Rating: 
Summary: CLOSED / OPEN
Review: With SEEING I, we bring to a close the three book DOCTOR WHO mini-series that began with THE LONGEST DAY (which was followed by a solo Doctor intermission in THE LEGACY OF THE DALEKS), and followed by DREAMSTONE MOON - and up until now each story has tried to build on the one previous - but with little luck and even less entertainment. But with SEEING I we end on a high note which not only entertains, but also drops a few plot lines and problems with Sam that had dogged her since she first arrived on board the TRADIS. As for the story, it's a straight forward affair that will at once cause a few yawns, but at the same time open a few eyes (pun intended). The Doctor is still searching for Sam, and now having found her at the opening of the story, he is arrested and locked away for several years while we, the reader, pick up and follow Sam from girl to young woman as she lands without a friend on a distant planet, joins a environmental group, shakes up the place and battles a mega corporation - and all the while is allowed to grow up. I've never been a big fan of the Sam character. She was boring, annoying and her attraction to the Doctor was always a problem for me (and most writers tried to turn her into some kind of "sex object" for the Doctor to notice - see OPTION LOCK for the dreaded wet T-shirt scene), but here, finally, she allowed to grow up, acquire some skills (which she was seriously lacking in the previous novels - unless you consider screaming and running skills), and have a mind of her own. Like the rest of the series though, the fireworks are held back until the final third of the book and it's all rush, rush, rush from there until the last page, leaving the reader with abrupt conclusion to a story which was neither that exciting or surprising to begin with. SEEING I is not for first time readers, but for fans, it's one of the best and worth picking up.
Rating: 
Summary: Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here
Review: Wow, what a book! Starting with Sam in a homeless shelter (It's gritty, but good to see a companion live in the Real World for a change); to the Doctor fighting for his sanity in a kinder, gentler prison, this book will rock your socks off by the end. First of all, THANK GOD Sam gets to grow up! Secondly, I must admit my skin started to crawl at the description of what is done to the Doctor; how it affects him and the aftermath. Yikes. Thirdly, the "I" are a very interesting creation. They sound pretty, and yet if you see one you should run as fast as you can (and faster) in the opposite direction. And ladies, if you are into Hurt/Comfort stories at all, this book is for you. Fans of Sci-Fi will understand this reference. I promise you will ache to hold the poor, battered Doctor in your arms and smother him with love and protection. You get to pick the method of Love and Protection, of course. All in all, I still say the team of Orman and Blum make a perfect story and understand the heart of the Doctor Who fan intimately. They write the best DW books around!
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