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| What: | Last of the Gaderene (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | J. Harrison, UK |
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| Date: | Saturday 21 December 2002 |
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| Rating: |  10 |
This book was so true to the spirit of the television series and the particular era that it is trying to evoke that I keep expecting to find a copy of the video on my shelf. Highly recommended.
| What: | The Crooked World (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Janet Harrison, UK |
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| Date: | Saturday 21 December 2002 |
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| Rating: |  1 |
I just couldn't see the point of this book - the idea behind it has already been explored by the Roger Rabbit book and movie. This book had nothing new to add. Very poor.
| What: | Mission: Impractical (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Wednesday 18 December 2002 |
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| Rating: | 3 |
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh! Mr McIntee what have you gone and done? I can’t believe the guy who wrote some of my favourites such as The Shadow of Weng-Chiang, The Dark Path and The Face of the Enemy came up with this piece of rubbish.
Following his Doctor-less novel The Face of the Enemy, McIntee tries a novel featuring Comic Strip companion Frobisher. We also get appearances from Glitz, Dibber and the Ogrons. I think it’s because of Frobisher the book is a letdown. Basing books on comic strips do not work and they should be left how they are.
The plot was uninteresting and I found it a bore. When reading some of Glitz’s lines, I could hear Tony Selby saying some of them. I could only hear Colin Baker saying a couple of the lines but the others I couldn’t.
I hope there will be no more Frobisher books. If McIntee writes a First Doctor book, I hope he doesn’t include the Doctor’s grandchildren John and Gillian.
Anyway, I hope McIntee’s Rasputin book is better.
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 | good atmosphere, decent story |
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| What: | Sword of Orion (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Paul DeLong, Edison, New Jersey, USA |
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| Date: | Friday 13 December 2002 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
The thing about this story that stood-out the most was the music. No Cybermen-centric story has had such good music since Earthshock, and it stands out even in-general. It brought a strong suspenseful atmosphere to the story, which has been really difficult to do in an audio-only format.
I've found the stories somewhat lacking in many of the Big Finish episodes I've heard so far. Even though this one wasn't stellar, it was interesting and entertaining enough to keep me listening.
I find Charley's ease-of-adapting a little dubious and hard to swallow. This is only her second episode, yet she takes concepts like androids and "death-rays" in her stride. It would be nice if the authors would give her a little token culture-shock to start out with, just to make her a little more believable.
Another weakness which the Big Finish audios have had is to make up for the lack of a visual element as an aid to telling the story by having the characters do an excess of monologues or talking to themselves to help further the storytelling. I guess it's hard in an audio-only format. But this episode seems to have less of that. Perhaps by this point they've started to get the hang of using other means to get the plot elements across to the audience.
| What: | The Face of the Enemy (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Friday 6 December 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
The Face of the Enemy is definitely for people who like Doctor Who, especially the Third Doctor’s era. It’s a good book and I highly recommend it. Although the Doctor and Jo appear briefly at the book’s beginning and end, we get appearances from the Brigadier, the Master, Sergeant Benton, Captain Mike Yates, Harry Sullivan, Ian, Barbara, Corporal Bell, Sergeant Osgood and many other characters.
The book is an excellent read. The first part of the book is based on these crime shows like The Sweeney, where the Master is connected to robberies and murders despite the fact he is under lock and key. There is a load of references to TV shows and crime films. The Master even reads On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in one scene!
The last 50 odd pages move to the parallel world from Inferno where the people there have a sinister intention but I won’t spoil things.
When I was reading this book, I imagined the actors (notably the Brigadier, Master and Ian) themselves were reading some of the lines!
David A. McIntee is my favourite Doctor Who author. He tries to sort out UNIT continuity in this book. He says this novel takes place in 1976. I don’t agree. Anyone care to disagree with me?
I wonder why there have been any more of these Doctor-less novels for about 5 years?
Right, I’ll try Mr McIntee’s Frobisher book next!
| What: | Venusian Lullaby (Missing Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Friday 6 December 2002 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Venusian Lullaby was the first Doctor Who Missing Adventure I read. It is an interesting book and it got me hooked on the books. Everyone should read it.
| What: | Fury from the Deep (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | michael, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Wednesday 27 November 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I just got this book I is clearly the most superior Doctor Who novelisation I have read. It is action packed right from the start. It has a chilling atmosphere as well, Victor often reapeates phrases such as Thumping, pulsating.... The heartbeat. The sound becomes so real.
An excelent book read it
| What: | The Celestial Toymaker (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | michael, Hamilton |
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| Date: | Wednesday 27 November 2002 |
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| Rating: | 2 |
Growing up as a Doctor who fan I often use to hear what a wonderfull atmosphere this story had indeed it is deemed as an alltime classic. I eagerly waited to get a copy of the book and when I did I was dissapointed It just seems to be word for word from the tv series. did Gery davis have any input at all? It seems to me that it is rather dull and boring.
