Long ago, the Phaeron were a race of explorers; travelling through the stars via roads made from time and space. And then one day, a million years ago, they mysteriously disappeared – leaving only a handful of relics behind.

What happened to the Phaeron is a mystery that has been debated for years. Yet when the last of the Phaeron “roads” is discovered, the mystery could finally have an answer. A human crew is on their way and the Doctor and Clara have joined the voyage.

Every person on the crew believes they know what awaits them, but only the Doctor truly knows what they will find.

I admit, dear Readers, to being a Doctor Who fan for quite some time. I remember watching the old episodes on my local public television station and being thrilled by the new episodes as they have aired.

Alas after 50 plus years, Doctor Who has become a bit formulaic and unfortunately Deep Time succumbs to that pitfall. The plot follows what many episodes and novels have done – the current Doctor and companion join a human crew who are on some kind of mission to some mysterious new place. Some time during the journey a catastrophe of some sort happens, placing the crew in danger. The Doctor saves the day, or at least points out what needs to be done and someone else does it. Repeat – sometimes ad nauseum – until the final climax where everything is wrapped up.

The basic premise behind Deep Time is something that’s been done before but the resolution to the final problem was a new twist. I was a bit disappointed with characterization, especially with the Doctor and Clara; who I found out of character at times. The rest of the human crew were interesting however and I found myself liking several of them.

Deep Time is supposedly part of a series and is the third and final book. I didn’t know this but that didn’t detract from my reading enjoyment. The thread that ties the three books together is so minor a point it fades in to the background.

This is a book for fans of the series Doctor Who. Those who don’t have at least some knowledge of the series will likely not enjoy this book. Those who DO know the series should at least give this one a try, if only as a way to spend time with old friends.