Award-winning author, David Solomons is penning a novel that features the Thirteenth Doctor (as played by Jodie Whittaker), the first announced for this new incarnation of the Time Lord.
The Secret in Vault 13 will be available in paperback, audio, and as an eBook from November 2018, and sees the Doctor paired with companions, Graham (Bradley Walsh), Ryan (Tosin Cole), and Yasmin (Mandip Gill). (This also seems to put to bed rumours that the companions would be separated in time and not interact.)
Here’s the synopsis for the 250-page novel:
The Doctor has never faced a challenge quite like this . . .
In the coldest spot in the universe is the Galactic Seed Vault. For generations it has existed to store and preserve examples of plant seeds from across the galaxy, ensuring that in the event of planetary catastrophe, the seeds will survive.
And at its heart lies a secret. Vault 13.
Unopened for millions of years, no one is sure what it contains. There are rumours of a great treasure, and a terrible weapon.
Now the Doctor and her companions are in a race with an ancient order known as the Gardeners of Tellus to unlock the vault. Whoever gains access first will discover the horrifying secret of the Genesis Seed.
Perfect for younger readers, this will be a must-have for fans, and a perfect introduction to Doctor Who, and the brilliant new series airing in autumn 2018.
The Secret in Vault 13 has an age rating of 7+, so should cater for the “family” audience showrunner, Chris Chibnall is apparently aiming for.
Solomons – whose children’s books include My Brother is a Superhero (for which he won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize in 2016) and My Evil Twin is a Supervillain – will also write a second Thirteenth Doctor book to follow in Autumn 2019. His first feature film was an adaptation of Five Children and It, starring Kenneth Branagh, and he is, pleasingly, a life-long Doctor Who fan.
You may know his adult book, Not Another Happy Ending – because it was adapted into a film starring Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)!
Ruth Knowles, publisher at PRH Children’s, says:
“We have watched the wonderful David Solomons take the middle-grade world by storm with his novels. They’re full of incredible characters, excitement and humour. These are also the things that make Doctor Who so very special and so we are delighted to have David bring the Thirteenth Doctor to the page for young people in 2018.”
The Secret in Vault 13 will be published on 1st November 2018, expected to be during Doctor Who Series 11 being broadcast, priced £6.99 in paperback, £3.99 on Kindle, or £12.99 as an audio.
