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 | Who clears up the mess...? |
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| What: | Business Unusual (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Stephen Carlin, Bangor, Northern Ireland |
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| Date: | Friday 16 July 2004 |
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| Rating: |   5 |
The Doctor has been helping some friends, members of the Brighton police force, put paid to a scheme by the Master (is Gary Russell planning a prequel?). To finalise the erasure of the Master's work the Doctor requests the services of a computer programmer. Time has passed since his trial, and the Doctor has been trying to avoid ever meeting Melanie Bush (Mel). As far as the Doctor is concerned, Mel is part of a potential future which also includes becoming the Valeyard -it is a path he hopes never to follow. Of course, the programmer appointed to assist the Doctor turns out to be Mel.
Other events are also unfolding: Trey Korte, an American staying with the Bush family, begins to develop psychokinetic abilities - something which interests SeneNet, a company planning to release a revolutionary new games console; SeneNet are sponsoring a fast food company - little plastic toys are being given away with meals; the Brigadier has been asked to investigate SeneNet - and has disappeared; the partially-eaten corpse of a Japanese businessman is found near SeneNet; and people working in various computer centres are experiencing strange personality changes.
The Doctor sets out to investigate SeneNet and soon discovers that someone else has been mopping up after UNIT for many years now.
There are times when the book is quite enjoyable, but most of the time the book wanders off and becomes preoccupied with Gary Russell's mission to fill in the blanks in the series' history. I do applaud his attempts to create a cohesive back story (the book features elements which first appeared in "The Scales of Injustice" and other elements reappear in "Instruments of Darkness") but he seems to have missed the whole point of a really good book - telling a good story and telling it well. He has the potential to tell a story well. "Business Unusual" is not only bogged down by heavy dollops of continuity, it is also bogged down by taking bits and pieces of other Doctor Who stories. Its as if Mr Russell has used a recipe "a spring of The Invasion, a pint of Terror of the Autons, a pinch of Inferno...etc". Legacy remains his best work, although there is no guarantee that he can turn his hand to good "original" stuff (as the dire Invasion of the Cat-People would testify).
In short, if you don't like Gary Russell's other books this will not change your mind, but it does serve its purpose in introducing Mel as the Doctor's new companion.
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| Indifferently written but fluffy fun |
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| What: | Mad Dogs & Englishmen (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Phil Ince, Location? Mind yer own bloody business! |
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| Date: | Friday 16 July 2004 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
No worse or better written than an average Tezza Dicks Target novel (Mawled Prose eulogises The Mighty Tel in a simpering postface to The Scarlet Vulva. It works though. A piece of fun with C S Lewis and Tolkein's Inklings being borrowed for The Smudglings and various spoofings including Princess Leia's holographic distress call from Star Wars. Certainly can't be accussed of trying too hard but at the same time finding Fitz and Anji inspecting and then recoiling from dog shit on a carpetted alien space station is an unexpected pleasure.And for a characteristically unpretentious addition to the post-Ancestor Cell community of the Doctor's acquaintance. Recommended as a change of style and pace. No great shakes but I've read worse (by Mawled Prose himself, amongst others).
Now this is what I call Dr. Who!! This was an awesome book and majorly ties upstory lines as well as preserves continuity in unimaginable ways. When I first heard Sabbath was back, I was worried but Justin Richards does an awesome job of piecing everything together. Keep it up guys!!!
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| Interesting and ingenious but convoluted |
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| What: | Parasite (New Adventures novels) |
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| By: | P. G. Steiner, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA |
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| Date: | Sunday 11 July 2004 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
Parasite builds on events and characters that will be familiar to the readers of the author's earlier NA novel Lucifer Rising (written with Andy Lane). The Doctor, Ace and Benny arrive on Artifact, a vast, mysterious world that defies the laws of everyday physics. The Artifact is also undergoing cataclysimic changes, and our heroes must discover what is going on before they themsleves are destroyed in the ensuing chaos. Mortimer offers some tantalizing explanations for these mysterious goings-on drawing on both evolutionary biology and theoretical physics, which are puzzled out by Ace of all people. While some of the science fictional ideas in the novel are actually rather intriguing and ingenious, Mortimer goes overboard, putting one layer of complexity on top of another until the storyline becomes so convoluted that I gave up trying to follow it. I also found the idea of Ace--admittedly smart and resourceful woman, but hardly a great abstract scientific thinker--being the one to figure it all out and explain it to the reader more than a little hard to swallow.
