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Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #20
Pirate Loop
1st edition BBC 2008 paperback, fine In stock shipped from our UK warehouse
Paperback
First published February 13, 2007
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2031 people want to read
About the author
Simon Guerrier
168 books60 followersSimon Guerrier is a British science fiction author and dramatist, closely associated with the fictional universe of Doctor Who and its spinoffs. Although he has written three Doctor Who novels, for the BBC Books range, his work has mostly been for Big Finish Productions' audio drama and book ranges.
Guerrier's earliest published fiction appeared in Zodiac, the first of Big Finish's Short Trips range of Doctor Who short story anthologies. To date, his work has appeared in the majority of the Short Trips collections. He has also edited three volumes in the series, The History of Christmas, Time Signature and How The Doctor Changed My Life. The second of these takes as its starting-point Guerrier's short story An Overture Too Early in The Muses. The third anthology featured stories entirely by previously unpublished writers.
After contributing two stories to the anthology Life During Wartime in Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield range of books and audio dramas, Guerrier was invited to edit the subsequent year's short story collection, A Life Worth Living, and the novella collection Parallel Lives. After contributing two audio dramas to the series, Guerrier became the producer of the Bernice Summerfield range of plays and books, a post he held between January 2006 and June 2007.
His other Doctor Who work includes the audio dramas, The Settling and The Judgement of Isskar, in Big Finish's Doctor Who audio range, three Companion Chronicles and a contribution to the UNIT spinoff series. He has also written a play in Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel range.
Guerrier's work is characterised by character-driven humour and by an interest in unifying the continuity of the various Big Finish ranges through multiple references and reappearances of characters. As editor he has been a strong promoter of the work of various script writers from the Seventh Doctor era of the Doctor Who television series
Guerrier's earliest published fiction appeared in Zodiac, the first of Big Finish's Short Trips range of Doctor Who short story anthologies. To date, his work has appeared in the majority of the Short Trips collections. He has also edited three volumes in the series, The History of Christmas, Time Signature and How The Doctor Changed My Life. The second of these takes as its starting-point Guerrier's short story An Overture Too Early in The Muses. The third anthology featured stories entirely by previously unpublished writers.
After contributing two stories to the anthology Life During Wartime in Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield range of books and audio dramas, Guerrier was invited to edit the subsequent year's short story collection, A Life Worth Living, and the novella collection Parallel Lives. After contributing two audio dramas to the series, Guerrier became the producer of the Bernice Summerfield range of plays and books, a post he held between January 2006 and June 2007.
His other Doctor Who work includes the audio dramas, The Settling and The Judgement of Isskar, in Big Finish's Doctor Who audio range, three Companion Chronicles and a contribution to the UNIT spinoff series. He has also written a play in Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel range.
Guerrier's work is characterised by character-driven humour and by an interest in unifying the continuity of the various Big Finish ranges through multiple references and reappearances of characters. As editor he has been a strong promoter of the work of various script writers from the Seventh Doctor era of the Doctor Who television series
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
January 4, 2019
an aesop-esque fable about the evils of capitalism and the healing power of canapés. whereas there have been a lot of tales about the former, there have been none about the latter, so i am glad somebody has finally acknowledged how fantastic canapés are. always been a big fan of canapés.
March 16, 2014
This story was amazingly wonderful!
This is what you want from a DW story! It was exciting and interesting, fast paced and hilarious with tons of jumping around in time. This story reads like a painting by Esher and I loved it!
Unlike many other DW books the reader gets to spend plenty of time with the people we actually care about, The Doctor and his companion, in this case Martha Jones. Too often, in other DW books there are these long boring passages about secondary characters in an attempt to build up back story. This author manages to create several interesting characters that are well developed through their interactions and conversations with the Doctor and Martha this is much more entertaining than dry dull exposition.
There are at least three different types of aliens and they are all unique and distinct.
The problem facing the Doctor seems insurmountable but somehow the resolution still feels plausible.
Also, this story has one of the best endings of all the DW books I've read. Usually the last few pages just consist of tidying up but this ending is beautifully bitter sweet and open ended.
