TLC Book Tour: (Doctor Who, 50th Anniversary Book Collection, Bk. 3) Last of the Gaderene by Mark Gatiss

Last of the Gaderene
(Book 3)
by Mark Gatiss
Copyright 2000, 2013)
ISBN: 9781849905978

I'm a little bit crazy when it comes to Doctor Who. Chances are, if it involves the Doctor, I want in on it -- I want to see it, I want to read it, Pin it, and/or I want to collect it. I pretty much begged the tour coordinator (thank you, Lisa!) at TLC Book Tours to get on the tour for at least one of the books in this 11 book, 50th Anniversary Collection. I must have convinced her that I was a Whovian since I ended up with two books from the series PLUS the new Who-ology Doctor Who book. I have to say that after reading just this one book, Last of the Gaderene, I'm probably going to have to make sure I get the rest of the books in the series.

What, you may be wondering is this book about and why is it worth reading? Well, for starters it's written by Mark Gatiss who isn't just an author of books, he's a multi-talented guy. He's written a few episodes for the actual Doctor Who TV series AND co-created a certain TV series about the world's only consulting detective for BBC and Masterpiece Mystery that you may have heard of called Sherlock (insert obligatory picture of Benedict Cumberbatch)! I know, right?! I thought just based on the author's background that it was probably going to be a stellar book and I wasn't disappointed at all.

The Doctor from BBC website

Enough about the author, you really want to know about the book itself, right? Well, if you are at all familiar with any of the TV series's, the classic episodes or the reboots, you might know that the Doctor's favorite thing to do is to run! While we don't meet the Doctor in this book until a few chapters in, when we do meet him what do you think he's doing but running? This gave me a chuckle because I honestly didn't know what to expect in a Doctor Who story since (GASP!) I've never read one, but he was exactly the same as the Doctor I'm familiar with from the show. In that respect, Gatiss did an excellent job.

TARDIS photo from BBCAmerica

The story in and of itself moved along at a fast pace, as you might expect in any sci-fi adventure. The Doctor's companion and friends, Jo Grant and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of U.N.I.T. help the Doctor to investigate the strange goings on at the newly closed Culverton Aerodrome. With citizens disappearing left and right, nobody's really sure what or who is behind it. The Doctor suspects something otherworldly and his gut turns out to be correct. It just so happens, the Gaderene's, as well as an old foe of the Doctor are busy plotting more than just a take over of a small English village but the destruction of humanity!

At just over 300 pages, this is one story that doesn't let up. I have to admit to being more weirded out by the Gaderene's than just about any of the aliens that the Doctor has encountered on all his adventures. I imagine I'm not alone in thinking that face sucking aliens and aliens that take over bodies are some of the all-time creepiest dudes! I get the heebie jeebies just thinking about those guys! In my opinion, it's books with not only memorable heroes but memorable foes that make the best stories. The only teeny thing that bothered me was that there were a lot of characters to keep track of so, while reading, I often had to take a second to stop and get them all straight in my head. However, I won't soon be letting this book go from my collection and highly recommend it to all Whovians and science fiction fans. Mark Gatiss did an excellent job and would have gained a fan for life in this girl if I wasn't already from all his top shelf TV work!

~ My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars ~

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.* 

~ To read more about the book or to order a copy of Last of the Gaderene go HERE.

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 ~ Read what other's on the TLC Book Tour are saying about the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary collection books HERE.

A fun video clip from BBC from The Five Doctors reunion special!

Happy Reading!