Doctor Who "The Silent Stars Go By" Book Review

Doctor Who
The Silent Stars Go By
By Dan Abnett

Boring, complicated and not all that good are not the words that I would use to describe this book.  Exciting, very good and a great read are the exact words that best describe Dan Abnett’s Doctor Who book The Silent Stars Go By. Not only that but also this book heralds the return of The Ice Warriors. Yes, The Ice Warriors return to the Doctor Who universe and face off against the 11^th Doctor. 



Ok it is in book form but who cares one of the iconic villains from the Troughton era has returned and I couldn’t be happier.  But enough of my love fest with The Ice Warriors how was the actual book?

The book was awesome.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.  It was the type of book that when you get started reading it you can’t put it down.  The book is actually quite interesting as The Doctor, Amy and Rory have materialized on a planet that is in the heart of winter.  Soon The Doctor and Amy encounter the Morphans.  The Morphans are settlers from Earth trying to get a colony to strive despite the hardships they have encountered.  Rory gets separated from the Doctor and Amy when he returns to the TARDIS to get a coat.  What Rory does discover while trying to catch up to the group is something sinister is lurking.  Something from the Doctor’s past that seems to have thrown a spanner in the works for the Morphans.   But are the Ice Warriors the true threat to life on the planet or is there something far sinister at work. 

Dan Abnett weaved a very enjoyable story that has quite a few surprises and has enough action and character interaction that does not bog down the overall story.  I could easily see this book as a story on television or more accurately a story that could easily have fitted in the classic series.  Maybe that is why I enjoyed the book so much is that it reminded me of the classic series except with the current Doctor taking center stage.  I will always have a soft spot for the classic series because that is what I grew up with and if you love the classic series then I implore you to buy this book now (or later in paperback) and start reading.  You’ll give your brain a satisfying treat.