Donna Noble: Kidnapped (From the Worlds of Doctor Who)

As those who know me already know, Donna Noble, as played by the superbly talented Catherine Tate, is my absolute favorite companion that has ever graced the world of Doctor Who.  From her introduction in "The Runaway Bride" Christmas special some years ago, to her full season of episodes, to her return in the last two David Tenant specials, to the numerous books and audio books, and now in the upcoming mini-series of episodes once again starring David Tenant, I have loved this character without end!  A few years ago, Big Finish Productions, who has been producing Doctor Who audio books for many years now, as well as Dark Shadows audio stories continuing and building upon the original series, put out a five-disc special audio series starring none other than Donna Noble herself!  I immediately bought the box set, but unfortunately, as my car CD player had quit working by then, I did not have the opportunity to listen to it.  Well, a recent vacation with a rental car gave me plenty of driving time within which to listen to the CDs, and I can say the story (and hearing Catherine Tate's voice once again!) was well worth the wait!

Donna Noble: Kidnapped is a four-part story that is made up of four short stories with an over-arching tale of alien invasion.  While each of the four tales is written by a different author, the characterization remains consistent throughout all of them.  Catherine Tate, of course, reprises her role as Donna Noble, while Jacqueline King once again plays Donna's mother.  Dan Starkey, who is a long time Doctor Who actor who has played numerous roles over the years, takes on a couple of characters in the stories.  Wrapping up the main cast is Niky Wardley as Donna's best mate, Natalie, and Isla Blair as a speed dating organizer named Marge.  Most of the other characters are specific to each of the four tales, and at the very end, there is a special appearance by David Tennant as the 10th Doctor!

 

The story takes place shortly after the two-part "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead" episodes in series four, in which Donna finds herself in an alternate reality where she is married and has two children.  Coming back to this reality has left Donna a bit rattled, as she still remembers her husband and children and must deal with the loss of them as mere memories for a reality that no longer exists.  These four short audio tales touch upon that loss and further Donna's relationship with her overly-controlling mother (although, admittedly, we see a side of Sylvia Noble that we haven't seen before, which may alter the view of those who find the character not likable at all!).  They work seamlessly into the "between episodes" of the fourth series, and it's loads of fun to see Donna take all that she has learned while traveling with the Doctor and basically ask herself, "What Would the Doctor Do?"

The first story, "Out of this World," sets the stage for the whole adventure.  Donna reluctantly joins her friend Natalie for a night of speed dating - in which the two meet a mysterious young man who takes a rather healthy interest in Donna.  She wonders if perhaps he was sent by the Doctor, but it quickly becomes clear that aliens are involved, and when she, Natalie, and a couple of others are beamed aboard a spaceship, Donna is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the TARDIS!

"Spinvasion" continues the adventures of the Doctor ... er, I mean Donna (who is now passing herself off as "The Doctor") her companion (a/k/a best friend) Nat.  Donna manages to get her and Nat away from the alien spaceship, but they crash onto a planet that is being invaded - willingly!  A marketing team has convinced the citizens of the planet that they actually want to to be invaded, and Donna knows that she must free these people - after all, it's what the Doctor would do!

The next tale, "The Sorcerer of Albion," find Donna and Nat trying desperately to get back home - and they manage to get to Earth, only a few centuries too early.  It's the Middle Ages, and an aging sorcerer mistakes Donna for an incarnation of Merlin - and he captures her, doing everything in his power to steal her "magic" so he can defeat the monsters that are attacking his realm.  But Donna and Nat quickly come to question who is the real monster here?

The adventures of Donna and Nat conclude with "The Chiswick Cuckoos," as the troublemaking twosome manage to get home - only to discover that an alien plot has already hatched, and Donna is smack dab at the center of it!  There's only one person who can save Earth, and Donna and Nat are the only two who can free the Doctor so he can put an end to the machinations of ... well, no, that would be telling!  Let's just say in this four-part story, you can't really be sure that anyone is who they say they are...

