The Last Dodo

This is definitely one of the better Doctor Who books that I have read. I really enjoyed all the action and especially like the I-Spyder bits. How fun!

OK, so I admit I don't think the new novel range is all that great. However, I didn't the think the old novel range was even close to the show (and don't even talk to me about the Virgin novels.) Personally, if you are going to write a Doctor Who novel it should feel like the television show. The characters should be the same, but as with each episode of a program, they should NOT merely repeat random things from specific episodes. The Doctor should not do things out of character (like suddenly become a kung-fu master, as in one novel I read a while back.) A book about Doctor Who shouldn't feel like Alien, Star Wars, or Star Trek. Amazingly, considering all my predispositions, I really found Jacqueline Rayner's "the Last Dodo" one of the best reads I've had in a long time. Without going into detail about the plot (you can find that anywhere) I was very impressed with both the Doctor and Martha's characters. They were not merely maintained, but continued in an organic way that would not contradict the television show. The book was well-written and something that I could easily visualize. I felt it could easily have been developed into the actual program itself, which must be the highest honor. Though I usually don't go out on a limb and expose my geekiness too much, I have to recommend this one to fans. Just read it. It's fun.

I enjoyed this book more than I think I should have. The story has several problems. The book description mentions how the mysterious Museum of the Last Ones has been looking for a Time Lord specimen, yet this really doesn't serve as a major plot point in the story. In fact, this part of the story comes and goes rather quickly. In the end, the story seems to meander: lots of running around, but not for any real purpose. I also thought that Martha felt too young. In Series Three, Martha proved to be a sharp, mature companion, but here she seemed more like a teenager than an adult medical student. On the bright side--and why I enjoyed the story--it's a fun read, occasionally bordering on cute, including a running I-Spyder tally of rare creatures that Martha finds during the adventure. Jacqueline Raynor has a nice writing style, and she creates a good chemistry between the Doctor and Martha. She uses a couple of unusual devices (for a Doctor Who novel) to move the story along, including the I-Spyder tally and a recurring first-person narrative by Martha, that I found engaging. She also gives the loyal fan a lovely (if short) passage that goes back to the third Doctor: a memory of the pain of being a Time Lord in exile, a Doctor in captivity. Traditionally, the Doctor Who novels have kept the Doctor's thoughts and emotions a mystery, so this passage was a surprise I reread a couple of times. If you're looking for a light read, it's a fun romp.

Having read Ms. Rayner's Doctor Who books before I was a bit disappointed in this one, although I thought the concept was a very good. There is a sobering history lesson regarding the extinction of certain animal species, most of them caused by mankind, but not all. There are intriguing questions regarding the morality of 'saving' the last of certain species in a museum which is almost crueller than letting them go. And you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by the story of Dorothea, the last dodo. However.... Although the Doctor and Martha are spot on character wise, they just don't seem to get much accomplished in this book other than run around after the animals and the villains. There are a couple of instances of emotional involvement, especially for poor Martha after she makes what seems to be a terrible decision affecting all the animals and Earth. The Doctor has his own moments; there is an fascinating scene where he reacts with horror at the thought of going to a zoo. His own nightmare comes true for a bit when he involuntarily becomes a last of the Time Lords display. But after these bits, its back to running and chasing again and the mystery of whodunit didn't seem that deep to me. The Last Dodo is not a terrible book but in my opinion, lacks the emotional punch the old Virgin Doctor Who New Adventures books had, particularly in the earlier titles. Those books went well beyond the TV series but still kept the Doctor and friends in character. These new titles from the BBC seem to be stuck strictly within the confines of the show. Doctor Who - The Complete Third Series

I was really intrigued by the description of this new Doctor Who novel. I wasn't disappointed. The characterization of the doctor was spot on. I could easily hear David Tennant in my head saying the lines. There were several plot twists that kept the book interesting. The underlying morality tale involving mankind's involvement in the extinction of animal species is a sobering plot thread that does what science fiction does best: it makes us think about our place in the world.