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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!
| What: | The Scales of Injustice (Missing Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Monday 1 July 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This is my second favourite Missing Adventure (my first being The Shadow of Weng-Chiang). The Scales of Injustice is a Doctor Who crossover between James Bond and The X-Files. This book captures the era of season 7 superbly.
The story sees a schoolboy going missing and a policewoman starts drawing cave drawings. The Doctor links this to homo reptilia and must track down these reptiles. Behind this plot is a conspiracy called C19 who want to exploit UNIT’s achievements. Meanwhile, the Brigadier has crises to deal with on his own.
This follows on from Doctor Who and the Silurians and the book is back full of action. There are 7 chapters, all of which are episodes, to follow the trend of season 7. We see scenes not shown on TV, such as the Brigadier and his wife Fiona and the breakdown of their marriage. Their daughter Kate, who appears in this book, also appears in Downtime. We also see Liz Shaw leaving (which was never shown on TV), although she comes back for the BBC book The Devil Goblins of Neptune. In Episode 7, the Doctor is being taken around C19, where he sees many objects from his adventures on Earth and many alien victims. The question I ask is how come C19 have George Hibbert’s (Spearhead From Space) body? He was vaporised.
Gary Russell continues these themes in Business Unusual and The Instruments of Darkness, both BBC books, his trilogy. The Scales of Injustice is an enjoyable, powerful tale, which fits in well with season 7 and could have worked well on TV.
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| Weird review for a weird book |
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| What: | Speed of Flight (Missing Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Monday 1 July 2002 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
I found this book weird. Although it’s enjoyable, it has strange names of people and places. If you buy this book, you’ll find it, um… weird.
| What: | Alien Bodies (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Simon, Sydney, Australia |
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| Date: | Monday 1 July 2002 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
This is the first 'new' Dr Who novel I've read (ie. non tv story). I found it to be very well written, with a great concept at it's heart. However, it was also very vague in places, and somewhat surreal. I found the flashbacks to be annoying and found myself skimming over them. perhaps I read it too quickly?? I was hoping to enjoy this novel more, but I must say some of the concepts were quite interesting...
This book is available for trade at:
http://www.sf-books.com
Well...it was innoffensive in the beginning and the premise was passable, though there are SO MANY stories that deserved a sequel more than the very average Planet Of Evil! Basically this book gets off to a fairly solid start, not exactly mind blowing excitement or anything but then NO book in the series has ANY of the pure excitement of the actual TV series, so...go figure! Is it just me or when you were a kid watching Dr.Who, did you not often say "Oh, wow, wouldn't it be great if the Doctor met...or if the Daleks did...or if they did a story where..." and yet the writers who now write the books, former fans who grew up with the show, seem to come up with ideas like...wouldn't it be great if the Doctor went to the home world of the Morestrans from Planet of Evil and it was like the catholic church? Well, pardon me, but that would have to be the LAST thing I was wishing and hoping for when I was watching the series. A clash between Daleks and Cybermen, yes, a return of the Terileptils, perhaps, a story where the Zygons used their shape changing powers to infiltrate Gallifrey perhaps...but THIS? Sorry! To say the first third of the book is okay is generous. But to be blunt it becomes painful to even read to the end after that. This could have been a lot better. Pity, as the opener of the Doctor dreaming of a tidal wave of black antimatter felt like it was going to actaully happen later in the story, but it did not. Bit sad, but THIS got published! Hmmm...
| What: | The Crooked World (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Joe Ford, London |
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| Date: | Friday 28 June 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
A clever, thoughtful and most of all funny novel, continuing the excellent run the BBC books are having lately. This book could have been awful but in Steve Lyons careful hands the tale winds up being sensitive, unusual and a real blast to read.
All I can say is that this is Doctor Who at its finest. If you can get past the cheesy monsters (of course, if this were on television, we'd be overlooking them anyway), you find a very exciting, fast paced story that pits the Doctor and companions against human nature itself. Plot twists and turns on almost every page. The story just kept you guessing what will happen and just when you thought one thing was going to happen, something else does instead. and the surprise ending leaves you wanting to know more.
Kudos to the author on a job well done.
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| Obvious idea, but well handled |
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The idea of doing Doctor-less adventures is hardly a new one, indeed it was the subject of the first original Doctor Who novel ever written. However, McIntee handles the concept brilliantly, and the twist on the Master nicely mirrors the Ice Warriors' actions on Peladon. The prescence of Ian and Barbara is also nice although it stretches credibility a little. However, the really interesting idea thrown up by this novel is that of exploring the lives of companions before they met the Doctor, and it is a shame that Harry does not play a bigger role in this novel. At least his prescence is pefectly logical and credible. However, The Face of the Enemy still makes a very satisfying read, and works so well that it is a shame that we can't have more Doctor-less novels.
Lyon's dark, sombre take on the Hartnel historical adventure is top of the polls, and now I see why. I loved everything about this book - the trick was keeping the TARDIS regulars consistent with the series, but making everything else more 'mature'. If I had a slight quibble, it is that the First Doctor (one of my favourites) does not get much page space, but this is outweighed by his role in the spine-tingling epilogue. Highly recommended.