So much adventures, so much danger, so much alien action, and so much fun - we definitely need more adventures of Donna Noble!  Are you paying attention, Big Finish?  MORE DONNA NOBLE!  After all, she's so much more than just a temp from Chiswick!

RATING:  10 mail flyers advertising speed dating out of 10 for giving fans a much needed fix of Donna Noble - but definitely leaving us all wanting for more!

Doctor Who, the 10th Doctor with Donna Audio Book - Volume 3.3 - The Creeping Death

I recently took a trip up to Jacksonville with a friend to visit the Chamblin Book Mine (a huge, huge, HUGE used book store).  Normally, I have the radio blaring, but with my friend in the car - someone who also happens to be a big Doctor Who fan, and who loves Donna Noble nearly as much as me! - we decided to listen to the third of the three 10th Doctor/Donna Noble audio stories.  The two hour trip there and return trip home gave us plenty of time to enjoy this latest story of my favorite Doctor/companion pairing.

The Creeping Death, written by Roy Gill, takes the Doctor and Donna to London in the early 1950s. Donna is hoping to have a vacation, but as it always turns out, the TARDIS has other plans for the Doctor and his companion! The Doctor and Donna arrive in London to find it enveloped with a deadly smog, so thick one can barely breathe. Donna is ready to go back into the TARDIS and head for someplace sunny and relaxing, but the Doctor knows they were pulled to this place and time for a reason - and anyone who knows the Doctor knows he will never pass up the chance to right a wrong, fix a problem, or help out those in need. So, off he goes, and before you can say, "Wait a minute," the the Doctor and Donna get separated in the ever swirling smog that makes it nearly impossible to see where you are going.

The Doctor meets up with young Ivy Clark, who works in a movie theater. But something strange has happened in there, and Ivy is crying out for help.  The Doctor can't help himself, and he runs to investigate, only to find the theater filled with dead people - all of whom seem to have died of suffocation.  Ivy tells the Doctor that things came into the theater - tiny, like insects - and killed all of those people. And when those shadowy things show up again, with their buzzing, the Doctor and Ivy do the one thing the Doctor does best - they run!

Meanwhile, Donna bumps into someone of her own - literally!  As she searches for the Doctor, a gentleman by the name of Terry Hopkins knocks into Donna, as he doesn't see her in the smog.  After a rather rocky start, Donna comes to like Terry (not in that way!) and joins him as he heads off to meet Richard Cooper, who just so happens to be his boyfriend (shhhh!  don't say that too loud - after all, it's only 1952, and their love is not something people of that time take too kindly to!).

It isn't long before circumstances reunite the Doctor and Donna and bring Ivy, Terry, and Richard, along with an overly dramatic stage actress named Alice and an out-of-shape vacuum salesman named Malcolm together at the bus station, where they find themselves trapped against an unknown enemy who seems intent on killing more people.  But the Doctor has a plan - he's ALWAYS got a plan - and soon enough, the survivors from the bus station (you don't really think I'm going to give things away, do you?) head over to the local museum for a final confrontation with these alien smog creatures (and before you ask - no, it is not those crab-like creatures from the Martha Jones season).  The final confrontation is serious, but fun, with plenty of danger and excitement, and provides a spectacular ending in true Doctor Who fashion!

Gill has a very firm grip on the characters of the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble - their dialogue and actions are so consistent with the television show that this feels very much like a missing episode from series 4 of the new Doctor Who.  The sound effects and music do not overpower the dialogue, as a previous audio or two have done in the past, and it makes for much easier listening and much greater enjoyment of the story.  Of all the Doctor/Donna audios to date, this one could very well be my favorite so far.

Now, to patiently wait for the Donna Noble solo audio stories to come out...

RATING:  10 glowing rocks from outer space out of 10 for continuing the adventures of Donna Noble's time with the Doctor in such a wonderful way!

