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25th out of 155 books
—
44 voters
Doctor Who: Sting of the Zygons (Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #13)
by
Stephen Cole
It's hunt and be hunted for the Doctor and Martha in turn-of-the-century Cumbria - the latest in the bestselling series of Doctor Who novels.
Hardcover, 248 pages
Published
April 19th 2007
by BBC Books
(first published 2007)
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For the past three seasons, it seems that every year we get a rumor the Zygons will make an appearance in the upcoming season.
And why not? We've had the Macra and we've overused the Cybermen and the Daleks? Why not bring back the Zygons?
The alien race returns in this 10th Doctor novel that is, for the most part, an update of the classic story "Terror of the Zygons." The Zygons are trying to figure out how to regain control of the Skarasan and need the Doctor's help to do so. And there are lots o...more
And why not? We've had the Macra and we've overused the Cybermen and the Daleks? Why not bring back the Zygons?
The alien race returns in this 10th Doctor novel that is, for the most part, an update of the classic story "Terror of the Zygons." The Zygons are trying to figure out how to regain control of the Skarasan and need the Doctor's help to do so. And there are lots o...more
This a book I have wanted to read for a while. Once I saw it was going to be published, I kept waiting. I like this doctor and this companion.
I was surprised at how well the book was written to show Martha as Martha. I know these books can be written and then the companion's name is just thrown in. They did a good job catching the real Martha Jones.
They also did a good job with the Zygons. I like how the show is actually bringing in old monsters, but it can only do it so quickly. This was a good...more
I was surprised at how well the book was written to show Martha as Martha. I know these books can be written and then the companion's name is just thrown in. They did a good job catching the real Martha Jones.
They also did a good job with the Zygons. I like how the show is actually bringing in old monsters, but it can only do it so quickly. This was a good...more
The Doctor and Martha are very well done, in their actions and dialogue. The plot moves quickly, with just enough danger. Few too many minor characters to keep straight, though, as they aren't all clearly drawn.
I haven't seen the Zygons on screen, and that did up being a problem for me. Cole does his best to bring them to the page, but it's all a bit complex and somehow I'm left feeling like this would probably be more fun as a six, seven part serial than as a book. Still, I did really enjoy it,...more
I haven't seen the Zygons on screen, and that did up being a problem for me. Cole does his best to bring them to the page, but it's all a bit complex and somehow I'm left feeling like this would probably be more fun as a six, seven part serial than as a book. Still, I did really enjoy it,...more
1 like · like · see review
"http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/968225.html[return][return]Like most Who fans of roughly my age, I have fond memories of both the early Fourth Doctor story Terror of the Zygons (I remember discussing it years later with an Australian friend, who shrieked with excited nostalgia, 'Yeah, the Zygons! They were two-cushion monsters!') and also the novelisation, Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster, which may have been one of Terrance Dicks' better products. I must re-watch/re-read respectively and see...more
Miss Martha Jones! Earth's most underappreciated heroine!(She really does deserve more credit, people) Ah, the year is 1909, King Edward's on the throne, it is the age of men!(Oops, sorry quoting 'Mary Poppins' now!) But there is a terrible monster loose in the lake country, squashing towns and stealing people away! Martha and the Doctor must stop the mad beast from eating the human hunters who want to bag a prize worthy of a king(or a medal from His Majesty) and also save the poor brute from it...more
This book is basically Terror of the Zygons redux. Except this time the Doctor is being played by that obnoxious guy with the spiky hair.
The Zygons were one of the few 'monsters' from Doctor Who that actually scared me as a child. The Daleks? Silly pepperpots. Cybermen? Tin foil wearing pansies. But the Zygons? Those weirdly shaped heads and all the fungal looking growths along their bodies always freaked me out. They looked damn good considering the limited Beeb budget back then.
As an adult tho...more
The Zygons were one of the few 'monsters' from Doctor Who that actually scared me as a child. The Daleks? Silly pepperpots. Cybermen? Tin foil wearing pansies. But the Zygons? Those weirdly shaped heads and all the fungal looking growths along their bodies always freaked me out. They looked damn good considering the limited Beeb budget back then.
As an adult tho...more
Surprisingly strong plot (even for those like me who never saw a Zygon episode) and even more surprisingly, good characterization. Not only was it specifically and obviously the Tenth Doctor, but it was clearly Martha, as well - given that these were written before they saw Freema in the role, that's no mean feat. Engaging, fun, and just a little scary, as it should be.