This is without a doubt a MUST READ! It is one of the best Doctor Who novels out there!
This is what you want from a DW story! It was exciting and interesting, fast paced and hilarious with tons of jumping around in time. This story reads like a painting by Esher and I loved it!
Unlike many other DW books the reader gets to spend plenty of time with the people we actually care about, The Doctor and his companion, in this case Martha Jones. Too often, in other DW books there are these long boring passages about secondary characters in an attempt to build up back story. This author manages to create several interesting characters that are well developed through their interactions and conversations with the Doctor and Martha this is much more entertaining than dry dull exposition.
There are at least three different types of aliens and they are all unique and distinct.
The problem facing the Doctor seems insurmountable but somehow the resolution still feels plausible.
Also, this story has one of the best endings of all the DW books I've read. Usually the last few pages just consist of tidying up but this ending is beautifully bitter sweet and open ended.
This is without a doubt a MUST READ! It is one of the best Doctor Who novels out there!
August 11, 2015
i was confused and not really entertained.
one could make up for the other.
one could make up for the other.
October 9, 2008
Because I am utterly obsessed with Doctor Who, I have been on the enjoyable task of reading every Doctor Who novel the library can provide. This is a darn good one. A lot of them are set on Earth, in which case we get the interesting element of the time-travelling alien interacting with our familiar environment... however, this one is set on an alien spaceship and right from the get-go we have intriguing aliens, alien tech, and clearly some sort of time-dilation/hyperspace travel/mysterious alien tech malfunction going on. The author does a GREAT job of presenting this mysterious situation and allowing the reader to figure it out along with the characters. Fun read.
November 15, 2016
I listened to this one on audio, and perhaps consequently, it felt more like a two-parter episode of the show than it did a novel. (This is not a criticism.) The story takes place in one (very) long day, and that adds a sense of immediacy to things, even if the story did -- just a little bit, occasionally, in the beginning -- drag a bit. But I _liked_ the story; liked the concept of the mystery-of-the-week. I liked how much time we spent with both Martha and the Doctor. I liked seeing the Doctor's offer to help the baddies find another way, actually yield some results this time. And I adored the ending (which always adds a lot of points).
Truth be told, however, what raised this from three stars to four was that the story was read by Freema Agyeman. Agyeman has the distinction of having played my favorite Doctor Who Companion while also being a crackerjack audiobook reader. She clearly has fun with the reading, while also doing a fantastic job of changing voices and adding real emotion -- her Doctor is particularly spot-on, so much so that, while I'm hearing Agyeman's voice, it's David Tennant I'm picturing in my mind's-eye. Looking forward to my next Whovian audiobook read by Martha Jones!
Truth be told, however, what raised this from three stars to four was that the story was read by Freema Agyeman. Agyeman has the distinction of having played my favorite Doctor Who Companion while also being a crackerjack audiobook reader. She clearly has fun with the reading, while also doing a fantastic job of changing voices and adding real emotion -- her Doctor is particularly spot-on, so much so that, while I'm hearing Agyeman's voice, it's David Tennant I'm picturing in my mind's-eye. Looking forward to my next Whovian audiobook read by Martha Jones!
October 10, 2016
The tie-in novels for Doctor Who can be hit and miss. They're quick reads - at about 230 pages and in a larger font, it usually only takes about 2 hours to read start to finish. They're a fun escape on a boring work lunch. However, at $11.99 (suggested retail) they can be a bit of a monetary commitment that can go sour if the story turns out mediocre.
The story here does have a slight juvenile bent to it, simply because of the nature of the pirates and some of characterization and comedic accents. However, I found these touches to be charming and not too silly. The plot itself moves along quickly, with a central mystery that keeps things interesting. It's fairly clever (though don't think about it TOO much or holes will start to appear) without being too convoluted.
The characterization also really shines, and Martha and the Doctor feel right and in line with their on-screen personas.
