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 | Reviews for The Empire of Glass |
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There are 4 reviews so far. To add a review of your own for this item, visit the voting page.
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Thursday 10 February 2005 |
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| Rating: |   8 |
I have not read all the Missing Adventure books, but of the ones I have read, this is the best. Steven is among my favorite Who companions. He was rarely written well in the series, though the possibilities for him were always there. Lane handles Steven especially well, highlighting his qualities - broad mindedness, loyalty, bravery. More so than most Who companions, Steven could take care of himself and stand up to the Doctor's powerful personality. Vicki gets equally good treatment. She was often too "wet," to use an English expression, in the series. Lane characterizes her as sensitive and intelligent. The main weakness of the novel is an overly complex plot, not all of which gets effectively concluded by the end of the book. Read it for the characters.
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| Cheap, thinly-written, scatterbrained. |
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| By: | Mike McGovern , Edmonton, Alberta |
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| Date: | Thursday 16 February 2006 |
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| Rating: | 1 |
I found this entire book to be very thin in substance. I object strongly to the character of Galileo. If we are to believe his genuine letters and writings, he is nothing like the character painted here. The arrogance and noxious attitude do not suit him at all.
Also, there a few wonderful ideas that the author simply doesn't follow through with. The part where Galileo looks through his telescope and spots a flying saucer swooping in from the moon is thrilling, and I waited for the scientist to perhaps go rushing from his dark little lab into the night moors and mist, searching for the incredible craft. Maybe he might meet a slavering horror in the black and get kidnapped. Who knows? Anything would be more thrilling than the big NOTHING the author gives us.
After seeing the saucer, Galileo does nothing. Several pages go by. Nothing. Several chapters. Nothing. It's like the "close encounter" never even happened. Absolutely despicable.
I have noticed the irritating capacity of several new "Who" writers who set up great scenes, but never capitalize on them. I got so fed up waiting for the other shoe to drop that I gave up reading this book for several months. When I did come back to it, I began skimming.
Christopher Marlowe nowhere resembles the no doubt serious man who wrote the masterful classic, Doctor Faustus. He is perverted and irritating, and gets up my nose. If you are going to depart from what is known about a historical character, at least do it with some believability and style.
A little dignity. Please.
I avoid Andy Lane's books on principle now. He has a dull, unengaging prose style that lacks richness and fullness. It feels thin and watered down. His action takes forever to happen, and when it does, it often has little or nothing to do with the central idea of the plot. The novel doesn't go anywhere, taking forever to advance.
By the end, I really hadn't seen or discovered anything of signifigance, except for a few pathetic stabs at religion taken by the Doctor and Galileo. Stupid, irritating move on the part of the author.
For a man who often quotes the word of Jesus, ie., "Teach a man to fish,...," the Doctor doesn't strike me as one who ridicules the idea of God. Out of character for Galileo, too, who in real life remained a faithful Catholic to the end, if his letters and corrospendence are to be believed.
A foolish, boring, slow burn of a book. Andy Lane fails to move me as a writer. His lack of a solid, fun plot ruins the pace, and his abuse of the source material makes me shudder. Detestable and excremental. To be avoided.
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| A solid set of characterisations |
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| By: | Chris Arnold, Bundaberg, Australia |
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| Date: | Tuesday 8 May 2012 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
A fairly good-natured story which mostly preserves the essence of the era. Steven fares well here and the scenes of the alien delegation almost echo the "Daleks Masterplan" scenes but on a larger scale. Though not a terribly memorable plot, this novel has many great little character moments.
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| Great characterization and humor! |
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| By: | Ellie Acheson, Charlotte, United States |
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| Date: | Friday 16 August 2013 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
A perfect blend of the 1st Doctor era with later Who without making either of them feel out of place, this book is just fun from start to finish. Vicki and Steven both feel like the people they were on screen while simultaneously having more depth and backstory explored in their characters. For Vicki fans, this is a great one, as I think it has the best characterization of her from any of the books she appeared in. History nerds like me will love the setting of Venice in the 1600s and the appearances of various historical figures. And all the humor is great. I really have no complaints about this book!
Also if you like the Bernice Summerfield stories you may want to check this book out for its having an appearance of a younger Braxiatel.
