city-guard have lasers for swords, and the halls are lit by electric candlelight. Aurelian’s beloved wife, Guena, and his most trusted knight, Bernhardt, seem to be plotting to overthrow their Duke, and Clara finds herself drawn into their intrigue... 
 
Will the Doctor stop Aurelian from going to war? Will Clara’s involvement in the plot against the Duke be discovered? Why is Conrad’s ambassador so nervous? And who are the ancient and weary knights who arrive in Varuz claiming to be on a quest for the Holy Grail…? 
 
Running time: 5 hours approx.

Doctor Who: The King's Dragon

In the idyllic city-state of Geath, the Doctor and Amy become embroiled in an ancient civil war

Una McCormack lives in Cambridge, where she reads, writes and teaches. She and her partner have no cats and many Daleks.

'They called it Enamour. It turned minds, sold merchandise, and swayed elections. And it did its job far too well...' 
 
In the city-state of Geath, the King lives in a golden hall, and the people want for nothing. Everyone is happy and everyone is rich. Or so it seems. When the Doctor, Amy and Rory look beneath the surface, they discover a city of secrets. In dark corners, strange creatures are stirring. At the heart of the hall, a great metal dragon oozes gold. 
 
Then the Herald appears, demanding the return of her treasure... And next come the gunships. The battle for possession of the treasure has begun, and only the Doctor and his friends can save the people of the city from being destroyed in the crossfire of an ancient civil war. But will the King surrender his new-found wealth? Or will he fight to keep it...? 
 
A thrilling fantasy adventure featuring the Doctor, Amy and Rory, as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the spectacular hit Doctor Who series from BBC Television.

Doctor Who: The Way Through The Woods

Clare Corbett reads Una McCormack's chilling Doctor Who adventure featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory.

England, today. Between the housing estate and the motorway lies an ancient wood. The motorway bends to avoid it. Last week, teenager Laura Brown went missing. Tonight, Vicky Caine will miss her bus and take a shortcut through the wood. And she will disappear too.   England, 1917. Between the village and the main road lies an ancient wood. The old Roman road bends to avoid it. Tonight Emily Bostock and a man called Rory Williams will go to the woods.    Investigating events in the present day and back in 1917, the Doctor and Amy are desperate to find out what’s happened to Rory. He was supposed to look after Emily - and now they’ve both vanished. Something is waiting in the woods. Something that’s been there for thousands of years. Something that is now waking up...   Read by Clare Corbett, this thrilling adventure features the Doctor, Amy and Rory, as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the spectacular hit series from BBC Television.

Nicholas Briggs reads Una McCormack's fantasy adventure featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory.

Una McCormack (Author) Dr Una McCormack is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling science fiction writer of more than twenty novels, plus many audio dramas and short stories. 
An associate fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge, Una’s academic interests include feminist science fiction, transformative works, and creative writing practice and methodology. She writes and broadcasts regularly on these and other topics on local and national radio. She is on the editorial board of Gold SF, an imprint of Goldsmiths Press aimed at publishing new voices in intersectional feminist science fiction. Nicholas Briggs (Reader) Nicholas Briggs has been a prolific Doctor Who contributor since 1999, when he began work on the Big Finish Doctor Who audio dramas, for which he has written and directed extensively and is now Executive Producer. Nick is also an actor, and since Doctor Who’s return to television in 2005, he’s worked on set with all four of the new Doctors as the voice of the Daleks (also providing the voice of the Cybermen, and other aliens). Having spent most of his life in London, Nick now lives in Dorset with his wife and son, where he hopes life will be more peaceful... But, so far, London keeps dragging him back.

‘They called it Enamour. It turned minds, sold merchandise, and swayed elections. And it did its job far too well...’   In the city-state of Geath, the King lives in a golden hall, and the people want for nothing. Everyone is happy and everyone is rich. Or so it seems.   When the Doctor, Amy and Rory look beneath the surface, they discover a city of secrets. In dark corners, strange creatures are stirring. At the heart of the hall, a great metal dragon oozes gold.  Then the Herald appears, demanding the return of her treasure...   And next come the gunships. The battle for possession of the treasure has begun, and only the Doctor and his friends can save the people of the city from being destroyed in the crossfire of an ancient civil war. But will the King surrender his new-found wealth? Or will he fight to keep it...?   Nicholas Briggs, the 'voice of the Daleks', reads this thrilling story featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the hit BBC TV series.

Una McCormack

Gary Russell

Trevor Baxendale

David Warner

Lisa Bowerman

Dan Starkey

12th Doctor Novels

David Warner, Lisa Bowerman and Dan Starkey read these three full-length novels featuring the Twelfth Doctor and Clara, as played on TV by Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman. 
 
In Royal Blood, by Una McCormack, Duke Aurelian is preparing to gamble everything on one last battle to save the city-state of Varuz. When a holy man named the Doctor appears from beyond the mountains, Aurelian asks for his help. 
 
In Big Bang Generation, by Gary Russell, a time portal opens up in Sydney Cove, Australia. Through it appears a massive pyramid and an assortment of aliens - including one named Doc... 
 
In Deep Time, by Trevor Baxendale, humans in the far future discover a road made from time and space. The Doctor and Clara join a mission to see where it leads, and to uncover the terrible secrets of the ancient Phaeron civilisation. 
 
© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Una McCormack

Books by Una McCormack

Series by Una McCormack

Doctor Who Target Novels – New Era

Articles featuring Una McCormack

Books to read if you love Doctor Who

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