class-joyBy Guy Adams

BBC Books, out now

People around Coal Hill are really not being themselves…

This is set not long after the second episode of the new Doctor Who spin-off, when the group of disparate teenagers are still just starting to get to know each other and realising that some seriously weird shit is going to be happening to them on a far too regular basis. Guy Adams’ contribution to the show’s mythos is a quick read, told in the present tense with the mix of adult horror, SF and teen elements that are recognisable from the series. As with the series, there are occasional shoutouts to elements of the parent show but its key continuity references are all to Class itself (with a couple of things that pre-empted revelations in episode 3 if you happen to have read it on publication day!)

Adams has a nice handle on the characters, with some great one-liners for Quill (although there’s one interesting character note late on in the book that I suspect was changed so that it doesn’t contradict later revelations), and a few insights into Ram, who’s separated from the others for much of the time. This very much picks up on the idea of Coal Hill being a magnet for other things going wrong (the timeframe doesn’t allow for it to all take place after the Doctor’s intervention), and gives the school scenes a nice Sunnydale High vibe.

Verdict: An enjoyable extra early “episode” for the show. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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