The second of the three April "Who" novels", "Night Of The Humans" proves to be a tricky read to rate, specifically because there are just so many different elements that form the structure of this great story (taken from sci-fi greats from across the years) that it's sometimes hard to know whether you love or hate "Night"- yep, it's the ultimate realisation of Marmite in paper form. Jokes aside, relative newcomer David Llewellyn manages to grasp the tricky relationship between the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond admirably, although perhaps that's partly due to the fact that the pair of companions are separated on warring halves of a slowly dying planet so must adjust to each faction's characteristics by befriending the locals. It's certainly a tale we've seen portrayed on-screen in "Who" before, but Llewellyn manages to keep things interesting using his impressive language techniques and references to war on our own planet planted cunningly throughout. The inclusion of multiple protagonists and antagonists spices things up rapidly towards the climax of "Night", ensuring that the titular Time Lord has some difficult choices to face before he leaves the Gyre, the dire consequences of which the author brilliantly brings across from the perspective of the Doctor in a plot containing so many twists and turns fans will barely be able to put this down. My only gripe with "Night" comes in the form of one of the characters mentioned in its deceiving synopsis: Dirk Slipstream. In this reviewer's opinion, Slipstream's true agenda is revealed far too quickly in what becomes quite a "move forward, move back" tale in its final 150 pages, and if Llewellyn had held off on giving us the truth of the captain's intentions towards the Gyre for just 50 pages or so longer, then "Night of the Humans" might have become one of the tensest and thus most effective "Doctor Who" novels in a long while. Saying that, as a first effort in the Matt Smith era, this author certainly does develop promise for any later work by himself in upcoming years. Keep a watch on Llewellyn's "Who"...
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