Jul 27, 2007
Wendy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Doctor Who fans with fond memories of the Zygons
Shelves:
doctorwho,
sf-fantasy
This is a quick, fun read. Nothing earthshattering, but it does a reasonably good job of capturing the characters of the Doctor and Martha, and is good fun for old school fans who have fond memories of the Zygons from the Tom Baker days.
A pleasant enough way to get your Doctor Who fix while waiting for Season 4 to arrive.
A pleasant enough way to get your Doctor Who fix while waiting for Season 4 to arrive.
This Doctor Who adventure follows the adventure of the Doctor and Martha when they travel back to the Lake District of England in the early part of the twentieth century. Weird tidings of Loch Ness-esque monsters and strange little, brutal creatures leaves the Doctor with no choice but to gleefully investigate the area. Yet again, he discovers an alien plot and Earth narrowly escapes annilation.
Martha is written very well in this one and seems to really aid the Doctor. The Zygons are also wonder...more
Martha is written very well in this one and seems to really aid the Doctor. The Zygons are also wonder...more
The Tenth Doctor and companion Martha battle Zygons in England's Lake District in 1909.
If my basic plot summary sounds ho-hum, it's not meant to.
It is not easy to resurrect old monsters (the Zygons first appeared in the 1975 Tom Baker adventure Terror the Zygons).
It's even harder to keep them true to form and still make them fresh and interesting.
Stephen Cole has done a good job; he's crafted a tale that, while firmly rooted in the "new" Doctor Who style, evokes fond memories of the "classic"...more
If my basic plot summary sounds ho-hum, it's not meant to.
It is not easy to resurrect old monsters (the Zygons first appeared in the 1975 Tom Baker adventure Terror the Zygons).
It's even harder to keep them true to form and still make them fresh and interesting.
Stephen Cole has done a good job; he's crafted a tale that, while firmly rooted in the "new" Doctor Who style, evokes fond memories of the "classic"...more
The usually reliable Stephen Cole falls just a tad short with this Doctor Who entry. He gets points to having a whole herd of cows actually being alien Zygons, but loses points by having Martha Jones pause and utter a quip just as a murderous Zygon bursts through a door. Yes, people joke during intense situations but not JUST as the monster is attacking, unless they're James Bond as played by Roger Moore, and even he waited until the villain was vanquished! Plus, some of the Doctor's speeches se...more
Après avoir déjà fait l'expérience en version courte via 2 quick reads, je sentais bien que j'allais me mettre à mieux aimer Martha en passant au papier.
D'autant plus qu'elle arrive après Rose évidemment, et que ça fait drôlement du bien d'en avoir une qui fait marcher sa matière grise plutôt que ses hormones, tiens. Et Martha est ici bien trop occupée à se débrouiller pour faire des trucs intelligents pour se pâmer devant le Docteur, ce qui élimine dans la foulée l'un des aspect pénibles de la...more
D'autant plus qu'elle arrive après Rose évidemment, et que ça fait drôlement du bien d'en avoir une qui fait marcher sa matière grise plutôt que ses hormones, tiens. Et Martha est ici bien trop occupée à se débrouiller pour faire des trucs intelligents pour se pâmer devant le Docteur, ce qui élimine dans la foulée l'un des aspect pénibles de la...more
Another excellent Doctor Who adventure! I really enjoy those stories which are set on Earth in the past, so the Edwardian era setting was quite nice. Martha and the Doctor really seemed to shine in this story, and there are several very funny lines that had me laughing out loud! Overall, very enjoyable!
Doctor Who: Sting Of The Zygons follows up on a 4th Doctor story, The Terror of the Zygons. It is not necessary to have seen the previous episode to understand this story, but my interest in Terro...more
Doctor Who: Sting Of The Zygons follows up on a 4th Doctor story, The Terror of the Zygons. It is not necessary to have seen the previous episode to understand this story, but my interest in Terro...more
Feb 22, 2010
Jessica Oban
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Doctor Who Fans
Shelves:
2010-reads,
doctor-who-torchwood
This is the first Doctor Who novel I have read, I was hesitant on reading them, no way could they rival the series, but I was pleasently surprised.