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| Worth the price for the Troughtons! |
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| What: | The Reign of Terror (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Steve , Atlanta, Georgia USA |
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| Date: | Sunday 11 July 2004 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I originally purchased this set because of the Hartnell episode, but I have since found it is the second tape (Web of Fear and The Faceless Ones) that I am wearing out. Since seeing the only existing episode of The Web of Fear, I have bought the Yeti Attack CD set and the book of this episode. This little gem shows just how spooky the show could be (this episode came out in the middle of the incredible "monster season")! Web of Fear's music, lighting, and plot are all perfect (especially the music, which I believe was some stock horror film music, but I haven't been able to track down the source). The Faceless Ones was an episode I didn't really think I would care for, but it, too, was a pleasant surprise. Both stories will make you curse the day the Beeb tossed the originals (especially since the conclusion of each seems to be gone forever). Incidentally, Reign of Terror is a great historical episode (the foundation of the Hartnell era) and the missing episodes in the middle are linked very well. You can't expect any Hartnell episode to be perfect, but this one was very well-done. The sets and costumes establish a great feel for the period and the acting isn't too over the top. All in all, this is a very nice set to give you a feel for each Doctor at or near his best. Ian Marter's novelization of Reign is superb and would be a great companion piece.
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| A good read, but not perfect |
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After reading the previews for the book, I was really looking forward to reading this novel. There was something about the premise that I found interesting, but having read the book it doesn't go into as much detail about the Victorian attitudes to death and the afterlife as I thought it might. Queen Victoria came across as a little one dimensional, as she was driven solely by grief and not much else. The explanation to the paranormal side of the story was a bit of a let down after 200 or so pages of build up, but the twist regarding James Lees was really unexpected and probably the most rewarding part of the story. The ending was a little rushed and it became a headache to work out who was who (or what!). This book was atmospheric and the premise a great idea, but it would have benefited with being longer, allowing some of the lesser (and more interesting characters) more time to grow. The time James spends between the prologue and his appearance before Queen Victoria should have been expanded upon, his time in the asylum sounds more hoffific than anything else approached in this novel, yet is only covered by a few throwaway lines of flashback.
I enjoyed this book as it combined a dark period of British History with an equally dark story, even if it didn't live up to my initial expectations.
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| It dose what it says on the tin! |
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| What: | The Five Doctors (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Ian, Leeds, England |
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| Date: | Thursday 8 July 2004 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
A wonderful collection of everything (up to that point anyway) that is/was Dr Who. Daleks, Bessie, the Master, Cybermen, The Brigadier, Timelords et al. The plots a bit of mess, the location shooting is dull (all though its supposed to be) and Tom Baker is sorely missed. However, the others Drs are on form, even Hartnells stand in and you are never left hanging around waiting for something to happen.
Light, cheerful entertainment for all to watch, without too much to think about.
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| You Know What I Want!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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This story is nearly always put down by fandom, so i approached it with caution upon its release. I was more than pleasantly suprised having watched it from beginning to end, to find it a completely underrated classic! And light-hearted at that!
There are some great supporting characters, nice, bright sets, Tom and Lalla at their peak and the machine itself is an interesting concept which harks back to The Carnival Of Monsters. I think its wonderful stuff. It has now become one of my most watched tapes (and i've got them all!).
Well, took me over a month to get through this book, some of it due to time but mostly because it dragged on and on. This book made no sense and really should have been shelved. It was nice that they eluded to the Doctor's past to get him to think about it, but it was done in a lame way plus the ending was just a cop out it seemed. I, for one, was not happy at all with this book.
Well it is certainly a very intriguing story. The whole political situation is described in a very real and believable manner and there really is a sense of suspense as the story develops. All the other Dalek Empire's I have had so once one was finished I could go onto the next but now I really have a lot of time to relisten to and think about each chapter. I'm enjoying the experience so far!
