Customer Reviews

The Deviant Strain (Doctor Who)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was never a really big fan of Who books, prefering the tv series instead. But my brother has the newer books-and a few old ones-and got me back into the 'verse of Who novels. This book is a great read, passing into post-Cold War Russia. Captain Jack is, as always, a great laugh, not afraid to show off for humans and aliens alike. Rose shows that not all of the Doctor's female Assistants and Companions scream, run or faint at the sight of something with a third eye or slightly too big a head. The perfect model for the modern girl. The Doctor shows yet again his happy, somewhat 'bouncy' way of handling things, that leaves most people who don't know him stumped.

A great read and a must have for all Who Fans.

This, like all the ninth doctor books is a quick read. It moves along at a pretty good pace (sort of like an extended episode), won't bore you with too many details (i.e. the science behind stuff), and let's you get a little more Capt. Jack.

This one takes place in modern times and has the most "X Files" feel to it then the previous ones. I do like that they are mixing up eras in the books, and visiting more different planets then the series.

If you like the series, you'll enjoy the books.

The story itself is great. It has plot twists that keep it interesting, a few original characters to liven things up, a mystery to be solved, and some good, old fashioned, creepy monsters. The setting is unusual--a tiny, mostly abandoned village on the icy coast of Russia, with empty nuclear submarines as the eerie backdrop for an alien invasion.

It has some tense moments, and some gross moments, and it is descriptive enough to make you shiver as you read it. Overall, I'd say that the monsters are tame enough for older kids to enjoy, while the plot is just complex enough that adults should enjoy it as well.

I did have one problem with it, though. While it's an excellent sci-fi/monster story, it isn't really a "Doctor Who" story. It stars the Ninth Doctor, Captain Jack, and Rose, but the names seemed almost like a coincidence. Most of the time, they didn't act like themselves. In the show, the three of them have distinctive personalities, which is what made them so popular--the Doctor's bragging and quick-talking bravado, the lovely banter between the Doctor and Rose, Jack's legendary flirting, the amazing chemistry between all three of them. But there was very little in this book to replicate that. I enjoyed reading the story, but when I'd finished, I was struck with the thought that they appeared to be generic characters labeled "Jack", "Rose", and "The Doctor".

So, if you want a mildly creepy sci-fi adventure, this is a great book! But if you want a true "Doctor Who" story, something that really portrays the Doctor, Jack, and Rose as themselves, try one of the other books, or look online for fan-fiction.

Justin Richards has written a good solid Who novel that at times contained moments of brilliance, but other times were Same old, same old Who bits of running away from the monster over and over down long corridors. The Doctor is written well, and Rose is really starting to grow on me. Capt. Jack is lots of fun to. Set in a far away part of Russia, this book had a setting different enough from other who novels to make it interesting.
My biggest problem that bothered me through the whole book is that the Doctor has some sort of magical paper that gives him credintials in any situation. Boy, would this have solved a lot of problems over the last 40 years of Who stories. I don't know if this is something from the new TV show, or just an invention of the author, but it really is a cop out to the age old Who problem of showing up and immediately being thrown in jail.
Anyway, a good Who novel that I paid to much for, but I love the new hardback books. Enjoy!

Justin Richards writes pretty entertaining Doctor Who novels. This one, featuring the 9th Doctor, is not as complex in plot as his The Burning, but it has its moments. Campy, featuring glowing, tentacled monsters and the living dead, he and Rose once more work their magic in solving a mystery and saving the world from destruction.

Opening with Captain Jack responding to a distress signal, the three become "morally obliged" to find the source of the problem and help those in trouble. The signal leads them to an isolated village in northern Russia not long after the fall of the Soviet Union. It's a time of paranoia following another time of paranoia, with weapons lying about from the latter. However, the ensuing struggle is not one over opposing ideologies, unless one includes the simple desire to survive.

More like a novella, The Deviant Strain is a quick read, fun and sometimes witty. These small BBC hardbacks are fun to have, although often hard to come by in local bookstores. For those who enjoyed the TV production with the 9th Doctor, they continue the adventures we've grown fond of.

The Doctor finds himself on a remote, Soviet naval base with Captain Jack and Rose, after Jack mistakenly answers a distress call. A mysterious stone circle, unexplained deaths and and unknown killer mean adventure and disaster. What is the Deviant Strain and can the Doctor and his friends discover the truth?

The story is full of chases and running and campy sort of octopus-like jelly monsters. It also includes Captain Jack, and while he's still brave and heroic, he's also a bit of a tender heart, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. While he is still young Jack as we first meet him, before he's left behind in The Parting of the Ways and before Torchwood, he still wasn't completely Jack-like.

I couldn't see this one translating to the screen, but as Doctor Who novels go, this one is a fast, entertaining and easy read.

Well, Lovecraft and Quatermass were always in Doctor Who to start with.
The plot is kind of simple. Doctor Who and gang land in a Soviet naval base after getting a SOS. They arrive at the same time the Russian Special Forces have. Both have come because of a mystery of the circle of stones! Or is it the mystery of the WITCH! Or maybe she is a vampire? You see, something is hanging around the base and the nearby town. Something that has been there so long it has become legend. Something that is awaking up and starting to hunt people.
Sadly, this book is not at the level of Stephen King or Lovecraft, so reading it in the dark isn't really doing to scare you. But it does have Captain Jack interacting with Rose and the Doctor, so that is cool. Also the feeling of the dark, cold, winter setting helps it just a tad. I would suggest it for any fan of sci-fi or Doctor Who.

Not the best Who book I read, it was still a good read. A bit slow at times and I feel like they wrote Jack a bit strange, made him to sentimental. The over all story was good, just not the best Iv read.

Pick up a distress call, push a button on the TARDIS console. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, you could end up at an abandoned Soviet naval base in the frozen Novrosk Peninsula, where a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines are slowly rusting and falling apart. Plus the locals inhabitants are being killed off by someone or something.

The Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack soon find out the danger isn't the nuclear reactors or the Russian special forces team that arrives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, because it has all of my favorite heroes and more. The plot takes twists and turns you won't expect, plus a new villan and you get a better understanding of Captain Jack.

Besides, don't you want to know who pushed that button on the TARDIS console?

Torchwood: Another Life
Torchwood: Slow Decay
Torchwood - The Complete First Season
Doctor Who - The Complete First Series
Doctor Who - The Complete Second Series
Doctor Who - The Complete Third Series
Another Side
Anything Goes

A fairly standard runaround from Justin Richards. Although aimed at a younger audience than the Eighth Doctor and Past Doctor books, ther eis still a lot of pleasure to be had here.