Customer Reviews

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Tiger (Doctor Who (BBC Paperback))

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

 

 

I originally passed over this First Doctor adventure, then decided I'd like to get to know this edition of the TARDIS crew. I can't vouch for the authenticity of the setting in ancient China, but it was a new place to see Who and I thought it was respectful of the culture. The story has a flavor of good martial arts cinema with an exotic dash of Who. The TARDIS crew was interestingly rendered and I particularly enjoyed the First Doctor's characterization. It makes me want to go buy William Hartnell DVDs.

A very good first Doctor novel set in 1865 Japan. The Doctor lands right in the middle of an English foray into Japan with Ian mysteriously recognised and attacked by one of the locals. They spend time in a Japanese medical facility and it finishes where it started in caves. Just the right amount of science fiction and historical fact mixed together very well.

Some say trying to achieve immortality is like trying to build a perpetual motion machine... the first Emperor of China finds out first hand if that is true or not. In addition to the Emperor, the classic heroes The Doctor, Vicky, Ian, & Barbara are in this romp. The author does a great job at continually building the storyline gradually, unlike some of the other Doctor Who novels which sometimes have jittery climaxes. However with that being said, the ending was a bit of a letdown. It just felt a bit rushed, although it wasn't bad, it was one I could put down for a few days & not feel an urge to finish it. Overall though it was a good, well written novel. Which in its own way was rather inspirational in that brains can always win over brawn, and that an out numbered ragtag team of heroes can defeat an alien empire. So don't miss out on this story... if you do, you may ever know what happens when Ian meets an older version of himself... a self without Barbara, & what if a past self meets a future self?

This book was an enjoyable read. The characters of the time period seemed very realistic and not out of whack for that time period. Although the story did seem to stretch the limit of believability at times, it was still worth reading. I was left a little confused by the alien beings at the end. Maybe I was expecting an easy who are you answer, and the author purposely didn't do that. Regardless, I enjoyed the book thoroughly, and had a hard time putting it down at times. If you like Dr Who, then this book will not let you down. It left some things unexplained as I was referring to earlier, but it doesn't take away from the excellent story.

This was definitely a very enjoyable departure from my usual reading. But lately I've been rediscovering my fondness for the show and decided, why not? The story is set sometime between episodes 12 and 13 ("The Romans" and "The Web Planet") and finds the Doctor and company in the midst of all the chaos and tumult of late imperial China. The combination of vintage BBC science fiction and Hong Kong cinema may seem implausible, but the author crafts the story in such a way that it works wonderfully. Most importantly, his grasp of the characters is superb, and he brings William Hartnell's Doctor as well as Ian, Barbara, and Vicki alive on the page--having recently watched several of the episodes from this milieu on DVD, I was especially struck by this and by how well the spirit and mood of the series at that time is evoked (although free of budgetary and technological restraints, of course).

The portrayal of 19th-century China is pretty good, too. I have seen science fiction/fantasy writers really drop the ball in their depictions of East Asia, but this author has clearly done his research history-wise. He paints an extremely credible picture of China at this time and has a fairly good grasp of Chinese culture, involving all of this seamlessly into the adventure; and--without giving away any plot spoilers--the sci-fi scenario he develops is intricately involved with Chinese history and Taoist alchemy in intriguing ways (among other things, this means that China is much more here than merely an exotic backdrop for a story that could've been set anywhere). There are a few minor glitches, of course: The few mentions of Japan are on much less firm ground and are even bizarre at times, and the Chinese characters every so often act and speak in ways that seem just a tad culturally uncharacteristic. These are minor points, though, and don't really detract from the story in any serious way. All in all "The Eleventh Tiger" succeeds nicely as a well-crafted adventure.

This book is filled with mystery, interesting characters, and action. This is great example of classic Doctor Who.