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| What: | Tomb of Valdemar (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 22 March 2009 |
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| Rating: |   7 |
An OK sort of story.
| What: | Attack of the Cybermen (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 19 March 2009 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Here is another example of Doctor Who being let down by only one main thing. Nothing to do with the acting or scripting this time on my part, but what is truly annoying about this story is its score. Boy this grates on me, spoiling what is otherwise one of my favourite Doctor Who stories of all time. The earthshock cyber heart beat effect is creepy, but the rest is too light and glitzy for so dark and humourless a tale. This story otherwise though has a lot to recommend. The cybermen return on fine form and actually get a good amount of scenes within the story. And the script editors notion that violence shouldnt actually be played down to become stagey or obviously stupid is a very good point. The parents know where the remote control is if the kids get scared. But it presents reality and not fiction, real violence is out there and is at times sadly unavoidable. Doctor Who never shies away from relevant points, whether it be moral points or physical points. The cast on this story are of a very high standard. David Banks again reprises his role of the Cyberleader, not quite as emotive as he was in earthshock. Michael Kilgarrif is back too, putting in a better performance than his original i feel, and do we actually hear his own voice for a change, cool! yes we do. The bickering between the doc and peri is really not as pronounced as in other stories like Timelash and Vengeance on Varos, which is a good thing. And the plot elements for once all seem to fit nicely into each other.
The cybermen are down in the swers of london again, secretly plotting to disrupt earth in 1986 to stop mondas from being destroyed. This is harking back to the past, but done in a fresh and realistic way. The cryons are a good new race of aliens. Yes, this all in all is avery good story indeed, if it werent for that annoying score....
Perhaps it is difficult to write about a career that is reasonably short (so far), but the most frustrating aspect of this book was its tendancy to go into far to much detail on plot synopses. A biog should be more interested in the details of the life and career of the actor, rather than the rehashing of storylines that are already well known (for most people who are reading this it would be assumed their interest is for Mr Tennant's Doctor Who work). The Billie Piper biog was a far more interesting read, being a self-penned tome. Overall, I think this is a missed opportunity: if a perusal of Mr Tennant's Doctor Who work is in order, then perhaps a more penetrating look at his acting and contribution within each story would have been far more enlightening. As a general info book about his career to date, it suffices adequately; as an in depth look into his life, perhaps there's a little too much padding right now- I'm looking forward to the revised edition in 10 years time...
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 | a criticised book- but an excellent read |
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| What: | Back in Time: (Miscellaneous factual books) |
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| By: | Jan, suffolk |
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| Date: | Monday 16 March 2009 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
many people criticise this book, saying it has too much to do with god. but, to be honest, it is just as good as the telos guides, and worth a read. i picked mine up for £0.01 on amazon, so for the price, it is definently worth a look in.
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| Not a classic, but not the worst.... |
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| What: | The Monsters Inside (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | C G Harwood, Dunedin, NZ, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Friday 13 March 2009 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
When I finished this book I wasn't sure how I felt about this, did I enjoy it or not. I was in the middle of the road with this one. But one thing I judge all my Dr Who on (be it TV, Book, or Audio) is would I watch/read/listen to it again. This is probably not a book that I would read again.
The plot of this book was the standard Land the TARDIS, Sperate them from the TARDIS, Seperate Doctor and Companion, then spend the rest of the book getting them reunited. This alone was enough to anoy me a little. I'm not a big fan of the Slitheen but they were not bad in this, and I hope the three of them come back one day
If you are new to these books, this is probably not a book I would start with, I found some of the technicle babble is a little confusing, and had to go back a few times and reread a few pages. I found Winner Takes All much easyer to follow, or his Feast of the Drowned.
It was still an enjoyable read thoe. 6 out of 10
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| Almost Perfect is Perfect |
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| What: | Torchwood: Almost Perfect (Torchwood novels) |
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| By: | Jamie Hardwick, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 12 March 2009 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Before reading Almost Perfect by James Goss, I wasn't sure that the book would be good. Without Owen and Toshiko, I didn't think the Torchwood format would work. I was pleasantly surprised. Ianto excels in the book and Jack and Gwen also have a large part. I now can't wait for the next three Torchwood novels.
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| Doctor Who at its best!!!!! |
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| What: | The Forever Trap (New series audio originals) |
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| By: | C G Harwood, Dunedin, NZ, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Tuesday 10 March 2009 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This is Doctor who at its best. With this audio I was hooked by it from the very first minute. I love the whole concept of SPAM geting into the TARDIS, and Donna arguing with it was brillant.
