The Silurian Gift is one of the Quick Reads series, clocking in at 99 pages and setting you back but one pound of your sterling currency. Featuring a well-written Eleventh Doctor travelling solo, it is reminiscent of an abridged Target novelisation. Indeed, throw in more back story for all of the characters and you might well have something approaching Malcolm Hulke’s original Cave Monsters novel in length. Certainly, in terms of plot, the Silurians are yet to move on from the arc established in their first and best story. However, just because it’s not breaking new ground doesn’t mean The Silurian Gift isn’t a good read. It’s a well-paced page turner that retreads the scenario of Doctor Who And The Silurians more effectively than 2010’s Cold Blood/The Hungry Earth two-parter. Despite the brevity of the book, the characters probably have more depth, and their reactions are more coherent. Our new Adric-Sue, Lizzie Davies, is a plucky young thing, a hybrid of Sarah-Jane, Jo Grant and Ace. Our new boo-hiss villain is Rick Pelham, an English Tex Richman (Kent Richman?), isn’t all bad, and it’s been a while since we’ve had a story set in the Antarctic. Not since the series had more sense than money, in fact, and it didn’t have a lot of sense at those points anyway. Don’t go in expecting the rulebook to be torn up (one wonders what on Earth a Doctor Who Quick Reads book by Lawrence Miles would be like), but for a safe and steadfast yarn to be spun. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
