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| What: | The Macra Terror (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 3 April 2013 |
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| Rating: |   6 |
Once again, I've read a Target novelisation of a missing story. I find the soundtracks quite hard to follow, so I am now experimenting by reading these Target novels first, and then listening to the CD. This method works very well, so I'll keep doing it this way.
This is not the best novelisation ever, but it is still an interesting to read. The story idea is fascinating, but not very well realised in the novel (and I suspect in the TV version either, but alas we can't see that). Black is just going through the motions with the novel, but I still enjoyed it. I am also certain that the Macra are much better in this novel (Black is not held back by money). I understand that there was only one Macra built for the actual TV story, so thankfully we can enjoy more than one in this novel.
All in all, a good enough story - just not the best novel. 6/10.
| What: | Who Killed Kennedy: (Miscellaneous original novels) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 1 April 2013 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I really, really enjoyed this book. It's a wonderful story which is set during the early years of the Third Doctor and UNIT, and is from the perspective of James Stevens (no relation to Stevens in the Green Death) who is a journalist. He's a journalist that happens to keep bumping into UNIT and the various events of the first/second season of Jon Pertwee - and gets the complete wrong end of the stick. It's a fascinating take on everything and the Third Doctor is very much a secondary character. It's also a lovely book for fans, as the story is littered with connections and old characters. A free copy can now be downloaded - go do it, you won't be disappointed. 10/10
| What: | World Game (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Monday 1 April 2013 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Most the reviewers in this forum really liked this book, yet it has only a 6 rating overall. Peculiar. I note that Dicks' other original novels are also in the mid-range of the ratings. I suspect that maybe people see the name, know the connection to Doctor Who of old, and expect something more than they get. Whatever the reason, the book is definitely better than a 6. This novel is very "Terrance Dicks." If one has followed his interviews and read some of his various work, one will notice that Dicks sees himself as a "jobbing" writer, someone editors can count on to produce a workmanlike job within the budget. Dicks clearly also admires other writers with similar credentials, often answering the question of why he chose this or that writer during his days as script editor and producer that so-and-so was a working professional of known abilities and thoroughly reliable.
"World Game" delivers what Dicks does well. Fast-paced, easy-to-read, and amusing to just the right degree, the novel makes for an entertaining pastime. It is not deep, nor all that original, but it does have its background and rationale carefully worked out. Doctor 2 is in prison, an "oubliette," and awaiting his execution when the Celestial Intervention Agency calls upon him to complete a mission for them in return for some different kind of sentence. Someone is messing around with the lives of Napoleon and Wellington (and Nelson), and the Doctor must discover who it is. He gets a new assistant, a beautiful and untrained Gallifreyan aristocrat. The setup allows Dicks to tie up many loose ends in the series, most especially the rationale for "The Two Doctors." He also gets to use bits and pieces from his Doctor Who scripts. He gets to indulge his love of British history. He gets to borrow from other Who writers, such as the Immortals from "Enlightenment" and the psychic paper from the new series. And he gets to replay and revise, in a way, "The Key to Time." (It is interesting that Dicks most "interferes" with the scripts of Robert Holmes, one of his preferred writers and the only other writer from the classic Who period of equal involvement and stature.)
As far as it goes, there are indeed things to question or dislike in the book. As one reviewer here remarked, there is a bit too much plot by convenience. Also, his companion Serena is not as interesting a character as she could have been. The villains are rather flat and obvious. Yet, given what Dicks has set out to do, the book works rather well. In a way, this is perhaps the best example of classic Who as a novel. Apart from the battle scenes, the story could have been produced on television. However, Dicks has used the novel format to widen the scope and especially to provide the historical background that justifies its setting. The plot runs like a television serial, but the book reads like a novel.
Readers should take "World Game" for what it is, an entertainment fun most of the time, serious when it has to be, and subtly educational.
| What: | Fury from the Deep (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | C G Harwood, Dunedin, NZ, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Wednesday 20 March 2013 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This book is without a doubt the best of all the Target novels. This had me gripped from page one. Makes me very sad that this story no longer exists on film.
