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 | A good story but nothing new |
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| What: | The Mind of Evil (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | Huw Davies, Taunton, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 5 January 2012 |
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| Rating: |   7 |
On TV 'The Mind of Evil' was one of the better Season 8 stories, with a plot that fully involved the Master instead of him feeling simply an afterthought, and two menaces in the Keller monster and the revolting prisoners.
Terrance Dicks' novelisation sticks closely to the script, which I prefer to a total re-write which ruins the plot. Dicks' writing style is totally accessible but as happens with many of his Target novelisations it at times seems formulaic (which is understandable when he ended up writing over 60 of them!). However at the end of the day these were children's books and never meant to be cutting-edge novels, so in that respect they have totally fulfilled their function - oh, and the cover art is brilliant: very ominous and a great likeness of Roger Delgado!
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| A cracking read but too samey |
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| What: | The Evil of the Daleks (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | Huw Davies, Taunton, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 5 January 2012 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
I have never seen or listened to 'The Evil of the Daleks' but now I would certainly like to after reading this! Peel's prose can seem a bic formulaic and samey at times but he certainly knows how to draw a reader in and keep them hooked. Action sequences, which can end up as unitelligible in print, are portrayed concisely which keeps the story going. That's not to say this is too tightly written - indeed this is a big book and Peel lets the plot and characters develop in their own time.
The story itself, conceived by David Whitaker, is an extremely good one, and Peel doesn't tamper with it, while embellishing it where he can. This is an entirely enjoyable read but if you're looking for a cutting-edge, out-there writing style you aren't going to find it here - and thats the only reason 'The Evil of the Daleks' doesn't make a perfect 10 for me.
Wonderfully affecting
| What: | The Janus Conjunction (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Abigail Cohen, .........., Australia |
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| Date: | Monday 26 December 2011 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
From the first page to the last, the plot of "The Janus Conjunction" is exciting, clever, intriguing, mysterious and fresh. Many of the the EDA novels I've read have parts that are uninteresting or confusing and I have longed to skip over them to get to the good parts, but that never once happened in this book. The reader is immediately immersed in a fast moving, thrilling scenario, and the pace never slackens throughout until the very final page. Trevor Baxendale writes so well for the Doctor and Sam, and I am very impressed by this novel and recommend it fully to all DW fans. It's just such a shame that more of the series aren't written to the same high standard! One of my favourite EDA novels so far - a five star read!
| What: | The Janus Conjunction (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Emma Bowman, Sydney, Australia |
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| Date: | Monday 26 December 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Excellent EDA!
| What: | Tales from the Vault (The Companion Chronicles audiobooks) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 20 December 2011 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
I really like the idea behind this, and it works very well. Unfortunately, it is let down completely by the terrible acting of Yee Jee Tso. Sorry, I know he was in the TV Movie, but this guy couldn't act very well in Excelsis Decays or Real Time. Oh well, the rest was great and Daphne Ashbrook was impressive. Nice idea, Big Finish, and it does work well...
| What: | The Glorious Revolution (The Companion Chronicles audiobooks) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 17 December 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
It does take rather a bit of time to get used to these Companion Chronicles. However, with Frazer Hines, it's much easier to listen to these audios, because he does such a great impression of the 2nd Doctor. This is one of my favourite periods of history too, so I enjoyed this even more - especially because Jamie is connected to this Jacobite world. Well done Big Finish. :)
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| Grips like an Ice Warriors claw! |
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| What: | The Silent Stars Go By (BBC prestige novels) |
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| By: | Stuart Green, Brighton, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 12 December 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Grips like an Ice Warriors claw!
| What: | The Doomsday Quatrain (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 8 December 2011 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
a little confusing at times. However, I enjoyed it thoroughly and it's good to hear Sylvester again. :)
| What: | Dead of Winter (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Stuart Green, Brighton, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 7 December 2011 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
A novel novel
| What: | Death Riders / Heart of Stone (2-in-1 Eleventh Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Benjamin Blackburn, Leigh-On-Sea, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 6 December 2011 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
I liked it very much
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| clever and well thought out |
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| What: | The Memory Cheats (The Companion Chronicles audiobooks) |
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| By: | Clive T Wright, St Lawrence, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 3 December 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
The title says it all.
Zoe is really standing out well in this series although faced with a real challenge of how to bring her back, Big Finish have really hit the nail in the head with her run of stories andi hope it continues.
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| Shouldn't have ended like this |
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| What: | The First Wave (The Companion Chronicles audiobooks) |
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| By: | Clive T Wright, St Lawrence, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 3 December 2011 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
I was beginning to enoy this new companion and sad to see him go, but what it worse was a plot full of so many elements from Charlie pollards departure, which weakened what on it's own is a good story.
As ever the voice of the first doctor is outstanding and really helps carry the plot along.
