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Of all of the Doctor Who books I have read, about 20 so far, this one is my favorite. It was spooky, interesting and well paced. I enjoyed it from start to finish.
| What: | Revolution Man (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Roses, UK |
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| Date: | Wednesday 3 January 2007 |
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| Rating: |   6 |
This one is a very, very strange little book indeed, and I have to say that my feelings about it changed an awful lot as I read it. Having had a little time to think it over, I have to say that this book had an awful lot of potential, but that it let itself down at several points and in others it just plain lost me.
First, let’s cover the nice things I can find to say about ‘The Revolution Man’. Well, the writing is very smooth and very easy to read and it really conveys the beauty to be found in the smallest things in life, which is something I’m really enjoying about the EDA’s. Most of the action takes place over 1967-1969 and the book really does take you back there, or at least, it does as far as I can tell being essentially a child of the eighties. The companions are both well represented, although I must admit that Sam annoys the hell out of me, and in no place more than in the section at the very end, on the other hand Fitz’s confused feelings are very believable and really draw you in to the book. Finally, the book had a couple of really great moments in it, in my opinion the best of which being the closing pages where the Doctor has no choice but to put a gun to someone’s head and shoot them.
However, even this moment has it’s problems, for one, the book wraps up almost immediately afterwards and doesn’t take advantage of the vast swathe of interesting emotional turmoil that would follow. In fact, the ending is one of my biggest problems with this novel: there is virtually no time for the reader to ‘unwind’ after the climax of the book as all the final pieces slot together and the whole thing begins to make sense together, and there is absolutely no closure, no wrapping up of all the thoughts and feelings and conflicts that have arisen over the course of the book, and this last point meant that I put the book down feeling vaguely discontent and unsatisfied. What I really would have liked to see is a scene at the end where the Doctor and Fitz finally manage a conversation and to have something in common: Fitz has been feeling alienated for the progress of the entire book, and by the end nothing has changed there. What it really could have done with is some resolution to that, and an opportunity to explore what’s going on inside the Doctor’s head after he’s taken a life.
There are also a couple of other problems I have with ‘The Revolution Man’ that are worth mentioning. The first is that towards the end of the book, things are getting awfully convoluted with regard to who’s been where and for how long and who’s working for who. As a result most of the main character’s motivations are very confused (here read Sam, Fitz and Maggie) and as a result the whole progress of the book in the build up to the climax is very confused and, indeed, confusing. Finally, it seems to me that a lot of this book is supposed to be written with the hazy, fluid, snatchy feeling of a drug trip, which makes perfect sense considering its subject, however in places I found that Leonard was asking me to suspend my disbelief just a little too much: the ‘Battle of the Giants over the Himalayas’ in Chapter Fourteen being the best example of this. I have to say that in places, it seemed almost like the author didn’t know where to stop with something and as a result often wandered into territory that was painfully trite or cliché, or just plain asking too much of his readers.
That said, ‘The Revolution Man’ wasn’t a bad read, and it certainly did have its moments, it just could have been so much better with a little more thought and a little more work in the editing process.
Tries to be adult but fails miserably. Later episodes much better.
Spoilers ahead. Do not read if you would rather not know story details.
In the first installment of the Cyberman series, we are introduced to an Earth war involving humans of the future and a host of human-looking but physically superior androids they had created, now based on Orion. With the war going badly for Earth, desperate measures were required. A great victory leads to the installation of a new president, but the situation is still dire. The next strategy involves the use of Cyber technology recovered from the first Cyber invasion of Earth that occurred centuries ago (in 'The Invasion'). A secret operation is now underway to produce Cybermen for the purpose of winning the war against the androids.
In this second installment of the series, the androids become aware that there is a new player in their war with Earth - the Cybermen. On Earth, there are strange goings on in the government, and certain questions will not be allowed. War refugees are streaming in from the outer colonies, and their fate must not be revealed...
