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 | Morality and the Laws of Physics |
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| What: | The Crooked World (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Leon Coward, Sydney, Australia |
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| Date: | Friday 29 January 2016 |
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| Rating: |  10 |
"The Crooked World" explores the scope novel form allows for Doctor Who, and is an entertaining but engaging piece of fiction that will appeal to even those unfamiliar with the series.
In "The Crooked World", Lyon creates a world where the laws of reality are that of a cartoon. When the Doctor and his companions arrive, their reality and the Crooked World’s reality clash. This results in hilarious comedy and unexpected twists where the plot can take unexpected turns and become spontaneous - imagine Roadrunner-esque action, and being able to instantly produce banana skins to make the villain stumble.
The book covers serious ground, however: the inhabitants of the Crooked World are used
to cartoon-style violence that never results in tragedy or actual harm, but the reality clash means that events take unforeseen turns, and the inhabitants are introduced to experiences and concepts they’re unfamiliar with - such as death, mourning, and justice for physical harm. In essence, the story is about these bizarre creatures and their struggle as they begin to develop a concept of morality and community justice. The story eventually resolves around the premise of the cartoon-world, and remains entertaining and thought-provoking till the very end.
(This review is adapted from a review of "The Crooked World" and "The Tomorrow Windows" published by the reviewer in the February 2012 issue of "The Online Book Group" e-zine)
| What: | Blood Heat (New Adventures novels) |
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| By: | ross hamilton, basingstoke, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 29 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Jim Mortimore is a genius! This book was already one of my all time favourites but the expanded edition, a really nice covered hardback is just amazing. I got my copy this Christmas and it brings so much more to the story. Bernice fans should definitely look into this, a definite 10/10. Plus Jim is a great guy who gets back to you and really takes on fans ideas and listens, can't wait for his next expanded adventure!
| What: | Lungbarrow (New Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Leon Coward, Sydney, Australia |
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| Date: | Friday 29 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This is an odd novel and isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea.... it's even odd for a Doctor Who story... but AS an odd novel and an odd Doctor Who story, it is fantastic!
It has a lot of quirky ideas, and a sense of the gothic, sublime and romantic. There's definitely some Mervyn Peake in it, some Neil Gaiman, some Terry Gilliam.
The backcover blurb sums it up nicely - the Doctor has been recalled to Gallifrey, to his House and all of his Cousins awaiting his return... so that, after hundreds and hundreds of years, they can finally resurrect their frozen head of house, to read his dying will. Except... the Doctor has been accused of murdering said fellow.
This general plot is woven throughout, and you're continually waiting to find "whodunnit" (all puns intended).
There are two things I admired most about this novel.
The first is the care Platt has taken in ensuring the reader is satisfied. There are many things that are either briefly mentioned (such as a Ghost shimmering frozen in a booth; or some kind of giant beast locked in a kitchen) and one half waits for these things to be left unexplained. Platt does an excellent job at tying up all of the loose ends he creates - he delivers, and makes it seem effortless. He plotted and planned this novel exceedingly well - when to drop hints, when to introduce elements, when to resolve them, when to introduce new elements. Platt also does a satisfying job to integrate the novel with so many other backstories from Doctor Who's history. (Platt also deserves praise for his handling of the Doctor and his companions --- too often, especially in the Eighth Doctor novels, one can feel like "who is this companion? I'm so lost!!!!" --- this didn't occur even though this is the first time I've read a story featuring the companion Chris, references to other companions I have encountered either, and so forth. Platt does a good job at making the reader comfortable).
The other thing I admire is the sense of the fantastic. Giant wooden handshaped chairs which can crush their sitter; 'Drudges' - tall wooden house servants which stalk spookily; the House - the idea that Time Lords grew houses and that these domains are living organisms with thoughts and emotions and can bear witness to events within them; and the "Looms" in which Time Lords are born; and even the concept of a 3D painting - you can step into Monet's garden. ("The Day of the Doctor" is only about 16 years out!)
One of the great charms about Doctor Who is its ability to retain a sense of identity, but still provide a variety of stories, handled in varied ways. This book is a delightful discovery.
Lungbarrow is hard to find, and expensive. View it as an investment - it is worth saving up pocket money to find a copy.