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 | Absolutely brilliant start to season 2 |
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| What: | The Auntie Matter (Fourth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 16 March 2013 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
One is only truly sad to hear the wonderful Mary Tamm now that she's left the world, she was a brilliant actress and seemed to be a really good decent person too. It was with a bit of a lump in the throat that I put this on my cd player. I didnt even begin to wonder whether she'd still have the same magic she did all those years ago as Romana Mark 1, the by far superior incarnation of the lovely time lady.
The Auntie Matter is probably one of my favourite of Jonathan's scripts so far, its littered with good humour and comedy, and possesses several of those all time brilliant near misses and nasty robot villains, and above all else, that amazing chemistry that Tom had with the lovely Mary. They still have that beautiful spark that made their season on the TV series my favourite of the whole series to date.
The whole near misses of the two of them never knowing the other is as Bassett hall are hilarious and made me smile. This is what real decent storytelling is all about. And also, somehow, Tom sounds younger here....he's such a brilliant Doctor this guy. There are many who say Doctor Who isnt very good when its trying to be funny, but that is so not true. And as a story in the 50th anniversary of the brilliant show, then this is a brilliant summation of all that is great in Doctor Who, and why it has lasted so long is easy to figure out when you listen to a brilliant little tale like this one.
I love Romana. She was pretty, smart, witty and able to care of herself, and she was more than able to take care of herself, but then Mary left after only one season and I was left cold with Lalla Ward, who was OK, but not a patch on lovely Mary Tamm. I will miss her, and stories like these only make me miss her more. She was a great actress, and this small snippet of Whodom makes that resonate like no mans business.
I long awaited Tom to return to the role of the Doctor for BFP, and my wish came true. But what I really wanted was Mary back as Romana...and oh boy, thanks to BFP, again I got my wish. And The Auntie Matter bodes well for the rest of the series if they are even half as good as this. The Auntie Matter is good old fashioned PG Wodehouse fun at its core. And Ill say it again, the BFP series of Doctor Who outshines and outclasses the New TV series in every respect.....
And again the sound design on this outting is flawless, and realistic. Oh, and have I said I love Mary Tamm....a very sad loss for the acting world....
Despite the clunky & awful title, this is a pretty good book that updates season 7 to a more modern era though of course this was first published in 1997.
The story has several strands which all pull together nicely at the end.
Quite adult in places & contains the line "Corporal Bell with her knickers round her ankles" !
I loved it.
| What: | Bunker Soldiers (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Chris Arnold, Bundaberg, Australia |
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| Date: | Wednesday 13 March 2013 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
I was putting off reading this as the Kiev setting doesn't really inspire my imagination. I was pleasantly surprised by the actual novel. I found it easy to read with clear and concice characterisation.
I can see why others have said that the alien was not needed and served no real story purpose but I welcomed the brief breaks from the historical setting. It is a good little device to keep the non historical readers interested.
The regulars worked well and I only tired of Steven's first person narration right near the end of the story. Overall a nice novel not destined for classic status but nevertheless a worthwhile read.
| What: | Revenge of the Judoon (Quick Reads books) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 4 March 2013 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
A really good read and a book that can be completed in an hour/two hours. It is a great idea - providing an opportunity for children (and adults) who are not into reading. The hope then is that the non-reader will want to read much more.
It's a good little story and it is really great to read a nice bit of Terrance Dicks again. It's like I've gone back to the glory days of Target and it feels wonderful. The book even includes some lovely Terrance descriptions such as the wheezing and groaning TARDIS. The plot is straightforward enough and an enjoyable little story. He's also described the 10th Doctor and Martha perfectly and feels very much like a mini-episode.
