Transit
8.5/10
I went into "Transit" a little concerned. I've heard all of these reports that it's the deeply controversial book, and while both "Rememberance of the Daleks" and "The Also People" are fine works of modern Doctor Who, and while "Battlefield" has its problems, it's not terrible, but yet I didn't know how Ben Aaronovitch's first NA would work. Fortunately, I shouldn't have been concerned.
Now, I suppose I was already set up for most of this book -- I knew Kadiatu from "Set Piece" and "the Also People", and I knew people said some naughty words in it, I knew we had a sex scene , but I found "Deceit" to be a far more offensive work than this, and this book was certainly "Doctor Who", not something completely different, and enjoyed it as I read it over the weekend. Since I'm a bit behind the times on reading some of the NAs, some of the "new and controversial" elements that Ben introduced, are well, not so new after four additional years of New Adventures, many of which I have read, including both "Set Piece" and "The Also People", two sequels to "Transit".
There are some really great points in this book -- from the fact that Kadiatu doesn't get her last name mentioned until the very last line of the book, but not because we don't know it. The Doctor Who / UNIT Opera; "Il Dottore im Viaggio". The AI who announces his sentience by retaining a lawyer.
The Doctor is characterized quite well; from his discussions with Kadiatu, with the enemy, and across the board. The only unusual bit of characterization might be to get the Doctor drunk, but this isn't totally unheard of -- after all, "The Twin Dillemia" refered to a drunken night with Azmael and the Doctor, after all.
Benny really isn't in this story very much -- her characterization is the weakest part of the story, really. To be fair, this was the first novel she was in after "Love and War", and I imagine that she was added quite late in the day to the story. She's not really in the book at all, and while some of this is for a detailed spoiler reason, it's probably the weakest part of the book.
And of course, Kadiatu, who gets her first appearance here, is quite an individual. This book clearly sets her up for future appearances -- which of course, she's had in "Set Piece", "Also People", "Happy Endings", and eventually "So Vile a Sin". It'll be a little sad that she will go with the end of the Virgin line, but I imagine she'll be dealt with by the end of the line was well.
As far as New Adventures go, "Transit" is certainly among the top ten required books that defined the line, and fortunately, it's an enjoyable book to read. 8.5/10