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This Dvd box set is a must have for doctor who fans. The changeover between Tom Baker and Peter Davdison is superb and the re-introduction of the master adds to the excellence of these 3 stories.
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 | Creepy, Sad and Irritating. |
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This book is well written, but it may very well be the most despair-filled novel in many a year. Why do Paul Cornell's books make me so depressed and unhappy? Why does the heavy atmosphere of a funeral hang over practically every one?
I find this book to be a work of genius, but it is not really entertaining to read. The villains, the Hoothi, are brilliantly imagined, but grotesque and sad, and what they do to everyone simply gets weirder and sadder as the novel goes on.
Why does Paul Cornell dwell so much on darkness and gloom? Doesn't he ENJOY writing novels? Why doesn't any of that shine through more clearly?
Overall, this book is utterly without light, life, or, despite the title, Love. There's a little bit of rather distasteful fiddling about between Ace and her new boyfriend (ugh,) but that's not love. That's not even a good excuse for it.
Maybe I'm just an old romantic, but I like a bit of old-fashioned charm between people in love, some honest-to-goodness joy, which we just don't get here. Ugly and unpleasant.
Paul Cornell, I must conclude, is probably a sad, sad man, dwelling with heartbreak and loss, obsessed with loneliness and a world-weary despair. Even his one (so far) penned episode of Christopher Eccleston's Doctor Who T.V. series was the saddest one yet, exploring themes of death and mourning, the emptiness of irreversible tragedy. There was even a Church in it, just like in Revelation! Where does it stop, I ask you?
After reading Love and War (but mostly War,) I felt as if I had been raped emotionally. I find this book irritating because it is monsterously bleak, punky and unhappy. I give it two stars only because it is written with nice short sentences; it is easy to read. But that is all. Avoid it if you value your happiness.
| What: | New Beginnings: (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | jennylousekenchington, home |
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| Date: | Sunday 28 January 2007 |
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| Rating: |   5 |
new doctorwhodvds,10.out10.good,
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| A Torchwood book well written |
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| What: | Torchwood: Border Princes (Torchwood novels) |
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| By: | Jamie Hardwick, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 26 January 2007 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Border Princes is the first of the three Torchwood novels I have read. I found the story fast paced and interesting. Dan Abnett really created an atmosphere with this book, involving sub-plots (Serial G, The Amok) as well as introducing a character - James(Analogy Man)-, having him have a relationship with Gwen and then surprising the reader at the end... When reading, I felt like the characters were portrayed as they had been in the fabulous series. This would have made an excellent episode! If you only read one Torchwood book, read Border Princes.
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| A very good Tenth Doctor novel!!! |
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This Doctor who novel combines the adventurious world of pirates and treasure hunting alongside with space travel and robots.
The Resurection Casket is a must read. Its one of my personal favorates alongside the stealer of deams, only human and the price of paradise.
The Character of Jimm echoes Jim Hawkins from the Treasure island but i think it was intentional to add to the enjoyment of the book.
Justin Richards well done!!!!
| What: | Year of the Pig (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Yates, Reading UK |
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| Date: | Friday 26 January 2007 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
One of the problems I had with this release was the dialogue. The story was perfectly adequate and a nice little sci-fi yarn. It was clear that the writer had done oodles and oodles of research on all the subjects covered in the play, but must he constantly cram it in to every line? Everyone spoke in a kind of knowing cod-Wildeian while dropping cultural references willy nilly. Yes, yes it’s nice to write that sort of dialogue but I feel the writer get more enjoyment out of doing it than we do listening it to. As a result all the characters sounded the same. The Doctor, Peri, the Nurse, The inspector even the Pig (though I concede that may have been the point with a couple of them). With some sharp editing this could have been a great play, instead it’s just average. Shame.
| What: | The Price of Paradise (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | The Next Doc., Sunderland |
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| Date: | Thursday 25 January 2007 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
Don't read it unless you've got summit better to do
Its not that good
| What: | Only Human (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | The Next Docotr, Sunderland |
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| Date: | Thursday 25 January 2007 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
A proper doctor who book. Thats what should be released more often
Absolutely Classical, excactly what you don't expect. Thought it wouldn't be that good, but it turned out fabulous.
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| Better than the Deviant Strain |
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| What: | The Resurrection Casket (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | The Next Doctor, Sunderland |
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| Date: | Monday 22 January 2007 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
A million times better than the Deviant Strain, but not as good as Clockwise Man
| What: | The Clockwise Man (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | The Next Doctor, Sunderland |
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| Date: | Monday 22 January 2007 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Absolutley Fantastic!! Didn't put it down for two straight days
This story is a boring, stupid movie starring Colin Baker in: The Trial of a Timelord the worst Doctor and actor. He didn't put much drama or interesting things in it he is not my favorite Doctor. The assistant is Peri she was good with the Doctor but not by herself like the the Doctor. It was good in some parts. Overall 3/10
This was the only Doctor Who annual I ever got when I was a kid, and I loved the cover. I couldn't wait to read all about the TARDIS and find out about the Doctor's adventures.