Believably-acted with a well-written script, this suspense-drama continues to unfold as the Cybermen slowly begin to make their presence felt...
| What: | Foreign Devils (Telos novellas) |
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| By: | Paula, Grand Rapids, MI, USA |
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| Date: | Wednesday 27 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
This was an enjoyable tale, fun to read and kept my interest through the whole story. Highly recommended.
Moderate spoilers ahead.
Part 1 of this four-part Cyberman series sets up the scene that will presumably be built upon over the course of the series. So far, this is nothing spectacular, but it gives the listener enough to want to come back for more. The characters are strong enough to generate interest. The story starts out at a measured pace and gets far enough to provide just enough intrigue to start us off.
Now, for a few details... This series is really a throwback. It bears a rather strong resemblance to the televised story, The Invasion, which featured Patrick Troughton as the Doctor. The voices of the Cybermen, a carefully crafted, devious cyber-plot, and even the pacing of the action are all, so far, very similar to what The Invasion offered. So, while the Cybermen appear to be more substantive here than the dum-dums we saw by the end of the original television series, unfortunately, they sound rather daft.
We'll see how this all plays out by the end.
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 | Demands to be taken seriously |
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| What: | Master (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | James, London |
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| Date: | Friday 22 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Of all the attempts to make Dr Who more "mature", this is the first I've met that I could take seriously.
Joseph Lidster has been very canny in acknowledging that the Master of the TV series had no apparent motive but to inconvenience the Doctor. Thus, the play doesn't fall into the trap of imposing unconvincing meaning on the Master's pantomime-villain actions. He makes a real attempt to portray the Master as both monstrous and pathetic. One thing I liked is that at the end of the play, we still didn't know how to what extent the Master was responsible for his own ctions.
It helps that the play sounds professional, with good sound effects and appropriate music. The small cast are uniformly good - though I do think the scriptwriter gave McCoy too many "r's" to rrroll! Special mention goes to Beever, who manages to swtich between the "good" and "evil" Masters very convincingly.
The premise is intriguing and gets the time it needs to be fully explored, although the old house setting is a bit hackneyed. The play conveys a sense of claustrophobia (aided by a small cast), smartly counterpointed by occaisional break as the Doctor tells the story to an assassin.
The meat of the play is in the 2nd and 3rd episodes. There is some very clever Master character stuff in these parts too (e.g. unknowingly using hypnotism on his maid and unconsciously manipulating his friends).
The problem of this play taking itself seriously is that I felt compelled to listen critically, as I would to serious drama. I therefore couldn't help but notice that the final part seem both "stretched" and rushed. Both the Doctor and the Master are portrayed largely as helpless pawns of cosmic forces, which I'm not sure I like. Also, you might not get many of the references if you're not a hardcore fan - I certainly felt there was stuff I was missing. Much of the play is dialogue between too people, but I don't mind this.
| What: | Festival of Death (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Victoria Tiffany, Queensland, Australia |
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| Date: | Monday 18 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This book is very well written. It has everything: humour, surprises, and the occasional tragedy. A bit confussing at times, but overall, very good.
| What: | Other Lives (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Saturday 16 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
The first review here sums up Other Lives pretty well, except that I didn't find the sound design to be so terrific. Wasn't bad, just nothing outstanding either, though it did work well. The way the story goes, it reminded me of a nearly overlong Eighth Doctor novel. To put it briefly, without any real spoilers, the Doctor, Charley and C'rizz arrive at the Great Exhibition in 1851, get separated, and each quickly proceeds to get rather hopelessly lost there in one manner or another. What they get themselves into seems to simply meander aimlessly, further and further away from their former lives together. The setting and the characters in the story are all rather straight forward, familiar and quaint, and though there are a couple of mysteries, no real evil appears to be at work. This makes for a refreshing change from the rather serious stint the eighth Doctor has had in these Big Finish stories.
Mildly entertaining, unambitious, and reasonably well-written.