I kind of got the impresion that this was how Philip Hinchcliff and Robert Homes would have done the 7th Dr story Paradice Towers.
Cathrine Tate was great at reading this and the lines that Donna said were delivered as thoe she was in frount of a camera, and I think she may have even worked on her David Tennent voice. If I had one critisism it was that she needs to work on her alien voices a bit.
This was a return to the classic 'I have no idea whats going on, but I love it'. It wasn't until the last 20 minutes till it all made since for me, and it kept me guessing all the way threw.
The main thing I liked about this was it was easy to follow and it was very easy to see all the action in my mind (the special efects in my head were very good on this one). And also the bad creature at the end was great - althoe why do so many creatures feed on other life forms emotions and feelings.
in conclution I loved this audio book, and cant wait for the next Cathrine Tate read book. No hesatation in giving this 10/10.
| What: | The Mind of Evil (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 8 March 2009 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I dont know why this story is more frequently put in the greats of the original series of Doctor Who. I cant believe The Daemons and The Curse Of Peladon are considered by many to be better than this, both of these stories are actually pretty dull and matt and lifeless. Whereas the Mind Of Evil truly is a riveting adventure from start to finish.
This story has it all. A very relevant and central theme of manipulating minds, which never ever works out. The Keller machine has to be a great threat, and its a neat new trick that the creature really destroys itself, as by taking all of the first prisoners evil thoughts he becomes a shield when later present.
Roger Delgado gives another excellent and creepy performance as the Master. And we can now see how good a companion Katy is as Jo. Real concern and caring add to her character so shes no longer the annoying dunderhead she was in Terror of the Autons.
They say some scenes are a bit repititious, but this really is not even a quarter bad as Colony In Space. Nowhere near. and anyway, the mind feeds only on mind waves so how the hell else is it gonna kill eh? The scenes of death are really quite gruesome in this story. And this boasts a really good and suspenseful episode ending to episode five.
The acting is very good. The characters are solid and all get quite a lot to do, Richard Franklin particularly. So this all comes together to make one of the best Doctor Who stories ive ever watched. The treatment of prisoners is a good premise for a story, and well done and produced. Even the sets look very effective in this story. Great classic stuff on disc to hear or see.
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| Exile, Gel Guards, Torture, Trains? |
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Nice package. The War Games and Deadly Assasin are the better with the War Games being the remastered version (the DVD will be even Better) and it makes a nice boxset so to be of no use due to DVD releases. Oh well.
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| ARRGG, when spaghetti attacks |
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| What: | The Claws of Axos (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | kieren, kidderminster |
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| Date: | Friday 6 March 2009 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Mad, well edited, well made and did I say mad, this a complex story, which doesn't slow down or has to be padded, is one of the best pertwees and one of the more watchable ones with something silly in it.
The only thing missing here is the Rock horror show popping up. It is very, very, very funny, the doctor-Peri relationship is better (I think only in the next season is it at it's best), the DJ is heart-attack inducing funny and Davros is a real character, not just ranting. If only Colin had stayed on...
If you don't know already, this story was written in a rush to cover for a dropped story(later redone as State of Decay, but there is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the best Tom baker's if one of the best doctor who. Scary music, good acting (well, Adelaide suppose to be that way) and very atmospheric and scary, but I fear it does, for 2, suffer from weak cliffhanger syndrome. But who cares?
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| Clowns, Eyes, Werewolves, What's better? |
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Brillant music, good humour,good performances and a very good story, only suffering from bad cliffhanger syndrome
Good music, good effects for the time and a very good story, the only real shame is it being in B/W because of some idoits here and in America.
Well acted, well made and with good music, it races along (quite fast for a 7 parter). I hope they can release this on DVD soon, the tape's wearing.
Dark with excellent music (it really builds up the atmosphere), I'm just waiting for the DVD release. The only bit which is annoying is the Skarasen in London, it just doesn't quite work.
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| Daring, Original And Brilliant! |
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As the forward by author Lawrence Miles says this Mad Norwegian Press reprint of his 1999 novel Dead Romance is really for two groups of people those who are Virgin New Adventures fans who missed it the first time round and those who’ve been reading the Faction paradox books. Well I fall into the first category having come into the Virgin New Adventures very late. I came to Dead Romance aware of its reputation as one of (or even the) best of that book range. So in short: Dead Romance is what Doctor Who is at its best: daring and original even a decade after its original publication (and five years after this reprint).
