This story is a standard run of the mill, monster of the week style adventure, the first half being a variant of Tooth and Claw, the second half being a variant of The Brain of Morbius. Unfortunately, the novel tends to take the weaker aspects of the two. The plot itself is structured with a very uneven pace, slow and contemplative (or at least it attempts to be) until suddenly, out of the blue, we're going at breakneck speeds, before it crashes to a halt again. The characterisation of The Doctor is well handled, and many of the side characters are well developed, but Sarah Jane simply doesn't feel like Sarah Jane. This isn't a book I'd go back to, unless I were to read the entire range from start to finish again. The scope seems muted, when considering the stories are no longer constrained by 70s budgetary requirements, and it simply doesn't leave much of an impression. Pretty fun in the moment, completely forgettable afterwards.