Doctor Who: Wishing Well

Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #19

by Trevor Baxendale

The old village well is just a curiosity - something to attract tourists intrigued by stories of lost treasure, or visitors just making a wish. Unless something alien and terrifying could be lurking inside the well? Something utterly monstrous that causes nothing but death and destruction? But who knows the real truth about the well? Who wishes to unleash the hideous force it contains? What terrible consequences will follow the search for a legendary treasure hidden at the bottom?

No one wants to believe the Doctor's warnings about the deadly horror lying in wait - but soon they'll wish they had...

Featuring the Tenth Doctor and Martha as played by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman in the hit sci-fi series from BBC Television.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Fantasy, Time Travel, Media Tie In

256 pages, Paperback

First published February 13, 2007

About the author

Trevor Baxendale is a novelist who has penned several Doctor Who tie-in novels and audio dramas. He lives in Liverpool, England with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arriving in the small village of Creighton Mere, The Doctor and Martha soon learn of the stories of the old well.
Surely the legend of treasures are just myths?

A great atmospheric adventure, Doctor Who is always at its best when it adds an alien twist to a normal every day item - this time a wishing well.
Both The Doctor and Martha’s characterisations are perfect, the sections with Tommy the cat were seriously creepy!

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid Doctor Who book that doesn't really stand out much but definitely isn't bad. The characters are on point. The story is at times slightly creepy and atmospheric with a good mix of decent side characters and a touch of alien. Feels like you’re reading an average television episode basically.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was fun. Nothing special, just a rip-roaring adventure of the doctor fighting aliens in an english village, now that's just perfick'.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

The old seemingly empty well is a bit of tourist attraction in the village partly due to the legend of lost treasure surrounding it. Turns out that what's actually going on with the well is much more sinister and dangerous. No one wants to listen to the Doctor's and Martha's warnings, but soon they'll wish they had.

I love watching Doctor Who and I've enjoyed the few tie-in books that I've read as well. In this case, Baxendale gets the tone and feel of the series and characters, especially for the Doctor and Martha. I listened to the abridged audiobook production, which did make me wonder what was edited out. The narrator for Wishing Well is Debbie Chazen and she does a great interpretation of Martha. At points, I forgot I wasn't listening to Freema Agyeman, but the actress who played Foon Van Hoff in Voyage of the Damned.

[Emilija · Rating 1 out of 5]

2021 52 Book Challenge - February Mini Challenge - 2) Related To The Word "Magical"

I really wasn't a fan of this novel. It didn't hold my attention, and I just found it really boring.

[KayCee K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Who: Wishing Well by Trevor Baxendale

I was looking forward to this one but then when it started I thought this may not be good but then boom, it became good! I enjoyed the characters in this one more than the last few Doctor Who books; they just have that funny witt to them. I’ve always liked the idea of wishing wells and this story puts a whole new twist on what’s at the bottom of a wishing well.
The writing styles brings out the Doctors charm quite well; that is a must for me, in every review of a Doctor Who book I always make sure I say something about the Doctor. I’ve learned that I enjoy the older Doctor Who books then the new ones. The main plot seems to be based about treasure, well and what was at the bottom but I felt that is wasn’t that is was just a the front. I like how the two women are wanting to fix the well because its old and falling apart and I feel that it’s important to save history; small or big. I felt sad about the cat. All in all there was a lot going on in this book but it was easy to follow.

[Polly Batchelor · Rating 3 out of 5]

"At the end of this tunnel is the treasure"

[Hidekisohma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, after reading so many classic who books, reading a new adventure feels like i'm cheating it's so easy.

Hearing that tennant was coming back as the 14th doctor i felt it only appropriate that i should go back and read another 10th doctor book even though he isn't one of my favorites. This being my 4th book of his i wasn't expecting a lot, but, i have to say this was definitely one of the better ones.

He and Martha go to this small town in England where there's a legend about a well. Wackiness ensues, some people die, and Tennant has to fight a monster of the week. So basically par for the course.

