Doctor Who review: At Childhood’s End explores Ace’s past, present and future

Sophie Aldred’s debut novel focuses on her iconic Doctor Who companion Ace. What happened after she left the Doctor, and what happens when they’re reunited?

February saw the release of a particularly important Doctor Who novel, At Childhood’s End. This was a rather special release, for two reasons. First, it featured the Thirteenth Doctor being reunited with her old friend, Dorothy “Ace” McShane. Second, it had been written by the former companion herself, Sophie Aldred.

As a result, we have a novel focused on Ace written by the woman who knows her best. For fans of her particular era, this is a nostalgic treat. It’s not just because this novel features many callbacks to Ace’s travels with the Doctor. But it’s also a story that explores a great deal of Ace’s life, particularly where she is now.

This is especially focused on during the early portion of the novel. We find out a lot about what Ace is up to and the life she’s lived after leaving the Doctor. We know that she’s been running charity organization A Charitable Earth, thanks to a quick nod from Russell T Davies in The Sarah Jane Adventures. But where is she personally in life? What friends has she made in the past thirty years? And how has her life been affected by her travels with the Doctor? These are all questions that Aldred is very keen to explore.

Along with featuring the return of Ace, At Childhood’s End also has her meeting the Thirteenth Doctor and her current team. What do they all make of each other?

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image courtesy: BBC Press.)

Reunion

The early portion of the novel features a lot of focus of Ace on her own, as she investigates the mysterious disappearances of young runaways. So there’s a great deal of buildup towards her being reunited with the Doctor again.

When these two old friends are finally reunited, does it pay off? Absolutely. The Doctor meeting Ace again for the first time in decades is a hugely satisfying moment, especially for fans of Ace’s original era.

What makes this reunion particularly interesting is that, in some ways, Ace isn’t entirely happy to see her old “Professor” again. The Seventh Doctor was a much darker character than their current incarnation, one who would often use Ace in his schemes while telling her very little. We’re given a clear example of that through flashback scenes – scenes that reveal why Ace left the Doctor in the first place.

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A personal story for Ace

As a result, we get a real clash of eras. Ace doesn’t trust the Doctor because of how she used to be, while Graham, Yaz, and Ryan get to find out a lot more about their friend. As a fan of both the Classic Series and the New, it’s fascinating seeing each era from the perspective of the other.

The story itself feels extremely appropriate. We have an antagonist that’s very personal to Ace – one that’s directly connected to the events that lead to her meeting the Doctor in the first place. So not only do we have a story that reveals where Ace is right now, but we also get to find out far more about her past, too.

If there’s one thing that I personally would’ve wanted more of, it’s more scenes with the Doctor and Ace. There are some great moments featuring the two of them as they each try to deal with how things ended, and it would’ve been nice to have had just a little more focus on that.

But having said that, At Childhood’s End is still a strong story and an essential read for Ace fans. A novel that explores Ace’s past, present, and future, this is a great celebration of the character. A strong debut novel from Sophie Aldred.

Have you read At Childhood’s End? Did you enjoy it? Did Ace meeting Thirteen live up to expectations? Let us know in the comments below.