Book Review - The Life and Times of Daniel Ulysses Barrow by Bittersweet_Rose (Cheryl Rosecrans)

Quite a while ago I tried my hand at some Jane Austen fan-fiction. Otherwise, it is a genre that I have not involved myself with until my friend Cheryl told me about her series. She has written a three-book series of Doctor Who fan fiction. I like the tenth Doctor so I decided to give them a try.



Born of Fire is the first book. It tells the story of Daniel Ulysses Barrow, the "clone" of the Doctor with some DNA from Donna Noble mixed in. The Doctor decides to leave Daniel with Rose Tyler in an alternate universe and alternate Earth, sort of as a substitute for himself. Even though Daniel looks like the Doctor, Rose rejects him because he is not her Doctor. Desolate, Daniel goes to live in the western part of Scotland and becomes a school teacher, trying to make a new life for himself.


Forged in Ice is the second book. Daniel has met a woman, Nora, with a young son, Robbie, and fallen in love.  They are building a life together in spite of issues with her ex-husband. Daniel still has contact with his old friends, some of whom have gender-swapped from their alternative personas back on old Earth. He does contract work for Torchwood and loves teaching his students in Glen Coe. Nora becomes pregnant and Daniel finally feels that in spite of being an alien, he is starting to fit in with these people.



After a devasting tragedy Daniel must remake his life. Rose realizes what she lost in rejecting Daniel, but is it too late for them?

I loved these books. There are familiar characters from the television series, albeit with some differences (see gender-swapped reference above) and new characters like Nora and Robbie. I've tried not to give too much of the stories away in my synopsis, but they are well written and a roller coaster of emotion. Daniel is a wonderful man, like the Doctor, but also with his own flaws and perspectives on life among the humans. I did not like Nora at first (team Rose here), but soon grew to love her and Robbie and cried (a lot) when tragedy struck. Cheryl has done a remarkable job and paid a loving tribute to these characters. You do not have to be a Doctor Who fan (though it helps) to enjoy these books. I suggest you run right over to Wattpad and follow her.

Here is the link to the first book: Born of Fire Start reading now - I promise you will enjoy these books.