The story here does have a slight juvenile bent to it, simply because of the nature of the pirates and some of characterization and comedic accents. However, I found these touches to be charming and not too silly. The plot itself moves along quickly, with a central mystery that keeps things interesting. It's fairly clever (though don't think about it TOO much or holes will start to appear) without being too convoluted.
The characterization also really shines, and Martha and the Doctor feel right and in line with their on-screen personas.
May 17, 2009
A long time fan of books from sci-fi tv shows (please see Star Trek), I was intrigued to read a Doctor Who book. The story was interesting, if a bit Doctor Who silly. The supporting characters were written a bit too simple for my liking, but the Doctor and Martha characters were written perfectly. (Martha was written exactly how I wanted her written in the show, even if the show never met that mark.)
A passing familiarity with Doctor Who is probably necessary to enjoy the book on all its levels, but anyone would probably be able to follow regardless.
A fast and mindless romp of a read, perfect for Doctor Who fans on long flights.
A passing familiarity with Doctor Who is probably necessary to enjoy the book on all its levels, but anyone would probably be able to follow regardless.
A fast and mindless romp of a read, perfect for Doctor Who fans on long flights.
December 19, 2020
This was a great fun adventure! I really wish we’d gotten to see it on screen tbh. The way it flipped between the Doctor and Martha’s time zones was very clever and I loved the characters! The character growth of the badger pirates was done well and they were an enjoyable frenemy. Meanwhile Mrs Wingsworth was a fun but annoying character you came to like. The use of the different time zones was done well and it was an amusing use of the time loop. Freema Agyemam’s narration of the audiobook was also quite good and it was enjoyable to hear Martha’s dialogue with her own voice.
December 10, 2014
This was an enjoyable romp through the Whoverse with Doctor Who, Martha, and various entertaining alien characters. The author did a wonderful job at getting David Tenant's voice as The Doctor and I could hear him say all his lines throughout the novel.
There were a few places later on in the novel that a few grammatical errors came into play, so tempted to give this a 3 1/2 rating, but I enjoyed the novel enough to give it a full 4-star rating.
There were a few places later on in the novel that a few grammatical errors came into play, so tempted to give this a 3 1/2 rating, but I enjoyed the novel enough to give it a full 4-star rating.
February 15, 2025
2023 52 Book Challenge - February Mini Challenge - 3) A Time Loop
I was really excited to read this book, because who wouldn't want to read a book about why a spaceship disappeared with no idea as to why? But this book was so confusing. I have no idea what was happening at any point except that there was pirates, a time loop, badgers and a lot of permanently refreshing canapés trays.
I was really excited to read this book, because who wouldn't want to read a book about why a spaceship disappeared with no idea as to why? But this book was so confusing. I have no idea what was happening at any point except that there was pirates, a time loop, badgers and a lot of permanently refreshing canapés trays.
November 19, 2018
Once Martha hears about the mystery of ‘Starship Brilliant’ she convinces The Doctor to visit the ship to find out the mystery.
It’s a fun fast paced adventure, I practically liked Badger-faced space pirates!
It’s a fun fast paced adventure, I practically liked Badger-faced space pirates!
June 23, 2024
Ahhh! I forgot that there were Doctor Who books!
I loved this one even though I didn't completely understand how the loop worked (it's just wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff ig🤷♀️)
I give it a 10/10 bc it's so good and also bc Martha is my favorite. Anywho, allons-y!
I loved this one even though I didn't completely understand how the loop worked (it's just wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff ig🤷♀️)
I give it a 10/10 bc it's so good and also bc Martha is my favorite. Anywho, allons-y!
September 7, 2018
Some definite 'Tennant' moments here.
August 26, 2019
Why are pirates, pirates? Because they ahhhhhrrrr.
The Doctor and Martha take on badger pirates in a timeloop.
A nice easy read between all of the more heavier works.
The Doctor and Martha take on badger pirates in a timeloop.
A nice easy read between all of the more heavier works.
