Customer Reviews

Doctor Who: Ghosts of India

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a huge Doctor Who fan but really, I was just browsing the titles one day and I picked this one up. When I read the blurb on the back and it said Gandhi was in the story...well, I had to buy it. How can I resist the Mahatma with the Doctor?

The story is excellent. My only concern was that slamming Gandhi into the story may have been a good excuse to let the plot sag a bit, but my fears were false. This is a rocking good story and a lot of fun to read.

Reading Doctor Who is never going to rival "literature" but there is nothing wrong with a book just for fun in between all the serious books, you know?

It's been a while since I've read any Doctor Who novels, but with the arrival of Series 5 and a new Doctor later this week on BBC America, I thought the time was right to delve into some Who-related fiction. Ghosts of India is the first novel I've read featuring the Doctor (as portrayed by the inimitable David Tennant) and the irrepressible, no-nonsense Donna (Catherine Tate). The Doctor inadvertently brings Donna to India in 1947, a dangerous time for sight-seeing. With Britain about to withdraw, the country is a veritable powder keg, ready to explode as rival factions jockey for power and position. And of course, the country's dense population and tense political climate is the perfect cover for an alien intent on human harvesting. I absolutely love the Doctor Who episodes that take place in some historical time period. The only element that makes those episodes better than the norm is when the Doctor gets to interact with actual historical figures. This book succeeds on all counts. The Doctor's scenes with Gandhi are priceless, especially since it's so rare to have the Doctor really and truly bowled over by a member of the human race. Speaking of the Doctor, Morris absolutely nails Tennant's mannerisms and speech patterns. The Doctor's manic energy and passion are really well captured on the page, as is his relationship with Donna. The best of friends, the Doctor and Donna have a truly unique, special relationship and I was overjoyed to see that Morris captures their friendship, right down to their constant good-natured snarking and sarcasm. Ghosts of India would make an excellent episode of the television show. And in hindsight, having viewed the spectacular finale of series 4 several times, as well as the journey the Doctor's character takes following those "game changing" events, Morris' portrayal of the Doctor/Donna relationship and the Doctor's closing words are especially poignant. This novel fits well within the mythology of the Doctor Who universe, and is definitely one of my favorite novel portrayals of David Tennant's Doctor. Recommended.

There's still nothing like a book by the pool, and, despite my owning a video copy of every episode since #1- Hartnell, not Eckleston- and having the audios, I decided there are times you just need a book.

Which was very convenient, because I was also thinking about how it was a bit odd, given the series' British context, that no Doctor has ever been shown in India. Googling, I found this title, and ordered.

My only complaint was that it was too short. Really looks like a screenplay, as the produced version would have been about an hour. I read it in three stints, and the last one wasn't very long. It was a hot week, and I would have liked about twice as long. Other than that it was classic- if one dare use the term- Doctor and Donna. Very satisfying.

A wonderful Doctor Who book. I think that it perfectaly captures the character of the Doctor and Donna in an exciting story. Full of DW's traditional funny moments and scientific timey-wimey fun. A great book if you an old or new fan. A quick read that you will not want to put down.

It gets the Doctor and Donna "right" in terms of characterization. It explores and celebrates an interesting and compelling historical figure of the 20th Century. It features a unique and well-developed series of dangers.

What it does best is make some challenging statements on poverty and equality. Bravo. I wondered if it could stand up to its perfect review status at the time I purchased it. Indeed it did. It is among the very best Doctor books of this new generation, along with a couple other great Donna books and the Trevor Baxendale books.

Other reviewers have commented -- and I agree -- that an Indian adventure was long overdue. Perfect place for the Doctor to work his trade! I've always been a sucker for stories of colonial India & this one fits the bill perfectly. Excellent attention to working with the characters as developed on the series. Only weak point: the villain (once revealed) didn't seem like he was very tough. But the build-up was excellent! Usually I'm worried when historical characters are used in novels, but I truly enjoyed Mr. Gandhi as portrayed here. Recommended!

I don't normally read books based on television characters - it's just bizarre for some reason. However, due to a lack of new episoides of Dr Who on BBC America and a dearth of anything worth reading on my bookshelf, I took a chance on Dr. Who - Ghosts of India. I had already read another book by the author, Mark Morris and liked his work, so this was a reasonable risk to take. Ghosts of India takes Dr Who and Donna to India in search of a simple curry lunch. Upon arrival, they stumble onto an alien in hiding and a bounty hunter looking for him - whilst capturing humans to be used to manufacture a zombie like army for nefarious purposes elsewhere in the universe. The adventure finds them rescuing humans, teaching understanding, and searching for the TARDIS after it's stolen with Mohatmas Ghandi (THE Ghandi) alongside - to the Doctor's great awe. Gotta love that!

The author captures the voice and mannerisms of both the Doctor and Donna nicely - the flow was smooth, the wisecracking was quick paced, and overall the feel was very similar to the tv show. The humor was still there which was a relief - you just don't know what a random author will do to your favorite characters! Fortunately, this story worked out nicely and as a result I have also purchased a Torchwood book to try.