Doctor Who: The Pirate Loop – Simon Guerrier (Sci-Fi)

I borrowed this from the library 3 weeks ago (it’s due tomorrow!) and hadn’t planned on actually reading it… for some reason, I just couldn’t muster the courage to pick up a book based on the beloved show, because I didn’t want to waste my time with some cheap, contrived version of Doctor Who. Also, I tend to have a strict policy against reading books based on TV shows (okay, fine… I admit I’ve read some Star Trek & Star Wars books… so sue me!). Then, I read on someone’s thread (I can’t remember who, augh! Sorry!) that they had just read several Doctor Who books and enjoyed them. “Hmmm”, said I, “Perhaps I’ll give it a go after all.”

Well, read it I did, just this afternoon in a few hours. It was a quick, fun read that made for an entertaining diversion from the work I should have been doing. Oops. But I couldn’t put it down! I thought the writer did an excellent job of capturing the Doctor (Tennant’s version) and Martha, with their signature phrases and personality traits and all. Even the ending sort-of made sense, in the Doctor Who-y sort of way that we’ve all come to love and cherish.

Needless to say, I was surprised and very pleased to have enjoyed this one so much. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more.

Rating: 3.5 coffees out of 5

InterWorld – Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves (YA)

Intriguing concept, fast-paced story, and enough world-building to make me wonder if they ever wrote a sequel… apparently the concept they use for this novel was originally an idea the two of the authors came up with for a TV show, but no one was interested. Then, about a decade later, a publisher mentioned to Gaiman that people might like to read this book (go figure, considering Gaiman’s success), so they dusted it off, polished it up, and published.

I’m going to be very disappointed if nothing else was written/will be written based on this multi-universe concept. I think it was very well done, and many of the usual problems with traveling between alternate realities (ie. consistency of time, questions of gravity on alternate Earths, etc.) were actually addressed or commented on. Fairly intelligent for a YA novel of this variety, if I do say so myself.

It’s well worth the evening spent devouring this one!

Rating: 3 coffees out of 5

Tags: books