Highly recommended.
| What: | I am a Dalek (Quick Reads books) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 4 March 2013 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
A really good read and a book that can be completed in an hour/two hours. It is a great idea - providing an opportunity for children (and adults) who are not into reading. The hope then is that the non-reader will want to read much more.
It's a good little story and though a similar plot to other Dalek stories is full of fun, sadness and lots of tenth doctor brilliance. Roberts is an excellent author, and he's written a great little story. It can be read by adults and children alike. Highly recommended.
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| Callan's Doctor Who DVD Reviews #1 |
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| What: | Earth Story (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Callan Jones, Invercargill , New Zealand |
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| Date: | Monday 4 March 2013 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Hello there, Im new to this TardisLibrary site and thought I might review all the DVDS based on doctor who and might start book reviews in the future. Welcome to my reviews of Doctor Who DVDS. Today I will be reviewing.. Earth Story!
Earth Story is a fairly new set to me, as I got it two weeks ago. When I came home from school and seen the package sitting on the table I was so excited to open it! When I cut the top of the package off and glared inside to see what it was, I seen some Doctor Who DVDS! A boxset and a single DVD. I pulled out to see the boxset being Earth Story and the single dick being Timelash! (I will review Timelash in the future.)
Okay, enough of me talking about my feeling when I got it and Ill start reviewing the episodes! (WARNING: This review will be long as I will ramble and give spoilers. If you haven't seen these episodes and don't like spoilers and just want simple reviews, you might want to stop reading here.)
The Gunfighters- In my opinion this story is William Hartnell's best story. (Of what I've seen of him). I really liked this history story in the town of Tombstone. I personally thought that Episode 1 was the standout episode and made me want to watch more! I couldn't believe my eyes when I seen this and was surprised at how good they could actually make stories in the William Hartnell days. I wasn't as surprised as much as I was with 'The Tomb Of The Cybermen' but this is its runner-up. I recommend this story more than 'Genesis Of The Daleks' and I don't know why this gets a lot of hate, it's outrageous!
One of the only few bad points is the lady singing in the background all the time. Your ears get annoyed so much that you want to turn the sound off.
The best part is the Doctors toothache! I laughed wildly at the scenes of it. My favourite was the scene outside the dentist. Way better than any other JellyBaby scene from Tom Baker years.
Overall I rate 'The Gunfighters' 8.5/10
The Awakening- In my opinion 'The Awakening is not as good as 'The Gunfighters' but isn't far from it. Another history story based on earth, with a interesting plot twister to make you want to keep watching. Unfortunately, the is horrible and not scary and absolutely suck! You get confused and the ending is just rubbish. Usually the monster is the best part in stories, but in this it's the opposite. Part 1 was better than Part 2 by far.
Even though I have given 'The Awakening a pretty bad review does not mean I did not like the story. I would overall rate 'The Awakening' 7/10!
So yeah, Earth Story is a brilliant boxset and I recommend anyone with some spare money buy this set because it is awesome.
Thanks if you read this whole thing and I hope you read my next review, Callan Jones :)
WATCH OUT FOR MY REVIEW ON 'MARA TALES' TWO DISC BOXSET! SEE YA THERE :D
| What: | The Curse of Davros (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug W, An Alternate Reality (formerly Pocono Summit), United States |
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| Date: | Tuesday 26 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
I guessed the twist pretty quickly, as it was pretty obvious from the beginning that something wasn't right. An extra point given for how Colin Baker carried what he had to do here. Honestly, though, I hate to say it, but he's sounding old in this one. Hopefully he just had a bit of a chest cold or something. And Flip is kind of doing Lucy Miller, but not as well. Overall, kind of 'meh.'
I find Lawrence Miles' books to be very much a love it or hate it affair. Whilst I loved "Alien Bodies" and "Christmas...." I found Interference a very choppy affair, and not the defining novel it intended to be.
