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| What: | Loups-Garoux (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Sunday 6 August 2006 |
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| Rating: |   5 |
OK, we've had the mummies, we've had the ghosts, and we've had the vampires. The werewolves had to come along at some point. My advice is watch the better-written "Tooth And Claw" with David Tennant. My problems with "Loups-Garoux" are these: 1. If the werewolves are so powerful that the can make nearly all humans see or do anything the wolves want, what are they doing skulking around in invisible cars and trains? Why not just take over? 2. I hate stories about beings so powerful they can just twist any old person around their fingers. It makes ludicrous any idea of a person, such as Turlough or Dr. Hiyashi, standing up to them. There is no logical way around the problem. The wolves would eat everyone and that would be it. 3. Why, if being a wolf is so much more powerful, and let's face it sexy, than being a human, would any werewolf in her right mind not want to be one? Application of just the tiniest bit of logic makes the whole rationale for the story crumble to dust. The only redeeming features are an expanded characterization of Turlough, and the guest stars Eleanor Bron and Burt Kwouk delivering professional-quality performances.
| What: | Winter for the Adept (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Sunday 6 August 2006 |
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| Rating: | 2 |
This one is truly dreadful. We get one of the most poorly explained bunch of evil aliens, the Spillagers, just for starters. Furthermore, we are never told what prompted the Doctor to look for them. The worst part is a ghost who is really a ghost, but not just any kind of ghost. This milksop twit, a kind of Bertie Wooster the friendly ghost, is contrary to all normal descriptions of ghosts were such things to exist. He is chatty, self-willed, just an ordinary guy without a body. What sort of ghost is that? Besides that, the tendency in Doctor Who is to naturalize supernatural phenomena, even if the naturalization is just pseudo-scientific nonsense. Little in this story is thought out and much should have been thrown out.
| What: | Phantasmagoria (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Sunday 6 August 2006 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
"Phantasmagoria" gets the Big Finish series going. In this start, they have decided to play it safe. "Phantasmagoria" contains much that is typical of Doctor Who. We have a villain who is clearly a villain and not merely misunderstood. We have a historical setting. We have separation of the companion and the Doctor for a large part of the story. We have a seemingly supernatural phenomenon that turns out not to be. Indeed, so much of "Phantasmagoria" is so typically Doctor Who that in the end it is just a ho-hum story. The one real change, for the better, is added depth to Turlough's character. He is much more complex than the merely shifty figure of the TV series.
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 | Run! [in a northern accent] |
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grades...
Rose C3
End of the world C2
Incompatible message format [Data] B3
Aliens in London C3
World war 3 B2
Dalek A3
The long game B3
Father's day C1
The empty child A2
The doctor dances A3
Boom town B2
Bad wolf A2
The parting of the ways A1
The parting of the hairs A1
The buying of the hats A*1
| What: | Fear of the Dark (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Hatman, From Russia with hats |
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| Date: | Saturday 5 August 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Suspiciously similar plot to Drift. Maybe open to philisophical mumble about repetition of events. Anyway, Why do I keep saying that? The book itself was good... I like triple dots...
| What: | Drift (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Hatman, A tree |
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| Date: | Thursday 3 August 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
I predict a storm... anyway, it is one of the better books. It might not be, but reading the adventuress of Henrietta street interfeared with my wiring... Forget that. Read it... if you want.
this book is like a challenge. An endurance challenge. How many pages can YOU read before you die from boredom. Swear words and curses aside, there aren't that many words to describe it. I won't use any because I'm not a foul mouthed ro... I mean, person. It is written in the style of a school textbook. This only amplifies the rubbishness. This ses new standards for rubbish. Don't read it! Whatever you do, DON'T!
Reading the other reviews on here, I'm wondering if I've read the same book? I thought this was a terrible excuse for a novel. There is very little in here that can be considered original: Rose gets stuck in a bad episode of 'Bad Girls' and the Doctor gets taken to a jail replete with Rover-like guardians taken from 'The Prisoner'. The alien characters the Doctor is placed with in his prison are also awful; even Space Precinct would have considered these to be too embarassing to produce.
What really got on my nerves though was the appearance of the Slitheen / Blathereen / Raxacoricowhateverians. It was bad enough having to watch fart/burp jokes on TV, but having to read them throughout this book was excruciating. Who above the age of 4 finds this sort of thing amusing? Chances are there aren't too many 4 year olds reading this novel. The number of characters that conveniently turn out to be Blathereen is rediculous, and takes away any tension that could have been built up. The ending of the novel suggests that these aliens could make a comeback in the future. God, I really hope not.
This novel only gets its points from me due to the Blathereen’s plan. Even that wasn't particularly original in Doctor Who, but it made me wonder what they were up to.
