DW50: A Big Hand for the Doctor

DW50: A Big Hand for the Doctor
Eoin Colfer

Synopsis

     London, 1900. The First Doctor is missing both his hand and his granddaughter, Soul Pirates intent on harvesting human limbs, the Doctor is promised a dangerous journey into a land he may never forget…

     This is the first short story in a series released for the upcoming 50^th anniversary (which was on 23^rd November 2013 - if you didn't know that what planet were you on!) so being a HUGE Doctor Who fan I thought ‘This is going to be my sort of book’ and having read Colfer’s Artemis Fowl books before, I was expecting great things.

     Unfortunately it didn’t meet my expectations. To me, it seems like Colfer’s debut (sorry Eoin) as everything else I have read of his has been so much better. I found it incredibly hard to understand and keep track of, especially as I didn’t read it in one go. It didn’t seem to flow, one minute you were here and the next, unexpectedly, you were there.

     It also didn’t seem like the qwerky, spontaneous Doctor that we all know and love. He doesn’t seem as fussed about the safety of Susan as much as he does his later companions, and she’s his granddaughter!

     Well, it wasn’t what I was expecting but there are 10 more to come, so things can only get better!

 

This can be purchased in print with all eleven short stories at Waterstones here: 11 Stories... Waterstones and at Amazon here: 11 Stories... Amazon

It can also be purchased on its own as an eBook.

 

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - Percy Jackson Book 1

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - Percy Jackson Book 1
Rick Riordan

Synopsis

     Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood, I never asked to be the son of a Greek god.

     I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. That’s when things really started going wrong. Now I spend my time fighting with swords, battling monsters with my friends and generally trying to stay alive.

     This is the one where Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks I’ve stolen his lightning bolt – and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.

 
 
     This is a fantastic concept for a series. Centered around 12-year-old Percy Jackson, a half-blood, and his two friends, Annabeth, also a half-blood, and Grover, a Satyr, this book follows them through the trials and tribulations that come hand in hand with being a demigod and trying to return Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt.

     Along the Way we meet an array of Greek Gods and hear re-worked myths and legends, lending themselves perfectly to the modern New York setting. Starting at the Yancy Academy, we follow Percy and his best, and only, friend Grover on a school trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with Maths teacher Mrs. Dodds and the wheelchair bound Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner. After an unfortunate incident at the museum in which his Maths teacher is accidently vaporized, Percy is plunged straight into an unfamiliar world full of Greek Gods and Myths, Mythical Beats and Quests and a Summer Camp quite unlike any you have seen before.

  Having first discovered that his best friend, Grover, is a Satyr - half Goat – and that his Latin teacher from Yancy Academy, Mr. Brunner, is actually a Centaur called Chiron, you’d forgive him for seeming a bit overwhelmed upon his arrival to Camp Half-Blood. But then to be told that you are the Son of Poseidon! That is a lot for Percy to take in! And it is also a sure sign that this is going to be a fantastic read.

     After Percy is offered a quest to return the stolen lightning bolt, he, Annabeth and Grover meet Furies, Hades, Medusa, a Chimera, Ares and even Poseidon and Zeus. This book is a great introduction to this series. The characters are very endearing and the perils they suffer get you genuinely worried! The strong bonds of friendship between the protagonists is fantastic to read, with the sarcastic comments shared between Annabeth and Percy making you give a little giggle and also the joint history which Annabeth and Grover share give us a little mystery to wonder about. The fast paced writing is fantastic and keeps you on your toes. There is never a dull moment and makes for a very addictive read.

You can buy The Lightning Thief at Waterstones here: The Lightning Thief: Waterstones

And also at Amazon here: The Lightning Thief: Amazon