Candy Jar Books has announced a trio of brand new Doctor Who spin-off books to celebrate the publisher’s 15th anniversary this year.
The Lucy Wilson Mysteries feature the titular granddaughter of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, and in three books, she battles aliens, tackles time warps, and saves the earth (again) with her best friend Hobo by her side. Oh, and I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in a couple of them!
Troubles in Time features two thrilling tales: Viva Las Llantwit Major, where time freezes and Lucy uncovers a plot to kidnap entire towns – complete with a giant worm – and Trouble at Tempus Novum, where a seemingly perfect science experiment reveals a much darker agenda – and a giant flying slug!
I edited this little collection, which was great fun to do: Viva Las Llantwit Major is by Chris Lynch, whose previous titles for the range include Curse of the Mirror Clowns, A Little Lucy Christmas, and The Pennyworth Recursion, while Trouble at Tempus Novum is by Lucy McCaul, who wrote the short story collection, Benton and Hawthorne Investigate.
Candy Jar Books is also releasing an expanded edition of Back in London (originally released in 2018) – growing from two stories to six – featuring stories by:
- Sue Hampton (Lucy Wilson: Avatars of the Intelligence)
- Tim Gambrell (Lucy Wilson: The Children of January, Lethbridge-Stewart: Lucy Wilson and the Bledoe Cadets, and UNIT: The Vaughn Identity)
- Paul W Robinson (Lucy Wilson: The Web of Terror)
- Baz Greenland (Lucy Wilson: Rampage of the Dropbears, Lethbridge-Stewart: Foreword to the Past, and UNIT: A Legacy in Doctor Who)
- Steven Walton (Lucy Wilson: Apocalypse Tomorrow and The Twelve Days of Christmas)
- Philip Bates (Companions, 100 Objects of Dr Who, The Benton Files 3)
Wait a minute — that last one’s me! I’ve written The Labours of Lucy Wilson, which finds Lucy and Hobo heading to a theatrical performance of Disney’s Hercules in 2025 — despite the fact that they’re from 2019. Just add in some ghosts, a Second World War bomb, and a Zeus who thinks he’s from Mount Etna…
Back in London also sees Lucy and Hobo encounter the Queen during the Silver Jubilee of 1977, become possessed by evil suntan lotion, face time anomalies, and find themselves surrounded by living mannequins in Carnaby Street. Each adventure is set in and around the capital, grounding the sci-fi thrills in one of the world’s most iconic cities.
And finally, there’s the previously-announced A Fright at the Museum by Tom Dexter (The Analysis Bureau and the upcoming book about Patrick Troughton, When I Say Run, Run!). In this book, Lucy heads to Peterborough Museum, where something is very wrong – glowing lights, vanishing friends, and the fossil of a plesiosaur that may not be quite as extinct as it should be. Packed with eerie twists and time-travelling surprises, it’s an atmospheric adventure grounded in a real-life location.
Shaun Russell, series creator and range editor, says:
“As Candy Jar Books marks its fifteenth anniversary, it feels only right to celebrate with Lucy Wilson – one of our most enduring and beloved characters. Incredibly, we have now published twenty-six books featuring Lucy and Hobo! These stories reflect everything we love about publishing: bold ideas, fantastic authors, and the kind of fun, fearless fiction young readers (and the young-at-heart) deserve.”
Here’s the blurb for Back in London:
London’s calling – and time is running wild.
Lucy Wilson and Hobo Kostinen are back in the capital, but this isn’t just a city break. From haunted theatres to alien chases through the city, their visit to London takes a chaotic turn when time travel, ghostly apparitions, and otherworldly threats start cropping up around every corner.
Whether they’re battling mind-controlling sunblock, meeting the Queen during her Silver Jubilee in 1977, or fighting mannequins in Carnaby Street, Lucy and Hobo are once again doing what they do best: saving the day, one weird adventure at a time.
This collection of six thrilling stories, written by a host of talented authors, is packed with heart, humour, and high-stakes heroics, all set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most extraordinary cities.
And here’s the blurb for Troubles in Time:
Time trouble comes in all shapes and sizes.
In Viva Las Llantwit Major, Lucy Wilson and her best friend Hobo discover the seaside town frozen in time. With only each other to rely on, they uncover a bizarre alien scheme to steal Earth towns for an off-world theme park. But things spiral when a monstrous space worm bursts onto the scene…
Then, in Trouble at Tempus Novum, a school project leads them to a shady biotech company that claims to grow crops at an impossible speed. But Lucy and Hobo soon discover the truth behind the miracle tech, and face off against a giant flying slug with a dangerous grip on time itself.
Two adventures. Two terrifying time-creatures. One unmissable mission.
You can pre-order Troubles in Time, Back in London, and A Fright at the Museum from Candy Jar Books now!
