Writer: Mike Tucker
Format: Novel
Released: 11th September 2014
Series: NSA 12.03
Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara
Synopsis
"Well, I doubt you'll ever see a bigger insect."
Gabby Nichols is putting her son to bed when she hears her daughter cry out. 'Mummy there's a daddy longlegs in my room!' Then the screaming starts... Kevin Alperton is on his way to school when he is attacked by a mosquito. A big one. Then things get dangerous.
But it isn't the dead man cocooned inside a huge mass of web that worries the Doctor. It isn't the swarming, mutated insects that make him nervous.
With the insects becoming more and more menacing, the Doctor knows that unless he can decode the strange symbols engraved on an ancient stone circle, and unravel a mystery dating back to the Second World War, no one is safe.
Verdict
The Crawling Terror was an absolutely outstanding novel and is undoubtedly the best of the first three novels released for the Twelfth Doctor and Clara. Now, you may remember the high praise I gave for Silhouette which was just marvellous but I think in this story having just the Doctor and Clara as the familiar characters, along with a magical historical link, put Terror on top with regards to the best of the newly released novels. From the prologue I could tell I was going to enjoy the story. The mystery giant insects were envisaged much better than the obvious story to link this to, The Web Planet. The idea of the insects being giant was much better utilised here with them being test subjects for the Wyrresters. Despite the aliens being the ones truly evil and conjuring up the plan predating to the Second World War, the villainous menace of Jason Clearfield. Ravaged, effected and disgusted with the Doctor, he really was a highlight and just superb. I was glad that for the first time under the Twelfth Doctor, in the novelised format, Clara got to shine. Her limelight was possibly overshadowed by the Paternoster Gang in Silhouette and she was a small piece of the story for much of the time in The Blood Cell so I was glad of how good she was here. I think I'm enjoying the novels with the new incarnation far more than the TV stories, as a whole, because with the books it's simply all about the story but on TV there's the series arcs continuing which I'm getting tired of. I'd rather a quality story to finish a series rather than a culmination of hints and miniature scenes in the preceding episodes. The setting of Ringstone, very cleverly named, was stunningly good. Closed off to the outside world by giant insects or their webs, a small village community was really the perfect setting. The guest characters (ie the village residents) were really great! Robin Sanford and Kevin were fantastic together whilst I really liked Captain Wilson, Angela and Gabby. The use of linking the story back to World War Two was just mesmerising and with so much secrecy surrounding the last year of the War who's to say each side wasn't looking to the extra-terrestrial for the answer to victory. With my love and study of History, especially the Nazi aspect which I've covered in detail since 2011, the numerous references to the Luftwaffe, Mengale and Hitler himself were much welcomed. The relationship between the Doctor and Charlie was brilliant and I loved how easily the latter accepted that the Doctor had a time machine. The cliffhanger if you like of chapter 12 with Jason triumphant was wonderful. His speech regarding the placement of the Bell and talking of the Nazi failing was just sensational. Once the British Bell was opened, the Wyrrester's description was very good. They weren't have been out of place in a The Ark in Space I wouldn't have thought! The way they were just going to leave their species to die whilst the 'deserving' would transfer to Earth was shocking! But nowhere near as much when Clara awoke in the body of a Wyrrester! That really was something. The village becoming zombified was intriguing and it somewhat seemed like a serious version of the comedy film Shaun of the Dead. I recently read a review of this story on www.doctorwhotv.com which I disagreed in their statement of the Doctor being too nice. I found him to be quite serious, especially when his escape plan in 1944 was sending two prisoners to their deaths. That was quite a surprise despite the fact it was established history. The climax I very much enjoyed with the Doctor wonderfully bargaining for Clara's safe return, a 70 year meeting in waiting coming full circle and the unexplored Luftwaffe bomb actually saving the day. Overall, a superb and thoroughly enjoyably thrilling read! The Nazis actually helped the Doctor, now that's something to think about.
Rating: 10/10
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