I remember sitting at the kitchen table late at night, drinking hot chocolate, reading this book. It has fond memories for me, and the stories are nice and short. Not world-shattering, but clever and fun.
This novel has the feel of a Torchwood episode. It is well written, sharp and sexy.
Dan Abnett crams in so many adventures into one novel which ultimately pushes the narrative into one story and he characterises the main torchwood team well as he does by a new central Torchwood character James (character on the book cover) although it is a mystery who he is and what his ultimate goals are at first you soon warm to him and see him as a central figure.
without giving to much of the plot away a heavy theme is lies.
A fantastic novel and highly recommended :-)
As you can see - there are a lot of differing opinions about this book.
Lawrence Miles submitted a piece of work that stands out starkly from the other instillations in this series - and for me, it was a welcome addition.
The best comparison that comes to mind is Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Its not soft fiction - and it is indirect in the extreme - but this book has so many important plot points in it that it became cause of endless debate among those of us who care to spend our time doing such things.
Its raw - and yet sublime - incredibly important things come to pass, and its a wonderful puzzle.
One previous reviewer mentioned that it is an endurance challenge - yes it is - it is also one of the very few EDAs that I read from start to finish in one sitting, I stayed up all night with it.
I loved it.
Don't be afraid of it because its not about charging about in corridors and getting put in a prison cell every 20 pages!
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| Fine Premise, Some Good Stories. |
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The idea of the TARDIS bringing the Doctor into isolated, closed-off places hidden from the rest of the Universe is superb. What deeply buried secrets lurk within the black bolt-holes of the cosmos? The concept is claustrophobic and threatening, and the cover is great (the TARDIS light illuminating a dark metal cavern.)
Some of the stories are halfway decent - "Dust," by Paul Leonard, is a murder mystery on Mars, and "House," by Jeremy Daw, has the TARDIS arrive in a living house inhabited by some unusual persons.
Some of the stories are quite poor - "Doing Time," by Lance Parking, involves a group of thieves of Galifreyan technology put into a time loop as punishment. I, for one, got tired of reading the exact same sequence of events unfolding itself over and over again. (Parkin actually uses the same WORDS again and again, with little variation, save for the Doctor's intervention.) Not one of my better reading experiences.
Overall, most of the stories waver between being somewhat good and poor. The one notable exception is "The Ruins of Heaven," by Marc Platt.
"The Ruins of Heaven" is without a doubt the crowning jewel of the collection. It is visually stunning (Platt's descriptions are incredible) and the imagination behind it is awesome.
The story deals with a real angel from Heaven who is found trapped within the remains of where Heaven used to be.
Platt's invention of the awesome "Heaven World" with its stacking palaces built on cloud - and of the angel himself, who can hear all prayers of everyone everywhere - are staggering.
Marc Platt has the most incredible mind of any writer I have ever encountered, anywhere. This awkward story concept becomes powerful and dignified under his guidance. Nowhere else have I seen such huge concepts grappled with and made believable and compelling, made REAL.
The story mounts to a powerful conclusion, and I say it is worth the price of the book for this tale by itself. A towering achievement.
In Conversion, Part 3 of the Cyberman series, we get a general improvement of the already good standards of the previous two episodes. The production continues to be well-scripted and well-acted, and now the sound effects and overall realization have really improved. Even the retro elements are really growing on me. The Cybermen are well-voiced, giving the impression of truly mechanistic and emotionless beings (rather than the more cartoonish, emotional characters we had by the end of the original television series).
At this point, the plot has gathered a great deal of momentum and importance, and what comes to mind is that this is the way The Invasion (the televised story with Patrick Troughton) *should have* been done...
| What: | Red (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Tim, Cremorne, Sydney |
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| Date: | Thursday 11 January 2007 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
the doctor who ever created
| What: | Red Dawn (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Tuesday 9 January 2007 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
What I found interesting about Red Dawn is that in its use of the Ice Warriors, what it gives us is an alien force rather than an enemy or a monster. By this I mean that rather than being simply evil, aggressive or militant, the Ice Warriors here are truly alien. Rather than simply rampaging around destroying things, which they have the power to do, the Ice Warriors are shown to have their own kind of intelligence and culture. They are shown to have the capacity for civil dialogue, but their motivations and values are unpredictably alien, and this, combined with the power they wield, makes them edgy and dangerous.
Not a fantastic story, but somewhat fresh and different in its approach, and thus, a worthwhile listen.
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| Superb Classic Storry Remastered |
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This is a must have for Doctor Who fans everywhere. The animated episodes are excellent and the restored soundtrack is an added bonus. I await further missing episodes to be animated and released on dvd by the BBC
