| WETWORLD by Mark Michalowski |
| Story 18 Synopsis: The TARDIS lands by mistake in a swamp on the planet Sunday. It sinks, and Martha is swept off by otters. The Doctor meets a human settlement, claiming to be an Adjudicator. He rescues Martha, and begins to investigate the otters. They seem to become more intelligent when they spend time under observation. Martha seems affected by something she saw in the swamp that nearly killed her. The Doctor realises the large, unidentified creature must live in the swamp and is controlling some of the otters - those that are tested by humans have their control broken, hence their improvements. The creature manipulates some of the Sundayans to create a uranium bomb which will explode the planet and allow the creature to spawn to other worlds. The bomb is thwarted, and the Doctor creates a genetic antigene to the creature which kills it, allowing the colonists a chance to establish themselves properly. |
| Review:- Out in space on a watery planet with the TARDIS lost, and Martha under the influence, the Doctor has enough to deal with without sentient otters too... It's difficult not to form opinions about authors and remain objective, and since both Mark's previous books have been highly flawed, the omens did not seem good. Thankfully of course, this book redresses some of the balance, and though far from perfect, it's still got a lot going for it. The setting is not that original (and the prevalence of swamps is reminiscent in particular of The Power Of Kroll) but the natives are friendly enough, and once the Doctor has proven his worth, and the big nasty has proven its menace, then it's largely a straight run to the finish. The otters make for an amusing sideline, and arguably could have been almost any other small watery creatures. Pallister is a typical officious over-promoted leader, though the Doctor's deliberate mangling of his name is hardly going to generate empathy. His fate is quite grisly, though perhaps apt for someone of such little impressive originality in leadership. The unnamed creature is not really named or explained, and becomes all the more formidable for it. Whilst Martha once again finds that romantic thoughts lead to jealousy and rivalry (which again cheapens her character), she manages to practice a little medicine and assertiveness, though it's hardly a great adventure for her. The Doctor takes a big risk in injecting himself with the creature's controlling RNA, but balances out this courage by frequently treating the colonists like children, not just about their lack of heritage, but especially their dodgy power source. Whilst the uranium does become slightly relevant to the resolution, it mainly feels like the tired hectoring of the dogmatic. There are better ways to make a point, however well-intentioned. On the whole, this is a decent book, in a range which seems to have improved of late, and comes with a rather splendid cover, too. |
| Disclaimer: I've read the book. |