Doctor Who, the 10th Doctor with Donna Audio Book - Volume 3.2 - One Mile Down

Each and every chance I get to see/hear/read a new story with Donna Noble as the Doctor's companion, I'm going to be there! I love me some Donna Noble, and it's a shame that actress Catherine Tate only stayed with the show for the one season. I am happy, however, that she has come back twice now to do audio stories with David Tennant, and that there are even some upcoming stories of Donna on her own (I'm assuming those will be set in the time period before she found the Doctor again in that fourth season opening episode, "Partners in Crime"). While the first of these new audio stories was not exactly the best, this second one more than made up for it.

"One Mile Down" finds the Doctor taking Donna to the underwater city of Vallarasee.This is supposed to be a pleasant little vacation, but, as usual, anything with the Doctor involved is anything but. There is something strange going on in Vallarassee. The entire city has been sealed off, and the natural citizens are forced to wear helmets to allow them to breathe so that all of the above-world dwellers can see the wonderful sites of this city. At the same time, there are quite a number of Judoon patrolling the streets, which is unusual where there is no criminal activity. The Doctor is suspicious, but Donna joins right along with the other tourists to see the historic sites and enjoy the tours offered by the native Fins.

But cracks are forming in the protective shell that keeps the city safe from all of the water surrounding it. And the city officials are pretending there is nothing wrong. Anyone who says otherwise is thrown in prison as a dissenter. And when a portion of the shell breaks, allowing water to come rushing in, nearly drowning a number of tourists, the Doctor and Donna are off to save the day!

Catherine Tate really shines in this audio drama as Donna, with her typical sarcasm, her strong-willed, headstrong personality, and her no-nonsense attitude that isn't afraid to question anything or anyone that doesn't seem right. David Tennant is his jovial self as the Doctor, with his willingness to help those in need, but at the same time, his unwillingness to allow anyone to endanger the life of others simply for profit and self-gain.  This story is a perfect example of why the Doctor-Donna team was such a perfect pairing, and I'm truly thankful that Big Finish continues to provide us with more stories of these two - that one season on TV was simply not enough.

The production of this audio is much better than the last - the music is not quite so overpowering, and the dialogue is much easier to hear and understand.  The characters are clearly differentiated and easily identified when they are speaking, and the action sequences are powerfully performed. I am a bit disappointed that the Judoon spoke in regular dialogue rather than their standard "No To Fro To Po Lo" language. Of course, with the TARDIS translation thing in effect, I guess Donna would understand them...

Which brings the one continuity problem - if Donna met the Judoon in this story, which clearly takes place before her final two-part episode in the fourth season of the television show, then why did she not recognize them when she and the Doctor went to the Shadow Proclamation, and why did she hear them talk in their native language, rather than translated by the TARDIS? Ah, the whole suspension of disbelief thing comes into play here, I suppose.  Regardless, this was a great story and gives me high hopes for the third audio drama in this set.

RATING:  8 junior Judoons-in-training out of 10 for keeping with the style, form, and characterization of the Russel T. Davies' Doctor/Donna relationship and using it to tell a great story!

Doctor Who, the 10th Doctor with Donna Audio Book - Volume 3.1 - No Place

Anything with Donna Noble - and I do mean ANYTHING - I am going to get! She was, is, and always will be my favorite companion of the Doctor. So, when Big Finish announced another set of Doctor Who audio adventures starring Catherine Tate as the oh-so-lovable Donna Noble, I could not wait.  I pre-ordered them, and as soon as I got them, I plopped the first one in. I was so excited to hear David Tennant and Catherine Tate reprise their roles, along with Bernard Cribbins and Jacqueline King as Donna's grandfather and mother, respectively, that I could hardly contain myself. Unfortunately, this first story was a bit of a let-down...

