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 | enjoyable but hard to follow in places. |
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My summary pretty much says all i have to say about this book. I loved the concept of what would happen if the TARDIS got turned inside out, i mean if it happened in your home town how much ground would it cover.
The plot was good and well writen and the Prosecces were a interesting baddy (if there big giant leches why not just grab a big bag of salt in throw it at them). Also the stuff on Galifray with rassolon was worth reading the book on its own (he realy was a bastard, wasn't he.) It was also nice to see that the 7th Dr and ace are evolving nicely into the new books.
The only real problem i had with the book was that it was hard to follow in places. particulay when the survivors and the proceses started meating there other selves, it was hard remembering who was from the future, past or present survivors. The other problem i had with it was there was nothing leading me into the next Cats Cradel book. so do i have to read it or can i go and read a book from the missing adventures or BBC stuff first.
In conclution this was a good book, but wasn't great. And if your new to Dr WHo fiction I sugest you leave this one for another time. 6 out of 10
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| ....And I throught Paul Cornel was bad |
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I don't like books with two auhors and i have to say that this book toke that hatred to a new level. In fact between this book and the great work he is doing on the series now ie Fathers Day and Human Nature, i now have new faith in Paul Cornel. Its like one wrote a chapter then sent it to the other where he wrote one, then visa-versa, and it shows in the writing styles.
I had just finished The Eight Doctors(Which I love, and you can read my review there.), and i was realy looking forward to the first of the past Doctor series. This book almost made me forget about the whole series (but i'll take Simons word for it that they get better, they sure as well can't get much worse). this is the first ever Doctor Who book i had failed to finish (I hated Love and War by Cornel but i still finished it, maybe i should read it again.).
The idea was sound and reading the back cover i was entriged. Corruption in UNIT was a great concept as the Doctor doesn't care for Earth politics so him working for a goverment like the USSR was mouth watering. but it amounted to nothing.
The charecteriation was terrible. The only one they got even remotly right was the Brig. Topping and Day obviously didn't do there reasurch and screwed up the Doctor and Liz completly. AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON MIKE YATES, loved his charecter in the 70's now I'm not sure if I even like him now.
I will probably put this book down to these two autors just had a bad day, and i'll probably read something else of theres that they wrote by them selfs, but if i dont like that eather then i will probably just block these two from my mind.
3 out of ten and im being genirous here... No... on second thorts 2 out of ten
| What: | Series 1 Volume 2: (BBC new series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | AO, UK |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 December 2007 |
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| Rating: |   3 |
Dalek of course is a quality piece of work, its just a shame therefore that its partnered with AoL and WWIII which first showed the major cracks inherent in RTDs vision for the show
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| Half Ridiculous, Half Imaginative |
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| What: | Absolution (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Saturday 8 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Absolution is C'rizz's final story, in which he... leaves. As such, you knew it was going to involve some kind of twisted religion, and it does so.
I have mixed feelings about the story. The first disc is rather ridiculous, though imaginative, but the second disc brings things into more acceptable, understandable, and satisfying territory, and C'rizz's farewell is done quite nicely, making him more interesting, and making his departure a significant event.
Basically, C'rizz somehow has a collection of belongings he somehow brought from the Divergent Universe, though I don't recall ever hearing about these before, and didn't realize they ever had time for him to collect anything to take with him... Among them is an absolver - a reliquary from his home that contains the souls of those he has "saved." Eh... right. When it is accidently opened, the TARDIS does some extremely improbable things, which are actually rather interesting, and they all go to hell. Literally. That bit was rather incomprehensible to me, as the Doctor is talking about heaven and hell and purgatory, as if he has known about them being actual places for his entire life. Eh... right.
Okay, well, then we get to the beginning of disc 2, and we get the following summation of the story so far:
The Doctor: "So in summary, you live in a bubble in hell, protected from the inferno by an induction barrier but unable to escape because of that same barrier. Have I summed it up correctly?"
Cacothis: "With admirable clarity. Although I'm afraid there's more to it than that."
