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| What: | Dreamtime (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Joe Ford, Eastbourne |
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| Date: | Tuesday 12 April 2005 |
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| Rating: |   1 |
Anyone else think that the seventh Doctor audios are the most tedious Doctor Who out there? Sylvester McCoy confirms that his acting ability is severely limited and coupled with an incredibly dull script this could possibly the worst Big Finish story yet. It was interminably boring throughout, wasting Ace and Hex, and re-introducing the Galyari for no reason at all. The characters were stale and blandly acted and the direction is so lacking you have to wonder if Gary Russell was even in the studio.
| What: | Timeless (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | The Voter from Vortos, Vortos, Nebula Galaxy |
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| Date: | Sunday 10 April 2005 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
This is a book with good ideas but it lacks from the setting and the overall storyline. The storyline is tedious. The storyline demanded far richer locations (ie, spacestations, rockets, alien worlds, etc.) rather than a couple of streets and buildings in London.
The ideas are vast and fantastic, and things that you don't notice in the beginning of the book play important roles throughout the story, leading you to marvel at how well the continuity was thought out. However, the ideas are too much, as they make you forget about the storyline and trap you in their magical world.
"Timeless" is a book worth reading, but is not worth 15 to 25 Australian dollars demanded.
| What: | Halflife (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | The Voter from Vortos, Vortos, Nebula Galaxy |
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| Date: | Sunday 10 April 2005 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Starts off with mystery. Development here. Action paced. Robotic Ys taking over humans, talking ships, giant apes and baby monkeys - whatever more could you ask for a Doctor Who book?
I found this was one of the Doctor Who books I really, really enjoyed. With a good setting, good characters whose personalities develop throughout the book, added up with humour and spice and all things nice, I really felt disappointed when I came to the final page and realised there was no more writing after the word "me.". With a good story, good plot, good pacing, you really want to pick up the next book by Michalowski you see and read it forever, and never come to the final page (that is, in a very good sense).
Only one thing I didn't like: the slow beginning prologue/chapter, and merging bottoms in one scene (just not cricket, lads).
One of the best stories the BBC has published, and one of the best Doctor Who's I've ever read. Heartwarming, funny, action-packed, the list could go on, and on, and on......
Hex makes a more acceptable start to his travels than Charley & others I could name. Namely he is scared, unsure and has no instant understanding of all the alien stuff.
Conjouring up vivid images, a lost city tumbling through space, people disappearing, turning to stone, the ever impending sense of doom.
Unlike many before it, not every question is answered and the Doctor does not have all the answers.
Apart for one australian with a bad lisp, its a bonza listen.
| What: | Match of the Day (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | The Voter from Vortos, Vortos, Nebula Galaxy |
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| Date: | Sunday 10 April 2005 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
For once! a true Doctor Who book, topped up with a totally original storyline and plot for that. The Doctor and Leela were true to their TV characters (maybe that was because clever writer Boucher created Leela in the television series) and the actions scenes were fast, well described, and weren't gothic horror (like a lot of new books make the cliffhangers). A book stretched a tad too long, but worth your while.
Fantastic stuff. You'd kill for it.
| What: | Fear of the Dark (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | The Voter from Vortos, Vortos, Nebula Galaxy |
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| Date: | Sunday 10 April 2005 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
A good book: something always happens in a chapter (even if its a ship crashing or a scream from a corridor), it makes scenes with the Dark creepy. A good read, that is, if you can escape the blood: smouldering bodies, blood gushing down tombs, cricket balls turning into spheres of blood, take a breath, a creature sucking blood, then spurting mountains of the stuff against the wall? Eewwwwwww (that is not meant to be a compliment).
If you skim over those parts, its a good book.
PS: skim like hell
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 | Very good, but 1 or 2 points |
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| What: | The Sleep of Reason (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | The Voter from Vortos, Vortos, Nebula Galaxy |
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| Date: | Sunday 10 April 2005 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
I found this book very good. Very creepy, very modern, well paced. The only thing was that it hardly had the Doctor and had a few scenes not for anyone young.
For anyone who likes Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes (espicially the Hounds of the Baskervilles!)
| What: | The Deadstone Memorial (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | The Voter from Vortos, Vortos, Nebula Galaxy |
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| Date: | Sunday 10 April 2005 |
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| Rating: | 2 |
This book has been one of my biggest disappointments during my time reading hundreds of Doctor Who books.
I found the book constantly shifted to scenes too many times, made an emphasis on blood and gore, kept the repeating "oh my eyes are big and black", and was a horror story, not Doctor Who (and a bad horror story at that!). As for how it becomes sci-fi, you might as take the entity from another universe and turn it into a demon trapped between heaven and hell, and needs the Doctor's help to make him return! And, another thing, you can't stop reading it because you have to get to the end, which is not good considering what the book is like. Full of occult and modern life. Not a good combination.
Two vote-points, thought, for the Doctor showing Hazel the stars (can we have more of that type of Doctor??) and the bookcover, and the little snippits of comedy.