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| Great start, disappointing finish |
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| What: | Memory Lane (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Nick, Sydney |
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| Date: | Wednesday 13 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
A great start... fantastically surreal episode one, but I am afraid it was a bit downhill from there. Once the camp villains were revealed behind the scenes it all got a bit silly... But worth it for the great first episode.
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| Just a Small Piece of the Puzzle |
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| What: | Gallifrey: Spirit (Gallifrey audio dramas) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Sunday 10 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
This second episode of the second Gallifrey series focuses on the relationship between Romana and Leela, and on their contrasting characteristics. Without revealing too much about the plot here, though there really is rather little of it to be revealed anyway, what basically happens is that, as the episode synopsis states, Romana takes Leela to a quiet retreat planet for some r and r. While there, in the midst of the planet's lush forests, they end up engaging in some argumentative discussions along the lines of spirituality versus logic, such as 'intelligent design' versus evolution. During the course of the visit, strange events transpire which lead them each to a much greater understanding of the other. What we end up with is an odd little episode, which, while it gives us some very interesting and satisfying interaction between Leela and Romana, does little to actually build on the previous episode. It does, however, contain one big, enigmatic hook that compels the listener to tune in to the next installment.
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| Wow! A Historical episode..... |
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| What: | The Marian Conspiracy (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Greg Holtham, Mattydale, USA |
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| Date: | Sunday 10 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
OK, I'll be honest here. I really didn't think that a completely historical episode of Doctor Who could work in this day and age, let alone intrest audiences....until I realized that "Quantum Leap" essentially did the same thing 15 years ago. The historical aspect is the backdrop to the tale, its main ideas come from the characters, their interactions, relationships, and actions propels the story forward and (hopefully) makes it a story worth watching...er, hearing.
Which is something "The Marian Conspiracy" does very well(although I'm a little confused on where the title comes from; is this an English thing?) Rather than making Queen Mary an evil tyrant, she's depicted as a devout Catholic who truly believes that her action are pure and that God in the end will forgive all of their sins. In fact it's neat little touches like this that makes all the characters beliveable and well-rounded. Like Crow and Leaf saying that while burning Protestants is wrong, it's all right to burn sinners instead.
And then theirs the intro of Evelyn. This is perhaps Big Finish's best gift to the Doctor Who mythos: creating companions for the Doctor who from the starting gate are three-dimensional and fully realized. It in turn allows the "older companions" to become more 3-D as well (the interaction between Peri and Erinem, e.g) Evelyn, besides being older than previous companions, is far more acid-toungued and witty; making her more than a match for the 6th Doctor (who incidentally is FINALLY starting to live up to the potential the he was starting to show in his final televised season. Colin Baker is sounding fantastic in the audios and is truly a delight to hear him back in the saddle once again).
So, all in all this was a great story (even the minor annoyance about the 'temporal nexus point' to get the story running was good; it creates a unique way for the Doctor to meet Evelyn) and the start of more pure historical episodes in the future.
| What: | The Sirens of Time (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Greg Holtham, Mattydale,USA |
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| Date: | Sunday 10 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
...which it is. It's by far not the most engaging stories from the BF catalogue, but what it does do is provide a neat introduction to the world of Doctor Who, the character, several of his incarnations, his ship, background, etc. It also gives an idea of his adventures in space & time. Naturally, the final chapter is the best with all 3 Doctors working together (and apparently setting the 6th and 7th Doctors up in a relationship reminsincent of the 2nd and 3rd Doctors). As I said there are better audios out there (and I'm sure you can pick one out yourselves without my biased opinion), but "Sirens" is still a good way to introduce yourself to either the BF audios or Doctor Who.
| What: | Scaredy Cat (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Saturday 9 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
Wow - this title has been totally trashed in these reviews!
I can't say I disagree to a great extent, but what I was going to say is that this story was not worse than The Twilight Kingdom, one of the divergent universe stories. I went over to look at the info on it again, and lo and behold - it too was written by Will Shindler. No wonder the bleakness of the storyline is familiar.