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| Foyle's War - in Space! Part 2 |
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| What: | The Mutation of Time (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | Leon Coward, Sydney, Australia |
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| Date: | Friday 29 January 2016 |
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| Rating: |  9 |
It's unfair to review this without mentioning it's a continuation of the story set up in the Daleks' Master Plan Part One "Mission to the Unknown".
Many of the comments I made in my review about the first book http://www.timelash.com/tardis/reviews.php?591 I would extend to this second volume.
This second book concerns the Daleks chasing the Doctor and the TARDIS crew across time and space, in order to retrieve the Taranium Core for their *megalithic* weapon: the Time Destructor. The idea of the Time Destructor is a nice one: it has the capacity to either reverse a planet and its lifeforms to their earliest days (protoplasmic amoeba globules and all) or it can send it forward, making everything decay into dust in a matter of minutes. The story is mainly sent in Ancient Egypt, and features the return of the Meddling Monk (from "The Time Meddler") and the scenes with him and fun and are totally spot on in recapturing Peter Butterworth [from Carry On] as the Monk, in both presence and dialogue.
The only disappointment is the inclusion of material from the Christmas episode broadcast. It is obligatory, given it is a novelisation - but the light-hearted slapstick comedy is better on television and is very weak and chaotic in novel form (no criticism for John Peel's efforts, though). 50 or so pages in and I was wondering when the Daleks' Master Plan story would continue - it seemed all but forgotten about. That said, the playful scenarios are helpful in the reader warming to the character Sara Kingdom as a companion.
When the Daleks' Master Plan plot resurfaces, it does so in its former spirit. There are less political machinations and plot twists, but it has a steady pace and you can't tell where it's heading. The ending is satisfying, and the portrayal of the traitor Mavic Chen, and his attempt to rule the Daleks, makes for very engaging scenes.
| What: | Mission to the Unknown (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | Leon Coward, Sydney, Australia |
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| Date: | Thursday 28 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
If Doctor Who had Anthony Horowitz writing for it, I imagine it'd be not too dissimilar to "Mission to the Unknown" in terms of tone and the writing style (especially like Horowitz's writing for younger readers [such as his "Alex Rider" series] - the writing is to the point, and it helps keep up a nice pace).
This is the first part of "The Daleks' Master Plan" (the continuation being the novelisation "The Mutation of Time"). The overall gist is that the Daleks have formed a secret alliance with other galaxy rulers, and together they plan to conquer the universe. Mainly destroy earth, but they're thinking 'big' too. The Doctor more-or-less stumbles across their plans and has to work out how to scupper them. It's a pretty far-stretched story concept... That said, it lays the foundation for essentially a wartime/espionage space opera with secret information being traded, relationships turning on their head, covert operations, treason, and various political moves against one another.
The story aforementioned doesn't develop too much (as noted, there's the follow-on novel) but what it does do is develop the sense of character, scenario, and plot twists. Situations spiral out of control and its very much a chase story. It feels like a continual chessboard game, and you're continually waiting to see how the pieces behave - because you're not necessarily sure what piece is what, and on which side they are!
There were two really enjoyable aspects about this novel. The first is Peel's efforts in writing it with the mindset of colouring it with details from the "Whoniverse" as it developed decades later on television. Although the episodes (on which this book was based) were broadcast in the '60s, in this book there are references to the 'Draconian' empire and also the 'Movellans' -- races that were invented for episodes in the '70s.
The second aspect I really enjoyed was the structure of the story itself and how characters behaved, which is a credit to the original episode writers and production team. It is a contrast to the 2005 revived TV series. A companion sacrifices herself (I don't think there are any spoilers here) and there is no dramatic emotional music, no weeping, no tantrums, no farewell speeches... it just happens. And the Doctor can't do anything but say (essentially) "She did what she thought she had to" and they have to keep on going as they were (because the story isn't over - this is midway through the book!). I also appreciate the nuance given to the Daleks... they are far more intriguing than most other episodes and far more political (this is their 'hour' of a story, so to speak). Of note, there is a particular scene where some Daleks failure to capture the Doctor - they are declared 'failures as Daleks' and blown up by the other Daleks. (A far cry from the new series "Asylum of the Daleks" where Daleks cannot bear to kill another Dalek).