The Doctor: "There usually is."
And as we go on, we learn that long ago, there was a "botched dimensional experiment" that created the domain they've found themselves in. Cacothis and the others have come to feel that science betrayed them, so they've turned completely to religion to keep their lives together, as they've been "abandoned by time" and live in an unchanging stasis, in the midst of a horrific inferno.
Meanwhile, C'rizz has ended up on the other side of the barrier, and is undergoing a sort of "Jedi mind training" by Aboresh, and begins to develop extraordinary powers that are being brought to bear on the situation.
Though a bit inexplicable at times, Absolution is an imaginative story that is a good sendoff for C'rizz. It is nicely produced and mixed, and McGann is fantastic, especially on the second disc.
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| Doctor Who meets the Green Movement |
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| What: | The Price of Paradise (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | H. N. Y., Mid, Nowhere |
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| Date: | Wednesday 5 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
I noticed that so many people seemed to placed this as a mediocre novel in the new BBC Doctor Who archives and I suppose it could be seen that way. I only have to disagree that it is not so much a book inspired by Doctor Who as it is one inspired by conservationism.
As I began reading this novel, I was first drawn to all the talk of keeping a planet untouched and pure, the thought of a planet as one's keeper and provider not some lump of rock you were lucky enough to land on. This was a breather from the normal 'Doctor goes in, saves the day, leaves without a care to the tampering he has done on the alien world'. Granted, that is harsh to say, but it happens quite often. This book made more sense with the Doctor's character promoting the conservation of a very natural world. There even some nice jabs at our time and our over use of natural resources and nonchalance toward the future of Earth.
On all other lines of fire, the story is somewhat dull, not without action mind you, but it is somewhat predictable. Thus, if you are just looking for something Whovian to read with maybe a little modern day twist to it, it's a good read. Just don't expect to much if you just don't get into the Green Movement.
Seriously? I had to check the title twice: seriously, this was a Torchwood novel? Sure it contains all the character's, the Hub, even the SUV, but this book is anything but a Torchwood novel.
This book lacks quite a bit but what it lacks above all else it characterization. I truly felt as though the author had no idea who Cap'n Jack or Gwen or any of the various reoccurring characters were. There were so many times when a major part the the team would do something so out of style for them such as Owen recruiting an old girlfriend to join him at Torchwood over the internet. First of all Owen--he's a swinger, and in no point in the series is shown to care for anyone one he once dated; that's the point of his character: he's almost completely self-centered. Second, the Owen on the show certainly doesn't seem the one to promote his work, especially as negatively and coldly he refers to it, so why would he need to in a book. This sadly is only one of many character holes found in this book.
Another loss in this story is the it factor which is slightly harder to explain. By it factor , I mean that special something the author puts into the plot that really can't be pinned down that really makes the story stick out from all the other blah you may read or watch. Everyone knows what I mean: think about how repetitive Doctor Who can get in its plot lines (how many times can the Doctor say so-and-so-companion from the Daleks, right?) but for some reason, we all keep tuning in to watch. That's because the writers are pretty good at incorporating that little twist that makes the episode unique to all the others. Well, this novel comes without none. And due to this, it drags and becomes repetitive and just down right uncreative.
In all ends, this novel is full of repeated words structures, nails-on-chalkboard character demolitions, and a rather mediocre bought-the-same-thing-yesterday story. So if you enjoy eating a bucket of nails, enjoy swallowing the disgusting piece of regurgitated writing.
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| Four Series Greats Produce Four Duds |
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| What: | 100 (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Sunday 2 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 3 |
As I write this, 100 has received an 8.7 average from 9 votes. I don't get it.
100 is the 100th monthly Doctor Who release from Big Finish. It's comprised of four separate stories, each one episode in length, each featuring "100" in some way, each featuring the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn. That's the simple, basic premise. It's too simple a premise, and resulted in a very unfocused, sloppy collection of muck. The most surprising thing about this is, though, that the stories are all by very good writers, who have written for some very good Big Finish releases, though Rayner did give us Doctor Who and the Pirates, and Lidster did give us Terror Firma, two of the worst stories in the line. Here, these accomplished writers have given us the equivalent of poor fan fiction.
