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 | Reviews for The Dimension Riders |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 December 2023 |
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| Rating: |   7 |
The Dimension Riders tells a tale often told in Doctor Who and does not really add much to it. The premise is that some ancient evil wants to take control of the universe and wants to use the TARDIS to do so. Said ancient evil, here The Garvond, yes another "The" ancient evil, has no particular motivation or rationale for taking over the universe; it just wants to because it is evil. So, take a mixture of Shada (actually mentioned in this novel), Earthshock, The Invisible Enemy, and a couple more, swap some names and locations, and you get this novel. The writing is also quite amateurish at times. Mostly, this is a matter of stating the very obvious as if it is the most important thing in the universe. Here is a typical example: "A ghost reaching for help. Help that was not there." This sort of telegraphing and clunky prose runs throughout the book. Another detraction for me is that once again we get a TARDIS crew in disarray. No one trusts anyone. Everyone is mad at each other. Why Ace and Bernice remain if they do not like traveling in the TARDIS baffles me. Bernice in this novel even leaves it up to a coin toss to determine whether she stays.
The good parts of the novel are these. Blythe uses solid characterization. Each character is distinct, and, apart from The Garvond, well motivated. He keeps the pace going, neither too fast nor too slow. Various parts tie together. It is a decent enough read, good for passing a few hours.