No Place finds the Doctor, Donna, Sylvia, and Wilfred taking part in a reality, ghost-hunting show at a supposed haunted house. As the story opens, listeners are basically thrown into the middle of it - the Doctor, Donna, Sylvia, and Wilfred are already in the house, and the ghost hunters have set up shop and are following the four "family" members as they go about their business. Justin, who is the lead ghost hunter, is determined to find out whether this house is truly haunted, or if there is a logical explanation for everything that happens. Of course, we know - if the Doctor is involved, there is a pretty good chance - 100% chance! - that something is going on. But what is it, why is it, and who is it - those are the questions to be answered.

While the premise behind the story is actually pretty cool, the execution leaves a bit to be desired. Perhaps if this were an actual episode with visuals, it might have been easier to enjoy. But with just audio, it is a bit jumbled, particularly in the beginning, trying to figure out who is who. There are no real introduction to the ghost hunter cast, and honestly, I found it difficult at times to determine just who was speaking. Catherine Tate was obvious (she has that distinctive style about her voice), and Sylvia was fairly easy to spot. Wilfred is sounding a bit older, so it made his voice relatively easy to discern. Surprisingly, it was the Doctor who was not always clear, making me wonder if David Tennant did voices for more than just one character in the audio. Plus, with a number of supporting characters within the ghost hunting crew, it just made it all the more confusing when listening.

That being said, it was really nice to hear the Noble family all together again. David Tennant's third season as the Doctor was by far my favorite, and Donna - - well, she's Donna, how can she not be my favorite? So any chance to hear her and the Doctor I will take, regardless of how good it is. The interaction between Tate, Cribbins, and King is priceless, as they truly have a chemistry that makes them sound like and feel like a real family, with all the squabbles, the annoyances, but ultimately, the love and concern for one another. It was a bit surprising to see Sylvia actually go along with one of the Doctor's plans, considering how little she thought of him in the series.  Not really sure where this is set within the time frame of Donna's journeys with the Doctor, but I would assume it was likely to have occurred after the "atmos" Sontaran storyline, since that was the time when Sylvia really got to see the Doctor at work.

The "ghost" in the story, of course, turns out to be alien in nature, and I will admit, that was probably one of the most interesting parts of the story.  I'm not going to spoil it, but I will say that it does give the writers a chance to show just who the Doctor is and what he is made of (and also gives that growing part of Donna's caring side to shine through).  So, again, while the execution was a bit rough, the underlying story was definitely Doctor Who through and through.

Only two more Donna stories to listen to ... so I'm spacing them out, so as not to run out of Donna Noble too soon!

RATING:  6 holes in the ground out of 10 for satisfying, all too briefly, that need for a Donna-fix!

Doctor Who: Tales of Terror

Most days, I still can’t believe what a fan of Doctor Who I’ve become.  From those days of listening to my best friend talk about it (and me sitting there letting it go in one ear and out the other), to now, when I know all about the different incarnations of the character, the actors who have portrayed him, all his various companions, and the villainous creatures he has faced over the years.  It’s definitely surprising, but in a good way.

This newest anthology of stories, Doctor Who: Tales of Terror, I purchased for one reason and one reason only – it has a story where Donna Noble is the Doctor’s companion.  As soon as I saw her name on the pages of the 10^th Doctor’s story, I knew I would be buying this book.  But, since I bought it, I was determined to read all twelve stories, not just the one about my all-time favorite companion.  And while the tales may have been written to terrify the readers, they did the exact opposite for me – they thoroughly entertained me.

From the 1^st Doctor’s face-off with the Toymaker (with the help of Steven and Dodo), to the 2^nd Doctor’s battle with a dark creature from the time vortex (alongside Ben, Polly, and his latest companion, Jamie), to the 3^rd Doctor and Jo Grant’s encounter with one of the Doctor’s oldest enemies. Sarah Jane and Harry find themselves in danger that only the 4^th Doctor can save them from, while Tegan and Turlough are saved from the Mara by the 5^th Doctor’s genius nature.  The 6^th Doctor finds himself haunted by his past, and the 7^th Doctor and Ace confront a haunting in the past.  The 8^th Doctor discovers that everyone is not who they seem onboard a pleasure cruise, and the 9^th Doctor reveals where everyone that has disappeared from a travelling circus have really gone!