Episode 1 is 100 B.C. by Jacqueline Rayner. This is the worst of the lot, as the Doctor makes a very stupid error that leads to him trying to ensure that Julius Caesar's parents succeed in conceiving him on the night it's supposed to happen, so as to make sure the established historical timeline is restored. I'm not joking. An embarrassment from start to finish.
Episode 2 is My Own Private Wolfgang by Robert Shearman. Another hastily thrown together mess of a story, about past and future Mozarts, plural. It gets briefly amusing at track 16, but really ends up being just a silly story with a convoluted premise that doesn't really work.
Episode 3 is Bedtime Story by Joseph Lidster. The motivation behind the multi-generational, multi-century manipulation of a family is unlikely and nonsensical, and the terrifying secret is rendered rather powerless as a result.
Episode 4 is The 100 Days of the Doctor, by Paul Cornell, and is the only one of the four that comes close to being satisfying. The Doctor's body has been taken over by a deadly virus, and he has 100 days to stop it. It's a quick trip through his past and future, and through the entire line of Big Finish Doctor Who audio productions, really. It's a nice attempt at an homage to the series, but comes off as being rather gratuitous - it is quite rushed, and only a superficial tribute to the past stories. Still, it has some cool features that Big Finish fans will appreciate, and it gives the listener somewhat of a reward for listening to the rest of 100. The ending gave me a big "pffft", though.
Make no mistake - this is *not* another Circular Time.
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| Pun included: No Sting in this Novel |
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| What: | Sting of the Zygons (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | H. N. Y., Mid, Nowhere |
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| Date: | Sunday 2 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
Cursory review: some funny comments by the Doctor, lack of character development, wordy, and very little like the Doctor Who we know.
Detailed review: very VERY little like the real Doctor Who. First of all I am not a huge fan of the author, Stephen Cole. His books often seem to lack real motivation and above all an interesting plot, and this really shows in his latest novel. Virtually this is a story about the Lock Ness monster, and that is where the books gets all caught up: too much time is wasted explaining the monster and the aliens controlling it and why they are there and what they are doing there and how they are controlling their monster, and what they eat for breakfast-- I think you see my point. The book really does take to long to get up and off it's butt and when it finally does I found it taking long and leisurely breaks in between mediocre moments of action-action that I may say was often anticlimactic and disappointed to say the least. I actually found myself wondering when the novel would end (it doesn't help either that of the New BBC Doctor Who novels this is one the longest). The character are to say the least, dull. The Doctor is always fascinating and Martha in her own right, only there seemed little to no connection between them in the story. As for all the supporting characters I had a hard time remembering them all due to the fact they none of them were either interesting nor detailed and often followed that old fashion story archetype of young helper boy or grumpy military authority. So really not very Whovian, not very literate, and just not very good.
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| A little gory but not bad... |
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| What: | Torchwood: Slow Decay (Torchwood novels) |
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| By: | H. N. Y., Mid, Nowhere |
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| Date: | Sunday 2 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Alright, yes I am a Torchwood fan so this may be a little bias of a review but let's admit it--anyone wi tries to write a novel on a series about at sexed up paranormal investigative team that is based on a timeless sci-fi TV show has to be given a chance, even if only out of pity. Thus as far as that goes, this was a decent book. It is well written (not in the way of scarlet letter perhaps) and better yet it really keeps close to the show. The big difference between the Doctor Who books and Torchwood books is that Doctor Who normally only has about two characters to conduct a narrative with were as in Torchwood there are at least five. This really keeps the story moving and compelling. The only thing I have to say about this one is it seemed a little gory, even for Torchwood. This is definably not a novel for younger children: there are very prominent themes of cannibalism and self-mutilation outside of the stories normal sex references. So just be prepared when you read and don't let it stop you: there is a very human and comforting point at the end that redeems most of the book.