March 3, 2020
On a trip to find the Starship Brilliant (Yes... THAT Starship! The one that set out on a three hour cruise and was never heard from again) the Doctor promises Martha an adventure to find answers to a question even HE doesn't have an answer to.
Finding their way to the Brilliant, the two travelers discover the standard fare... new aliens... mutated humans... Space Pirates!!! But what they hadn't counted on was that the problem on board would lead to sudden death for both the passengers... the pirates... and even the Doctor and Martha themselves. But even more amazing? Those deaths don't seem to stick!!!
Oh...and canapes!!!
Great fun Doctor adventure by Simon Guerrier. He captures the fun and excitement of the TV series.
Another good edition to the new adventures of the Doctor.
Finding their way to the Brilliant, the two travelers discover the standard fare... new aliens... mutated humans... Space Pirates!!! But what they hadn't counted on was that the problem on board would lead to sudden death for both the passengers... the pirates... and even the Doctor and Martha themselves. But even more amazing? Those deaths don't seem to stick!!!
Oh...and canapes!!!
Great fun Doctor adventure by Simon Guerrier. He captures the fun and excitement of the TV series.
Another good edition to the new adventures of the Doctor.
January 26, 2021
What's better than badger-faced space pirates!!! This was such a fun story and Freema Agyeman did a great job narrating it. Lots of action and I really liked how this author did the time loop stuff, definitely much more readable than other things I've seen try to do similar concepts.
April 11, 2013
Despite having been a Doctor Who fan for quite a few years now and having read more than a few of the various novels based on it, I’ve only now gotten around to reading a novel based on the revived TV series. At a bit of a random pick, I ended up with The Pirate Loop by Simon Guerrier. While initially unsure about what to expect, I must say I was suitably impressed with the book.
Guerrier certainly captures the spirit of the new series, or to be more precise its third season/series, well. Both the tenth Doctor and Martha (as played by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman) felt like their TV characters, something which is always a good starting place for something franchise based. Guerrier manages to get the mix just right when it comes to the tenth Doctor’s personality and also gives Martha some of her best writing as well (and it seems too bad it wasn’t for her on screen as Martha comes across much better here than in the vast majority of her screen adventures).
The supporting characters come across nicely as well. Doctor Who as a series appeals to a wide variety of ages and the characters here show why. There are the Space Badger Pirates (yes you read that right) for example who, despite the fact that they are exactly that, nevertheless come across well as characters in their own right as the book goes on. We also get to meet some of the passengers and crew on the Starship Brilliant as well as the captain of the pirates who is saved for towards the end. The characters come across overall as being quite playful and they give the book a lot of its tone as a result.
The story itself is quite interesting and quite dark in places. Following on a pre-credit sequence style sequence that could have come right out of the TV series, the Doctor and Martha find themselves aboard the Brilliant, a luxury liner starship that famously disappeared out of existence on the brink of a galactic war. From there the story gets moving as we quickly meet the ship’s crew, robots, passengers and pirates in quick succession. There’s also mayhem and death that goes along with it…and that keeps happening. While what’s happening will likely become obvious, Guerrier has fun with it nevertheless and uses it too touch upon the issues of life, death, economics and redemption. While one might see shades of TV episodes like Voyage Of The Damned, also set on a luxury liner starship, and Planet Of The Ood as well (though neither had been shown when the book was written), the book works well on its own. In fact, between its characters and plot, it might well be a better story than some of the episodes that aired during Series Three itself.
So where does all that leave the book? It features strong characterizations of the Doctor and Martha, good supporting characters, flowed nicely and might in fact be better written than most of Series Three was on TV. In the end, I can’t help but recommend The Pirate Loop.
Guerrier certainly captures the spirit of the new series, or to be more precise its third season/series, well. Both the tenth Doctor and Martha (as played by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman) felt like their TV characters, something which is always a good starting place for something franchise based. Guerrier manages to get the mix just right when it comes to the tenth Doctor’s personality and also gives Martha some of her best writing as well (and it seems too bad it wasn’t for her on screen as Martha comes across much better here than in the vast majority of her screen adventures).