Trevor's worst book yet. I seriously hope I can see a better ...DOCTOR WHO... book from him in future.
| What: | Fear of the Dark (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Monday 4 April 2005 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
The previous reviewers liked this book much more than I did. The book does have some things going for it. First, it is very much in the traditional Doctor Who style - a small cast of characters isolated in a limited number of places; a gradually gathering evil; characters with conflicting motives. The first half of the novel is quite good, very creepy. The trouble with it, in my view, is in the second half. For instance, Baxendale seems to forget that a ship has a crew, so that the Doctor makes a foolhardy rescue of one, but totally ignores the rest. The Dark, the villain of the story, is evil to no greater degree than any other DW villain, yet there is repeated insistence on just how evil it is, as though saying evil forty times makes it forty times more evil. Pointlessly, everyone but the three main characters dies. There are numerous overly melodramatic scenes in the second half, which conflicts with the ruthless, level realism of the first half. Still, Baxendale knows how to keep the story moving at a brisk pace, build to cliffhangers, and slip in teasers.
An excellent story that draws you in and keeps you wanting to read just one more page. Once you pick this book up you will not want to put it down.
Very well written. A well developed and original story line. And finally a story that gives you a little better understanding of the TARDIS and its relationship with the Doctor. I also enjoyed the fact that ACE was written as a very strong character. Not a whinney "what have you gotten us into now Doctor?" character. I am looking forward to the next book. I hope it is as well written.
| What: | The Holy Terror (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | James, UK |
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| Date: | Thursday 24 March 2005 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
I chose this NAA because it was highly rated here and seemed less predictable than some of the other titles. I wasn't disappointed.
The first episode is a bit shakey, with some wooden voice acting. The humourous and serious aspects of the plot also jar a bit at this stage, before being smoothed out later. Episode 2 sets a better pace though and 3 & 4 are superb, with the Doctor and Frobisher trapped in a Freudian nightmare. The ending is very powerful.
What I liked most here was the natural combination of a pacy (at times quite scary!) story with integral wry humour (the rituals) and some cracking one-liners (my favourite being "The lying blasphmer speaks the truth, your holiness"). The setting smacked a bit of Gormenghast though.
Colin Baker is well-suited to audio. Having not read the comics I didn't know what to expect of Frobisher, but everything you need to know is elegantly explained and I got to like him. It is strange having the 6th Dr paired with somebody sharp and sarcastic (rather than Peri or Mel), allowing some interesting interaction.
Overall the ideal companion to a long train journey!
After the disappointing Sleep of Reason, I was scared to pick up the remaining three books in the 8th Doctor adventures. To my surprise, I couldn't put this book down. Now this is what Doctor Who is all about. It was full of suspense and mystery. It showed the human side of all of the characters without destroying the mystery that the Doctor brings with him to every situation. My hats off to Trevor and his excellent save for the 8th Doctor's final days!!!
If I'd have seen this DVD when I was 10 years old I would have loved it! Pertwee serials were always my favorite unfortunately after all these years I think pales at the side of the Target book which is great.
Never tire of this one! One of the very best ever.
| What: | The Game (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Clive Wright, Jersey |
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| Date: | Sunday 13 March 2005 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
This one hits all the classical notes of a good Doctor Who plot, with the added flash back to 6 part stories.
On this CD the sounds and dialog of Naxy bring it completely to life and the sports anouncer brings everything together.
The time line plot was handled well, if not very orginal. A good listen.
An excelt Stroy that leaves you smiling and feeling good when you close the book. A well thought out story that never once has you saying, "yeah, right." or "only in Doctor Who." Very beleivable characters. Trevor Baxendale is a very good writer that makes it very easy to share in the emotions of all his characters. He knows the difference between giving you enough details to make you feel like you know the character personally and boring you with pointless facts. If your the sensitive type the last couple of chapters might bring a tear to your eye before leaving you with a smile on your face.
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| Base under siege - again!!! |
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Straight out of season 6 this one - not bad but needed a spark which wasn't there. Justin Richards seems to have got his plot straight out of Plutarch. A good Jamie story, if you like that kind of thing.
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| Well at least he had Daleks |
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| What: | The Time of the Daleks (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | George , Culcheth |
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| Date: | Thursday 10 March 2005 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
McGann got his Dalek Episode as all Doctors should have BUT it was not to there standerds because if you could make a time portal out of mirrors the Doctor would have Fixed his Tardis Eons ago. So yes it had daleks no it was'nt up to there standerds
| What: | Storm Warning (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | George, Culcheth |
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| Date: | Thursday 10 March 2005 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Well it can be said he should have the new TV Series but it was not to be oh well. However but and nevertheless he got this far in the audio ad ventres we should treat like like his TV Series but without the picture
I was very disillusioned by all the hype this book received. The first 200 pages were truthfully a total bore and the story really didn't become outstanding until the last 60 pages or so. Personally speaking, I would have rather enjoyed seeing this story as a novella instead of a full-length feature novel.
