This is the last 10th doctor book in the series and I’m glad it ended with a familiar alien ( )

Great story. Full of action and the Doctor saved Earth once again with the help of Emily and Captain Darke. The Krillitane's are an interesting breed of monster and the story moved right along like an episode of Doctor Who would. I really enjoyed the full length novel. ( )

What happens when the Krillitane—last seen in the Whoniverse in the New Who season 2 episode “School Reunion”—show up in mediaeval Worcester? Answer: they are seen as the Devil’s huntsmen, feared throughout the land. But what happens when the Krillitane themselves are being persecuted? How does that change the Doctor’s perspective on the situation?

This was an OK story, but enough things bugged me for it to be dropped from a 3 to a 2:

There were some shocking proofreading errors: an it’s/its confusion and the spectacular “The people had been living under the yolk of fear”.

There was excessive hugging between the Doctor and the female companion in this story, Emily—I know it’s Ten and he’s more of a hugger than, say, Twelve, but I find it eyeroll-inducing in print.

And what really annoyed me was having the Doctor think of the political situation in 1139 England as the Empress Matilda attempting to steal the throne from Stephen, when in fact her father, Henry I, wanted HER to be the ruler of England. Henry I had his barons swear an oath of loyalty to her, but they were crossing their fingers at the time and once Henry I was dead, they decided they’d rather have her (male) cousin ruling England than her. I can understand having the local English folk perceiving the situation as Matilda trying to steal the throne, because that would be their worldview, but that worldview seems kind of sexist for the Doctor to have. I would have expected him to think about it simply as “the Anarchy”, a civil war with two would-be rulers fighting for control of the throne, never mind the genders of the two rulers.

Overall, this was an OK read but certainly not one of my favourite Who novels. ( )

I'm a big Doctor Who fan and I thought I would check out more of the books while the show is on a break. David Tennant is my second favorite Doctor, and this one looked like a good match for me. I liked how the story focused on an alien I hadn't met before, a Krillitane, and I personally hope I never meet them! Quite a beast they were!! Parts of the story were a little slow but overall I enjoyed it and I would pick up another Doctor Who story by Christopher Cooper. ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1914677.html

I am gradually getting towards the end of the many Tenth Doctor novels, this being another one from the companionless era (ie 2009). Set in 12th-century Worcester, it presents the Krillitane very differently from School Reunion, actually being exploited by alien geneticists who are much nastier than they are. Some very good concepts, not executed quite as well as they deserved. ( )