The crawling terror by Mike Tucker

Sometimes the TARDIS puts the best laid plans to the test, dragging the Doctor and his companion to a completely unexpected adventure - and it has happened yet again.  Clara was expecting far flung places, the past or the future, not to be standing in the middle of sleepy little Ringstone.  It seems like an odd place for the TARDIS to bring them, what could possibly be wrong in such a quaint old fashioned village?  The illusion of peace is shattered when the Doctor and Clara discover a body hanging from a giant spider web - although luckily the giant spider is not at home (for the moment). 

Exploring their surroundings leads them to the discovery of more giant insects, and the even more alarming fact that the entire village has been cut off from the outside world by the invading insects.  Clara didn't have high hoped for an adventure in Ringstone, but there is a mystery in the village that has been waiting a very long time, a secret that could destroy not only the village but the whole world.  It is up to the Doctor and Clara to save the day, but first they have to get to the bottom of the monster insect mystery - and that may not be as easy as it sounds.

Reading books based on television series can be a real hit and miss affair - some are mind blowingly authentic, while others make you wonder if the author has even seen the show (or whether they just enjoy turning your favourite characters into cardboard cut outs of themselves).  Luckily for me, The crawling terror falls firmly into the first camp, it was an authentic and rich story that fits in well with the mythology and characters of the twelfth Doctor and Clara.  The world building and character building was spot on, it feels like an episode from the start to the finish, complete with trade marked Doctor sarcasm and charming companion quips.

I have to confess that I was not instantly in love with the new incarnation of the Doctor, but now several episodes in (we are a little behind here in little old New Zealand) he is starting to grow on me and at times I could hear him delivering the lines in the book in his usually dry fashion.  One of the benefits of writing this as a novel instead of an episode is they don't have to worry about how the special effects team are going to make the monsters come to life, which means in some respects the story is a little scarier because your mind builds the visuals and the monsters (and all I can say is giant spider *shudder*).

Hopefully there are more novels to come from Mike Tucker as he has captured the character and flair of the Doctor and Clara and brought to life a niggly little worry that many of us secretly have (even if we don't always admit it) - giant bugs and spiders creep most of us out!

If you like this book then try:

• Doctor Who: The blood cell by James Goss
• Doctor Who: Silhouette by Justin Richards
• Doctor Who: The kings dragon by Una McCormack
• Doctor Who: Nuclear time by Oli Smith
• Torchwood: First born by James Goss
• Something in the water by Trevor Baxendale
• X-files: Skin by Ben Mezrich

Reviewed by Brilla