1st Eighth Doctor novel I've read. I'm uncertain to what degree I provide the characterisation but McGann's features, voice and movements came to me, as did the returning villains'. The organisation of the book was enormously satisfying, the technology imaginative and the individuals diverse and well contrasted. There are biographies for each of the principals - brisk short relevant stories - in chapters between the main ones which never interrupt the narrative; on the contrary they give it clarity. The opening pages have a quiet yearning to them. The writing for much of the book after this is severe. Even grotesque difficulties are reported in a sometimes distant / comic tone. However, just as I wished for a little more common humanity, the book rewarded me with some very tender and refreshing passages. There are probably half a dozen different elements, figures or incidents in the book which will reappear or have repercussions in future novels. I came to "Alien Bodies" fearing it might be too clever or iconoclastic for me from what I'd heard. I found a very bright and diverting wit to the invention; subtle integration of the different threads; very little of the horror elements I've found in PDAs; passages of laugh aloud comedy; sci-fi with Douglas Adams' invention, Wells' solidity and le Guin's compassion. Yet somehow 100% authentic, vigorous, stretching Doctor Who - Robert Holmes' & Malcolm Hulke's true heirs, surely? I thought it was a beautiful book in every respect, a credit to the author and the series which inspired him.
In short - 1st PDA I've read. Excellent prose, intriguing structure, accurate characterisations ofthe Doctor and Romana. Read it in 2 evenings. Good intro to the range. Recognisable, mainstream DW.
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If there is one thing I remember the most about this annual it is the cover,front and back!! Great images but though we have scans of the front I can find no scans anywhere of the back, this had cybermen taking helmets off showing brain, please someone scan and send,my copy was THROWN OUT by a certain parent when she felt it was " old and tatty" I have never forgiven her.
| What: | The Romans (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | Michael Grey, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Wednesday 13 November 2002 |
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| Rating: | 1 |
Another bad novelisation from Donald Cotton. The fact that he uses letters to convey the story is awful and does not do the actual story credit at all. It would of been better had Donald Cotton not novalised any Doctor who's Then we would of actually got a better book.
| What: | The Gunfighters (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | michael, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Wednesday 13 November 2002 |
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| Rating: | 1 |
I got this novel a while back but I found it very hard to swallow. I guess westerns are not me, but i Also found Donald cottons writing style in theird person very anoying. Overall very dissapointing.
| What: | The War Games (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Wayne Fox, Whitehaven, England |
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| Date: | Sunday 10 November 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
The War Games was purely a great end to Patrick Troughton's great, but rare era. The 10 eposides to end it, was a great idea by the BBC.
A good read for Dr. Who fans. This was one of my first in the MISSING ADEVENTURE series, that I read. Each Doctor has their own likeable qualities. The first Doctor is always telling Chesterton to not do this or that. This story has it all. I recommend it.
| What: | Goth Opera (Missing Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Peteley, London, England |
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| Date: | Thursday 24 October 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
The first and still the best, The Doc and Tegan in particular and brilliantly portrayed it was hard to realise it was only a book as the characters jumped out of the page, Nyssa's torment was very believable. This book is good for everyone, old hands who like references to old stories (state of decay), new adventues (Blood Harvest) and new stories as you needed no knowledge of these as it stands very well alone. Well recomended the best still to date and a must read for all 5th Doc or Tegan fans. Excellent
| What: | Warmonger (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Peteley, London, England |
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| Date: | Thursday 24 October 2002 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
I have to admit it took me a while to get into the book but glad i did. The problem was at first i though it was very unlike the 5th Doc, but that is wrong it is a very good 5th Doc book but atypical type of story for hes era. I enjoy sequals or thous that bring back compaions or Villans, the problem is new Dr Who fans can find them a problem. This book is good for both it builds as a prequil to Brain of Morbius but stands very well on uts own,Another good Dicks book from one of the best Who writters
| What: | Zeta Major (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Peteley, London, England |
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| Date: | Thursday 24 October 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This is an underated book all the main Characters are well written, with Tegan getting a strong indepenant role and Nyssa'a torment great (thought sad) to read. The villians were sinister but not one dimensional monsters that had one aim to life (i.e. distroy/kill) and were believable people instead of automations. Well recomended
| What: | The Robots of Death (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | D84, Canton, USA |
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| Date: | Wednesday 23 October 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I wish I was a robot
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| Missing: A number of historical facts! |
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Easy to read, amusingly told, with many witty turns of phrase. The Doctor and friends have little depth, of course, as a consequence of the story being told via journalist Ned, and in a Doctor Who book this is perhaps not good! This novel inspired me to look into the real Clantons a little, and while cattle rustling is somewhat reprehensible I can't believe they were quite as black as Cotton and others have painted them. Mind you, facts in 'The Gunfighters' are somewhat thin on the ground anyway: Pa Clanton died in August 1881, two months before his appearance in this story; Phin was not present at the real gunfight; Johnny Ringo actually committed suicide!
Still, Cotton does put across the popular ideas regarding the shootout, perhaps more romantic than the real thing, the reasons for which are, I gather, still somewhat hazy. A final word regarding our three travellers: two would have been better. If Anne Chaplette did survive the Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve, she has a lot to answer for!