With "The Adventuress..." I found myself at times confused, at times bored, and others merely disinterested. Lawrence chooses to write from a mixture of third person views and report on facts akin to a factual historical report ("What was said at this point could not be known" etc.) This gave me a feeling of a very incomplete plot, and allowed the writer to circumvent narrative conventions whenever he chooses. Some people may view this as clever. Sadly, to me it comes across as lazy.
Fitz and Anji do nothing in the book, and the Doctor spends most of his time being sick. It's as if Lawrence didn't want to write a Doctor Who book, but has just used the range as a way of showcasing his own characters.
It's not an awful book, just long winded and lacking the hinted adventure. For me less Adventuress, and more Adventurezzzzzzzzzzzz (snore)
| What: | Death in Blackpool (Eighth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | J M W, London, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 24 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
A strange tale of people falling through the cracks at Christmas, set in draughty hospitals and faceless service stations. Not a laugh a minute!
The core story of DiB is heartbreaking but loses something from excessive padding.
For every scene that packs a real emotional punch - like the final goodbye on Blackpool beach - there's some pointless wittering in the sidelines. The drunk santa character is really annoying. I found the sound design - excellent in the rest of this series - confusing.
Like Moffat's series, DiB tries for human drama and eschews "fangush", for which it should be applauded. But it would have been better as a 20 minute short.
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| All Who Things come to those who Trek |
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| What: | Assimilation² Volume 2 (IDW graphic novels) |
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| By: | Earle DL Foster, Invercargill, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Saturday 23 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I can now triumphantly state that I possess the entire mini-series in its glowing entirety, with the final eighth installment rightfully depicted as the pictorial icing upon an already robustly swelling cake. Even if the "subtle" hint of a potential sequel isn't eventually followed up, I sincerely hope that both the Next Generation personnel and the Doctor are utilised again for future independent intercompany crossovers (I for one would like to witness some of the "nice matches" previously brainstormed for the Time Lord).
| What: | The Wheel of Ice (BBC prestige novels) |
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| By: | Earle DL Foster, Invercargill, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Saturday 23 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
A spot-on perfect encapsulation of the Troughton era by Mr. Baxter, whose Whovian contribution surely surpasses even his not so long ago literary collaboration with Mr. Terry Pratchett. With additional information hinting that another Past Doctor Novel may be in the pipeline (presumably once again in the style of the former "Missing Adventures" range, with visible references to future notable events), this is the perfect reignition for a previously halted product selection.
| What: | The Scripts: Tom Baker 1974/5 (Miscellaneous script books) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 23 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I've finally read this script book cover to cover. It was probably bought for me back in 2001 as a Christmas present and it has sat on my shelves ever since. Bad Matt, because this book is so excellent.
The book provides useful data, introductions, dates and other information before each complete script of Tom Baker's first season as The Doctor. It is an absolutely fascinating piece and is a good overview of this period of Doctor Who. I would highly recommend that people try and find a copy from somewhere.