The characters of Martha and Doctor Ten where good and matched their on screen personalities (I had heard that this was rare for the novels). But I think there were a bit too many minor characters, and introducing a new character near the end of the novel might have been a mistake. I could tell the story was a hard one to write some parts were predic...more
The characters of Martha and Doctor Ten where good and matched their on screen personalities (I had heard that this was rare for the novels). But I think there were a bit too many minor characters, and introducing a new character near the end of the novel might have been a mistake. I could tell the story was a hard one to write some parts were predic...more
Only took a couple days, and that's the Rose era done, so why not grab Martha's first novel appearance? That would be Stephen Cole's Sting of the Zygons. Cole writes his best New Series book here through good use of an old Doctor Who monster. His Zygons are well clever and the story takes a number of unexpected twists and turns. Lots of fun, and the Doctor/Martha relationship is more successful than early attempts at the Doctor and Rose. One of my favorites yet!
An exciting book of science fiction mayhem. A recommended book for science fiction lovers (doctor who fans)
over 8 or 9 years. You will be hooked from the first sentence. This book's chapters are around 10 pages. There are 248 pages and thats including the epilogue and prologue. Over all it's a awesome book.
You'll want to read and read
over 8 or 9 years. You will be hooked from the first sentence. This book's chapters are around 10 pages. There are 248 pages and thats including the epilogue and prologue. Over all it's a awesome book.
You'll want to read and read
For villains with but one appearance on TV, and that back in 1975, the Zygons are fondly remembered. In this book, which draws on and expands on both Terror of the Zygons and its novelisation Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster, the aliens are presented as a significant threat, and given distinct personalities to boot.
Given that they can take other forms, the continual guessing game of "Who's a Zygon?" is in place, with some odd revelations along the way. Their plan at first seems simple, but l...more
Given that they can take other forms, the continual guessing game of "Who's a Zygon?" is in place, with some odd revelations along the way. Their plan at first seems simple, but l...more
"Sting of the Zygons" was a little heavy-handed for me, and I didn't think the characters were true to form. It was more like reading about The Doctor- and Martha-impersonators doing their best with a story written by someone who's only heard of the show second-hand. Some of their decisions were just weak. Here's a race of aliens determined to take over the world and either eradicate or enslave all human life, have already killed at least several dozen humans, and the Doctor's solution--while ap...more
My first Audio book. I tried to listen to it while using the computer but found it hard to do both. Maybe you need to be able to multi-task. The story was ok and not one I remember from TV series oddly.
Very good, had a much high body count than I would have thought likely for a New Who book, but still works well even if theres a really blatant Fantastic Four homage in it.
Very much a book-length episode of the series. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it's nice to see the books do things that a TV episode can't.
Jul 27, 2011
Mary
added it
Good book i was sort of shocked when he was attacked by the zygons twice bu t he alwayas won and it was a quick mover too
I like all the Doctor Who books, but this and Feast of The Drowned are my favourites. An exciting, fast-paced novel.
So many Doctor Who books (and I have all the new ones)....a written review is unnecessary for them all.
Highlight: the Doctor strolling through a field in Edwardian England whilst declaiming Wordsworth. I can totally see the Tenth Doctor doing this.
It was alright for a DW adventure. Not the best of the novels.
Part of the first three novels featuring Martha and the most "in character" for her to date. The plot is interesting. Early 1900's, Lake District a hunt that includes gigantic beasts, aliens and people acting quite strange. The Doctor does his doctor thing, Martha does her doctor thing and we have a nice romp of a tale that kept me reading until I finished the book. Always a good sign. The bad guys were interesting, the Doctor not to manic and Martha was just in character: intelligent, smart, us...more
All I can say is.......the cows. The cows. OMG. The cows.
The Doctor and Martha, land in the Lake District in 1909 where a small village has some monster problems. Good easy read.
Dragged on and a little repetitive.
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See also: Steve Cole.
Stephen Cole (born 1971) is an English author of children's books and science fiction. He was also in charge of BBC Worldwide's merchandising of the BBC Television series Doctor Who between 1997 and 1999: this was a role which found him deciding on which stories should be released on video, commissioning and editing a range of fiction and non-fiction titles, producing audioboo...more
More about Stephen Cole...
Stephen Cole (born 1971) is an English author of children's books and science fiction. He was also in charge of BBC Worldwide's merchandising of the BBC Television series Doctor Who between 1997 and 1999: this was a role which found him deciding on which stories should be released on video, commissioning and editing a range of fiction and non-fiction titles, producing audioboo...more
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Apr 23, 2009 04:54pm