A very interesting, new idea for Doctor Who, filled with dread and despair. However, that can both be a blessing and a curse.

Our party lands in Salem Village, the place well known for its witch trials. Although those trials still have to happen, tension is building and our party is swept up in the atmosphere. Especially Susan, whose mind is not quite prepared to deal with such a source of negative emotions. Will they be able to withstand the dread that looms over them? And is changing history really an impossibility?

This book thrives on atmosphere. Salem Village is not a welcoming place. People are scared, quick to judge and group think reign supreme. This sentiment is constantly reinforced throughout. No matter who we focus on and what they’re doing, the dread is always there.

On the receiving end, we have our main cast. Thanks to the Aztecs (and, indirectly, The Flames of Cadiz) Ian and Barbara know that history cannot be changed. However, their faith in that concept is not quite set in stone. When faced with such horrors, how can they possibly accept it? Is history really so black and white? And what about Susan, who intensely feels the emotions of all people there. The hate, the hope, the anger, it is all amplified in her mind. Making her suffer even more.

These aspects of the story, the constant suffering and the reactions to it, are both its strongest point and its biggest weakness. It does really succeed at painting a picture of a society on the brink of collapse. On the other hand, the constant, lengthy descriptions of similar events and atmospheres do get old after a while.

Of course, the lengthy descriptions and the repetition are there for a reason. They strengthen the mood and add to the feeling that all these events are unchangeable. However, they also make you wonder if anything is actually going to happen. If you look back at the story as a whole, there’s really not that many main events. Combine that with 4 different characters, and it’s not hard to feel like the story is crawling forward at times. Events are so spread out that it does wear thin.

The story also expects you to have a certain knowledgebase and that you know about Salem Village and, if possible ‘The Crucible’. Not knowing about the history and the play can hamper your enjoyment of the story a bit. For example, the story expects you to, in broad strokes, know what role each character played in the witch trials. It also expects you to know a bit of the history of the village, as it hints at larger issues, but never really addresses them.

But even taking that into account, “The Witch Hunters” is a story with a unique focus and it pulls it off well. While the story may not be perfect, the emotions and the overall tone land perfectly. It makes you feel like you are there with the characters and gives you a new way to look at a piece of history. It puts the focus on atmosphere in a way this series rarely does, and for that it should be applauded.