What a shame that the BBC decided to produce only this script book and did not delve into other eras. I suspect this was because a series was not economical, but they could have at least tried.. :(
10/10
| What: | The Indestructible Man (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 23 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
I understand that this novel is in part a send-up of Gerry Anderson TV programs. However, it is remarkably readable without one's ever knowing about them, as I didn't until I read the reviews after I had finished the novel. I have not watched "Thunderbirds" or "UFO" since I was a child, so I did not catch any of the allusions. These allusions, however, do explain the weird piece of throwaway business with Zoe and the purple wig. I will, therefore, review the novel as I read it, knowing nothing of the TV references. To start off, the cover is misleadingly peaceful, so definitely one should not judge this book by its cover. The novel starts off as if Messingham were writing about the future as imagined in 1968, so that computers run on spools of tape for instance. However, the novel fairly early leaves the cozy world of 1968 TV sci-fi for a much more mature and sinister story. That story involves a future world recovering from the ruins of a war fought against a virtually unknown and ultimately unknowable alien menace given the name Myloki. The Myloki attacked Earth by animating cadavers and by creating copied humans who then sabotaged Earth systems. It is now thirty years after the war, and the Myloki are back. Both they and the secret military organization SILOET are after the same target, the only remaining working duplicate human, who cannot die. Although it has six "parts," the novel, like many six-part Doctor Who adventures, really has two main parts. In part one, the Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe are separated. For about six months, each lives an entirely separate life. Existing in a balkanized Britain, Jamie and Zoe are firmly convinced that the Doctor is dead and they can no longer see each other. This part is the most compelling of the novel. Jamie becomes a foot solider for a religious cult, Zoe an indispensable slave in an extreme Thatcher-Major version of London. The Doctor, meanwhile is a prisoner at SILOET headquarters. Messingham has a real talent for getting into the heads of his characters, of making their thoughts come alive. He is especially convincing at giving Zoe a full characterization. He also deftly shows the intense pressure that the team at SILOET are under, believing that only they can save the world, and the psychological damage this pressure causes. Part two of the novel involves the search for the Indestructible Man himself while the threat from the Myloki grows and grows. In this part, Messingham shows a talent for characterization and dialogue. Throughout, Messingham relies on interior monlogue for most of his narration, which works surprisingly well. Messingham is also very realistic about violence, a stark contrast to TV sci-fi of the 1960s. All this makes for compelling reading through to the end. The demerits are these, one major and a couple minor. A minor demerit is that many of the background characters have very generic names - Matthews, Drake, Taylor - and so it is difficult to remember who is who when they vanish for a while and then return 100 pages later. Another demerit is the ending, which is a bit of an anti-climax though consistent with the events presented in the novel. The major demerit involves what Messingham does to Jamie. In essence, Messingham makes Jamie have a complete mental breakdown. So convincing is the creation of the circumstances for it and the description of it, that Jamie's recovery is unbelievable. This Jamie will need years of psychotherapy, not just a few days living with his regrets. It is at this point that I think the novel would have been just as good or maybe better if it were not Doctor Who and Messingham weren't compelled somehow to get Jamie back to recovery. To summarize, this novel is not going to be to everyone's taste. While it is not a festival of carnage, the violence when it happens is realistically gory. Likewise, readers may be put off spending so much time inside the heads of deeply disturbed people. I found it to be one of the top Doctor Who novels I have read so far.
| What: | The Scapegoat (Eighth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | J M W, London, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 9 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
This contrived story is pure mid-season filler.
All four points are for Lucie's hilarious good/bad performance in the Baroque play. Turn it off after that.
| What: | Destination: Nerva (Fourth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Tuesday 5 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
The return of Tom Baker to full drama Doctor Who is, of course, very welcome. The first adventure pairs the Doctor and Leela immediately after "Talons of Weng-Chiang." The story is pure 1977 Doctor Who in its mix of Gothic horror (1st half of part 1) and science fiction (all the rest). The soundtrack music is a combination of Dudley Simpson and Peter Howell, so again makes the listener very nostalgic. The story itself has appeal beyond nostalgia, though. It gives us an interesting twist on the "base under siege" plot. The story has a political undertone more in line with 1972-5 Doctor Who, but not at all out of character. Baker and Jameson drop right back into their roles and play off each other very well. Overall, a very enjoyable story.
| What: | Frostfire (The Companion Chronicles audiobooks) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Monday 4 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
Vicki, now a mother and long since settled in Carthage, recounts an adventure she had when travelling with the Doctor and Steven. Since this is pretty much a reading with a few dramatic touches, one should not take it as a full drama. So, as a story, how does it stack up? The story is a variation on the Phoenix myth, which allows Marc Platt to have some fun with circularity and time. The story is very much in the first Doctor tradition and probably could have been produced for TV. The presence of Jane Austen is a throw-away as the role the character plays could have been played by any gentlewoman of the period, really. Maureen O'Brien returns nicely to her character of decades ago.