Then there’s the 10^th Doctor and Donna Noble.  The story I was waiting for.  The sole reason I bought this book.  And author Richard Dungworth did not let me down.  The Doctor-Donna team play a deadly game with the ever-vicious Family of Blood, who have discovered they no longer need the Doctor to find immortality, but rather, his TARDIS.  Dungworth captures the clever dynamic that make the Doctor-Donna so enjoyable to watch and read, and I could almost hear Catherine Tate’s voice speaking the somewhat put-off, never one to be put-down lines of Donna every time she thinks the Doctor is getting the better of her.  And her snipes to the Family are spot-on!  Of course, it goes without saying that they outwit the Family and reunite them in a fitting punishment before the dynamic duo head off for their next adventure…

Leaving the 11^th Doctor to dispel the purple haze that nearly places a family in mortal danger at the hands of the Weeping Angels, with the 12^th Doctor rounding things out as he puts an end to Nestene’s attempt to raise an army of autons to take over the Earth!

Each story has a pen and ink illustration that highlights the “monster of the tale,” so to speak, and while some do include and Doctor and his companions, sadly, the Donna story does not – we simply get a taste of how innocent real horror can be when it wants to be!  Although I’ve finished these twelves tales of terror, I know it won’t be long until the newest Doctor hits the small screen (and if I can’t wait, well, I still have a few more Doctor Who books that I haven’t read yet to tide me over until then…)

RATING:  10 games of twenty questions out of 10 for reminding readers that no matter which Doctor you like, ultimately, there’s no villain too terrifying for the Doctor and his companions to defeat!

Doctor Who, the 10th Doctor with Donna Audio Book - Volume 3 - Death and the Queen

Ah, the joys of the Doctor-Donna pairing.  I was never a Doctor Who fan until the new series started with Christopher Eccleston, and although I enjoyed those first three seasons, nothing compared to my love of the show until that fourth season when Donna Noble, as played by Catherine Tate, appeared! She was funny, she was snippy, and she was never afraid to call the Doctor out on things.  So when her character was written out after only one season, I was really disappointed.

Until the books carried on the stories - for four books.  And then there were several audio stories that continued the pairing.  But there were only three or four of those.  So I couldn't fill my Doctor-Donna fix - until Big Finnish came back with some full-cast audio dramas featuring both David Tennant and Catherine Tate reprising their iconic roles!  And after listening to the first two, I put off listening to this third and final story, because I knew once I had listened to it, that would once again be the end of my Doctor-Donna stories.

But this final story was well worth the wait!

Death and the Queen, written by James Goss (who has written in the Doctor Who universe a number of times over the years), perfectly captures the companionship and friendship that existed between the Doctor and Donna.  The little barbs and quips kept me smiling, and the non-stop action right from the get-go kept my full attention throughout the entire story.

The story centers around Donna (around whom ALL stories should center, in my opinion!), who has met her Prince Charming and is set to marry him.  Fans of the series may recall that Donna first met the Doctor on her wedding day (which didn't turn out well at all, so that should be a sign of what direction this story is headed), and Goss even manages to slip in a cute reference to that prior wedding.  We get a few quick flashbacks that provide all the backstory we need to get us to the point where Donna is ready to be married, but the Doctor suspects there is something way too sinister going on for him to allow her to get married in peace.

For one thing, the Prince comes from a planet/land of which the Doctor has never heard - and the Doctor knows everything, having pretty much been everywhere in the known universe.  That's the first red flag.  Then there's the fact that the Prince and his mum are set to go forward with the wedding, even though there is something out there that is slowly destroying the surrounding towns outside of the castle.  Donna, being Donna, does what she does best - she brings all of the surviving townspeople into the castle to keep them safe, much to the chagrin of the Queen Mum.  There's friction on all sides, but it is a wedding after all, and not even death itself will stop it from happening.

