The Witch Hunters (1998)

The Witch Hunters is a story that I read about two years ago if I am being honest so my review is based on what stuck in my memory and maybe not what I was thinking about it at the time. The thing about this book which sticks in my mind all this time later is how intriguing this book is. It felt like it had come straight from that era. The idea that a prolonged amount of time seems to have taken place is something that wouldn’t have happened during previous stories.

This story sees Susan wanting to change the course of history instead of Barbara. In fact reading this means that you have to think about the events of The Aztecs. I think that the Susan on TV was horribly served and its only during the Big Finish audios and novels like this that have showed what the character can do. I thought that she the strongest of the regulars with the Doctor and Barbara a close joint second. Ian did seem to be a bit left out and wasn’t really allowed to be the Ian that he was on TV.

I return to how the setting and how it doesn’t feel like its rushing. It’s the longest book I have read in the PDA’s. It’s only six pages longer than Synthespians and 3 pages longer than Illegal Alien but it’s the one that feels like it is taking the story in its stride. It is allowing us to savour the history of America in 1692. I know that this might not to everyone’s satisfaction but there is a bravery to take things this slow in a book that was released in the late 1990’s. In Synthespians and Illegal Alien I have commented on how long it takes for the action to get started but because there isn’t a well known alien or an alien at all and so it saunters in its narrative.

Despite my enjoyment of this story, there is one aspect that was always going to trouble. Well two actually but the first is the most important. Whenever you do something in history you know that things cant change and so if you use certain characters, you are pretty much restricted with what happens to them. Secondly there is the issue of whether you know what the event is.  I didn’t know a great deal about what happens in Massachusetts in 1692 but in a way that wasn’t a problem because the characters were interesting enough.

I don’t know whether it’s the best PDA ever written but it’s the one that has left a warm feeling with me and that is a rare thing in a book.

Illegal Alien (1997)

After reading how the Autons get the BBC Books treatment, I was interested to read how Cybermen would work. This story takes place during World War 2 and the height of the Blitz. This was due to be made for TV so it would have done a good job in making up for Silver Nemesis.

What I like about this book is that it does a better job than Synthespians in getting the villain involved. Whereas it felt quite late into the book before the Autons became involved it was quite early into the book when the Cybermen were introduced into story. Ok its still later on into the book before they are properly bought in but throughout the entire book I got the feeling that this was a Cyberman story.

The thing about the writing of Mike Tucker and Robert Perry that the action never stops. Sometimes that is a problem especially when it comes to Ace. I felt that she was quite badly treated at times and there were a few occasions where if it had happened to me then as soon as the Cybermen were defeated I would have left the Doctor for an easier life.

The character of Cody McBride is quite interesting because he seems like a fish out of water. He becomes the second companion to the Doctor and is a very well written character. Other interesting characters include Major Lazonby, Patrick Mullen and Wall. I do think that it was a bit odd that he pretty much disappears quite late in the book. After being so involved in the story he just seems to wander off and returns right at the end. I think that this was because they wrote the story and then someone realised that we don’t know what happened to him. Limb is a character that is outsmarted over the course of the book and it’s a bit clichéd which is where the ending of the book comes unstuck.

The Cybermen are used perfectly well in this story and their plan is perfectly sound. Perry and Tucker use the setting as a way of keeping the Cybermen’s plan at bay until it was needed to take up the reigns of the story. I like that the Cybermats are used in this story and are quite dangerous. There is one scene where the Doctor traps one in a safe that springs to mind and this brief scene is one of my favourites in the book.

Illegal Alien is a good story but I think despite the promise that the story showed in the early part of the story, my expectations may have been raised so much and that meant that the second half of the book would only go on and disappoint. The setting is perfect and there are large chunks of the book that work quite well but I think that its in the characters that things start to get weak.

Snthespians (2004)

Synthespians is a story that features Autons as the villain and after being disappointed with their only appearance in new Who its good to see that they are used in a good way. The story sees the Doctor and Peri arrive on Reef Station One which appears to be a copy of Earth. What I like about this story is that at first it seems like it’s a question as to whether the people realise that they aren’t really on Earth but it’s a copy. His is answered after a reasonable amount of time but its fun to see how the Doctor and Peri have their own adventures and both aspects of the plot are well worked out.

The show Executive Desires is pretty much at the centre of the story and the shenanigans of the people involved in the making of it seem just as outrageous as the show itself. Its’ obvious (even without seeing the cover) that this is using the shows Dallas and Dynasty and Craig Hinton does a good job of transporting us back to that period whilst injecting the elements of Doctor Who that we all know and love.

I thought that some of the characters that feature in this book are rather good. Claudia is one that comes to mind because she starts off as this young girl who comes across as a rather spoilt brat but she becomes a rather brave and clever young lady. She forms quite a good working relationship with Peri and the two are quite entertaining on the page.

The book does spend quite a long time before it gets going into the action. The first half of the book is spent going between the Doctor’s story and Peri’s story. It was interesting enough so I am not too bothered by how long it takes for the Auton’s plan to get going. Once it does, it never stops and builds to a thrilling conclusion. It’s quite difficult to make the Auton’s work on the page but Craig Hinton manages to pull it off with limited success. I think that the difficulties of making this work mean that is why we have to wait for them to be involved in the story.

Synthespians TM isn’t a ground-breaking story but sometimes it’s fun to have a story than enjoys just being a story and I found this story to be enjoyable to read. It lets me wallow in some nostalgia whilst keeping me firmly interested in what was going on and more importantly what was going on with Peri and the Sixth Doctor.