Customer Reviews:
 Voracious craw May 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Paul Magrs writing Doctor Who is always a tricky prospect. I like his writing, but in the past, particularly in his 8th Doctor work, he has sidelined the Doctor. Not the case here, in which he writes a rather good approximation of Number Ten in a zany adventure in space.
The Voracious Craw is going to eat Tiermann's world, the Doctor and Martha turn up to help the humans resident on the planet to escape, but something odd is going on in the the humans' residence. The house does not want to be abandoned, the family is dysfunctional and malfunctioning and the appliances have more personality than the people.
It's a good story. It blends commentary on family and modern life with a sci-fi threat and plays up the Doctor no end, although Martha (yet again) gets short-changed. It's fun, it's breezy, it's recommended.
 Sick Building February 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A seemingly unstoppable eating machine called (appropriately enough) the Voracious Craw is the ever-present threat in this 16th novel in BBC Book's New Series range, but the real danger comes in the form of the Artificial Intelligence controlling the dream home of would-be evacuee Professor Tiermann and his family, which is understandably peeved when it finds out that the Tiermann's are planning to leave it to it's fate. As with much of Magrs previous Doctor Who novels and audios, 'Sick Building' is quite light, campy and offbeat, and with a robot sunbed and vending machine being major suppoting characters this feels not unlike one of the early Doctor Who Weekly comicstrips.
With time the novels 'murderous house vs humans' plot does get a little repetetive, but this is a light and breezy fun read, and the scenario is bizarre enough to make thisworthwhile. 'Sick Building' may not be an all-time Dotor Who classic, but it is different in a good way.
3.5 out of 5
 doctor who-sick building January 27, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
A thoughtful funny story for older children and adults as well.The Doctor is portrayed well as the funny, eccentric genius and all of the characters are interesting too. It is well written, very entertaining and full of good humor.
Soem good ideas, but... October 28, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The basic premise of this story is fascinating, and there are some wonderfully graphic descriptions, but while Barbara, Toaster and Domovoi are genuinely well-written, the other main "guest cast" are more or less cardboard cut-outs, including the boy I think I was supposed to empathise with. What was supposed to be a revelation about the woman, too, was obvious to me from her first appearance.
The Doctor and Martha are OK, but overall, I found Sick Building one of the more forgettable additions to the Doctor Who range
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