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For those who love both Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes, this is a great novel. Although it is admittedly true that Andy Lane doesn't quite succeed in capturing the Watsonion style, he does just as well as most apocryphal Holmes authors. What really makes this novel stand out is his highly perceptive ideas on the likely reactions of Watson and Hlomes to finding themselves in an alien environment. It is a shame that we cannot see more crossover novels - it would be interesting to see how Lane and others would write a Bond or Red Dwarf crossover, for example. 'All Consuming Fire' is an excellent example of the way in which crossover novels allow the characters from either series to explored in a way that would not otherwise be possible.
I don't think any of us need any more proof that Colin Baker is the greatest of all the Doctors. Although there was sixth months of Eighth Doctor audios coming up the Excelis audios were the ones I was really looking forward to because the past Doctors are well better than the Eighth Doctor, and the Sixth Doctor is the best of them. Colin has already been given the best stories and a great new companion (and a Penguin)and the character is warm caring and Colin is a brilliant actor and really brings the Sixth Doctor to life. You can tell he is enjoying it. May fave Doc.
The style of this adventure is very different from the excellent Excelis Dawns but carries on the ongoing story very well. David A McIntee has written a great story. I have always loved victorian London and the idea that the city of Excelis is like that, and the paranormal influences and airships floating in the sky is a pleasing idea. Also incidental music for Excelis so far is brilliant, plus the covers and Anthony Stewart Head is blinding. Only regret is that there was no cliffhangers, they could have split it into two episodes.
| What: | Hope (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Jerry Lewandowski, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
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| Date: | Tuesday 14 May 2002 |
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| Rating: |   8 |
What more can I say. I absolutely loved this book. Silver by far was the best new villain I have seen in the 8th Doctor's new adventures. He was well written and was a very believable villain..in fact, it was hard to picture him as the villain until the facts spoke for themselves.
The Doctor/Anji plot really proved a strong point and it really strengthened their bond. Fitz, however, still needs work in my opinion. I think that either something needs to change in his character to make him much stronger or it is time for him to leave and new blood be introduced.
All in all this was a very enjoyable read. I look forward to them exploring the Doctor's new found "humanity" but hope that eventually he will get back to being the mysterious Time Lord we all grew up with.
A stunning little book written by a talented author at the height of her powers. The Doctor/Anji stuff is about as dramtic as Who gets without descending into melodrama and the story of the Tigers vs humans is absorbing. Last few chapters make exhilerating reading and bring an already good book to an excellent conclusion.
| What: | Trading Futures (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Joe Ford, London |
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| Date: | Sunday 12 May 2002 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Lance Parkin is an extremely popular Doctor Who author on on the basis of this book it is easy to see why. It's a decent James Bond parody (although maybe that's not such a good thing as I hate Bond!) but a good Doctor Who story. It has a wonderful whismical quality with plenty of great lines and moments to cherish. And the ending, a mish-mash of violence, humour and time travelling coffee is just too brilliant to not mention.
| What: | Anachrophobia (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Joe Ford, London |
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| Date: | Sunday 12 May 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Possibly my favourite entry in the series yet this book relies heavily on it's tense, foreboding atmosphere, scary monsters and terrific twist ending. It is full of graphic images that stick in your head long after the book is completed. The TARDIS team at this point surpass any others in the BBC or Virgin ranges. Another strong offering from Johnathon Morris.
My first opinion of this book was one of shock....i mean, how could they publish a book in the dr. who line that had such an outrageous cover (I'm the type that is allergic to hot pink *laugh*), not to mention a gun-weilding french poodle. What i expected was something very silly and not worthy of the title of dr. who. well, to my surprise i actually started getting into the book. I have not yet read Adventuress (due to its style and very small print), so I thought that I'd miss out on much of the storyline of this book. I surprisingly didn't and so got right into the book. I admit, some of it was a bit far-fetched and I was expecting a major plot twist involving something along the lines of the mind robber, but nothing like that happened. And of course, the sudden appearance of Iris really helped to understand why the silliness was around (aren't all of the stories involving her silly??).
My biggest complaint, however, was the whole sheers explaination with noel coward. that was extremely over the top. a time ring like the one given to bernice at her wedding would've been more appropriate (once again Iris' silliness came through though)
I really enjoyed the fact that a character from the doctor's pre-amnesia past was brought back making us think that more of the gaps in his memory would be revealed. maybe sometime soon we'll see the doctor chasing down iris for some answers??
all in all, apart from the silliness of the storyline, i found this book quite entertaining. its a nice interlude between all the dark and brooding books.