Well, Scaredy Cat actually kept my focused attention for a while, because at first I saw it as a simple (but rather miserable) story with well-designed suspense that kept me wondering what would happen. Then I began to note some elements that were very familiar to me. I'd heard this story before.
The real deal here is that Scaredy Cat is nearly a direct retelling of one of the first three Stranger videos by BBV - More Than a Messiah - in which Sophie Aldred plays the role that was adapted for this present title into the "elemental" Galayana. The disturbed apelike natives, the being with the link to the planet, the invading technological offworlders, the global upheaval, the Doctor/Stranger who befriends the elemental being... it was all in More Than a Messiah. A few little changes, and you have Scaredy Cat.
Still, I can't pan this one as badly as the others did.
And a possible explanation for how C'rizz could resist Flood: C'rizz is both a physical and psychic chameleon, and in the Doctor's presence, the Doctor's mind was actually more influential over him than Flood's was, since they have something of a history together now, and an established familiarity.
| What: | Gallifrey: Lies (Gallifrey audio dramas) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Tuesday 5 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Lies is the first episode of the Gallifrey series' second season. The story is fairly well-written, except that some things are made to happen a bit too conveniently - in particular, the Matrix and K-9 come off as possessing nearly magical qualities here... Still, it is rather imaginative, and in this one brief episode, intriguing links are made to the events of Neverland and to Romana's regeneration in Doctor Who's seventeenth season (which is pretty well clarified here, imo), Braxiatel's role is uncovered and there is the beginning of a new revelation regarding ancient Gallifrey, and all of these are interconnected in a cohesive storyline. It's great to hear Mary Tamm back as the first Romana, and her scenes in the Matrix projection alone make this one worth listening to.
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| The Rani, The Master & Luddites, oh my! |
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| What: | The Mark of the Rani (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Brian Ridder, Littleton, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
"The Mark Of The Rani" one of the few offerings available on DVD from Colin Baker's run as the Sixth Doctor, and this story is a good story all around. The only story fault I find with it is that the historical part of the story goes out the window early in Episode 2. At that point, it could've been set anywhere and have done all right. Kate O'Mara's turn as The Rani is brillant, a coldly scientific, calculating woman who only cares for her experiments. It is a shame that she wasn't brought in earlier in the 80's, perhaps in Tom Baker's final season so she could be used more as the series went on. Anthony Ainley puts in a fairly alright turn as The Master, but his place in the story is questionable and one wonders if The Master should've sat this story out. Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant are a good team of The Doctor and Peri, their disputes, though sometimes very biting, belies the true warmness and closeness of this Doctor/companion team. The story as a whole is solid, with an imaginative backdrop of the Industrial Revolution (which gets lost as Episode 2 goes on). The Rani's experiments on the human sleep cycle is very brilliant and surreal, and the consequences make for heated showdown between some of the men who were experimented on and The Doctor. It truly is a shame that Colin Baker didn't get time to properly settle into the role of The Doctor before the BBC put "Doctor Who" on the shelf for 18 months. I honestly believe Colin Baker should have been given more time and "The Mark Of The Rani" stands testament to a big missed opportunity. Not the best story of the Colin Baker era (I believe that distinction goes to "Revelation Of The Daleks"), but all in all a good story nonetheless!
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| Unravelling the fabric of time....... |
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"The Greatest Show In The Galaxy" is a story that suffers so much from excess baggage that it is no wonder "Doctor Who" left the airwaves 4 stories later. Sylvester McCoy turns in an admirable performance as the Seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred is an ok companion as Ace, but the chemistry that so many Doctor/companion teams have had is just not there, at least not yet (It would get stronger in the next season, especially in "Ghost Light" and "The Curse Of Fenric"). The guest stars seemed like they were bored and it showed in a lot of uninspiring performances. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, the story really falls flat on it's face. The clowns try to be scary but are not, the Gods of Ragnarok try to be menacing but are not, and the whole circus idea just flops badly. The action always seems to go at a snail's pace and it really just leaves the viewer guessing more often than not without explaining anything. You could tell the series was in trouble at this point as it closed out Sylvester McCoy's second season as The Doctor. I really wish this had been made as a three-parter as opposed to a four-parter, they could've tightened up the story that way and it would have been much better. I say give it a try and see for yourself, but I wouldn't hold my breath.....