Of course, that's maybe because Death is an invited guest at the wedding - and maybe because Donna isn't set to be wed to the Prince she thought she was marrying!  Goss throws in several surprise twists, and the ultimate showdown between the Doctor and Donna and the Prince of Death himself is one worthy of Russell T. Davies himself!

I thoroughly enjoyed this final tale (only for now, I hope!) of the Doctor-Donna pairing, and I am thankful it ended on such a well-written note!

RATING:  10 inscribed undergarments out of 10 for keeping the memory of Donna Noble alive with stories like this!

Doctor Who, the 10th Doctor with Donna Audio Book - Volume 2 - Time Reaver

Simply put, there has never been a better pairing of Doctor and Companion than the David Tennant / Catherine Tate partnership of the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble.  Their quick retorts, their ease with one another, their interaction - it all comes across so naturally, so real, that you believe it.  I know fans of the original Doctors will say that the 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane were the best pairing, but having never watched those old shows, I'll stick with my love of the Doctor/Donna.

The second new audio adventure Time Reaver, just goes to further prove my belief.  The author, Jenny T. Colgan, not only has a real feel for the characters, but she clearly loves the Donna years, for the story is riddled with echoes that hearken back to the 4th season shows - from the man looking at the bomb strapped to Donna's back and saying, "There's something on your back," to the villain talking about the "Journey's End," to the Doctor discussing with Donna his desire to visit a place with lots of a books.  "A library," Donna says.  My inner-geek just thrilled with each and every reference!

The story itself was very Doctor Who-esque.  The Doctor and Donna have come to Calibris to get an item the Doctor needs to fix a part on the TARDIS. But on this spaceport, where anything goes and there have never been any rules, they suddenly find that a race of Vacintians are trying to enforce order on an otherwise lawless planet.  The Doctor wants to know why.  And when the Doctor discovers that an illegal weapon known as the Time Reaver is on the planet, he and Donna must hunt down the seller before it is distributed into the wrong hands.  The Time Reaver slows down a person's life - so much so, in fact, that the person can feel an eternity in just one second.  So imagine what would happen if the person were hit with the Time Reaver just when there is an explosion - he or she would feel the pain and agony of that explosion for an eternity!

I will admit that a couple of the actors that they picked to voice the other characters sounded similar to David Tennant and Catherine Tate, so every once in a while as I was listening, I had to pay close attention to make sure who was actually talking.  Otherwise, though, this audio was pretty much flawless - fantastic story, brilliant acting, and a great spot of time well-spent.  Could very easily see this one being an episode on television, particularly with regards to the couple of twists thrown in about the individual who has the Time Reaver, why that person has it, and how it all connects to the Vacintians and their dying planet.

RATING:  10 corset-crunching wench dresses out of 10 for keeping the Doctor/Donna alive and well for us fans!

Doctor Who, the 10th Doctor with Donna Audio Book - Volume 1 - Technophobia

I've been waiting for these Doctor/Donna full-cast audio CDs to come out for a while.  But after the let-down when reading the recent book that came out with these two, I started listening to this with a bit of trepidation.  Thankfully, the author (Matt Fitton) and the cast (including David Tennant and Catherine Tate) proved more than up to the challenge of bringing back this dynamic duo as the 10th Doctor and his best-ever companion, Donna Noble.

Donna Noble has always been (and will always be!) my favorite Doctor Who companion.  She is quick-witted, sarcastic, and never afraid to dress someone down if they disrespect her.  She's also never afraid to call the Doctor out on things if he isn't exactly handling things the way she feels they need to be handled.  And Fitton definitely 'gets' Donna.  Her characterization in this story is spot on, as is the 10th Doctor, with his fun-loving quirkiness that never takes himself too seriously and always offers any alien threat an opportunity to walk away before he does whatever he has to in order to protect the lives of the innocent.

