Customer Reviews

Only Human (Doctor Who)

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

 

 

I just finished reading "Only Human" for the 3rd time. And I *still* laughed out loud at this hilarious and sometimes touching book.

Ok, I have yet to read a Doctor Who novel that ranks as meaningful fiction (although "The Adventuress of Henrietta Street" takes an earnest stab at it), but with that in mind, all you have to do is slightly lower your literary expectations, raise your willingness to suspend your disbelief, and it becomes nearly impossible not to love this little story. Let's face it, if you're the sort who requires logical explanations, factual science, and plots that never betray the tiniest of holes, then you're not going to be a fan of Doctor Who in the first place. Just apply the same critical generosity to this novel, and you're going to enjoy it tremendously.

For one thing, the author HAD to have been working mostly off of writer's guidelines and finished scripts. It's possible that he, in fact, had never even SEEN an episode of the new series, since the book appeared on shelves a mere 5 months after the first episode was broadcast, if I have my dates right (according to the wiki, it was released September 8, 2005). I'm not at all sure how long it takes to write a novel like this, and what hoops it has to go through to get edited, published, printed, bound, and in the stores, but it's got to take several months, I would imagine. And if that's the case, then his ability to nail the characters so brilliantly is astonishing - you can truly hear the Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack saying the lines they're given here.

As I said, this book is very funny. You won't just smile, or even chuckle - the humor here is of the laugh-out-loud kind, and I LOL'd many times before it was all over. If you're looking for emotion, it's here. You want some thematic depth, wildly imaginative ideas, thought-provoking commentary on the human condition, and nutty, non-stop action, that's here too. If you're a Cap'n Jack fan, you might bemoan the backseat he's relegated to, but whenever he DOES put in an appearance, it's invariably hilarious. If you are a Doc/Rose shipper, the book beautifully shows the tentative, ambiguous, indefinable relationship between this Doctor and his companion in its early days.

Well, some reviewers have said they were disappointed in this book. Obviously, you can't please everyone. But if you haven't yet read a Who novel, because you weren't sure if they were "adult friendly" or worth your time, start with this one. I'm betting you won't be sorry you did.

+++

Rose blinked and ran a hand through her hair. 'So we're not just thick, we're evil? Why d'you hang around us so much, then?'

The Doctor looked into her eyes, serious. 'You can be brilliant, terrible, generous, cruel. But you're never boring.'

A tribesman dressed in a garland of flowers, evidently some kind of officiating priest, ran up to them, slapped Rose with another oily fish and shouted, 'Let the ceremony begin!'

'See,' said the Doctor.

Neanderthals, a futuristic experiment that changes what it means to be human, strange monsters, and someone messing with time, all come together for a fun novel. Surprisingly, it's not completely light, as it also explores what it means to be human, especially in regards to the neanderthals as compared to the early humans. And, with the future humans, the idea of taking away normal emotions and substituting artificial ones, depending on the situation is fascinating.

A lot of fun, and another one that includes Captain Jack. The scene where the Doctor tells Jack to distract everyone is hysterical: in true Jack form, he takes his clothes off and runs streaking through the crowd.

An easy, entertaining read. Gareth Roberts also wrote The Shakespeare Code for the Tenth Doctor and Martha, one of my favorite episodes.

By a country mile the best of the 6 Ninth Doctor books. Roberts writes a funny and touching tale, with his trademark spot-on characterisation.

I wasn't so sure about adding the books to the rest of my Dr Who experience, but the details they add to the show are great.

I'm not an evil reviewer, really I'm not! I understand that when you write a book for a TV show it's really hard to keep the characters the same, and make the dialog work. I know that it must be very hard to write a book for, what I think is the best TV show ever. This book starts out great, the plot was interesting, the concept was great the set up was fantastic and then the book just falls apart. The ending was rushed, chaotic, dumb, and painful and not painful in a good way, a very bad painful. The only thing that saved this for a one star rating was that there really were some amusing parts in this story that I enjoyed. I really wish it hadn't gotten all wibbly wobbly in the end because this could have been my favorite Doctor Who book if it had held together.

I was so happy to find Doctor Who novels available. The BBC Hardcover novels are like reading an episode from the series.

I found "Only Human" to be a very entertaining book.

As an SF fan, I love the 9th Doctor series on TV. He's the quirkiest of the lot in many ways, but with so much more depth and sensitivity. He's a tortured soul who is determined to go on and save humans (and anyone else) from themselves and monsters of the universe. It is so unfortunate that those who wrote the fiction novellas based on this series have completely lost sight of what he and Rose are all about. They've made them into cartoon characters more than ever done in the scripts. Yes, they're supposed to be over the top characters who run into bizarre people and nearly ridiculous situations. But these can be handled so much better.

