The Witch Hunters : A First Doctor Novel (Dr. Who Series) [Paperback]

Steve Lyons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998 | Series: Dr. Who Series

The original Doctor Who (from the 1960s) attempts repairs to the Tardis. Unfortunately, he chooses Salem, Massachusetts at the time of the witch hunts, as the place to do the job. The result is that he and his crew are thrown into danger by Susan's latent telepathic powers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: London Bridge (Mm) (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0563405791
• ISBN-13: 978-0563405795
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,583,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very glad I found it!, November 5, 2001

By 

Matt Ivy "Matt" (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Witch Hunters : A First Doctor Novel (Dr. Who Series) (Paperback)

I was interested in some new 1st Doctor material, and in honor of Halloween, I started to read "The Witch Hunters." This is a wonderful book! The 1st Doctor, Barbara, Ian, and Susan land in Salem just before the witch trials, and of course, the four travellers get involved -- circumstantially as well as emotionally. In fact, the travelers involvement extend much more than just a casual participation in history. The high emotion of Salem village reaches the TARDIS crew in one form or another. But, to say anymore would be too much. Suffice it to say, this book pushes the time travelers emotions and skills at getting out of perilous situations to its full limit. We see all four characters, including the Doctor, with more raw, deeper, and exposed emotion. The fact that the weight of history is against them, makes this adventure all the more frightening, wondering if the travelers will escape. My only complaint about the book is the convenient use of the TARDIS Fast Return Switch. (...)The ending alone is worth it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Who says Doctor Who historicals can't be good?, October 11, 2000

By 

"grrreg" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Witch Hunters : A First Doctor Novel (Dr. Who Series) (Paperback)

Steve Lyons' excellent Doctor Who historical is a "must-read" for all fans of the series.

The TARDIS arrives outside of Salem in 1692, although the travellers get the date wrong (they think it is a year earlier) and the Doctor asks his three travelling companions to stay in the village while he repairs the TARDIS. It should have been peaceful...

Inevitably, they get caught up in the beginnings of the witch trials, but manage to escape, arriving fortuitously in 1954 (9 years earlier than Ian and Barbara want, to be able to return home) and take in a performance of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible". Seeing the fates of people she knew depicted on the stage, Susan uses the TARDIS' fast return switch to take them back to where they came from.

"The Witch Hunters" includes excellent characterisation of the three companions of the Doctor: Susan is young and brash and not quite human, and so forms a catalyst for the witch trials themselves; Ian is still eminently hopeful and heroic, and even believes it may be possible to save some of the victims of the trials; and Barbara is stoic and thoughtful, she has learned her lesson that history cannot change from "The Aztecs" and is now determined to save her fellow travellers above those they meet.

As the historical events inevitably unfold, it is the interaction of the four characters with each other and with the inhabitants of Salem that drive the book forward. Not particularly a fun read, but very strongly character-driven - much as the series was at the period in which the novel is supposed to fall.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slightly Flawed, But Still a Worthwhile Read, May 7, 1999

By 

Pete Niemeyer (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Witch Hunters : A First Doctor Novel (Dr. Who Series) (Paperback)

I give "The Witch Hunters" a thumbs-up. It wasn't flawless, but it was definately a good read.

The main characters were well portrayed and accurate to the first season of "Doctor Who". Character traits established in "The Edge of Destruction" (aka "Inside the Spaceship"), "The Aztecs", and "The Sensorites" were nicely incorporated into this story. We also gained some insight into why the First Doctor urged his companions to not try to change history.

The Salem characters did not fare as well. Almost all of them felt like they had been cut from the same cloth. A character was either an accuser or an accused, but beyond that there didn't seem to be much difference between them.

The plot had several unexpected twists and turns. On the down side, the plot seemed to wander aimlessly for about fifty pages in the middle. But the beginning and the end were well paced, and the book made nice use of shifts in time that would have been more difficult to achieve had the show been televised.

My one major complaint: At one point, the TARDIS leaves Salem and arrives in Bristol on opening night of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", a play based on the Salem witch hunts. I found this bit of coincidence to be absurdly unnecessary. In my mind, the point of the scene was to let Susan find out what became of the people in Salem. It could have been accomplished by having the characters visit a modern-day (or future-day) library or take a trip to the movies. But no, we have to get "The Crucible" on opening night. Too much dramatc license for my tastes.

Overall, though, the book was very enjoyable. Not quite as good as "The Plotters" or "The Empire of Glass", but not nearly as dreadful as "Invasion of the Cat People".