This is not a story that's going to shake the world. For what it is, it's relatively low key. There's no planets exploding like in Beltempest, he's not chasing down Hitler like "Shadow in the glass", he's just fighting a weird alien plant monster that's in a well. Still though, sometimes a low key story is okay.

The side characters, for the most part are all right. While 'Forever Autumn' (another tennant book) had precocious children, Wishing Well has precocious old people, and honestly, i'll take the latter any day over the former. The side characters were not entirely useless or pointless and actually helped the doctor in the end which i think was pretty cool.

It DID drag a bit towards the middle, but considering it's written in the style of a YA, it wasn't nearly as bad as a boring classic who novel. Tennant was decidedly Tennant, and Martha was in her usual 'doctor fawn' mode. Luckily it wasn't REALLY bad. But you could tell it was there.

The body count was surprisingly low in this one with only 3 people dying which is nice to see after dozens of books of 10 to a billion people (no exaggeration) dying per book. it wasn't too gross which was nice as well (surprising as the author trevor baxendale is the KING of gross doctor who books) and all in all it was a nice, fun story that i could totally have seen as an episode.

Also, i REALLY liked the guardians of the galaxy style ending (you'll know what i mean when you read how they beat the monster)

All in all, a fun 10 romp which, if i had to recommend someone a 10 book, this would be one of them.

3.5 out of 5 rounded down to a 3.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dilapidated wishing well on a village green hides a deadly secret. The Doctor and Martha must stop an alien invasion hiding beneath their feet.

There's a very Seventies feel to this story and it would work just as well (if not better) if it was the Third or Fourth Doctor facing off against the invaders. Baxendale does enough with the guest characters to flesh out the story and the story has some genuine excitement as it approaches its climax.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book. I didn't really go into it expecting much though. Mostly, the pacing was quite slow. It felt like nothing really happened other than walking through town for the first 80 pages. I'd expect some people to give up before getting any monster goodness. It picked up though, although very, very late into the story. I did like it when it did.

The writing seemed a bit green to me. I figured it was one of his early works, but I see other ones that are older. Maybe he just loves his adverbs, because the book is littered with them. Typically, I wouldn't care, and I'm not a snob that would normally point this out, but it became pretty noticeable, even amusing towards the end.

Still, despite my nitpickery, it was an amusing read for me, and that's all that really matters when I choose to read a tie-in.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Source: I own this book.
Cost: Unknown

Title: Wishing Well
Series: Doctor Who New Adventures #19
Author: Trevor Baxendale
Overall Rating: 3 stars

I've always had a love/hate relationship with this book.

It was the last Doctor Who book I bought, and the first one I didn't reread as a kid.

I don't know why, but it just didn't have the same impact as me as the others did and I think it just caught me at a bad time. It caught me as the obsession was wearing off. I think that this book is well written, I think the idea behind it is good, I just have never had an emotional reaction to it that has made me truly invested in the story.

[Michel Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A New Series novel by Trevor Baxendale and featuring a monster living down in a well. If each New Series 3-book release features a horror tale, a romp and a sci-fi story, this one is definitely in the first category. Baxendale manages a few very real chills even while staying in the "suitable for young readers" mode. The guest characters are all well drawn as are the Doctor and Martha, which usually makes for a good reading experience regardless of the plot. But the plot's good too, if at times a little too much like Forever Autumn.

[Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was bit of a horror story... but a good horror story. Not too scary (that I would get a nightmare from it -- active imagination does that) but just freaky enough with all the tendrils and weed-like stuff happening.

It's a good read. Love the dynamic between Martha and the Doctor. The other characters blend in quite nicely, and of course, so does the evil alien.

[Morgan Vizecky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book simply because I love the show(BBC's Doctor Who). While reading this book, the characters seemed to jump right off the page. The plot well formed and also mirrored episodes of the show. I plan to read more books like this in the future, but would not suggest them to someone who had never seen the show. Overall it was fun, quick, and easy to read.

