nightshade_novels's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this Doctor Who book. I was surprised at the beginning when Martha rushed off to get changed for her breakfast meal at ‘Tiffany’s’ before checking that a) the Doctor meant the same place as she did and b) that the actually ended up there knowing what usually happens. It makes you wonder whether the companions and the Doctor do occasionally have nice trips where they end up where they are supposed to go and do what they planned to do.
I liked the otters, especially when they started to talk to Martha and the others. Although it turns out that this may just have been because the TARDIS was nearby and translating for them.
The idea of an alien that can implant ideas and instructions into your head is quite creepy. However, when you find out that it cannot leave the water and therefore all you have to do to avoid it is not go anywhere near the water it becomes much less scary. But that is easier said than done on a planet that is mostly water and when the alien sends viscous mind controlled otters to fetch you.
This book receives four stars because I enjoyed it more than some of the others in the Doctor Who series.
I liked the otters, especially when they started to talk to Martha and the others. Although it turns out that this may just have been because the TARDIS was nearby and translating for them.
The idea of an alien that can implant ideas and instructions into your head is quite creepy. However, when you find out that it cannot leave the water and therefore all you have to do to avoid it is not go anywhere near the water it becomes much less scary. But that is easier said than done on a planet that is mostly water and when the alien sends viscous mind controlled otters to fetch you.
This book receives four stars because I enjoyed it more than some of the others in the Doctor Who series.
alysmw's review against another edition
3.0
This was alright. It was a lot of fun but not as good or Doctor Who ish as some of them. I liked the references to Classic Who with the doctor impersonating an adjudicator and mentions of Krynoids etc. The characters seemed to be having fun which I liked even if it was overdone at times. I didn't really understand the writing because it seemed to have Americanisms in it like "gotten" and "you better go" along with certain American phrases and exclamations but the author is definitely British and it didn't seem to be that the character was American because it was throughout. I quite liked Martha in this one I have to say.
scampr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A very typical colony world adventure for 10 and Martha that was strange but fun. The swampy setting isn't something seen in many Doctor Who stories, which makes this one stand out - and thankfully it capitalises on it with some great atmosphere, scenery and worldbuilding. There's nothing outstanding going on character wise, but that's okay for a "monster of the week" type premise. An interesting mystery with some creepy body horror and a fair share of quirks; I think the author has an obsession with otters.
dragon_ink_drinker87's review against another edition
4.0
Was a bit tricky to get into but I really enjoyed this story and really want an otter lol
happysami's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nwhyte's review against another edition
2.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1454215.html
A fairly standard Ten / Martha adventure set in a near-future world where a small human colony is dealing with unseen monsters and cute little otter-like creatures. Interesting because Martha is knocked out for a chunk of the narrative, allowing the companion role to be distributed among several other characters. It's getting increasingly odd to read books with David Tennant's manic cheeky chappie at the same time as watching Matt Smith's alien young fogey (must try not doing two books and new episode in the same weekend too often).
A fairly standard Ten / Martha adventure set in a near-future world where a small human colony is dealing with unseen monsters and cute little otter-like creatures. Interesting because Martha is knocked out for a chunk of the narrative, allowing the companion role to be distributed among several other characters. It's getting increasingly odd to read books with David Tennant's manic cheeky chappie at the same time as watching Matt Smith's alien young fogey (must try not doing two books and new episode in the same weekend too often).
just_fighting_censorship's review against another edition
3.0
Angry otters and a girl named Candy Cane, that’s what this story boils down to. This story wasn’t bad but it wasn’t that good either. Kind of simple and a little too ridiculous, with a sometimes boring plot. Not DW at its best even the Doctor didn’t seem to be at peak performance in this one. I few fun bits with the psychic paper. Overall this story was a perfect representation of Martha Jones, nice but nothing memorable.
kirstieellen's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Initial Thoughts Upon Finishing
Well, that definitely crosses otters off the list of potential pets, *shudders*. This was really quite a fun read and I thoroughly enjoyed the hilarity of the Doctor's character. Martha was also fantastic in this one. A perfect Doctor Who-y story!
Wetworld
I really did enjoy this book. It was just the right amount of adventure and weird all rolled up into one to be a good Doctor Who story. If you’re a fan of the TV series then you’ll absolutely, definitely like this one. Interestingly, I found reading a Doctor Who book and being inside of Martha’s head made me like her more than watching her character on the TV.
If you don’t know, the Doctor Who books are completely different and new stories to those that are shown on TV. They do reference some things that happen in the show but can be read independently of it. The show never refers to any of the events (as far as I’m aware) that occur within the book series. These stories are basically bonus content for Doctor Who fans and anyone else who’s curious.
The story is all about the action and thrill of nutting out what’s gone wrong - so there’s no time for the doe eyes Martha likes to give the Doctor, which is great. It’s silly comments, ridiculous insults, and crazy creatures on every page. The only thing that I didn’t like as much in this story was how much time the Doctor and Martha spend apart - this happens plenty in the Doctor Who stories but I do prefer it when they get to work together a bit more.
What Happens
Wetworld is about a planet named Sunday where scientists and the like have tried to colonise. Things went wrong, and after a great flood a good portion of their population has been wiped out. When the Doctor and Martha arrive (despite attempting to go to New York) the TARDIS gets stuck in a bog sort of thing and the Doctor runs off to get help - leaving Martha to get taken away by some other life force.
A bunch of things happen and the mystery as to what this life force is that took Martha thickens - with the aid of some clever scientists and strangely intelligent otters, the Doctor begins to work out just what has been going wrong with this planet.
The story is really fun, fast-paced, and full to the brim of hilarious Tennant moments. I also really enjoyed several moments that referred back to the TV series, itself.
The Doctor & Martha
If you’re a fan of Tennant’s Doctor then you can rest easy because Michalowski has does a brilliant job of capturing his character here. All of the silly little comments and eyebrow action was on point - even Tennant’s particularly alluring way of putting on and taking off his glasses was great (or perhaps that was just my imagination . . .). He’s funny and brilliant and not afraid to put himself in harm's way to save the humans, as he so often does.
Martha’s character was also done really well. I could completely imagine Freema Agyeman acting out all of Martha’s scenes and I loved the sort of passive competition between her (being an almost-doctor) and the other scientists around. She was really awesome in this story and brought a lot of life to it.
Summary
Overall this was a really enjoyable Doctor Who story and I'm glad I picked it up. It puts Martha's character in an excellent light and was greatly entertaining the whole way through. If you're a Doctor Who fan, then I definitely recommend this book to you - even if you're not keen on Martha (as quite a few people aren't) because this story is all about the adventure and fun to be had rather than the relationship between the Doctor and Martha.
Happy reading!
Initial Thoughts Upon Finishing
Well, that definitely crosses otters off the list of potential pets, *shudders*. This was really quite a fun read and I thoroughly enjoyed the hilarity of the Doctor's character. Martha was also fantastic in this one. A perfect Doctor Who-y story!
Wetworld
I really did enjoy this book. It was just the right amount of adventure and weird all rolled up into one to be a good Doctor Who story. If you’re a fan of the TV series then you’ll absolutely, definitely like this one. Interestingly, I found reading a Doctor Who book and being inside of Martha’s head made me like her more than watching her character on the TV.
If you don’t know, the Doctor Who books are completely different and new stories to those that are shown on TV. They do reference some things that happen in the show but can be read independently of it. The show never refers to any of the events (as far as I’m aware) that occur within the book series. These stories are basically bonus content for Doctor Who fans and anyone else who’s curious.
The story is all about the action and thrill of nutting out what’s gone wrong - so there’s no time for the doe eyes Martha likes to give the Doctor, which is great. It’s silly comments, ridiculous insults, and crazy creatures on every page. The only thing that I didn’t like as much in this story was how much time the Doctor and Martha spend apart - this happens plenty in the Doctor Who stories but I do prefer it when they get to work together a bit more.
What Happens
Wetworld is about a planet named Sunday where scientists and the like have tried to colonise. Things went wrong, and after a great flood a good portion of their population has been wiped out. When the Doctor and Martha arrive (despite attempting to go to New York) the TARDIS gets stuck in a bog sort of thing and the Doctor runs off to get help - leaving Martha to get taken away by some other life force.
A bunch of things happen and the mystery as to what this life force is that took Martha thickens - with the aid of some clever scientists and strangely intelligent otters, the Doctor begins to work out just what has been going wrong with this planet.
The story is really fun, fast-paced, and full to the brim of hilarious Tennant moments. I also really enjoyed several moments that referred back to the TV series, itself.
The Doctor & Martha
If you’re a fan of Tennant’s Doctor then you can rest easy because Michalowski has does a brilliant job of capturing his character here. All of the silly little comments and eyebrow action was on point - even Tennant’s particularly alluring way of putting on and taking off his glasses was great (or perhaps that was just my imagination . . .). He’s funny and brilliant and not afraid to put himself in harm's way to save the humans, as he so often does.
Martha’s character was also done really well. I could completely imagine Freema Agyeman acting out all of Martha’s scenes and I loved the sort of passive competition between her (being an almost-doctor) and the other scientists around. She was really awesome in this story and brought a lot of life to it.
Summary
Overall this was a really enjoyable Doctor Who story and I'm glad I picked it up. It puts Martha's character in an excellent light and was greatly entertaining the whole way through. If you're a Doctor Who fan, then I definitely recommend this book to you - even if you're not keen on Martha (as quite a few people aren't) because this story is all about the adventure and fun to be had rather than the relationship between the Doctor and Martha.
Happy reading!
writerlibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
This one is the best of the Martha books I've read so far along with Sting of the Zygons. Martha sounds like herself not some cut/paste/replace Rose. I liked the setting, colony world. I liked the secondary characters that weren't paper dolls this time. The writer succeeded in making care about Candy, Ty and Orlo and you can forget the cute factor in a good Doctor Who story. This time the real heroes of the story are the otters. Really. Smart, clever and sooo cute. So kudos to this one. Hope the author gets to write another one.
pagesandprozac's review against another edition
5.0
i can't get enough of these lovecraftian doctor who stories!!! (and YES, if it has tentacles, comes from outer space and has weird brain powers i consider it lovecraftian don't @ me)