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 | On a quest for treasure... |
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| What: | The Ultimate Treasure (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | C. J.'s Dreamer, USA |
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| Date: | Tuesday 6 August 2002 |
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| Rating: |   8 |
The Ultimate Treasure combines classic Dr. Who with the treasure seeking adventures of old. Christopher Bulis captures the characters of the Fifth Doctor and Peri with grace and accuracy, and you can just see them on this adventure. Also, the other characters may be seen as typecasted, but Bulis adds touches to them that make them unique enough to be true participants in the plot and not just background.
With plenty of twist and turns and a moral at the end, the plot is fun and imaginative with just enough hardship in it to keep it from being just a frilly story. There are many potentially fatal challenges/puzzles in keeping with the spirit of other such tasks found in many Dr. Who episodes. Adding a moral quest along with a physical one, the story is true old BBC televison Dr. Who, but it takes advantage of being a written work and thus delves deeper than could be done by means of a television performance.
For those of you who like the newer gloom-and-doom, moral-twisting, dark style that many of the newer Dr. Who novels have adopted, you many not like this book. For those of you looking for a reprieve and find yourself yearning for a new story but in the old spririt of the Dr. Who television series (where you still like the Doctor and his companions at the end of the story), then the Ultimate Treasure is the book for you.
All around, it is a fun adverture story and fairly light reading. The only thing I have to say bad about the book is that it needed one more proofreading before it hit the presses.
Take Care and Keep Reading!
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| Nice try....could be better |
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It is very hard to find a storyline that fits in with the doctrine and cannon of dr. who, and its even more difficult to set the story before the series stated with an unearthly child. time and relative was a good but really not what i'd consider a good pre-dr. who story. using susan as the point of view was a good idea but the book tried too hard to explain a bit about the doctor's past without giving too much away.
also, the idea of a being that lived on the earth during the ice age was a nice touch but got too silly with the killer snowmen routine.
| What: | Rags (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Simon, Sydney, Australia |
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| Date: | Monday 5 August 2002 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
Didn't like this book much, which is a personal disapointment for me because I love the cover, it's one of my favorites. The Doctor was hardly in this story at all, and when he was, he wasn't doing anything. I don't mind a bit of blood and guts, but a story would be nice...
This book is available for trade at www.sf-books.com
| What: | The Book of the Still (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | John Ellison, Atlanta, Georgia, USA |
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| Date: | Thursday 1 August 2002 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
I found "The Book of the Still" to be quite unimpressive. I am not sure whether Mr. Ebb was going for humor or just the plain absurd. In fairness, though it did involve "mobsters" and I have never really enjoyed that kind of story.
I was however very disappointed with the plot that seemed to jump from place to place while expecting the reader to take it all in stride. Sorry, the "explanations" at the end just seemed too contrived and even then, not everything is really explained (like a weird time event that allows Fitz to put his fingers where they shouldn't be).
I have also begun to despair that the series editor (still Raynor?) has stopped reading the books! Didn't we just see trench coated aliens in the previous story? And this is yet another story where time tech seems to be the focal point.
It's been two years since the destruction of Gallifrey and six months since they neutered the Doctor even further! I have never missed the Doctor's memories or his world more!
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| Great Book. A lot of answers! |
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A great book that answered all my questions about the Timelords. I always reckoned that the Timelords like the Master and Romana were so cool, it was a shame there wasn't much of a background, and so this book came along. Only cross? A bit too expensive at 30 quid!!! On the other hand, the writing, photos and illustrations probably more than make up for it
| What: | Matrix (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | EDL Foster, Invercargill, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Sunday 28 July 2002 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Quite basically, this is McCoy...but not as you know him.
Forget the recent American news documentary on the Ripper unmasking by acclaimed crime novelist, Patricia Cornwell, this book explores and uncovers the true story behind the most notorious (and mysterious) serial killer in known history.
It's also a kind of sequel to a documented scandalous legal trial on Gallifrey, which has the Doctor fighting his most dangerous foe, imaginable...
Himself.
