Daniel Mansfield reviews the second of three new novels starring the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday – Caged by Una McCormack

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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?’

What a premise! The idea of a race of talking chinchillas being kidnapped by bureaucratic alien armadillos might seem a little out there even for Doctor Who, but this ends up being a thoroughly enjoyable tale full of fun characters, interesting ideas and lots of fantastic moments for the Doctor and Ruby.

Central to this story is Chirrachar, a character I imagined as being a kind of bigger, more colourful Beep the Meep, and who forms the emotional heart of the tale. A dreamer who is determined to prove the existence of life beyond her planet, Chirrachar is a delight to spend time with, so compellingly written by Una McCormack that it’s a huge shame we never got to saw her on TV – I think she’d have been a fan favourite.

In fact, I think this story as a whole would have made a fabulous TV episode; there’s so much fantastic imagery here – from the Doctor hiking up a mountain in a flat cap collecting strange rocks in a tote bag to the climactic final battle between Chirrachar’s people and their oppressors. Add to that some perfect characterisation for the Doctor and Ruby, particularly the latter who gets to give a big speech that, to me, is one of the character’s defining moments, and you get a novel that’ll grip you from start to finish.

My only gripe with Caged is that things fizzle out somewhat towards the end, with the climax coming and going quite quickly. Nevertheless, McCormack spins us a yarn so good it’s worthy of being a TV episode, packed with Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby goodness, fun side characters and some interesting themes that feel prescient today. Recommended.

Caged is now available in hardback and as an audiobook read by Bonnie Langford