This is an okay Fifth Doctor story. The guy on the series would have picked up a dead soldier's gun and shot the nearest monster, blown the smoking tip of the barrel and said, 'I never miss'. Or at least told the troops to 'concentrate your fire/aim for the eye piece, etc' so they could win. Here he just gets bitten and passes out for a few chapters.
The weak portrayal on the dashing young heroic Doctor in the books always bothers me. Has no one watched Earthshock, I ask? But despite this, the book is quite well written and easy to read. It's tone is less derisive than Gary Russell (Adric's pathetic need to explore got them into trouble! Huh? Dr.Who is about a hero who's need to explore gets everyone around him and himself into trouble, isn't it?).
The setting of a seaside town is pleasant, reminds me of Planet Of Fire. The plot of people turning into huge monsters is good. But the story has no twists or surprises and becomes very repetitive after it gets going. The sheer gore of dismembered bodies and blood all over walls and floors seems a bit much though, like a splatter movie and it clashes with the feel of the book and Who in general. The series had suspense and death, but never a blood bath. The plot is the real let down. On TV the aliens spoke, that was the cool thing and the unique thing about Dr. Who. Weird alien monsters spoke intelligently instead of eating people on Dr.Who. In Trek it was only the humanoids who spoke. But the Doc in the books rarely has a conversation with the baddies. Here he confronts the alien force behind it all only in the last few pages and the resolution is rather simple, more like a short story plot. So, its not horrible to suffer through like Zeta Major or as crass as Divided Loyalties, but it comes off as just a bit average. Pity, as it had potential for more than that. But as a Dr. Who horror story with monsters and soldiers, its okay.
| What: | Goth Opera (Missing Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Thursday 20 June 2002 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Goth Opera is the first book of the 33 Missing Adventures and it’s a good book to kick off the series.
The plot sees the vampires of Great Britain receiving a message about the arrival of their evil messiah is imminent. Whilst on holiday in Tasmania, Nyssa is attacked by a demon child and is slowly becoming a vampire. The Doctor and Tegan must find a cure to save her before it’s too late. Meanwhile, the descendants of the Great Vampire want the blood of a Time Lord. This book has cameos from Romana, Glitz and the Drashigs.
It’s advisable to read the New Adventure Blood Harvest before this (though I haven’t). Goth Opera is a juicy, gritty tale, which I enjoyed. Every Doctor Who fan should have this book. Recommended.
| What: | Millennial Rites (Missing Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Thursday 20 June 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Following Reading System Shock, I decided to give Millennial Rites a try and it’s a brilliant book. This and System Shock are probably two of the greatest Missing Adventures.
Millennial Rites mentions Ashley Chapel, I2 and OffNet, all of which appeared in System Shock.
Millennial Rites’ plot sees the TARDIS landing in England in 1999 for the last New Year’s Eve party of the twentieth century. The Doctor meets up with Anne Travers (The Web of Fear, daughter of Professor Travers from Web and The Abominable Snowmen), now been knighted a dame and awarded an OBE. Anne is worried of another invasion by the Great Intelligence (the previous third invasion mentioned is a preview to Downtime) and millionaire philanthropist Ashley Chapel’s dark research. Meanwhile, Mel has caught up with some college friends. When the millennium arrives, the Doctor begins to feel an old foe is trying to take over his body…
This book sets the date for the UNIT stories and suggests why the sixth Doctor ‘really’ regenerated. I read this book in two days and was thrilled. This book should be in every Doctor Who fan’s collection.
Well, several months ago I picked up Adventuress (since I like reading the novels in order of release) only to find that it didn't appeal to me and I put it down before finishing the first chapter and went on to Mad Dogs. About 2 weeks ago, I decided to give Adventuress another try because I wanted to see the introduction of Sabbath and what he does to the Doctor.
Well, let me say that reading it through the second time, I was right to put it down the first time. This book is a total bore. The textbook style is not good for a book of fiction. You need the dialogue between the Doctor and the characters (atleast the companions) to make it exciting. The Doctor's characterization is lost in just the description since a man is more than how he looks.
I hope that this style of book does not become the norm for the Doctor Who books of the future. I agree that they need to explore new formats and possibilites, but the textbook style has got to go. It makes the stories drag on and puts one to sleep very fast.
| What: | System Shock (Missing Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Thursday 13 June 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This is a brilliant MA. It’s one of my favourites and it’s probably one of the best in the series. It should be in every fan’s collection.
The Doctor and Sarah arrive in England in 1998 where a dead man slips a CD into the Doctor’s pocket. OffNet controls everything from cars to sliding doors. The Doctor and Sarah meet their old friend Harry, who is now working for MI5 (this book sets the UNIT stories being in the 1970’s). MI5 are investigating I2, a software compare. They discover the CD is a key part to an invasion by the Voractylls.
I read this over two days and couldn’t put it down. There is a sequel to this book called Millennium Shock, also written by Justin Richards and that’s a BBC book. I’ll now try reading Millennial Rites, which deals on similar themes…