The thing that comes across strongly from these early Dalek stories-----this one especially----is you can't but help realise how strong post-war Britain and experience of wartime and wartime politics, influenced Doctor Who's writing and its success - the types of characters, scenarios, and its ability to resonate with audiences then. The stories were 'presented' in a palatable way, but the stories did not shy away from being mature in scope and giving harsh consequences for characters' actions.
| What: | Millennium Shock (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Sunday 24 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
Justin Richards makes the mistake of writing a sequel that is little different from the original. This creates the "why bother" effect. Picking up where he left off in System Shock, Richards has a new bunch of Voracians (get it, they're voracious) who are no different from the old bunch of Voracians try to resurrect the Voractyl virus the first bunch of Voracians failed to activate in System Shock to do exactly the same thing that the old bunch of Voracians wanted to do. The new bunch of Voracians are again modeled on corporate executives obsessed by "efficiency" and have again replaced key figures in government and business. There is once more a big showdown at the end in a government-owned mansion. The only differences are moderate: the plan this time involves hijacking the "millennium virus" of 2000 (when all the computers would supposedly stop working), there is a side plot involving ex-Soviet separatists trying to seize a nuclear missile, and no significant role for Sarah Jane. It's not different enough and not enough of an improvement to warrant having written it.
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| I've died and gone to heaven |
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| What: | Colouring Book (Miscellaneous activity books) |
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| By: | C G Harwood, Dunedin, NZ, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Saturday 16 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I LOVE this book. The art work is fantastic. Be prepared to spend a good few hours colouring in these pictures. I hope this is going to turn into a series of books because I'll be getting them all.
| What: | Terror of the Sontarans (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
A brute of a sontaran ( kind of in the form of Styre from the sontaran experiment ) leads this great story. Bonnie Langford again doesn't scream, and she gets on so well with Slyv McCoy as the ever brilliant seventh persona of the Doctor. And this story is genuinely scary in places. Its always hard to deliver scares in just the audio format I feel, but Big Finish have done it expertly so many times before and here they do so again. Thank goodness these sontarans are the classic series black clad militaristic brutes too and not those bluey purple laughable ones of the new series. Altogther this is yet another brilliant story from big finish, written by none other than a sontaran himself! Thank goodness there's no sign of that dummy Strax here though. No, this is just a real action packed frightener.
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| The superb feelof the late 80s |
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| What: | The Warehouse (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This story was written by Mike Tucker, a name I am glad has come back to Big Finish after many years of not a whisper of him. He previously wrote the superb stories The Genocide Machine and Dust Breeding. I was really glad when I saw that he had contributed a new story to Big Finish again. I really like Mike's writing. He's one of those writers who instantly manages to drag you into a story, and keep you hooked.
The Warehouse is a pure delight from start to finish. It has totally the right feel of the era in which it is set. And it also boasts Bonnie Langford as Mel but gratefully without the screams, which I'm sure Bonnie must be glad about too. With Big Finish Mel has been allowed to blossom as a companion and she is really really catching as a companion. And she works brilliantly with Sylvester McCoy. They are just as strong a double act as Seven and Ace are to me.
The characters in this story are all very well rounded too. And the story never pauses for breath. The tension mounts well in this story too, as one discovers just what is brewing in the Warehouse. I love the Doctor and Mel's packaging scene in particular. This has wholly the feel of the first season of Sylvester's on TV. It was an age of new discovery and varied storytelling techniques that I found totally endearing honestly. And The Warehouse would fit right in with the four stories of the much underrated season 24.
As ever Big Finish''s attention to sound design and production is flawless and one can easily picture the huge warehouse and the pulsating mould and the huge alien rats. The climax is superb, and the underlying tones of regret for past beliefs in falsehoods is written extremely well by Mike. It adds a very interesting slant to the story that is already amazing and very entertaining. So this is nothing more than yet another Big Finish hit.
I am really glad to welcome Mike Tucker back to the Big Finish fold. And with the Warehouse, he doesn't disappoint at all. We have a full on piece of Doctor Who with some great themes and some great set pieces. And the actors all portray very likeable and varied characters that add spice to an already satisfying story indeed. I would recommend this brilliant tale to anyone! The Warehouse is a Big Finish highlight.
