My Review of "Doctor Who: The Crawling Terror"

Doctor Who:  The Crawling Terror by Mike Turner reminds me of the classic days of Doctor Who adventures.  In ways quite like the Third Doctor, this novel is a homage to classic sci-fi stories in which the town is besieged by a horrific threat. 

The story is set in the peaceful town of Ringstone somewhere in Wiltshire and he uses the sleepy location well.  The Doctor and Clara materialize in the town for vague reasons involving ley lines and instantly they discover trouble is afoot.  Humungous insects stalk the tranquil meadows and plague the residents of Ringstone but there's much more to it than first meets the eye.

The characterization has been the key in the novels about the Twelfth Doctor.  While Tucker does a masterful job in capturing the Doctor's voice -- I couldn't read lines from the Doctor without hearing his Glaswegian accent and cadence -- I fear he made the Doctor too nice in Crawling Terror.  We've seen the Doctor enough now to know his brisqueness; none of that here. 

Tucker nails Clara's character here, though.  I particularly loved the added lines about Danny Pink and Coal Hill School.  This novel clearly understands Clara. 

In all, I think this is an excellent Doctor Who story, with enough twists and turns to keep you turning pages.  In fact, it was so exciting I read The Crawling Terror in one sitting.  

For Whovians, this one is a masterpiece. 

I received this book free, from the Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review.