This book is only fit for the compost heap; a shame, as Stephen Cole can do so much better than this.
| What: | Series 2 Volume 4: (BBC new series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Hatman, shizzle |
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| Date: | Monday 31 July 2006 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
No I do not want to examine.. I mean read endgame. anyway, Impossible planet: good, Soltan pit: Good, Love and monsters: rubbish. now you know. The Traveller, last of the Estate agents, still running from the cat. THE CAT! forget the Daleks, THE CAT is the best and most dangerous doctor who villan. you can't stop him, because he's already taken the universe!
‘Casualties of War’ is not only one of the best Doctor Who books I’ve read, it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read full stop. It’s written in this wonderful, rich language that makes it a joy and an honour to turn every page, the storyline is wonderfully thought-out and keeps you guessing right the way through without being too complicated. It’s genuinely frightening and full of atmosphere and suspense, and I’d recommend it to absolutely anyone.
I can’t believe that this is Emmerson’s first novel, it sure as hell doesn’t read like one. There’s a kind of confidence in the way he writes: He doesn’t seem to fall into the trap of trying to explain everything too much or resolve every plotline, but at the same time leaves the reader with the strong feeling that they understand what’s going on and can read a lot more into the events than the characters themselves. The presence of Mary’s brother among the dead soldiers that is only ever implied and never really developed is pure genius.
Also, this is the first EDA novel which really gave me a good idea of the Eighth Doctor’s character. He’s superbly portrayed in this book and bursting with all that enthusiasm and love of life that’s hinted at in the other books and the ill-fated TV movie.
There are only a couple of reasons that I’m not giving this book a perfect 10/10, a couple of small points that are probably more just a result of Emmerson’s lack of experience rather than anything else. The first is that I felt there were either too many characters in this novel, or they just weren’t developed well enough. There are so many with so little characterisation that it’s very easy to get confused and I had to keep flicking back and forth to work out who was who. The second is that, towards the end, events seem to get a little repetitive. Something bad happens, there’s some small realisation, someone passes out, cut to the next scene. Really, the book could have done with being a few dozen pages shorter and clumping all the action together a little closer rather than interposing so many snapshots where people pass out/we’re supposed to presume them dead. I know the technique is supposed to build suspense, but it’s done so often towards the end of this book that it stops being suspenseful and starts being annoying, because we’re already pretty certain that, as this is the 18th time this character has blacked out, they’re not going to die this time either.
Other than that, however, this really was a masterpiece of modern fiction and I’m suitably impressed with it. It’s just such a terrible shame that Emmerson hasn’t written more. I shall be making sure I read his other Who novel ‘Dark Progeny’ very soon indeed.
The Impossible Planet - Very good, scary, poignant, thought-provoking. 5/5
The Satan Pit - Not as good, nice monster but no plot. 3/5
Love & Monsters - different, funny, good music, makes a change. 3/5
| What: | Endgame (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | the Traveller, still here/there |
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| Date: | Monday 31 July 2006 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
timelash, Timelash, timelash. What an absolutely terrific place to go to. we have no crime here, and why? Not just because we hang, draw and quarter people for rambling on pointlessly...anyway, I'll stop.
What? Book? oh, the book. it was fantastic. Worth all the two reads I gave it. Go on, read it...you know you want to.
| What: | Dragonfire (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Whites, Southend UK |
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| Date: | Sunday 30 July 2006 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Mel leaves in this one, that makes it one of the best ever. i would score this higher, but unfortunatly Mel survives and does not suffer at all.
| What: | The Tomorrow Windows (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Hatman, functioning, barely |
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| Date: | Sunday 30 July 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
can't function. ERROR!
Exciting, entertaining, witty, amusing...sorry, which video?
Pretty average, a few highlights, nothing more (and certainly nothing less - you can bet your bottom dollar [Hatman wil get that if he's still functioning err I mean alive]).
Before I go swadding off back to TV.com and pastures green, I just wanted to say that this book was fantastic, absolutely fantastic. And you know what? So am I!
Anyway, Justin Richards - fab author. Lots of blood too, especially concerning *SPOILERS* young haemophiliac Freddie - oh, come on, he's a hero. See yah!
Sophie's interview is a fun, fast, honest interview around south London where she grew up. Holds your interest throughout- If only all the Mythmakers interviews could be like this!
Thoroughly enjoyable.
| What: | The Resurrection Casket (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Hatman, Not Russia |
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| Date: | Thursday 27 July 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Rather good. Nice use of steam.
| What: | The Monsters Inside (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Hatman, a wormhole of some sort |
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| Date: | Thursday 27 July 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Made a satisfactory grade, with a good effort [C2]. Anyway, I saw a sprite on Sunday. I said 'Youuuu!' but it didn't. It ran into the magic fairy dust shop. Anyway, it was good enough.
| What: | Winner Takes All (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Hatman, The wind |
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| Date: | Thursday 27 July 2006 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
...what were they again? One of the better books. but THE CAT isn't in it!
