The TARDIS crashes and Berenice Summerfield finds herself alone in the East of London in 1909, albeit the Doctor has somehow found a way to supply her with a bank account to draw upon, and the support of the Waterfield family for a place to live. Soon she's investigating a series of grisly murders attributed to Springheel Jack, but are actually committed by ... aliens! Meanwhile, Ace is on a desert planet in the far future aiding the surviving humans against the insect-like Charrl. And the Doctor is off having adventures in another book that I won't be reading.

This is the first example of a "Doctor-light" story that became common in the future Virgin Adventures and in the new television series. It also continues the trend of characterizing the Doctor as a manipulative mastermind, the Ace as surly and violent, and Benny as clever but self-doubting. Even the surreal dream-like sequence of the conclusion is a New Adventures' trait. Nevertheless, it's a much more simply-written, straightforward narrative than some of the other, more complex books. And barring a few examples of sexist language, it's a pretty enjoyable adventure to read too. ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1664794.html

Seventh Doctor adventure (from Virgin New Adventures series) about alien insects invading London in 1909 - a Doctor-lite story mainly about Benny, featuring also Ace and Victoria Waterfield's elderly aunt Margaret.

I realised a few pages into this that I had already heard an audio version - one of the first Bernice Summerfield plays from Big Finish, which had had some surgery to remove the Doctor (who isn't in it much anyway) and Ace (who I think is mainly replaced in the play by Benny's husband Jason), and co-starred Colin Baker as the mysterious Russian character. I remember enjoying the play; I also enjoyed the book more than I expected.

My expectations were low because the author is Nigel Robinson, whose prose style I find in general pretty clunky. But in fact he is way ahead of his usual output here. There were two chapters which did make me groan but also one (Benny's weird dream) which really made me sit up. I also thought he caught both Benny and Ace very well, as well as having a comprehensible plot. So, for once, a Robinson book which I rate as slightly above average. ( )

"I can't be here with you forever, you know. Remember: I'm not human. There are other places to visit, others' problems to sort out. Keep that in mind, Benny. Doctors are supposed to mend things, to heal the infected, guide the confused. If I were just another man in the street you might as well call me John Smith..."

Birthright is like one of those 'Doctor-lite' episodes we've had to put up with in the New Series while David Tennant buggers off to film something else. It's a worrying prospect for a potential reader, because while it could be a great story without the Doctor in it like Blink, it could also turn sour like Love & Monsters, easily, EASILY the worst episode of Doctor Who ever produced.

This novel falls somewhere in between. It's actually a pretty good romp through both 1909 London and the alien planet Antykhon in the far future, with Bernice stuck in the former and Ace trapped in the latter with a mysterious gentlemen named Muldwych, who may or may not be a future incarnation of the Doctor. Add in some insect-like aliens known as the Charrl, and a bunch of Jack the Ripper-esque murders and you've got yourself an adventure!

If you enjoy Benny and Ace, then Birthright is a must-read. It's startlingly lightweight for a Virgin novel, clocking in at just 216 pages, so it could easily be read in a day. Funnily enough, the Doctor's solo adventure in the other NA that is meant to occur at the exact same time as this story, Iceberg, is quite banal by comparison. ( )