Hope you enjoy!
| What: | The Resurrection Casket (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | H. N. Y., Mid, Nowhere |
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| Date: | Sunday 2 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
I am not one normal,ly to pickup any sort of novel from a TV series but let me just say that these Doctor Who novels have really been satisfying. And of all those I have read so far, this has to be my favorite. One thing I am sure all Whovians worry about as we sit down to pursue a Who novel is indeed: is the writer going to capture the Doctor and all the TV characters mannerisms the way we are accustomed to? But that was one thing that really stuck out in this book. I felt as though the author knew whom it was he was writing about. There was no un-needed conversations or misplaced jokes and babbling of the Doctor and the relationship between him and Rose seemed so natural and clear as it is in the series.
Another problem and disappointment often confronted is in the attempt to match a TV episode, the author will try to hard and make the plot confusing, irrelavent, and often battered with many holes. In general, I would say the plot this author took (robotic pirate in space) was no Who story but he truly impressed me. I hate to say this (no I really hate to say this) but it reads like a Pirates of the Carriabian meets Doctor Who. Over all, well worth the effort to write and well worth reading. Kudos to Justin Richards, staying true to Whovian way.
| What: | Wetworld (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Grant Wlliams, England cornwall |
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| Date: | Friday 30 November 2007 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This is a very book. It hocks you in at the begining of the book This is one of the best books
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| A Fantastic audio/visual Collection |
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This is not a review of the individual stories.
That's mainly been done already. However, what a great box set this is. You get all 5 Davros tv stories, and all 8 of the Big Finish audio stories (so far), in one collection. That's 8 dvd's of over 1300 mins of pure entertainment. All nicely packaged together in a limited edition format. I think '2-Entertain' has outdone themselves this time around.
Content:
Genesis of the Daleks, Destiny of the Daleks, Resurrection of the Daleks, Destiny of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks(special edition), Davros. The Juggernauts, Terror Firma, I Davros 1-4 & The Davros Mission.
Go on treat yourself
| What: | Destiny of the Daleks (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 29 November 2007 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
This story suffers from comprasion with Genesis of the Daleks, one of the all time greats (THE greatest in my opinion)thats not to say its not enjoyable, it is, its just that the faults, wobbly daleks, sub standard Davros stand out more. On the plus side the chemistry between Tom Baker & Lalla Ward is wonderful & the location is pretty good. A,as per usual,good range of bounus features. Watching the story with added CGI effects added to the enjoyment & a cracking, if short, documentry on Terry Nation plus some very funny Australian TV adverts for computers featuring Tom & Lalla.
| What: | Earthshock (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Liam, Ireland |
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| Date: | Wednesday 28 November 2007 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
One of the best stories of Davison's era as the Doctor, Earthshock succeeded not only in resurrecting the Cyberman (after the dire Revenge of the Cybermen) but also managed to make Adric a likeable character for once (before giving him a moving send off). Peter Grimwade's direction keeps the pace zipping along frantically, so the action never lets up long enough for the few inconsistancies in the writing to show up. All and all, Earthshock sits on the upper tier of Doctor Who in the 80's. It's also almost worth buying the DVD, just for the animated short "Episode 5" which reveals what REALLY happened to Adric :)
| What: | Scherzo (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 26 November 2007 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Robert Shearman has done it again. Produced one heck of a script for big finish, and with top notch direction this story is very different yet as scary as hell. Paul and India are all on their own for this story. This has more of a horror feel to it than pure sci fi. The spooky effects of something trying to communicate with them were particularly chilling. And i did literally jump out of my seat in a few occasions, see if you can guess which parts. Certainly i was expecting scherzo to be mind numbingly dull, but i was glad that it was nothing of the sort. Rob again gives us a great setting and great ideas welded into a classic doctor who. This is a great story for the introduction to the divergent set of eighth doctor audios...