Superb NN, blending history and sci-fi very well. Characters well portrayed and consitent with series, nice action sequences, a few good (and appropriate) jokes, nice, pacey plot. I especially like the Nazi party social, where Goebells (sp?) tried to chat Ace up! Pity you can't buy this anymore.
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 | TV episode with a bigger budget |
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| What: | Dominion (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | James, Bristol, England |
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| Date: | Monday 6 May 2002 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
Nick Walters has remembered that the books don't have to stick to a budget like the TV series did! As such, he takes us to 'The Dominion', which is a very inventive and cool place. The new aliens in this book are also quite original (with the exception of the chest-burster). The plot is alright, but its basically TV episode fare with more effects. Little character development takes place (Fitz sulks, the Doctor acts weird and absent, Sam acts like watered-down version of Ace), and the wormhole could have been explained in more depth. Its good to see a story set in Sweden, and I liked the remarks about 'England always being invaded by aliens in the 70's and 80's, but Sweden staying curiously unscathed'. Overall, Ok but nothing special.
| What: | Father Time (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | James, Bristol, England |
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| Date: | Friday 3 May 2002 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Father Time is divided into three parts; the first is very compelling, the second is entertaining and the third is disappointingly cheesy. The story starts off really well, but gets old by the end. Should have done more development of the Doctor's relationship with Miranda, rather than cheesy space opera. The references are fun if you have a good knowledge of 80s pop culture, and the soundtrack is a nice touch. On re-reading, my original vote was a little too high.
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| A nicely plotted adventure |
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Relative Dementias has a good plot, featuring a neat temporal paradox, is well paced and doesn't get dull. The 7th Doctor and Ace are quite well characterised, though the former doesn't get much page space, and spends the middle part of the book lying on his back mumbling. However, the book can't quite decide how dark it wants to be, and the theme of Alzheimers disease and the dementias of the title should have been explored in a bit more detail. Overall, a satisfactory read for a long train journey.
| What: | Inferno (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Tuesday 30 April 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This 7-part story is not only one of Jon Pertwee’s best tales but one of Doctor Who’s all time greats. Professor Stahlman is trying to penetrate the Earth’s crust and release a new source of gas called Stahlman’s Gas. The drilling pipe is leaking green slime, which, on contact with human skin, turns them into ape-like creatures called Primords. By accident, the Doctor is transported to a parallel Earth where it is ruled under strict dictatorship and the drilling project is more advanced. Thwarted by his friends’ evil counterparts, the Doctor fails to prevent the planet’s destruction but can he return to his own universe and prevent the same happening there?
When I first saw this story (episode 7 on The Pertwee Years), episode 6’s reprise scared me slightly. This story is one of the serious (and scary) Pertwee serials and should go in everyone’s top ten.
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| This isn't a load of humbug |
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| What: | The Trial of a Time Lord (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Tuesday 30 April 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This 14-part epic is Colin Baker’s final season and story. Nearly everyone says it’s rubbish but they’re wrong. It’s great and has some great lines by Colin. The story involves the Time Lords putting the Doctor on trial for the second time (the first being The War Games). The saga is like A Christmas Carol and is split into segments, as follows:
Parts 1-4 (AKA The Mysterious Planet) sees the Doctor in his past arriving on the planet Ravolox, which turns out to be Earth in two million years time. This features guest appearances by Tony Selby as Glitz, Carry On star Joan Sims and London’s Burning’s Glen Murphy.
Parts 5-8 (AKA Mindwarp) find the Doctor in his present, arriving on the planet Thoras-Beta, where he again comes across a Mentor, Sil (Vengeance on Varos), whose leader Lord Kiv needs a brain transplant. This features appearances by Brian Blessed and The Young Ones’ Christopher Ryan.
Parts 9-12 (AKA Terror of the Vervoids) have the Doctor in his future, arriving on the spaceship Hyperion III in the year 2986. On the ship, creatures known as Vervoids are killing the passengers and a murderer is lurking about. This is probably the best segment as it’s fun and is a sort of Murder on the Orient Express in space. The guests this time are The Avengers star Honor Blackman.
In parts 13 and 14 (AKA The Ultimate Foe), we find out the Doctor’s sentence but the prosecutor, the Valeyard is holding a secret from the court… Part 13 is probably Colin Baker’s best episode. Geoffrey Hughes appears in this segment, as does Tony ‘Glitz’ Selby.