The supporting characters come across nicely as well. Doctor Who as a series appeals to a wide variety of ages and the characters here show why. There are the Space Badger Pirates (yes you read that right) for example who, despite the fact that they are exactly that, nevertheless come across well as characters in their own right as the book goes on. We also get to meet some of the passengers and crew on the Starship Brilliant as well as the captain of the pirates who is saved for towards the end. The characters come across overall as being quite playful and they give the book a lot of its tone as a result.
The story itself is quite interesting and quite dark in places. Following on a pre-credit sequence style sequence that could have come right out of the TV series, the Doctor and Martha find themselves aboard the Brilliant, a luxury liner starship that famously disappeared out of existence on the brink of a galactic war. From there the story gets moving as we quickly meet the ship’s crew, robots, passengers and pirates in quick succession. There’s also mayhem and death that goes along with it…and that keeps happening. While what’s happening will likely become obvious, Guerrier has fun with it nevertheless and uses it too touch upon the issues of life, death, economics and redemption. While one might see shades of TV episodes like Voyage Of The Damned, also set on a luxury liner starship, and Planet Of The Ood as well (though neither had been shown when the book was written), the book works well on its own. In fact, between its characters and plot, it might well be a better story than some of the episodes that aired during Series Three itself.
So where does all that leave the book? It features strong characterizations of the Doctor and Martha, good supporting characters, flowed nicely and might in fact be better written than most of Series Three was on TV. In the end, I can’t help but recommend The Pirate Loop.
February 18, 2022
I was so excited about this book because PIRATES but... oh my god was it boring! BOOOOORING! Yes, Martha and Ten were perfectly written, but everything else was as dull as a brick.
I'm not kidding when I say that that 50% of the story consist of characters eating cheese and pineapple sticks! It's like that Oprah meme "You get a canapé! You get a canapé!" just that in this book they are literally infinite and characters don't seem to get sick of them.
Then there are two different points of view (the Martha past and the Doctor future) and it is just hella confusing to keep up with what happened in which time with whom and who is dead now and who isn't...
Speaking of which: The story has a very high body count! Characters get shot, burnt, stabbed or sucked into space constantly! Ofcourse they come back to life again and again and again (the book is called "Pirate Loop" and there's a time loop going on, that's hardly a spoiler) so in the end everybody lives, but still... At one point the Doctor even mourns Martha which should've been sad and touching but just feels kinda comedic for us readers who know that she'll come back to life.
The enemies of the story are humanoid badgers who speak with a strong accent. They are portrayed as very stupid and very smelly. Also they are very annoying.
The story itself is basically non existent: Martha and Ten land on a spaceship and get separated because timey wimey. Some posh tentacle aliens are having a cocktail party while getting "attacked" by three badger pirates and being stuck in a time loop. Martha and Ten are reunited, find the crew of the ship, find the pirate captain, bring everyone together on said cocktail party, end of the story. All while constantly characters either die or eat nibbles. It's ridiculous, really. It should be called "Death and Nibbles" instead of "Pirate Loop".
TL; DR: Big disappointment, very boring, can't recommend.
I'm not kidding when I say that that 50% of the story consist of characters eating cheese and pineapple sticks! It's like that Oprah meme "You get a canapé! You get a canapé!" just that in this book they are literally infinite and characters don't seem to get sick of them.
Then there are two different points of view (the Martha past and the Doctor future) and it is just hella confusing to keep up with what happened in which time with whom and who is dead now and who isn't...
Speaking of which: The story has a very high body count! Characters get shot, burnt, stabbed or sucked into space constantly! Ofcourse they come back to life again and again and again (the book is called "Pirate Loop" and there's a time loop going on, that's hardly a spoiler) so in the end everybody lives, but still... At one point the Doctor even mourns Martha which should've been sad and touching but just feels kinda comedic for us readers who know that she'll come back to life.
The enemies of the story are humanoid badgers who speak with a strong accent. They are portrayed as very stupid and very smelly. Also they are very annoying.
