canadianbookaddict's review against another edition
4.0
Yes I know I have read a bunch of Doctor Who books lately but I just couldn't help myself because I was getting so excited for the new season to start.
Anyways I read this one and I absolutely loved it. I could very well imagine it all and I couldn't stop reading it.
I highly recommend.
I give this 4 out of 5
Anyways I read this one and I absolutely loved it. I could very well imagine it all and I couldn't stop reading it.
I highly recommend.
I give this 4 out of 5
missyssippi's review against another edition
2.0
Despite loving the Doctor and Clara Oswald, I did not particularly enjoy reading this story. At first, it was nice, but the multiplicity of point of view made it upsetting, especially in the chapters about the military. The plot had potential though, and the characters were not badly characterized, but from the Twelfth Doctor's era, this is, so far, the book I least appreciated.
jarichan's review against another edition
3.0
Ein Buch wie eine gelungene Folge von Dr. Who! Jedoch sollten Leute mit einer Käfer- und/oder Spinnenphobie besser auf die Lektüre verzichten, denn hier wimmelt es von überdimensionalen Käfern, Spinnen und Mücken. Ausserdem wollen ein paar gigantische Spione auf der Erde Fuss fassen. Dazu kommt noch eine antike Maschine, der Zweite Weltkrieg und der zwölfte Doctor. Eine gelungene und sehr kurzweilige Mischung, die jedoch etwas an Tiefe vermissen lässt. Der Faktor liegt hier eindeutig auf der Action. Dennoch ein guter Zeitvertreib, denn man verbringt die Zeit schliesslich mit dem Doctor.
agirlsnightbookbash's review
3.0
It was a fun romp of a story. I liked the idea and the baseline. There were two things in the story that made me not give it a higher rating. One thing the Doctor did that the Doctor would never do in any circumstance and one thing Clara did that she wouldn't have. Other than that it was entertaining for any Whovian
frogetteno1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
mczolly's review against another edition
2.0
It was not badly written by any means but it wasn't anything special either. The whole book felt like a third Doctor story where UNIT was changed into some generic soldiers and the companion from Clara to Jo. Even the Doctor's lines were like something Jon Pertwee would say with the constant "man" put at the end of every sentence. (And the usual "reverse the polarity of..." joke.)
The plot was cliché-ridden and no amount of self-awareness of the cheesy elements was able to really make it fun.
The plot was cliché-ridden and no amount of self-awareness of the cheesy elements was able to really make it fun.
scampr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
With what little indication of the story I had beyond just 'giant spiders/insects', I went into The Crawling Terror expecting a serviceable but pretty unremarkable Dr Who adventure to tide me over. Admittedly, this novel did exceed my expectations in a couple of ways, but not enough to propel it much more than being enjoyably average.
The gist of this story is the Doctor and Clara stumble upon a rural town with that is trapped and overrun with giant arthropods, and all signs pointing to the new and slightly shady laboratory. The pair have to uncover how and why this is happening in order to resolve the crisis and save the local people. This alone isn't the most exciting or original sci-fi story, both within Dr Who and the wider genre - but a couple of additions do help to elevate the novel into something less redundant.
The first quarter of the book plays things fairly straight and as expected - however the mystery of the mutated bugs is made more interesting than just 'scientists going too far' by introducing a connection to ley lines and secret WWII experiments. Giving the situation a deeper backstory and more fantastical elements helped to engage me better than if the story was purely human responsibility.
Clara doesn't have a whole lot to do in this novel, and felt a little generic (not entirely the authors fault as this was probably written while s8 was in production). By comparison the Doctor feels well characterised, with a distinguished voice and quirks, as well as strong interactions/banter with others. The guest characters are not all that interesting but serve their purpose, save for Charlie Bevan, a policeman who befriends the protagonists. Similarly, the villains were fine but ultimately pretty one-note. Given it isn't very thematically or character driven, the quick pace is of benefit to this story - the focus is very much on the plot and it commits to that efficiently.
Overall, there's a fair amount running away from the monstrous insects, and some action beats when the military get involved, but here and there are some pretty cool moments of sci-fi exploration and delving into the past.
A stereotypical premise like this needs perfect execution or a lot of extra ideas and development to work for me personally, so while I didn't love this novel, I wasn't necessarily bored or irritated by it either - the end experience was just a satisfyingly typical but slightly forgettable Dr Who book.
The gist of this story is the Doctor and Clara stumble upon a rural town with that is trapped and overrun with giant arthropods, and all signs pointing to the new and slightly shady laboratory. The pair have to uncover how and why this is happening in order to resolve the crisis and save the local people. This alone isn't the most exciting or original sci-fi story, both within Dr Who and the wider genre - but a couple of additions do help to elevate the novel into something less redundant.
The first quarter of the book plays things fairly straight and as expected - however the mystery of the mutated bugs is made more interesting than just 'scientists going too far' by introducing a connection to ley lines and secret WWII experiments. Giving the situation a deeper backstory and more fantastical elements helped to engage me better than if the story was purely human responsibility.
Clara doesn't have a whole lot to do in this novel, and felt a little generic (not entirely the authors fault as this was probably written while s8 was in production). By comparison the Doctor feels well characterised, with a distinguished voice and quirks, as well as strong interactions/banter with others. The guest characters are not all that interesting but serve their purpose, save for Charlie Bevan, a policeman who befriends the protagonists. Similarly, the villains were fine but ultimately pretty one-note. Given it isn't very thematically or character driven, the quick pace is of benefit to this story - the focus is very much on the plot and it commits to that efficiently.
Overall, there's a fair amount running away from the monstrous insects, and some action beats when the military get involved, but here and there are some pretty cool moments of sci-fi exploration and delving into the past.
A stereotypical premise like this needs perfect execution or a lot of extra ideas and development to work for me personally, so while I didn't love this novel, I wasn't necessarily bored or irritated by it either - the end experience was just a satisfyingly typical but slightly forgettable Dr Who book.
raemelle's review against another edition
3.0
One of better quality Doctor Who books. The author did a good job of capturing the characters of the Doctor and Clara.
There were some minor editing mistakes in my book. Things spell check missed. A minor continuity error. But overall decent work.
There were some minor editing mistakes in my book. Things spell check missed. A minor continuity error. But overall decent work.
felinity's review against another edition
4.0
We're raced through the terrors of giant insects at normal Doctor-speed (that is, barely time to breathe) while Peter Capaldi is still getting accustomed to his twelfth incarnation. As always, he seems to trust to luck as much as intuition and skill to save the day while Clara risks everything to prevent an old-school plot to take over the world with plenty of historical parallels, and as always he offers his opponent a chance at redemption.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.