In Only Human, Roberts comes up with a passable plot, but he handles it so badly that I could barely finish the book. His writing shows signs of being professional but he slips into juvenility too frequently. Unlike Stone Rose, Only Human does at least stick to a single story. Heading into the distant past to solve a dangerous mystery, the pair deal with Neanderthals in a typical Doctor Who manner. But Rose's predicament in the end, and how she is saved from the Scarecrow syndrome (Wizard of Oz), was so badly dealt with that even children can not believe it.

The best thing about this book is the cover art. Those who like and respect the Doctor Who mythology should read books based on the 8th Doctor and back. These written about the 9th Doctor are not worth anyone's time.

The story was ridiculous even if you take into account that Doctor Who isn't Shakespeare. It wasn't even in the category of so bad it was good. It was just bad. The author didn't come close to getting the character's "voices" right and it read like bad fan fiction. I would recommend either The Monsters Inside or The Stealers of Dreams instead.

ONLY HUMAN by Gareth Roberts

Capt. Jack Harkness Data Record:

I'm a 51st century ex-Time-Agent and reformed after a change of plan & heart, I jumped ship literally during WWII, to join up with an unlikely pair of time travelers w/ a stranger back-story than me (and that's really sayin' somethin'). Rose is a 19 year old from the 21st century and her designated driver (whatever that means) is a 900 yr. old alien known as the Doctor. Life is never dull while you're slummin' it through time and space with these two. Unfortunately, at the moment it so happens that I'm NOT out with them. Let me tell this story from the beginning, really 28,000 years ago, ya see someone sent a caveman, yeah no kidding a really an honest to gods caveman, his name is DAS, well someone sent DAS into the future, here in the "dim-ages" where Rose is from (no offence Rose). The Doctor smelling a time-tripping rat, I.D.s the tech used as dangerous & unstable (not an unfamiliar scenario in this biz), as a result of this, the TARDIS couldn't bring DAS back to his time without killing him in the process. Oh the TARDIS, that's the Doc's time/space machine and the last of its kind, like the Doctor himself. So without so much as a drawn straw I was elected to stay behind, (or ahead if you'd rather be chronologically correct) and introduce our poor Neanderthal to the world of tomorrow, what's likely to be his new home for the rest of his natural days. I feel like the Doctor just kind of dropped the ball on this considering that, without the proper research of the time period, I'm just as much a "fish out of water" as DAS. Meanwhile the Doctor and Rose are off having all the fun by themselves, probably facing genetically engineered predators at the dawn of man. I don't mean to complain, but I did create a "big distraction" back at the hospital, when we rescued DAS, from the locals. Babysitting the "boy that time forgot" wasn't the reward I had in mind.

DAZ'S Journal

Jack has asked me to use our computer to put down my thoughts and practice my writing. Jack tried to explain to me how the Doctor's machine allows me to understand their language and the markings that mean things; I learned that this was called reading. Since the Doctor, Rose and the TARDIS are no longer here with us I don't understand why I can still speak and read their language. Jack says that the Doctor will explain later. Jack and the Doctor are still confused about my tribe's name, I have yet to meet anyone from this Neanderthal tribe. You can't imagine all of the sights and sounds and people Jack introducing me to, while teaching me about mistaken truths on TV, I like he different TV tribes. I met a female who reminds me of the females in our tribe, Jack is also teaching me all about finding a suitable mate, he is very wise and his skills are many and numerous when it comes to this. I hop the Doctor and Rose are having equal success back in my time, it is dangerous at the best of times.


Anthropologist's note (regarding the OSTERBERG experiment):

From what I can deduce from, various journal entries, carbon dated artifact anomalies from 28,000 years ago, even 21st century eyewitness accounts, is that the 51st century Jack and his caveman charge were grossly underused in the events that mainly unfolded in the distant pre-history. Those mentioned in the journals: The Doctor & Rose were adequately described and used to get effect, for example Rose at one point is the bride to a pre-historic groom via the "GREAT FISH of MATROMONY" reminiscent of material by the late great Douglas Adams. As is having Rose's one big contribution to the pre-historic tribe, not fire nor weapon making, but how to manicure. At another point closer to our story's finish Rose quite literally and ludicrously goes to pieces to great, if disturbing comic effect. Thanks to the TARDIS the local languages of the Neanderthal and Human tribes are absurdly colloquial, while further research reveals many more Osterberg experiment time-travelers, a mad-scientist from the future and the Doctor learns the horrors of the Hy-Bractors that lie in wait, behind the Grey Door.

Our research was successful overall, learning of the Doctor's at times preachy side, condemning humankind for the fall of the Neanderthal, as well as man's desire to solve all of life's problems with the quick fix of a pill or a button. In the end things resolve themselves, but not too neatly to be believed.