The twist at the end of the story is really, really good and we really don't know what the Daleks are up to so I'm looking forward to seeing how this all comes together!
| What: | Death Comes to Time (Miscellaneous audio dramas) |
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| By: | W, USA |
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| Date: | Sunday 20 June 2004 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
I liked the story because it was complex enough, for an audio, to make it interesting listening more than once. Every time I listen to it, I pick up more details.
I would like to see the story eventually turn up fully mounted as a television episode.
| What: | Relative Dementias (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | J Sykes, England |
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| Date: | Sunday 20 June 2004 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
This was a brilliant story with a well structured plot and great characters although the end was slightly confusing.
| What: | Endgame (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | J Sykes, England |
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| Date: | Sunday 20 June 2004 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
While this book seemed better suited to the 7th or 5th Doctor rather than the 8th it still proved to be a great read and the best 8th Doctor book so far.
| What: | The Space Age (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Phil Ince, The Vortex storeroom, stealing jam |
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| Date: | Wednesday 16 June 2004 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Very simple, on the brink of simplistic, but has a certain power and - though 50 pages of to-ing and fro-ing too many - still very enjoyable with a convincing morality. SPOILERS (maybe) - the plot revolves around the displacement of 2 groups - mods and rockers - from 1960s England to a future city, conceived in terms of the sci-fi of their time. Whilst it's 2-parts Face of Evil to 1-part Survival, still the willful, damaged and persistent escalation of their violence is convincingly and infuriatingly portrayed. I really detested them and wanted to give 'em an almighty slap; in short, I fell into the trap. At the denouement, the characters are given the choice to learn from what they've done or to forget it. By implication, those who elect for memory over amnesia are credited whilst we see the negative consequences that choosing to forget has. This pre-Ancestor Cell Doctor isn't the same character as his Post-AC self.
Alas, when I move on to The Adventuress of Henrietta Street, I find that mad old Lozzer Miles has bitten off more than he can chew.
Starts off knowledgeable and compelling but by page 180 it's become interminable and ponderous. Lozzer opted for historical reportage as the form of the book but it f***ing tiresome (notably the endless remarks that "no historical record survives", "such-and such's comments are not recorded" - well, Lozzer, you were the only one in a position to do anything about that, you lazy c***).
I must finish this one tonight and get it out of my life. Might be a better book than I reckon but he's shot himself in the foot big style, IMO, because he denies himself the opportunity to be opinionated, inventive and - crucially - funny.
As bland and unengaging as a lower school project on the local drains.
| What: | The City of the Dead (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Phil Ince, Ulrika's femidom |
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| Date: | Monday 14 June 2004 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
I'm astonished. It's a novel. It's bright. It has jokes. It's knowledgable. The characters make mistakes and behave badly or awkwardly but also kindly, inconsistently and well. They're human and rather than being wooden pegs hammered into plot-holes, their personalities and intelligence, their flaws, curiosity and responsibilities tell and are the story. Miraculous.
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| The worst book I've ever read |
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| What: | Escape Velocity (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Phil Ince, Delia Smith's Spanish cookery satellite |
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| Date: | Tuesday 8 June 2004 |
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| Rating: | 1 |
This was the worst book I've ever read.
| What: | Arrangements for War (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Phil Ince, Mexico City |
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| Date: | Tuesday 8 June 2004 |
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| Rating: | 1 |
There's a Big Brother-ish fascination overwhelming me in relation to the contemporary Big Finish releases - month after month, banality is given its moment in the spotlight.
This one is a vomit-inducer for emotional retards who equate the snivelled splutterings of
| What: | Spare Parts (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Paul March, London Eng |
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| Date: | Tuesday 8 June 2004 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
I grew up with the 5th Doc and on something of a nostralgia buzz, have recently discovered Peter Davison's reprisial of his role in the Big Finish Audios. I thought this his performance here was fantastic and the various display of emotions incredibly vivid. The portrayal of Nyssa was also excellent and I thought the cyber voices were pretty cool. All told, this is my favorite audio release so far,with great drama and humour. Totally recommended.
A nice story with the main cast on fine form. Save for the interogation scene of the 5th Doc which was a little gruesome, there is a lightness of touch thoughout the story which makes a nice change.