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| Pertwee rules the universe |
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It's been a while since I last saw this story on TV, but it was always good fun to watch. The story is unusual in that itis divided into two sections.The scenes with the Doctor and Jo arriving on a ship in what seems to be Earth's past and finding the crew trapped in a time loop (see Groundhog Day) is very effective and very Twilight Zone-ish. Robert Holmes scripts well as usual and Harry himself, Ian Marter, makes an early appearance.The final moments with the ship's occupants realising that their trip seems to have taken forever and the old boy finally finishing his book and strangely haunting and touching, shades of the Bermuda Triangle mystery and the Marie Celeste. The other half of the story lets the whole thing down. The Pertwee era had spent three years firmly fixed to the ground. Dr.Who became a kind of 70s X-Files or an ongoing Quatermass serial with an unearthly hero, but season ten inspired Barry Letts to go plunging back into time and space with tacky, embarrassing results that lowered the tone of one of the best eras of the entire Dr.Who series. The scenes on the alien planet of Inter Minor are silly, cheap, obviously studio bound and filled with bad CSO work. The scenesin which the Doctor and Jo escape through the workings of the mini scope are similar to the Lost In Space episode Trip Through the Robot and inspire the viewer's imagination. All in all, it's about 50 to 60 percent of an all time classic and rest sucks like a vacuum cleaner. But all in all, the good outweighs the bad and Pertwee is still one of the absolute best Doctors. I'd say this DVD is well worth the price. But please...can we have some of the others now...seasons seven and eight for instance! The WHOLE seasons I mean,not just Spearhead from Space. Why Ambassadors of Death didn't make it to DVD recently is beyond me! What a story. But I digress! Long live Pertwee, long live Dr.Who!
| What: | Verdigris (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Simon, Sydney, Australia |
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| Date: | Monday 22 July 2002 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
Very strange book, and you'll probably enjoy it if you like tahe sort of thing. I found it to be a bit too over the top. Started off well, just got freakier and freakier, and the ending was quite unsatisfying. I don't really like the Iris character, she was just plain annoying. However, the Third Doc wa well writen and I do have a soft spot for Jo Grant...
This book is available for trade at
www.sf-books.com
| What: | Trading Futures (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | John Ellison, Atlanta, Georgia, USA |
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| Date: | Wednesday 17 July 2002 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
In my opinion Lance Parkin is probably the best Doctor Who novelist currently writing. He always seems to deliver something different than his previous offering and manages to find the Doctor as well as his companions when writing (sadly not every author does).
I found the plot to be very interesting and truly enjoyed the role Fitz ended up enduring. Just enough camp to offset the overall story! Also, the setting was haunting--one only need look to the headlines to see the growing rift between the USA and European nations.
Ultimately, Parkin delivers! I found it difficult to put this one down until I knew what was going on. How long until your next one Mr. Parkin?
This is the first Doctor Who book that I can honestly say surpassed my expectations. I have only read half a dozen at this point (all of them eighth Doctor) and each has had its ups and downs. This was the first that held me, enthralled, from begining to end! The writing style captures both the delicate and heart-breaking moments and the wonderfully funny and witty ones. The story is broad in scope, reaching farther into both the history or the Doctor and Gallifrey than any book or story I have read or seen. And it does it tastefully and carefully. I highly recomend this book to any Who fan (and even those who are new to the series). Keep an open mind with this. There is nothing to specify with complete accuracy which Doctor this is or even if this is an alternate reality Doctor. In the end, I don't think it matters. The story speaks for itself!
An excellent story, well told. The historical setting was protrayed perfectly. The ending packs quite an emotional punch. Highly recomended. This book is available for trade at www.sf-books.com
| What: | The Sun Makers (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Mark Robinson, Belfast, N.Ireland |
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| Date: | Wednesday 10 July 2002 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would.
The humour was just right and the acting overall was quite good. One thing I noticed was the relationship between the Doctor and Leela , did the Doctor have to take so long to rescue Leela from the steamer. I particularly liked the characters of The Gatherer and the collector - both make good villans. It's a mystery why this story took so long to come out on video when so many others far inferior stories have been released already.
Overall an enjoyable 8 out of 10.
| What: | Revenge of the Cybermen (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Mark Robinson, Belfast, N.Ireland |
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| Date: | Wednesday 10 July 2002 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
Oh dear, I was very disappointed with this story. I remember it being very exciting and enjoyable but not unfortunately not this time around. The Cybermen were boring as were the Vogans (apart from the leader- their masks were very bad and fake).
The story was weak, although the location work was well done. What should have been a great return for the Cybermen , after a very lenghy absense, was very poor and what's with "Revenge of the Cybermen", surely Return would have been a better title.
On the plus side I enjoyed the Doctor, Sarah and Harry ( one of my favorite teams)and surprisingly the cybermats were quite effective.
Disappointing - 5 out of 10.
The musings of H.G. Wells and the climactic film imagery of "Independence Day" combine in this introduction to both the Eighth Doctor and a spin-off series for a former companion.