The story itself is basically non existent: Martha and Ten land on a spaceship and get separated because timey wimey. Some posh tentacle aliens are having a cocktail party while getting "attacked" by three badger pirates and being stuck in a time loop. Martha and Ten are reunited, find the crew of the ship, find the pirate captain, bring everyone together on said cocktail party, end of the story. All while constantly characters either die or eat nibbles. It's ridiculous, really. It should be called "Death and Nibbles" instead of "Pirate Loop".
TL; DR: Big disappointment, very boring, can't recommend.
July 21, 2021
I didn't really like it, because close to nothing is resolved. I mean, humans creating various of slave species? One of them can neither talk nor probably eat? And we don't even learn what happens to this one species when the Doctor leaves. While we know what might happen to the others (or what two choices they have), the issue of slaves that can't partake in one of the alternatives and might have a problem with the other is never adressed. Also Martha is black, in a time where racism exists, and she only has a short time of 'oh no, there are slaves again' and that's it? It lacks emotional depth and the real trauma that would be behind it, if you'd ask actual, marginalised people how they would fare in a situation like this. This is a bit too easy-going and could have been much more philosophical. And come on, we know Doctor Who CAN be philosophical. This would be a story for that side of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2015
Source: I own this book.
Cost: Unknown
Title: The Pirate Loop
Series: Doctor Who New Adventures #20
Author: Simon Guerrier
Overall Rating: 3 stars
Doctor Who spin off books are very often a hit, or they're a miss.
But occasionally you'll come across one that is neither, it's simply meh. And this I think was a pretty meh book. It had promise. A lot of promise. A space ship that mysteriously disappears? Robots? YES.
Badger faced pirates? No.
Also the characterisation was slightly off in this book, just little things gave away that this book wasn't written by the people who wrote Ten and Martha for the TV show.
Cost: Unknown
Title: The Pirate Loop
Series: Doctor Who New Adventures #20
Author: Simon Guerrier
Overall Rating: 3 stars
Doctor Who spin off books are very often a hit, or they're a miss.
But occasionally you'll come across one that is neither, it's simply meh. And this I think was a pretty meh book. It had promise. A lot of promise. A space ship that mysteriously disappears? Robots? YES.
Badger faced pirates? No.
Also the characterisation was slightly off in this book, just little things gave away that this book wasn't written by the people who wrote Ten and Martha for the TV show.
July 1, 2008
This is one of the zany, fun and somewhat completely bonkers story. In that style, it's one of the most enjoyable ones. There's the time is not a linear thing going on and some cute aliens. So again an enjoyable romp.
June 10, 2014
This is my favorite doctor who I've read yet. Unfortunately, that is not saying as much as I would like. The plot is enjoyable, as were the pirate aliens; but almost all of Martha's reactions and feeling felt forced & unnatural.
March 4, 2016
A fun little Doctor Who book. Great for what it is.
Guerrier really does capture the Tennant Doctor really well, and Martha too.
No unexpected twists or turns, but a good story that you'll breeze right through.
Guerrier really does capture the Tennant Doctor really well, and Martha too.
No unexpected twists or turns, but a good story that you'll breeze right through.
March 21, 2017
Definitely one of the better Doctor Who books. The characters are well written and seem to fit the Doctor and Martha very well. I can easily picture this being an episode. It's well written and cute. It has funny moments as well as a few more serious moments.
November 2, 2009
Not my favorite of the Who books, but I tend to like the Rose or Donna novels over the Martha ones.
February 17, 2014
better than the first one I read.. problem is I just don't like Martha Jones.
February 19, 2015
It was nice to read about Ten, but Martha isn't one of my favorite companions and I found the jumping in the story a bit annoying. But there were some great characters that I'd love to see in TV.
December 7, 2015
I love me a good time loop book. Just can't help it. Of course there are pirate badgers too. I just wish there was more dancing.
April 20, 2018
author clearly ships martha and ten and it's just kind of annoying. ending didn't really make sense and the concept was weird even for doctor who. but it had likeable characters so.. it was ok
Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews