Rating: 
Summary: This is the one. The. One
Review: A pox on those reviewers who reveal the best bits in this, a forum discussing buyability of product! Suffice to say, this is the best written, best plotted, best characterised, best smelling and cleanest Doctor Who novel yet. Bar none.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Stuff!
Review: I didn't manage to get my hands on a copy of The Witch Hunters until well after it had come out. While I had tried very much to avoid spoilers, I did start hearing that it was an excellent read. On the other hand, Steve Lyons was new to me, I had never read any of his previous Who outings. The Witch Hunters is set between Reign of Terror and Planet of the Giants. No stretch there, a nice gap in which to set MA's. Season 1 has always been one of my favorites, and one which is not often visited in the MA's. One of the main points of The Witch Hunters is the Doctor's belief that you must, "not change history. Not one line." as seen in The Aztechs. Only this time it is Susan who questions the idea, and after a brief visit to Salem in the 1690's, uses the Fast Return Switch (seen in The Edge of Destruction) to return to Salem to try to change the tragedy from occurring. Of course this just ends up getting the whole crew involved in the troubles and has Ian accused of being a Warlock. A classic early Who setup, but the novel form allows everything to have a darker twist. It is set after the bloodiest Who setting to date (The Reign of Terror), the crew thinks they have seen the worst, only to get hit with something nastier. Susan and Ian are torn from the Doctor, and the Doctor and Barbara are forced to leave in the TARDIS. Ian is imprisoned and Susan is taken in by a Priest. Susan is setup for one of the first times since An Unearthly Child as being truly alien. Her mental powers are emerging and they amplify the troubles for her. Ian comes across once again as the heroic protector of the group and his portrayal is right on par with the rest of the first season. (As an intersting side note, this is one of 2 adventures Ian refers to in the newly released Crusade linking material). His caring for Barbara also comes across very well. Barbara also is right on. It is interesting as she is in a different position than she was in The Aztechs arguing for change. She still thinks they should change history a bit, but is careful to consult the history books after the adventure picks up pace. The Doctor truly shines through. The charecterization is good, but more than that, his hidden thoughts are partially revealed, piercing the hard exterior. The book leaves us in some doubt if perhaps the Doctor did change history, but just one line. The afterward with Rebecca Nurse is absolutely priceless. Bottom Line: Amazing stuff. I may have read better in the BBC line, but not much. Certainly the best of the PDA's.
Rating: 
Summary: Slightly Flawed, But Still a Worthwhile Read
Review: I give "The Witch Hunters" a thumbs-up. It wasn't flawless, but it was definately a good read. The main characters were well portrayed and accurate to the first season of "Doctor Who". Character traits established in "The Edge of Destruction" (aka "Inside the Spaceship"), "The Aztecs", and "The Sensorites" were nicely incorporated into this story. We also gained some insight into why the First Doctor urged his companions to not try to change history. The Salem characters did not fare as well. Almost all of them felt like they had been cut from the same cloth. A character was either an accuser or an accused, but beyond that there didn't seem to be much difference between them. The plot had several unexpected twists and turns. On the down side, the plot seemed to wander aimlessly for about fifty pages in the middle. But the beginning and the end were well paced, and the book made nice use of shifts in time that would have been more difficult to achieve had the show been televised. My one major complaint: At one point, the TARDIS leaves Salem and arrives in Bristol on opening night of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", a play based on the Salem witch hunts. I found this bit of coincidence to be absurdly unnecessary. In my mind, the point of the scene was to let Susan find out what became of the people in Salem. It could have been accomplished by having the characters visit a modern-day (or future-day) library or take a trip to the movies. But no, we have to get "The Crucible" on opening night. Too much dramatc license for my tastes. Overall, though, the book was very enjoyable. Not quite as good as "The Plotters" or "The Empire of Glass", but not nearly as dreadful as "Invasion of the Cat People".
Rating:
Summary: Toil & Trouble
Review: I really enjoyed this book, I thought the characters (the Salem residents) were portrayed probably pretty realistically, considering the hysteria which gripped the town at that time. I also liked the way the Doctor and his companions handled the situation, except that I was disappointed with Susan's insistence to return to Salem and continue trying to solve an unresolvable situation--you'd think a supposedly more intelligent life form would shrug it off as one of those matters that couldn't be meddled with--but of course, if she hadn't, there would have been no story! Otherwise, I thought it was a great story and enjoyed it very much.
Rating:
Summary: Very glad I found it!