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| Flaming henry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| What: | We Are the Daleks (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This story has to join "Enemy of the Daleks" and "Jubilee" and "The Curse of Davros" as Big Finish's finest scripts for the famous pepper pots from Skaro. Its great how new avenues never seem to run out with these metal beasties as Jamie would say. The story in this episode is really superb and surprisingly thought provoking too. And Jonathan Morris does what he always does and tells a frankly excellent story which is then added to by the brilliant acting of the performers. This story is hugely enjoyable, and is already one of my favourite audio stories from Big Finish. Bonnie Langford is no longer a screamer which is a bit of a relief as it gives us yet again the chance to hear what a brilliant companion she is.
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| A great end to the Locum Docs... |
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| What: | The Secret History (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Its been great to hear later Docs with earlier companions. Here the trilogy comes to a brilliant head with the return of an old psycho and a new one! And I always have loved Lysette Anthony, a first class actress. Peter Davison is on high form and goes really well with Steven and Vicki, and Peter and Maureen easily bring these sixties characters back to brilliant life again in this highly brilliant tale from the ever reliable and clever Eddie Robson. Im so glad Big Finish consistently choose the best writers to still keep all the classic Doctors alive and kicking. This trilogy really does have the overtones of a Will Hartnell story, and its a great end....
| What: | Last of the Cybermen (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
1: Colin Baker, together with my favourite companion ever, namely Frazer Hines as Jamie, are brilliant together yet again in this second Locum Doctor story. Add Wendy Padbury to the mix and you're bound to be onto a total winner.
2: Big Finish actually get writers who know how to write great stories for the Cybermen, the best of all Doctor Who monsters. Unlike the new TV series which has totally moronicized the silver giants, here with BFP they are still as menacing as they used to be back in the black and white sixties!
3: Alan Barnes seems to be a very dependable writer. And Last of the Cybermen has to be one of his finest stories.
4: Big Finish do the best Doctor Who around today, and here is a story that clearly shows this off to great effect.
| What: | The Defectors (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Placing later Doctors with earlier companions is a brilliant idea. And its great to hear Sylv with Katy! They just gel so very well indeed in a highly entertaining story by the ever dependable Nick Briggs. Big Finish do the best Doctor Who around today, it has to be said. This story flows along nicely, and as per usual the soundscape and score are brilliant and totally in keeping with the Jon Pertwee era of the show! The Defectors is a great story, and the ending really surprised me in that Jo gets so flared up about...well I wont give too much away but I will say this is a great start to The Locum Doctors trilogy!!
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| Still of a high standard..but... |
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| What: | Series 9: Part 2 (BBC new series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
I definitely thought the ending with Clara going off with the most annoying character ever on Doctor Who, except for maybe River Song and Rose Tyler, ie Me or whatever the annoying character wants to call herself just a load of balderdash. Who would honestly wanna run off in a TARDIS with a prat whose previously has been responsible for your death I ask you?! Seriously off the mark were the final moments of Hell Bent. One again it was about only Peter Capaldi himself stopping this episode from being another lame duck of a series cliffhanger. And just what the hell does Ohila think she's going on about, saying the Doc's breaking every set of rules he ever made just by doing what he did a long long time ago again?!!!!!!! I don't know. Maybe I'm just thick and someone else can enlighten me.
Hell Bent was such a disappointment that it did truly mar what for me was an otherwise superb season. The double episode Zygon adventure for a start was a rare return to the feel of the old series. Its good to see the Zygons again being developed beyond just being out and out villains. And Peter Capaldi's "peace speech" in part two has to be his Doctor's finest moment ever so far, bar none. What brilliant writing here. And the zygons do a lot more than just stand around in this episode too.
Sleep No More is an odd little episode but I cant see why Ive already seen so much negative stuff from others about it online. I think this episode is definitely different, but good different. And the ending is pretty scary. What Doctor Who should always be. Its not the best episode ever, but its not in the worst section either, not by a long chalk. A stolid Mark Gatiss story as ever.