This is a magnificent epic and should be classified as a great Doctor Who story.
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| Doctor Who at its very best |
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| What: | The Curse of Fenric (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Tom Lingwood, Broseley, Shropshire |
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| Date: | Tuesday 30 April 2002 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This was the penultimate Doctor Who story to be shown before the show was cancelled. It’s an exciting and brilliant tale, which is why the BBC should’ve kept the series. Why did you have to axe the blessed series you fools?
When I got this book, I read it all on the day I brought it. It’s exciting and enjoyable. I couldn’t put it down.
| What: | Hope (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | John Ellison, Atlanta, Georgia, USA |
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| Date: | Saturday 27 April 2002 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
A solid story that never forgets that Fitz, Anji and the Doctor are the "stars of the show"! A story that truly pays homage to what I think WHO is all about while still beginning to explore the Doctor's new "humanity". A few more with this type of characterization and I might be able to appreciate the man called the Doctor as much as the Time Lord. Great read!
I found "The King Of Terror" to be a lot like the television episodes that used to air on the public television station, but with expanded views of the characters and how they interplayed with one another. I was quite surprised when Tegan actually lip-locked with someone totally unlike her, and when Turlough nearly went berserk when he found a way out of capture. All in all, a first-rate book all around...may there be many more like it!
I’ve just read this book, or rather booklet, for the first time, and was most pleasantly surprised, given the lack of depth in some of the short novelisations, at its success in conveying the sinister atmosphere created by the interim – dare I even say best – version of the Master. I have never really cared for this somewhat over-used character, even when played by Roger Delgado, but the wizened and malevolent creature described here by Terrance Dicks is genuinely frightening, in the best possible sense. A pity that this walking cadaver was later transformed into the tedious Anthony Ainley interpretation on television. I have never been much struck on the Time Lords, or even the concept of them, much preferring the mysterious old wanderer with a virtually unknown past portrayed by William Hartnell, but again Terrance Dicks makes both Castellan Spandrell and fussy little Co-ordinator Engin as likeable and believable a pair of characters on the printed page as they were on screen. Quite an achievement, the whole thing, considering the slimness of the volume and the rapidity with which Dicks must have been obliged to produce it. Even the fourth Doctor didn’t come across as a buffoon stuffing jelly babies in this one. No, I never liked him much – blasphemy, I quite realise.
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| Almost as good as first annual |
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We find the Doctor still travelling alone in this second selection of stories. While these tales do not have quite the depth, or length, of those in the preceding annual, there are some memorable ones. My own particular favourite has always been Terror on Tiro, and especially the first two thirds of it, where the Doctor makes his way through a decidedly unfriendly primeval forest, and at one point resorts to climbing into a giant cabbage to snatch some rest. There are no creatures from the series in this volume, though the Zarbi are mentioned once in Terror on Tiro, and a couple of the creatures the Doctor finds imprisoned in The Sons of Grekk look very much like Zarbi and Menoptera. The first annual is harked back to, as in the reference to the planet Kandalinga in Ten Fathom Pirates, thus providing that pleasant feeling of continuity beloved of many Doctor Who fans, myself included. A thousand pities, then, that apart from the one-off story Doctor Who and the Invasion from Space, this volume is the last we see of the Hartnell Doctor and his lone trips through time and space. I’ve felt the lack so much that, for my own pleasure, I resorted to writing another myself, proving I suppose that I really have got it badly!
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| Soul of the Hartnell Doctor |
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I well remember the day back in 1965 when my Dad bought me this, undoubtedly the finest Dr Who Annual ever, and pretty high up in any list of Dr Who books. Personally, I think these stories, in which the Doctor travels on his own, capture the heart and soul of his character, at least as played by William Hartnell (his interpretation being 'the' Doctor anyway). Without the endless questions/whingeing of companions, we are treated instead to less dialogue as the Doctor explores, and more of his own thoughts and reflections, both on his destinations and on time and space travel in general. All the stories are interesting and well crafted, though the two featuring the Zarbi and Menoptera, plus 'Peril in Mechanistria' and 'The Fishmen of Kandalinga', are in my opinion the best. If you want to experience the magic of Doctor Who as it was originally intended to be, and almost feel as if you are his silent companion on his voyages in the Tardis, then find yourself a copy of this truly memorable volume.