Like "Lungbarrow", the story is continuity-rich but nevertheless enjoyable and a monumental archive classic in itself - I am reading it from the exclusive website on the BBC Doctor Who Cult fanbase. I also think that the BBC should consider following up this successful development, with another e-book serial - perhaps even start a voting poll on which one?
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| Two action thrilling tales |
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This tin, like the one issued in 1993 contains two great Dalek tales, both of which are action packed and thrilling and one of which is a 6-part story on one tape. The stories in this set are Planet of the Daleks and Revelation of the Daleks.
Planet concludes the theme, which began in Frontier in Space. The Doctor aids the Thals in their suicide to destroy the Daleks on the planet Spiridon where there are 10,000 of the creatures. Episode Three is in black and white. This story features appearances by occasional Who actors Bernard Horsfall, Prentis Hancock plus ‘Allo ‘Allo’s Hilary Minster.
Revelation’s plot is about the Doctor landing on the planet Necros, where the Tranquil Repose keeps dead millionaires and politicians in suspended animation. Also, Davros, posing as the Great Healer turns dead people into Daleks and the rest into food. This story is probably Colin Baker’s best story as the Doctor. It features guest appearances by Clive Swift (Richard, Hyacinth Bucket’s husband in Keeping Up Appearances), City of Death’s Eleanor Bron, Alexei Sayle and William Gaunt.
In my opinion, Revelation is the better of the two. These 2 Dalek adventures are an ideal addition to any fan’s collection.
| What: | The Curse of Fatal Death (Miscellaneous TV spin-offs) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Monday 8 July 2002 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
This is the 1999 Comic Relief special with Rowan Atkinson as the Doctor. This wonderful video includes special features as well as the story (which is shown in 2 parts as opposed to the 4 5-minute segments). Rowan Atkinson is like the Doctor: funny and yet at the same time serious. The story is hilarious and has a shock ending, which shocked us all on the broadcast 3 years back.
The Making of documentary is interesting and the comic sketches that follow are funny. You get your moneys worth out of this video.
Oh, and if Doctor Who comes back to our screens, Rowan Atkinson should be the next Doctor.
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| Everyone is wrong about this book |
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| What: | The Ghosts of N-Space (Missing Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Monday 8 July 2002 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
The Ghosts of N-Space is a brilliant book and an enjoyable read. I can’t believe people hate it. In my opinion, it ranks alongside the radio serial, which almost everyone hates as well. Both are enjoyable. What is wrong with people these days?
I was expecting a more gothic tale than the one I got, but still it was enjoyable. It was a bit confusing at times with multiple Doctors and Romanas running around - a time-travelling cliche that the tv series managed to mostly avoid. But the bipolar computer, ERIC, made up for any shorcomings, even if he was modelled on Marvin the Paranoid android. This book is available for trade at www.sf-books.com
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| One of Pertwee?s best stories |
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This is one of Jon Pertwee’s greatest Doctor Who stories. It is a strong, thrilling tale and it 7 episodes long it doesn’t drag at all. It is my third favourite Pertwee serial (my first two being The Dæmons and Inferno).
The plot involves workers at a power station going mad after encountering a T-Rex in the caves under the station. There are breakdowns involving staff members. The Doctor soon discovers that the station has awoken the Silurians, lizards who occupied Earth before Man, who have been dormant for thousands of years and now want the Earth back for themselves. The Time Lord wants Man and Silurian to live in peace but something always crops up to ruin his attempts.
The guest cast is superb. Fulton MacKay (Porridge’s Mr MacKay) plays Dr Quinn (same name of Jane Seymour’s medicine woman!). Captain Hawkings is played by Paul Darrow (Avon in Blake’s 7) and comedy actor Geoffrey Palmer plays Masters. Peter Miles plays the sadistic Dr Lawrence, owner of the power station. His portrayal of sadistic characters landing him villainous roles in Invasion of the Dinosaurs and the 1993 radio play The Paradise of Death. However, he is best known for playing Davros’ henchman Nyder in 1975’s Genesis of the Daleks.
The BBC lost the story in its original colour form but in 1993 it was recoloured by combining the black and white prints with an American off-air colour copy. The colour is better than the colour on The Dæmons, though it’s not as good as the superior colour on Terror of the Autons.
Recommended to all Who fans.
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| Getting better with each page |
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| What: | Father Time (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Anthony V., Queens, NY, USA |
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| Date: | Monday 1 July 2002 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
I can't give you a full review now--get back to me by Thursday when I finished reading it!