Perhaps the most refreshing element of Dead Romance is its narrator. With the character of Christine Summerfield and her notebooks Miles brings a refreshed air with a first person take on the Doctor Who universe. Christine is a much different character then her better known “sister” Bernice yet she retains the characteristic wit and sarcasm of Bernice even when the end of the world is literally at hand. The success of Dead Romance lies mainly in the characterization of Christine and how she interprets both the world and the incredible events around her.
Yet while Christine is the novel’s emotional and physical center there is her relationship with Chris Cwej. Making a welcome return after last being seen in the final seventh Doctor New adventure Lungbarrow here is a Chris Cwej considerably different from the one of earlier novels. While he is definitely a continuation of the companion he is a changed man with distorted memories and now working for a mysterious group of time travelers (as they’re referred to in this edition) By novels end is almost unrecognizable and the result is one of the Doctor Who ranges most disturbing looks at life after the TARDIS.
What makes Dead Romance stand out is its format and its plot. In an unusual twist Dead Romance is told from a first person perspective. As I said earlier much of the novels success is how the narrator Christine Summerfield interprets both the world and the incredible events around her. That helps make the novel’s plot even better. Inside Dead Romance is an incredible tale of universes and worlds on the brink of destruction told from the perspective of a 23 year old drug addict forced into an incredible world of aliens, time travel, and universes in bottles. Add on some frank takes on sex, drugs and the end of the world and the result is one of the most daring Doctor Who related novels.
A quick note on this edition though. While the original Virgin edition references Time Lords and other elements of the Doctor Who universe this edition doesn’t so much. This is due to the fact that this novel is put into a place in the Faction Paradox universe. While some of those who read the original might be annoyed, as someone who didn’t I found it interesting and far from annoying. In fact for those readers in the know, capable of reading between the lines or proud owners of Lars Pearson’s I, Who 2 it shouldn’t be hard to figure out.
Included in this reprint are two shorts stories and an essay by Miles related to his creation Faction Paradox. While I read each of these I admit to being just a bit bewildered by the first short story entitled Toy Story, baffled by the essay on the workings of the Faction Paradox universe (though that could be from not reading any of the books related to it) and enjoyed the final short story entitled Grass. My thought on these is that if you know quite a bit about Faction Paradox who should enjoy them otherwise you might want to skip them.
Dead Romance has earned a reputation over the years as one of the best Doctor Who related novels. With its characters, fresh narrative approach and fantastic plot Lawrence Miles shows us what Doctor Who is capable of at its best. Whether you are a fan of Doctor Who or science fiction or something else this is a novel that must be read to be believed. In short: it’s brilliant!
Effervescent yet heavy. The rich and the old. Marc Platt writes like a technical mathematician. A completely unique slant into the Doctor's cloaked self.
The house that listens. The Cousins who want revenge. And the faceless bleak shadow who speaks in the Doctor's voice long before the Doctor was born.
It is the metaphysical equivalent of the TARDIS. A box inside a box. Inside the Doctor is something else. And what is the Other? An angel, perhaps? In another Platt short story, his companion - Peri - meets one of those, too.
The early conversations in the book veer toward slight stagnation. But there are moments. The Doctor explaining where he was to Innocet and to the Family. And to the House. The climax where the Other debates Rassilon. One of the finest dialogue achievements in any medium. The discipline of the writer mints gold.
And of course, the wording. The tiny, cold sentences. The clarity of the bizarre.
This book is a twisted diamond. The adumbrate outline of the past captivates, especially when Rassilon and the Other speak. I usually read my books in small starts and halts. But that section trapped me till it was through.
No sex or stereotyped violence. Just mystery piled on mystery twisted in mystery. A layered texture of greys. And the references intrigue and pull at the intellect.
It is interesting to watch a creature like Doctor Who. An entirely differnt universe that doesn't exist, but is real anyway. To its initiates, its founders - Omega, and such - are as real as the line of the American Presidents. And its towering history rivals that of most countries.
Blackend and brilliant. An achievement that stuns with its strangeness and its strength.
This is really cool! But the sontarans plan isnt explained at the end! :( Emmas a great surprise (read the book to find out more! ;)) i liked a change from having a comanion!
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| Box Set Version 2-Itself is a key 2 time |
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| What: | The Key To Time (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Charles G. Dietz, San Jose, CA, United States |
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| Date: | Tuesday 3 March 2009 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
I was expecting my box set version 2 US special edition to be a cover containing the 6 individual dvd covers like the original US Box set, but no it was a booklet covering all of the episodes and the 7 dvds. Much smaller space than the bulky original. Very ecological. I love the extras. Buy it for that if you have the 1st US box set
