Customer Reviews

Doctor Who: The Eyeless (Doctor Who (BBC Hardcover))

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
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This book is, along with the most recent Doctor & Donna books (Shining Darkness, The Doctor Trap, Ghosts of India), one of the best books to come out in the current series of Doctor Who books. I truly enjoyed reading it. I hope this a sign that we're going to see more of the same level of writing!

The Doctor arrives outside the city of Arcopolis, once a place of peace, prosperity, robot servants and renewable energy; but now, 15 years after the arrival of the Fortress, a desolated city with a tiny population of humans fighting to survive from day to day. His mission is to decommission the great and terrible weapon at the heart of the Fortress, which killed off the population of the city and is still capable of destroying the universe in the worst possible way.

The first person the Doctor meets, however, is a very bitter, disillusioned young lady named Alsa. She has plans of her own which doesn't include being a mother of a large number of children. She sees the Doctor as a source of change and if he's not willing to cooperate with her, she's willing to do what she can to change his mind. This includes making a deal with the Eyeless, an alien species who look like glass men who are telepathic, empathic and determined to gain a source of ultimate power.

The Doctor has a fight on his hands, what with a group of humans who see him as a welcome addition to their small numbers, Alsa, the ghosts of Arcopolis, the Eyeless and, of course, the Fortress itself.

The Eyeless is, I think, the first book to feature the Tenth Doctor on his own, no companion, which fits in with the over all sleeper year for Who. The Doctor keeps turning to talk to someone about what's happening and discovering that no one is there. It's something of a jarring experience for the Doctor. Yet it works.

More importantly, Parkin does something extremely rare in a Who novel, he lets us have a peek into the Doctor's head. It was, for me, a pleasant surprise to be allowed in like that and that I wish other authors would be so bold. We don't often get the chance to see things the way the Doctor does and in the hands of someone who has written several of the best Eighth Doctor books (The Dying Days, Infinity Doctors, Father Time...), this is a well placed trust. I hope Parkin gets a chance to write more books for the current series.

The Eyeless is the first Doctor Who novel I've read that features the Doctor in a solo capacity, sans any of his usually ever-present, beloved companions. This lack of a readily available sounding board for the Doctor really changes the tone and dynamic of the story, and it took me a bit longer than normal to really "get into" this novel. But the payoff was worth it. Since the Doctor is traveling alone, there's no outlet for his manic energy to focus on, no one to listen to his rapid-fire dialogue and brilliant deductions. Parkin has crafted a darker, introspective tale that forces the Doctor to come to terms with not only his "single" state, if you will, but also the painful, buried memory of the fact that he is the last of his race. The tone and pace of The Eyeless is reminiscent of the excellent episode "Midnight" from series four - which, now that I think about it, served as a nice precursor to the direction the Doctor takes after that season finale. For the Doctor, losing friends, or having them simply move on, has reached a point where he *thinks* the pain is greater than the payoff. This book also recalls the later special The Waters of Mars, since both storylines deal with insular groups of people that come to be threatened by an apparently overwhelming and misunderstood outside force. How each group of people in these episodes and this novel deal with the threat presented to them provides a fascinating and chilling look at how tightly focused social dynamics play out under extreme, life-threatening pressure. Though this book had a bit of a slow start, Parkin's done a solid job exploring the Doctor's personality and letting the reader catch a glimpse of how his brilliant mind works. This is a worthwhile read for fans of David Tennant's tenure as the Doctor.

The aliens are very alien. The mystery is very mysterious. And the super weapon is so super that I never really figured out how it works or why it is so dangerous. Maybe it is just me, but this story was so twisted, so turned, so full of details that I was totally confused by most of it by the end of the story. Sadly, I have to take a point away for that. Otherwise it was enjoyable, full of action and adventure, good characters and a fine Doctor. I enjoyed the dark, gloomy feel of the planet and the decaying city. And the Eyeless, the aliens, are truly alien. That's always a plus.
Just couldn't keep my mind wrapped around the plot which centered on the super weapon. Just didn't understand where it came from, why it was there and who made it. Oh well.

I've only read a few Doctor Who books, but this one is one of my favorites. It is a little silly at times, but over all a very fun read.

Back in the day, I read a whole lot of the Doctor Who novelizations. They were good, but pretty much like the episodes. My first New Series Adventures book was "Wooden Heart", which I loved. When I picked up "The Eyeless", I was a little dubious: I doubted that it would be as good. Thankfully, I was wrong.

"The Eyeless" was an excellent Doctor Who novel. It was just as good as, if not better than, "Wooden Heart". "The Eyeless" was full of excitement, strange creatures, dangers, and fun. While the book did not take itself too seriously, it did have a moral theme and some thought provoking scenes.

I thought the author really captured the spirit of the Tenth Doctor, and he did so without a companion for the Doctor to play off of. All the banter was there, along with the quips, the retorts, and the insightful references, that seem odd to the aliens, but familiar to us.

I highly recommend this book.

Great great story. lots of fun. Its very exciting and imaginitive. The tenth dr. is done very well as are the other characters. I highly recommend.