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| By: | Benjamin Evans, Melbourne, Australia |
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| Date: | Wednesday 8 October 2003 |
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| Rating: |   9 |
Seeing I is probably my favourite Doctor Who novel, largely because Kate Orman seems to have captured the essence of the new Doctor's character. He is an innocent, inquisitive, excitable and at times immature. She takes what we saw and loved of Paul McGann's creation in the telemovie and acclerates it.
Sam undergoes tremendous development in this book, no longer the fairly nondescript activist teenager we know from the previous novels. Her flight from the Doctor and the reasons behind it give ample opportunity for her to find herself, and perhaps for the first time we get to see a companion as they would be, outside the Doctor's influence. Sam becomes in this story, and now remains, one of my favourite characters in Doctor Who fiction.
Without giving anything away, Seeing I manages also to tackle the oft-debated issue of the Doctor's sexuality with a soft touch. I may be biased in that my opinions on the matter are catered for, but in the end, he isn't interested in sex at all. He loves his companions as his friends, and like the bond between Holmes and Watson, that doesn't mean it can't be a powerful force. As Liz Sladen once said, wouldn't you do anything for your best friend?
Oh, and while Kate does the usual thing of putting the Doctor through sheer hell, she must like McGann better than McCoy - he goes through the psychological wringer rather than having something explode out of his hearts. This aspect of the book is also a favourite, because in attacking the Doctor in his weak point she highlights his central traits all the more.
I have read this book multiple times, and the only fault I can pick with it is that the I seemed a bit "token alien race" to me, somewhat like an insectoid Borg. However, they're well used, and any Whoniverse mythology takes a back seat to the characters and the story. A sterling example of why Orman is my favourite Doctor Who author.
The story is well crafted as it takes place over a considrrable amount of time, allowing for character development for the Doctor and Sam.
And the Doctor's put through absolute hell - which is always entertaining!
| By: | a person, hayfield |
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| Date: | Sunday 21 February 2010 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Once again, quite a good book from blum and orman with an interesting villan and excellent plot. Probably slightly better than vampire science. I enjoyed this immensly!
| By: | Emma Bowman, Sydney, Australia |
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| Date: | Thursday 17 November 2011 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I think I can safely say that this is my favourite Eighth Doctor novel to date, and I am so surprised that it didn't have at least an 8 on the rating scale. The storyline really resonated with me, and I found the quality of the writing to be quite excellent. Sam is one of my favourite companions, and she did a lot of growing in this storyline, which was very satisfying to see. Blum and Orman write well for the Doctor and Sam, and unlike so many other EDA authors, they really get their "voices" right, which goes a long way towards validating the plot. It is an advantage to have read "Dreamstone Moon" first before starting on "Seeing I", just to help with the story arc continuity. I highly and enthusiastically recommend this book!
