Doctor Who: Pest Control by Peter Anghelides

Doctor Who: Pest Control by Peter Anghelides is (somewhat obviously) Doctor Who licensed fiction. I listened to it in audiobook form which is the only format it exists in, based on its goodreads page. It's quite short, only running for about two and a half hours. Also, in case you can't read the small print on the cover, it's read by David Tennant.

The Doctor and Donna face monstrous insects and a ruthless robot exterminator in this thrilling, exclusive audio story.

The TARDIS is lost in battle on a distant planet. When the Doctor sets off in pursuit, Donna is left behind, and finds herself accepting a commission in the Pioneer Corps. Something is transforming soldiers into monstrous beetles, and she could be the next victim.

The main reason to read this review is David Tennant's narration. Seriously. I mean, a) it's David Tennant and b) it's a Scottish accent, what's not to like? And the parts where he does the Doctor's voice are awesome because of the contrast between his accents. His take on Donna's voice was pretty amusing and reasonably convincing (although I was a smidge disappointed Catherine Tate wasn't also in it). The minor character voices were also very nicely done. 10 / 10 for the narration.

Unfortunately, that was my favourite thing about it. It's a fun Doctor Who style adventure story, which I suppose is the third best thing about it after the fact that the Tenth Doctor is the best. My least favourite thing was the portrayal of Donna. She was less tough and resourceful than in the show and I was honestly a bit offended on her behalf. Especially when she didn't want to boss people around (way out of character) and spent far too long worrying about her wardrobe. Not at all impressed by this author on that front. Donna was a good companion, but in this book she just... wasn't. And it was not made up for by the Doctor calling her amazing for really not doing much at all.

The only reason I even had this audiobook is because there was a time when I had a surplus of Audible credits and spent them on random Doctor Who (and Torchwood) licensed fiction for my Mum, who is a big Doctor Who fan from way back. I just had a look through the others I have waiting for me and I'm probably going to give them a go, especially since it's such a low time investment (and there aren't any more by this author). They also seem suitable for listening to in the car since they aren't as serious and don't require the commitment of the other audiobooks I have waiting for me. And they make a nice change from podcasts every once in a while.

3.5 / 5 stars (the extra half-star is for David Tennant)

First published: 2008, BBC Audiobooks
Series: Doctor Who, obviously. It fits in somewhere in the season 4 of new Who
Format read: audiobook
Source: Audible, several years ago when I still had a subscription