[Noah Soudrette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad little read here. Some of the locals, though very annoying, remind me of "The Stones of Blood". The mystery and atmosphere are nice, though the "running from a monster" sequence gets a bit tiresome. Also, the end is a bit too happy sappy as well. Still, well written, solid read.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous, fast paced read. There is a bit in the book about a "ham sandwich" that literally made me laugh out loud! The David Tennant character of Dr. Who oozes from the pages. I didn't want it to end.

[Karen Bedore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh....my favorite doctor and my favorite companion! I love that Baxendale keeps their voices so authentic that I can hear the characters as I've come to know them. Good story, nice quick read to escape from reality for a few hours!

[Melenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Physical book: a great read.

[Dale Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Doctor and Martha rarely have a day where they can simply sit back and enjoy it, but today seems to be just that. Unfortunately, the decision to take the fork in the road that leads them to Creighton Mere will soon put an end to that. Once they arrive they are soon caught up a mystery that goes back more than a century. Compound that with a decades old fight between two of the villages oldest... a search for lost treasure... and a particularly strange wishing well with a horror in its depths out of time and space and you have another great adventure for "Smith and Jones".

Author Trevor Baxendale is an old hand at writing stories related to TV tie-ins having created some for the likes of Blakes 7, Torchwood, Highlander, and many...MANY... stories about the Doctor in his various iterations. His storytelling captures the spirit and the character of both the Doctor and Martha as well as that of David Tennant and Freema Agyeman who play them. While reading this story, I had the same feeling as if I was watching a BBC production of that same adventure. I would hope that ALL fans of the Doctor will feel the same.

Great Book... Great Story!

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨Evil alien defeated by the power of friendship.✨
Whenever there's an ending involving holding hands to beat an enemy, I just roll my eyes. It's so cheesy and I feel the writer could've come up with something else. Not only that, the side characters were pretty annoying how despite seeing an alien creature with their own eyes, despite having the Doctor explain things with really simple words, they're just written to be stupid and confused the whole time constantly saying things like, "I'm afraid I don't follow." Also, I didn't mind that the Doctor wasn't this perfect being embodying heroism this time and that he was the one in danger and almost getting killed throughout the story. However, he also didn't know what to do up till the very end of the book which resulted in holding hands and surviving by accident which I said I found very cheesy and honestly lazy.
But besides those things, it was a cool story and cool alien. This was certainly a unique and thrilling Doctor Who adventure.

[John Loyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tenth Doctor and Martha.

The TARDIS lands in between a couple of villages. The Doctor and Martha want to get a spot of tea and decide to head towards Creighton Mere since it’s closer. There they find Angela and Sadie who have formed a restoration committee for the old well. Meanwhile Nigel w/ Ben and Duncan is trying to get to the wishing well treasure, albeit from a tunnel. Of course being a Doctor Who book, it’s not a treasure down there but some [dangerous to humanity] alien presence.

Quick read. 3.8 stars. This is the fourth Doctor and Martha practically in a row because they came in a box set. All separate novels. Normally I say things like the movie wasn’t as good as the book. With Doctor Who the humorous banter between him and his companions comes through better in the TV episodes, and on TV we forgive the “science” much more easily. That said it is just like a television episode and we can’t be too harsh on it for living within those constraints.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why three stars, you ask? Was it not Ten, the best of all Doctors, and Martha, most hated of all companions? Yes and yes. To answer the question less succinctly, it was a good read and a nice bit of escapism but advanced neither of the main characters very far. They were static, as if stuck in a fixed point in time, while the supporting cast either died horribly or advanced a conflict with a very predictable resolution. I might have just given it an "okay," but there is a dog and it survives and there are some tense moments when you can almost hear the incidental music playing in your head as the show cuts to commercial and back again. I am going to hand this off to one of my Doctor Who-obsessed students, though. The language is safe with some sci-fi violence no worse than what one would see in a typical episode of DW.