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| A great yarn, a feel of the old series!! |
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| What: | The Murder Game (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 24 November 2007 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Steve Lyons is one of the safest and best Dr Who writers to try to look for as his stories are never over the top and never lacklustre either though. They all seem to be solid little stories with plenty of interesting ideas going around and lots of action for every character involved.
The Murder Game is an excellent story with a real feel of the second doctors era on tv about it. The doctor is very well portrayed as are Ben and Polly. The Selachians are a believable race and this story never pauses for breath from the word go to the brilliant finish. What with so many doctor who stories having far too many twists and turns for their own good, its good to find a writer for the series whose stories you can actually enjoy and read properly at the same time. This is excellent stuff and well worth a buy!
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| Great Concept, Disappointing Execution |
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| What: | Frozen Time (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Wednesday 21 November 2007 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
I was really looking forward to listening to Frozen Time. I thought the synopsis sounded like this could be another classic, fantastic story. I guess it probably sounded a lot like some of the more intriguing of the New Adventures novels, and of course, the problem is that you really can't do a novel on audio (or video, for that matter). Frozen Time is nowhere near as mysterious and intriguing as my mind saw it being, and the "menace frozen in time" is a rather bland one. Oh no - not *them* again, is what I found myself thinking when their identity was finally divulged. Yawn. Well, at least we get the Seventh Doctor with amnesia (again) for a while, which makes for some interesting scenes - Sylvester McCoy does "befuddled" rather well most of the time, when it's called for.
Not bad, not great. Don't have much more to say about it.
| What: | The Wishing Beast (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Wednesday 21 November 2007 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
The Wishing Beast is a fun, spooky tale for the Halloween time of year. It reminds me of what I can remember of the Grimm's Fairy Tales that were probably at least partly responsible for some childhood nightmares when I was very young. That is to say that though this could be frightening to a young child, it's really much more in the spirit of a kind of deliciously impossible but fun dark fantasy to an adult. The Sixth Doctor and Mel have a great story to work with here, though it is a departure from what Doctor Who fans are accustomed to, and they play off of each other quite well. The Wishing Beast is technically well-produced, and mostly well-written and scripted, but the ending really makes no sense. Since this really is a very heavily fantasy-based story, that can be excused to an extent, but it remains a glaring inadequacy, which keeps me from giving this story a higher rating.
Following the 3-part Wishing Beast is the 1-part story, The Vanity Box. Set in a Northern town, it's somewhat of a change of pace from The Wishing Beast, and it features a scene with Colin Baker that is quite funny, and must be heard to be appreciated! (And believed.) And the ending gives all of it a nice twisty kick.
Overall, very entertaining. Just don't expect anything too serious.
| What: | Casualties of War (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 21 November 2007 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
A really excting gothic ghost story for the 8th Doctor. Recommended.
| What: | The Face of the Enemy (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Martin Smith, Tewkesbury |
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| Date: | Tuesday 20 November 2007 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
Face of the Enemy suggests two interesting premises; what happened to Ian and Barbara when they got back to Earth and what would UNIT do without the Doctor; and somehow manages to fudge them together into one story that almost works, but doesn't.
Ian and Barbara's introduction into UNIT is laboured and unremarkable, leaving me as nonplussed about it all as they were.
The Master's involvement with UNIT is generally more interesting, but it takes far too long to get to it, instead spending much too long following dead-ends involving his criminal organisation.
This reflects the generally bad pacing of the book, which draws out the preamble and squeezes the interesting bits down. Really, it has a very long beginning, a shortened middle and practically no end. There's no real sense of closure here, McIntee just sums a few things up in the Brig's head with a couple of paragraphs in the epilogue, like he'd suddenly reached his page limit.
On top of this, the prose is generally blunt, laboured and tiresome, while the author gets distracted trying to account for the whereabouts of practically everyone ever involved with UNIT in an attempt to mask the flagging plot.
There's a good story in here, somewhere near the end, it just takes an awful lot of work to get to it and enjoy it.