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| A good Dalek story, but not great |
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| What: | Planet of the Daleks (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Brian Ridder, Littleton, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
"Planet Of The Daleks" is a serial that I have very mixed feelings about. On the one hand, Jon Pertwee turns in another great performance as the Third Doctor and Katy Manning is cool as Jo Grant. The guest stars were really good and made for a very interesting story. My problem, then? The story itself. The Daleks seem to just be going through the motions without any motivation or outstanding surprise. The story in some places moves too slow and the effects are marginal at best. Episode 3 exists only in black and white and gives a decent flashback to the days before color. If you're a Jon Pertwee or a die-hard Dalek fan, get this serial. It's an ok story that sets the stage for Katy Manning's departure in the next serial, "The Green Death".
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| Not one of Davison's best, but still... |
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| What: | Time-Flight (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Brian Ridder, Littleton, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
"Time-Flight" finishes out Peter Davison's first season as the Fifth Doctor and it ended on a bit of mixed note. On the up-side, the story is very solid (Concordes plucked out of mid-flight and hurtled 140 million years in the past, the fate of the Xeraphin and the ever evil machinations of the Master to try and outwit the Doctor) and the acting is very tight. Not great, but solid. Peter Davison is probably one of my favorite Doctors, and I always felt bad he was saddled with companions that whined and complained too much. Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) and Janet Fielding (Tegan) gripe and complain quite a bit, especially in the beginning over the death of Adric, but they do come through in the clinch when the chips are down. Anthony Ainley hams it up again as the Master. Ainley tries his best but sadly he is no Roger Delgado. On the down-side, the special effects (even for the early 80's) are at best questionable, at worst completely unbelievable and really drags the story down. Perhaps not the best serial of Peter Davison's run as The Doctor, but a good serial to have if your a fan of the Fifth Doctor!
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| A very good story with cool extras |
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| What: | The Reign of Terror (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Brian Ridder, Littleton, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
"The Reign Of Terror" has rapidly become one of my favorite William Hartnell stories, and the French Revolution backdrop makes for lots of intrigue, plot twists and witty dialogue. The cast is in fine form here and the guest stars are totally up to the task of making the Reign Of Terror come to life. Episodes 4 and 5 are sadly missing, with them much of Robespierre's appearances (you get to see a little of him toward the end of Episode 6) but you get to see Napoleon (Tony Wall) begin his ascent to power. But Carole Ann Ford's linking naration brings the missing episodes to life in the mind. All around a very good story. Plus, if that wasn't enough, 3 orphaned episodes from the Patrick Troughton era are included from two incomplete serials. Episodes 1 and 3 from "The Faceless Ones", the final story for Michael Craze (Ben Jackson) and Anneke Wills (Polly Wright), are a lost treasure that tantalizes us with the possibilities of young people being kidnapped in mid-flight and aliens invading the earth in secret. Chameleon Tours indeed. Episode 1 of "The Web Of Fear" is also included and it features the first traces of what would become the UNIT family starting to surface, with Nicholas Courtney in his first appearance as Colonel (later Brigadier) Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart. Sadly, that performance is missing but Episode 1 sets the plot (re-activated Yeti terrorizing London, spreading a paralyzing web all over and causing the TARDIS to get stuck in mid-flight) and the combo of the Second Doctor (Troughton), Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Victoria (Deborah Watling) make an awesome TARDIS crew. These 3 Episodes are now available in the "Lost In Time" DVD set, but just to get "The Reign Of Terror" was more than worth it!
