Doctor Who: Beautiful Chaos by Gary Russell

Doctor Who: Beautiful Chaos by Gary Russell
Amazon.com: HardcoverPaperback | Kindle Edition
Book Depository: Paperback

Foiled by the imperfect human mind!
Synopsis of Doctor Who: Beautiful Chaos by Gary RussellA Tenth Doctor adventure, featuring the Doctor as played by David Tennant and his companion Donna. Wilfred Mott is very happy: his granddaughter, Donna, is back home, catching up with family and gossiping about her journeys, and he has just discovered a new star and had it named after him. He takes the Tenth Doctor with him to the naming ceremony. But the Doctor soon discovers something else new, and worryingly bright, in the heavens – something that is heading for Earth. It’s an ancient force from the Dark Times. And it is very, very angry…

My two cents

If you've been following my blog for the past week or so, you'll know that I'm immersing myself in all things Doctor Who. At the risk of getting thwapped by Whovians out there, I confess that I'm not exactly a Whovian (the vast majority of those on this tour are). But the daughter IS. Naturally I got a crash course from her before I started reading this book. I've got it all sorted out (ok, sort of.): the general storyline, the doctor numbers, the companions and the time travel machine aka TARDIS thing disguised as a phone booth.

Overall, I think I was expecting this book to be ... cheesy. Aliens. Time travel. And in the back of my mind, on TV: cheap alien costumes, bad special effects. But this book surprised the heck out of me! The closest comparison of how I felt about this book is Back to the Future (all three movies!) ... and I loved that!

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The Doctor is back on earth with his companion Donna Noble. While the Doctor is investigating some strange goings-on that have to do with a supercomputer called the M-TEK and the recurring appearance of purple electricity, Donna is happily catching up with her rather testy mother and enjoying some time with her loving grandfather Wilf (who happens to know all the details of Donna's escapades with the Doctor). Wilf is also nurturing romance with Netty, a woman who is fast deteriorating with Alzheimers.

These two storylines are woven together to make for a quick, well-paced reading sci-fi adventure. Of course it all has to end with saving the world (which is the whole point of the series) and it comes to a head on the night when the Doctor and Donna accompany Wilf to the ceremony recognizing him as the discoverer of a new star.

SPOILER! This is a story of revenge; one of the Doctor's (many) nemesis has cooked up an elaborate plan which involves interconnectivity and computers, aligning constellations, mind control and Italians. Aliens are defeated by the Doctor cleverly banking on the imperfect human mind! Sure, this mishmash makes one incredulous when summed up like that ... but it comes together, believe me.

What really makes this novel is the strong characterizations of Donna Noble and Wilf Mott, and the depth and drama of the family relationships (especially between Donna and her mother), which bring a tinge of the tragic yet the heartwarming. I loved Donna Noble'e character -- her humour, her grit, and her learning to define who she is; I also enjoyed the pivotal and inevitably tragic romance of Wilf and Netty, which highlights that any time spent together, however short, is to be enjoyed to the fullest. The doctor didn't really impress me here -- he seemed rather bland to me -- but maybe because the human characters were so much more stronger and richer in their portrayal.

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I can't comment about whether the book does justice to the TV series. But I can certainly imagine David Tennant  as I really enjoyed his stint as Barty Crouch, Jr. in Harry Potter. Now to watch all the episodes? Maybe summer project?

As I am coming in from the cold, I couldn't quite grasp some of the back stories that were referred to in the course of the novel. But that's something easily fixed. If you're a Doctor Who newbie like me, you can get a crash course via a Whovian (like the daughter ... go find a family member or a friend), Wikipedia or delve a little deeper on the Doctor Who Wikia.

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Verdict: A surprisingly satisfying revenge story played in sci-fi mode against a rich and very human drama. I came in clueless, now only having one Doctor Who book, I am coming out as one intrigued reader ... ready for more. A must-read for Whovians and a great introduction for non-Whovians.

Check out the ongoing Doctor Who TLC Book Tour. You can even win a few of the new 50th anniversary editions that have just come out!
Check out the rest of the tour here.
I received a copy of this Beautiful Chaos and Who-ology: Doctor Who The Official Miscellany from the publisher through TLC Book Tours in in exchange for an honest review.

Doctor Who: Beautiful Chaos by Gary Russell
Amazon.com: Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle Edition
Book Depository: Paperback


Who-ology: Doctor Who The Official Miscellany 
Amazon.com: Hardcover | Kindle Edition


2 comments

  1. I'm glad you enjoyed this one! It sounds like a great adventure with the Doctor and Donna.

    Thanks for being on the tour. I'm featuring your review on TLC's Facebook page today.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yay, I'm so glad you're slowly becoming a Whovian! =D I'm a massive fan of the show, I absolutely love it.

    I also read a review of this one on Bookish Whimsy, really does seem worth the read =)

    ReplyDelete




© guiltless readingMaira Gall