Face The Raven (until it was totally ruined by the mess that was Hell Bent) was another superb example of Doctor Who at its best. Newcomer writer Sarah Dollard has written the best female written episode of the new series to date. I was crying at Clara's death at the climax of this powerful episode. Ive loved Jenna Coleman, and now I think she's seriously contending with Cat Tate to be my favourite new series companion! But grrrrrrr I still feel so marvellously cheated by what comes after this story in Hell Bent. It totally made me groan. Cant any person in the new who stay dead properly? Especially when their exit before was so gut wrenching. Not a good idea. I think I'll pretend I never saw the end of Hell Bent.
And Heaven Sent I thought was leading up to something great. Peter was absolutely superb in this episode. Handling his almost solo role in an episode nether the less still packed with frights and brilliant scenes. The fact that it didn't really carry on into Hell Bent was a real disappointment for me. Hell Bent was really really annoying.
Which is sad as the rest of the episodes were definitely strong and very enjoyable.
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| The REAL 50th Anniversary |
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| What: | The Light at the End (Miscellaneous audio dramas) |
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| By: | James Vick, poole, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 7 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
A 50th anniversary done right, all the Doctors and companions used here are used perfectly, the Master is used perfectly, unlike some of his/hers more recent TV appearances and the plot isn't easy to follow. The only very minor complaint i have with this story is the its a shame Big Finish couldn't use New series content at the time because it would have been brilliant to hear David and the others interact with the classic Doctors, but that's a very minor issue and doesn't effect the story at all. 10/10 Big Finish at it's best!
At last! John Hurt is back playing the War Doctor and its brilliant! John Hurt is an absolute delight to listen too and the supporting cast are also amazing. 9/10
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| This book should have been better. |
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| What: | Twilight of the Gods (Missing Adventures novels) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Monday 4 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
This novel is a sequel to the TV story 'The Web Planet.' The story concerns Doctor 2's returning to Vortis, the web planet. It hangs together well. The companions were not pushed off into a meaningless subplot, but were instead active participants throughout the book. This makes a welcome change by Bulis, who all too often has little for the female companions to do except be stranded and wait to be rescued. The Menoptera are depicted as rather overbearingly noble. Also, there does not seem to be much plot. It's all rather like sight-seeing than story. What story there is involves another invader of Vortis, but one that is politically divided into what we can call Imperialists and Communists. This situation gives the reader some highly simplified political science to go with the story. There is also a strange bit involving Menopteran gods who turn out to be real, after a fashion.
| What: | The Ghosts of N-Space (Missing Adventures novels) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Monday 4 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Barry Letts' novelization of his BBC radio drama is reasonably good as a novel on its own. Letts has filled in some details, rounded out characters, and generally gone beyond merely reproducing the script with a few descriptive details. The faults are mostly in the original conception of giving a seemingly scientific justification for the popular concepts of an afterlife.
This book is a collection of critical essays by academics. There are some truly bad pieces here that show many of the excesses that have crept into academic critical studies. Among these are Tat Wood's "The Empire of the Senses," a truly and typically illogical essay in the manner of Foucault that has all the faults of such readings, such as mistaking analogy for equivalence, lack of historical context, and breathtakingly sweeping generalizations. Alec Charles' "The Ideology of Anachronism" is little better. Charles takes a post-colonial position, so the conclusions are as predictable as they are trite - "Doctor Who" stories use "narrative closure" to reinscribe colonial values in a wave of nostalgia for empire. On the good side are David Butler's "How to Pilot a TARDIS," which makes some keen observations about the relationship between the show and its audience, and David Rafer's "Mythic identity in Doctor Who," a look at the various mythical elements of the program. The editor should be praised for including material on multiple aspects of the show, including the music, the original novels, and the Big Finish audios.
| What: | Mission to Magnus (The Missing Episodes novelisations) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Monday 4 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
What was to have been the sequel to the excellent Vengeance on Varos never got made for TV. So, this novelization came out. Since it was part of the Target line, it had to be kept simple for the young audience. The story itself is nothing like the gritty "Vengeance." Instead it is rather a farce with The Doctor as the former victim of a Time Lord school bully now being scared of the same bully and trying to hide much of the time. In typical camp fashion, the plot is basically "boys vs. girls," to go with the schoolyard theme begun with Anzor the Time Lord bully.
