The Also People (Doctor Who: The New Adventures) (The New Doctor Who Series) [Paperback]

Ben Aaronovitch (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: London Bridge (Mm) (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0426204565
• ISBN-13: 978-0426204565
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,573,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The People are long overdue a return visit!, October 21, 2003

By 

Shane Welch "Serge Ortega" (Canberra City, ACT Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Also People (Doctor Who: The New Adventures) (The New Doctor Who Series) (Paperback)

Wow! This book is as vast and as stimulating as the environment it is set in. The idea of Dyson Spheres is an excellent one, and although an old idea (I've been fascinated with the concept since reading Larry Niven's 'Ringworld', and Colin Kapp's 'Cageworld' series years ago), it is a new concept for Doctor Who. I'm surprised it has never been explored in the series until now, or for that matter, since.

Saying this book is a murder mystery is an understatement, yet at it's simplest The Also People is an old-fashioned who-dunnit. Where this book surpasses the ordinary is the fact that the author also seizes the opportunity to create a convincing, fresh environment, a unique, interesting culture and then populates it with numerous appealing, 3-dimensional characters.

The TARDIS crew are extremely well handled here. The foursome of the Doctor, Benny, Roz and Chris are 'real people' in this book. Benny is just being Benny. She does things because, in that situation, that is how Benny would react. The same is true for the others; their actions are true to their character. They live their lives and the plot flows naturally from this.

Racial tolerance is one of the main themes explored by this book. A theme very current today, and I fear for a long time into the future. The People are a civilisation consisting of both organic and non-organic (sentient machines) people. All types are recognised as 'human'. It is impossible to denigrate someone in this culture by sex or colour (for example), when simple things like sex and colour are a preference and can be changed at whim. In this culture, things like sex, sexual preference, colour, body shape and even race have become irrelevant.

I have only one (extremely small) difficulty with this novel. The idea that The People are so advanced that they have a non-aggression pact with the Time Lords is a compelling one, but I find it hard to believe that any civilisation without time travel could hold it's own against an enemy with time travel.

A unique experience. Easily one of the best Doctor Who novels yet written. The People are long overdue a return visit.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A warm, funny, and a generally worthwhile Doctor Who tale, August 27, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Jamestown, North Dakota (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Also People (Doctor Who: The New Adventures) (The New Doctor Who Series) (Paperback)

In "The Also People", the TARDIS gang takes a vacation in a Dyson Sphere surrounded by retired (and eccentric!) warships, and protected by a computer referred to as 'God'. The highly evolved people here can easily change their sexes and species, and live peacefully alongside superintelligent drones. This world has wonderful parties, charming local color, semi-intelligent faerytale houses that provide everything and general contentment and goodwill. So of course, Roz is bored -- until a drone is murdered. In the meantime, Benny befriends a local woman, sara!quava(something like that), Chris falls in love with her daughter, and the Doctor plays the spoons, fishes, debates with God and generally tries to keep everyone alive while advoiding Armegeddon. Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart is also here, but she seems to have lost her memory and is extremely dangerous; Benny is given the choice whether or not to kill her. (Part of her decision is influenced by a hysterical dream sequence -- read it for yourself!) 'The Also People', with its gentle humor, wistful sadness, and introspectiveness is a welcome break from the breakneck pace of so many of the New Adventures.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Relaxed it punches you in the gut and you say thanks, January 30, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Also People (Doctor Who: The New Adventures) (The New Doctor Who Series) (Paperback)

There is such a happy, lighthearted tone to this book that you forget that you are reading about a planet of killcrazy artificial intelligences who wage war for the hell of it and murder each other for convenience sake. This was one of my first books read in the Doctor Who series and I was hooked with it. It's great to see that the novelisations have continued the great traditions of Doctor Who