In Technophobia, the Doctor and Donna pay a visit to London's Technology Museum, where they discover something is not quite right.  The technology seems to be attacking the visitors and employees of the Museum, and no one seems to be able to control any of it.  In fact, the more terrorizing the technology becomes, the more afraid people grow, to the point where they refuse to go anywhere near anything that is technologically based.  Except for the Doctor and Donna, of course.  And the receptionist, who just got back from a three-month back-packing trip. Which raises an alarm in the Doctor's mind, as he and Donna slowly come to the realizing it is not the technology that is doing anything - rather, it is actually the people who are changing.  They are losing their ability to understand and cope with the technology around them - from even the simplest coffee maker to the elevators and escalators to the high tech laptops.  The human race has sudden devolved in their intelligence and growing dumber by the second.

In true Doctor Who fashion, it is up to the Doctor and Donna to save all of humanity.  But how? And when the Doctor becomes infected with the virus and finds his own intelligence dwindling by the minute, it is up to Donna to put her noggin to good use and figure out how the bloody hell she's going to stop an alien race intent on wiping out the minds of the human race and creating a population of mindless slaves!

Excellent writing, fantastic characterization, and brilliant reading by the cast.  The Doctor and Donna are back and just as good as, if not better than, ever!  Can't wait to see what the second story holds in store...

RATING:  10 subway trains out of 10 for bringing this Donna Noble fanboy some great new stories of his favorite companion!

Doctor Who (the 10th Doctor) - In the Blood

I was so excited about the news that Donna Noble was coming back to Doctor Who - yes, it was only in book form (both audio and written), but I didn't care.  Anything to fill my fix for more Donna Noble!  In the Blood, a new novel by Jenny T. Colgan, is the first book featuring the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna Noble.  It goes without saying that I couldn't postpone reading this book, no matter how many books are in line ahead!

Sadly, I wish I had waited...

Perhaps my expectations were too high, or perhaps Ms. Colgan just really didn't get the characters as well as she should have.  But the Doctor / Donna in this book are not by any means the Doctor / Donna I have come to love so much.  I can see that Colgan made an effort to give Donna a sarcastic, bossy edge.  I can tell that she worked hard to make the Doctor bubbly and energetic.  But quite frankly, it just didn't work.  This book read nowhere near as well as the four books and four audios that have come before, all of which captured the true essence of both the 10th Doctor and Donna so wonderfully.  For me, neither character came alive in this story.

In the Blood finds the Doctor and Donna racing against time to stop a virus - one that starts out in the internet, but manages to infect humans, feeding on their anxiety and anger, causing them to become so angry, so violent, that they die from heart failure (but not before feeling an icy finger touch their heart).  When Donna's grandfather, Wilf, becomes infected, it becomes personal.  Along the way, they meet and keep a careful eye on an alien mercenary who has been sent to find whoever is causing this infection and put an end to him.  The Doctor, however, intends to beat him to the punch, to avoid any more death.  Donna does prove herself to be invaluable, albeit uncertain and down on herself, but in the end, she comes through for the Doctor and proves once again just how important she is to the Doctor (and the universe).

It takes a bit to get into the story - it's not your typical Doctor Who tale, and there is quite a bit of death and killing in the book (considering the Doctor abhors violence and prefers peace and saving lives to taking them).  The story spans a considerable time, since they travel the globe without the aid of the TARDIS, and there are some jumps in time to avoid having to spend pages simply telling of their airplace, auto, and train rides.  The ending, though...well, the ending made me smile, and it gave me flashbacks to the last Donna episode.

I hope the upcoming books and audios will be considerably better than this - for as much as I love Donna, I don't want to see her written so poorly.  (And the author clearly is familiar with Catherine Tate as an actress outside of Doctor Who, as she throws in a couple of Easter Egg lines from Tate's variety show - when Donna talks about something being "for losers" and later, she makes the remark, "Innit."  Those familiar with one of Tate's characters from her variety show will recognize those lines immediately)

Never thought I'd be disappointed with a book with Donna Noble in it...

RATING:  5 diluted Rempaths out of 10 just for having a Doctor Who book with Donna Noble in it.