A review by middle_name_joy
Doctor Who: Night of the Humans by David Llewellyn
3.0
Two hundred fifty thousand years in the future, a comet by the name Schuler-Khan is headed straight for the Gyre, a magnetic plain fashioned out of space debris and refuse. A war is waging between the inhabitants of the Gyre, the so-called “humans,” and the Sittuun, a team of aliens armed with a bomb large enough to destroy the Gyre before Schuler-Khan’s impact obliterates the surrounding galaxy. The Doctor and Amy are pulled into the situation when they land on the Gyre at the summons of a mysterious distress signal.
As suspected, this media tie-in was decent but paled in comparison to the show. Dialogue and characterization lagged, surely due to the freshness of Matt Smith’s incarnation; conversely, it can be seen as the Doctor ‘still cooking,’ as this story took place somewhere after “The Beast Below.” It also explains why more time was devoted to original characters inconsequential to the TV program’s continuity.
While separations are common on the show, Amy and the Doctor were apart for over half of the novel and that is too long, especially as their scenes together were priceless, building on the natural chemistry Matt Smith and Karen Gillan bring to their characters’ interaction. The high-five bit was indicative of a friendship still finding its footing, even as the hand-holding moment drew on their intermittent fourteen-year relationship.
If I can get my hands on them, I’ll read more of these tie-ins. I am just that enamored with the adventures of this Doctor and his companion.
As suspected, this media tie-in was decent but paled in comparison to the show. Dialogue and characterization lagged, surely due to the freshness of Matt Smith’s incarnation; conversely, it can be seen as the Doctor ‘still cooking,’ as this story took place somewhere after “The Beast Below.” It also explains why more time was devoted to original characters inconsequential to the TV program’s continuity.
While separations are common on the show, Amy and the Doctor were apart for over half of the novel and that is too long, especially as their scenes together were priceless, building on the natural chemistry Matt Smith and Karen Gillan bring to their characters’ interaction. The high-five bit was indicative of a friendship still finding its footing, even as the hand-holding moment drew on their intermittent fourteen-year relationship.
If I can get my hands on them, I’ll read more of these tie-ins. I am just that enamored with the adventures of this Doctor and his companion.