- Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: BBC Books (7 Jun 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0563555769
- ISBN-13: 978-0563555766
- Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 11.2 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 606,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
After the exhilaration of Dominion, in Unnatural History we are treated to a tired and unimaginative plod through a bunch of re-hashed ideas which all worked better in previous novels and stories. Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman do their usual trick of trying to be too clever and adding stuff to the "mythos" rather than concentrating on what matters--original plot and character. Obviously they haven't yet realised that Doctor Who on television went pear-shaped when it started to draw too much on itself rather than being original, and with this novel the BBC range does the same thing. Worst of all though is that this book is unengaging.
For a start, Sam is not Sam at all but some dark-haired variant hinted at in Lawrence Miles' Alien Bodies. In Miles' hands this was an interesting idea, a brief anomaly to be pondered over. In Blum and O rman's hands however she comes over exactly like the "older, wiser, more experienced" Sam they tried to create in Seeing I. Dark-haired Sam is unfortunately tedious and predictable. Fitz suffers in the same way... and he and D-H Sam getting it together is unbelievable. Good grief! How pointless.
Fitz changes from a slightly insecure but likeable male into some sort of obsessed shag-monster, alternating between dying for a smoke and lusting after anything female on two legs. Meanwhile D-H Sam--what with snogging the Doctor, sleeping with Fitz and agonising over her past and future--is a typical unstable, neurotic and angst-ridden female all too familiar from Orman's other novels. The Tardis too is made to suffer--like the reader--and the whole plot element about an alien collector of species and his Tardis-like specimen cabinet seemed to have been imported from another novel entirely. Add to this loads of techno-nonsense about bio-data and mythical creatures roaming San Francisco and you have a novel which goes nowhere, does nothing and ultimately bores the reader through too many disconnected pieces of information being thrown together.
A tremendous disappointment after the excellence of Dominion and Demontage. Let's have more books with single word titles that start with the letter "D"! --David J Howe
Product Description
The Doctor regenerated in San Francisco at the turn of the millennium. When he returns there a few years later, it seems the catastrophic events that nearly sent the whole of Earth into cosmic oblivion have taken their toll. San Francisco was the anchor point, and a breach between dimensions has sprung up. All sorts of weird and wonderful creatures have turned up -- griffins, unicorns -- and things more sinister.
The Doctor's companion Sam is exposed and becomes a changed person -- literally. Her hair is dark, she has never met the Doctor in her life. With Fitz, he is able to convince her to help them put things right -- to sacrifice herself so that the old Sam may return. For stalking the turbulent streets is the sinister Unnaturalist -- a collector of genetic curios whose private collection will be much enriched by the Time Travelers.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
As usual, Kate and Jon's prose is immaculately constructed and a pleasure to read. The USP of Unnatural History is that it confronts head-on many of the narrow-minded criticisms of the new Who range, placing them squarely within the structure of the plot. Don't be put off if you've never heard of rec.arts.drwho though, as they are so well integrated as to be unnoticeable to the non-initiate. The novel confronts the problem of inconsistency, the 'villains' monkeying around with the past lives of the 'heroes', and details the Doctor Sam and Fitz's attempts to both defeat and come to terms with this. Great stuff that as with all the best Who, TV and novel, works on several distinct levels according to the reader.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This book was the first Doctor Who Original Novel I've ever read - I've read the "Sea Devils" book a few years ago starring the third doctor - but that was a novelisation of the television story.
The great thing about these novels is that there is no budget for special effects. Imagine the effects it would require to create about a hundred different types of mythical creature, or to create an impossible unfolding chest in which Fitz gets trapped (oops - spoiler there!), or indeed the sheer magnitude of the whole of san fransisco being sucked into a scar in the space time continuum...
The story begins with the doctor trying to convince an alternative brown-haired version of his companion sam to come with him to put right what he has accidentally wronged. He slowly gains her trust, only to lose it again and gain it back many times. You see, theres this thing called "The hunt" which changes Sam's "Biodata" - which changes her history, and future and memories... which makes her doubt whether things in her life have actually happened.
I especially enjoyed Faction Paradox and the little boy. There was a small boy who was very cheeky, but also very clever. His sole purpose was to medal with time and create paradoxes. An example of this was when the doctor was creating a scientific fluid to summon the boy - the boy was actually in the room trying to put him off conjouring him - if he'd have succeeded there would have been a small paradox.
Anyway, I'm giving way too many spoilers away... but if you liked the movie starring McGann's eighth doctor, you'll like this as it links in very well. A word of warning though, it starts well and ends well, the middle is heavy going, but stick at it, you won't be disappointed.
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book was a great read, from the mysterious boy working for the Faction to the alternate version of Sam. Indeed whilst reading the book I had no idea as to wheather or not the normal Sam would turn up again. The enemy to the Doctor in this book was the mysterious Unnaturalist. I did feel at times that not enough backstory was shown for him, but i decided that we dont always need to know where the villains came from. In conclusion this novel wasnt quite as explosive as I was expecting but it was still a gripping read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
unreadable history
An attempt at tying a lot of things together from the range so far, with alternate versions of companions and nasty and quite original villains, this is a very clever and very... Read more
Published on 19 July 2006 by Paul Tapner
Anyway that thing...
We all wanted to go down to the pub, but we couldnt cos Louise only looks about nine or something, so anyway, we all went to the off license and tried to buy vodka SHUT UP I didnt... Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2003 by Stephen T. Lowrey
Naughty but nice
Halfway through this book, I thought that I was going to give it three stars out of five, instead of the hundred percent the opening merited. Read more
Published on 7 Jun 1999
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