[Itami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yep, that was a good one! The setting in that small English village was quite nice, I almost expected Inspector Barnaby to come and say hi. The story was fine (it has a huge plothole that I'm not gonna talk about), the characters were wonderful (Martha and Ten were both perfectly in-character), and the language was easy to read for a non-native speaker like me. There were a lot of dark and claustrophobic situations in a long narrow tunnel and a long narrow well shaft, which made me a bit uncomfortable, so be warned if you have a problem with that sort of stuff. But hey, there's a cute dog!
TL;DR: Nothing special but if you like Ten and Martha you'll enjoy it a lot!

[hailey dostal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good episode of Doctor Who if it was shorter. Like, just a mediocre episode that was good and fun and amazing as Doctor Who is but nothing special at the same time. I also find the Doctor eating marmalade funny because as far as I am aware, rarely does he eat his tenth incarnation, especially when compared to eleven who spends his first minutes eating everything in Amy’s kitchen. Made me giggle.

Overall good, just nothing special. Also pointless random romance, don’t really get it especially since the characters interacted maybe three times? Just a nitpick, but I know New Who is frequently romantic, so not a shock.

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome scary Tennant & Martha Who. It's obvious, after a certain amount of British entertainment is absorbed, that the English know that their quaint little Shires on the Green have secrets, and dark ones at that. Every BBC / Acorn murder drama, all the way up the immortal Hot Fuzz. This is no different - what lurks at the heart of the town's wishing well? It's hard to do five solid side characters, a scary monster, and a story and give everything depth, but Baxendale manages to pull it off, here. Good stuff.

[Adi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout this book, I could envision the Doctor and Martha. The characterizations were basically perfect, from their actions to their dialogue. The villain was unique and interesting, although the resolution was a bit rushed with the energy bouncing back to the Vurosis. The ending was cute, too, and I liked how Martha's wish was kept a secret, with the very last words being "Never you mind." It really felt like this could be an episode of season 3. The side characters were so intriguing too.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, not really a spoiler but just a heads up - the dog does NOT die

It’s been a very long time since I’ve stayed up late to finish a book! Even when I wasn’t reading it, I kept thinking about it throughout the day. I really enjoyed this book. A lot of Doctor Who books take a while to get interesting. There’s a lot of set up, gotta help the readers learn about the “alien of the week” so to speak. I’m usually bored for the first 40% or so of most Doctor Wo books, but this one reeled me in pretty quick!

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

あらすじ
　美味しい紅茶とスコーンが飲みたくなって現代に戻ってきたドクターとマーサ。とある小さな町にある'願い事の井戸'がドクターの関心を引く。
井戸にはハイウエイマンが隠した黄金が埋もれているという伝説があり、村にはお宝目当てにトンネルを掘っている若者がいた。しかし、ドクターは願い事の井戸にやっっかいなエイリアンの気配を感じ取っていた。

感想

　文字通り雑草のような特性をもつエイリアン。アンジェラとガスキンに纏わるお話も興味深く面白くよめた。
ドクターが願い事をするならどんなこと願うのか。10代目のドクターならやはりローズとの再会を願うのだろうか。マーサの片思いが相変わらずちょっと切ない。

　しかし、ドクターのマーサへの信頼度は強く、もしかしたらローズのことがあった直後だけに、マーサにそういった思いを抱かないようブレーキをかけていたのかもしれないとも思いつつ、でもドクターのことだからそのあたりの機微はなさそうかな、なんて。

[Stephanie A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly just boring. An underground tentacle-monster-plant was not really my idea of a good time to begin with, and I really did not like the focus on the poor cat who died by falling down the title well. Also nothing noteworthy in terms of characterization.

I did like the ending , with the legend of the highwayman turning out to be true, and the newly found gold being used to restore the damage done by the tentacle-monster-plant.

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Doctor and Martha arrive in a small Derbyshire town with an old wishing well. Only something inside the well has some very bad wishes... The book is a bit slow starting, but the characters are so well drawn that you don't really care. And it picks up steam as it develops. Very nicely written and a thoroughly satisfying read. Definitely recommended.