Review: I was interested in some new 1st Doctor material, and in honor of Halloween, I started to read "The Witch Hunters." This is a wonderful book! The 1st Doctor, Barbara, Ian, and Susan land in Salem just before the witch trials, and of course, the four travellers get involved -- circumstantially as well as emotionally. In fact, the travelers involvement extend much more than just a casual participation in history. The high emotion of Salem village reaches the TARDIS crew in one form or another. But, to say anymore would be too much. Suffice it to say, this book pushes the time travelers emotions and skills at getting out of perilous situations to its full limit. We see all four characters, including the Doctor, with more raw, deeper, and exposed emotion. The fact that the weight of history is against them, makes this adventure all the more frightening, wondering if the travelers will escape. My only complaint about the book is the convenient use of the TARDIS Fast Return Switch. (...)The ending alone is worth it.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Job since I have ever read so far BBC series
Review: One of my favorite DW writers is Steve Lyons. I am familiar about his DW since Virgin DW series. It is his first DW book about the first Doctor and his companions, Susan, Ian and Barbara from BBC series. I believe the important aspect of this book is to focus on how Susan will grow up during her ordeal of Salem Witch Hunt trial. She will be experienced with the bitter lesson of the time travel. She realized quickly her mistakes about changing any historical events. She has learned to let history be often as it is. It was a reality bite experience for her. Just give a warning to any future readers. [I hope BBC will reprint it in a future.] I feel you may feel disturbed with emotional/psychic content of "Witch Hunters". Witch hunters' psychic/emotional disturbances are well dispicted at the event happening in Salem village. At some several moments during reading it, I felt bit suffcated with these heavy emotional/psychic contents from this book. Though the book is excellently written, I feel it may be not an easy reading for those who are as emotionally and psychically sensititve as I am.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Job since I have ever read so far BBC series
Review: One of my favorite DW writers is Steve Lyons. I am familiar about his DW since Virgin DW series. It is his first DW book about the first Doctor and his companions, Susan, Ian and Barbara from BBC series. I believe the important aspect of this book is to focus on how Susan will grow up during her ordeal of Salem Witch Hunt trial. She will be experienced with the bitter lesson of the time travel. She realized quickly her mistakes about changing any historical events. She has learned to let history be often as it is. It was a reality bite experience for her. Just give a warning to any future readers. [I hope BBC will reprint it in a future.] I feel you may feel disturbed with emotional/psychic content of "Witch Hunters". Witch hunters' psychic/emotional disturbances are well dispicted at the event happening in Salem village. At some several moments during reading it, I felt bit suffcated with these heavy emotional/psychic contents from this book. Though the book is excellently written, I feel it may be not an easy reading for those who are as emotionally and psychically sensititve as I am.
Rating:
Summary: Who says Doctor Who historicals can't be good?
Review: Steve Lyons' excellent Doctor Who historical is a "must-read" for all fans of the series. The TARDIS arrives outside of Salem in 1692, although the travellers get the date wrong (they think it is a year earlier) and the Doctor asks his three travelling companions to stay in the village while he repairs the TARDIS. It should have been peaceful... Inevitably, they get caught up in the beginnings of the witch trials, but manage to escape, arriving fortuitously in 1954 (9 years earlier than Ian and Barbara want, to be able to return home) and take in a performance of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible". Seeing the fates of people she knew depicted on the stage, Susan uses the TARDIS' fast return switch to take them back to where they came from. "The Witch Hunters" includes excellent characterisation of the three companions of the Doctor: Susan is young and brash and not quite human, and so forms a catalyst for the witch trials themselves; Ian is still eminently hopeful and heroic, and even believes it may be possible to save some of the victims of the trials; and Barbara is stoic and thoughtful, she has learned her lesson that history cannot change from "The Aztecs" and is now determined to save her fellow travellers above those they meet. As the historical events inevitably unfold, it is the interaction of the four characters with each other and with the inhabitants of Salem that drive the book forward. Not particularly a fun read, but very strongly character-driven - much as the series was at the period in which the novel is supposed to fall.
Rating:
Summary: Who says Doctor Who historicals can't be good?
Review: Steve Lyons' excellent Doctor Who historical is a "must-read" for all fans of the series. The TARDIS arrives outside of Salem in 1692, although the travellers get the date wrong (they think it is a year earlier) and the Doctor asks his three travelling companions to stay in the village while he repairs the TARDIS. It should have been peaceful... Inevitably, they get caught up in the beginnings of the witch trials, but manage to escape, arriving fortuitously in 1954 (9 years earlier than Ian and Barbara want, to be able to return home) and take in a performance of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible". Seeing the fates of people she knew depicted on the stage, Susan uses the TARDIS' fast return switch to take them back to where they came from. "The Witch Hunters" includes excellent characterisation of the three companions of the Doctor: Susan is young and brash and not quite human, and so forms a catalyst for the witch trials themselves; Ian is still eminently hopeful and heroic, and even believes it may be possible to save some of the victims of the trials; and Barbara is stoic and thoughtful, she has learned her lesson that history cannot change from "The Aztecs" and is now determined to save her fellow travellers above those they meet. As the historical events inevitably unfold, it is the interaction of the four characters with each other and with the inhabitants of Salem that drive the book forward. Not particularly a fun read, but very strongly character-driven - much as the series was at the period in which the novel is supposed to fall.
Rating:
Summary: Witch Hunt is fine addition to the "pure" historicals
Review: There isn't very much I want to say. Most of the interesting things that I could say about this book are contained within its pages. The characters are well portrayed. The reader is desperately drawn into their plight and Lyons makes no pretense at maintaining any sort of mystery, instead utilising the sheer tragedy of the Salem witch trials to further capture the reader's interest. All in all a well thought out and interesting book.
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