A creature murders singers, that's what the story deals with. Original, but it feels like it's been used more often (Something alien kills people with special traits) But Sarah Pinborough is a very good writer, and her writing style just makes you shiver. The main characters aren't very well characterized, especially Jack and Ianto's relationship, and the way Gwen has feelings for another character, but the rest is fine
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| Not a bad one, but I've read better |
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| What: | Autonomy (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Hessel Hoekstra, Maassluis, Netherlands |
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| Date: | Monday 21 November 2011 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
The storyline is just basically like "Rose" but more expanded, and it's a good one. The Autons are cool in the story, but the other characters aren't described very well, and also the Doctor is not really a Tenth Doctor.
But after all, it's okay. Could be better, could be worse
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| Well written and fun to read. |
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| What: | The Bodysnatchers (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Emma Bowman, Sydney, Australia |
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| Date: | Saturday 19 November 2011 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I really enjoyed this book, I thought it was very well written. It inspired me to go and watch the original Fourth Doctor tv episode where Professor Litefoot first appeared, and I thought Morris did a good job of bringing this character to life in this novel. I enjoyed how he represented the Doctor and Sam, and the storyline was engaging and fast paced. Unlike so many EDA books, I didn't get bored at any point throughout. Definitely a good novel that I will enjoy reading again. Highly recommended!
A fascinating insight into the man best known for his creation of the Daleks but did so much more. Blake's 7, Survivors, The Saint, The Avengers.
A clever, hard working man who had such a fascinating imagination and enriched British TV in the 60's, 70's & 80's.
| What: | The Prison in Space (Miscellaneous script books) |
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| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 18 November 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
From those wonderful people Nothing At The End Of The Lane a script for a story that came perilously close to being made. Thank goodness it didn't.
This story is really of it's time. You expect Sid James or Kenneth Williams to pop up in this sexiest 60's adventure for The Doctor, Jamie & Zoe.
None the less despite the story's short comings this a fascinating insight into how Who was made in the 60's and is full of really interesting bonus material. Recommended.
| What: | Colony in Space (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 18 November 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
From a strong season of Doctor Who, with Terror of The Autons and The Daemons and The brilliant Mind of Evil, it might be very hard for the other tales to come close to those excellent stories. But Colony In Space is highly entertaining and brilliantly done.
My own quibble with this story is why the Primitive ruler didnt just destroy the doomsday weapon himself if it had brought so much trouble and death to his world. But maybe he wouldnt kill all his people who were still inside the weapon and worshipping it and sacrificing to it, I dont know, but it is a little bit of a plot hole, but doesnt have nowhere near as many as many new series episodes thats for sure.
But in all other respects, this story is engaging. And the theme of battling between the colonists and the ugly pig headed and psychotic miners is done almost to perfection, in Ashe we have a highly sympathetic leader figure for the colonists, and its marvellously offset by the thug Dent, Captain of the IMC spaceship. And then we have the henchman Morgan, whose a right little piece of rubbish. And Bernard Kay again impresses with a likeable role as a miner who isnt one of Dents killers.
But my favourite character has to be Helen Worth as Mary Ashe. Shes very young here, but she's really flipping good. Shes one of those apparently feeble looking Girl characters, but actually has quite a heart in her when needs be.
Roger Delgado as well puts in his usual brilliant performance as the Master, and steals all the scenes hes in. His act of trying to persuade the Doctor to join him in his scheme is an excellent scene, full of tension and revelation all at the same time. And the two actors just work so brilliantly together.
Katy Manning gets her first trip into space, to a grubby looking quarry again but whats wrong with that when those kinds of places resemble an alien clime at any rate? And this one is particularly barren and awash with mud, as two of the cast in particular find out in their rather wet and disgusting scrap!
I like Doctor Who in the Jon Pertwee time, it has a lot to say on many different subjects, it had a high moral fibre that was greatly riddled throughout many of the stories, Barry Letts said he never wanted the stories to be about nothing, and they never were. (Although a few were less tinged by the notion than others) This story tackles human rights to land and food, a very sore subject on this planet in many areas indeed, and the script addresses these elements very well indeed.
In all, this is yet another fine script from Malcolm Hulke, full of his trademark good and interesting characters, with the one single niggle that keeps it from being a ten out of ten effort. But as this was also Michael Briant's first directors outting, its rather splendidly done all in all. A great slice of Doctor Who.
| What: | Series 6: Part 2 (BBC new series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 18 November 2011 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
The first half of the season ended with the lamentably woeful A Good Man Goes To War, which was following in the now usual vein of a Doctor Who with a plot so complicated as to be unfathomable. But just for once, which was a surprise, part two of the series is far better than the first, there are still a few stupid moments but overall this is starting to get there at long last, and goodness knows its taken long enough.
Let's Kill Hitler appears with freshness and maybe not a mind blowing plot, but at least its a three times better episode than the one that came before, although my main gripe here is just what was the use of having such a historically infamous character in a story if all he's gonna do is act dumb and be locked in a cupboard for petes sake? I found that very very stupid in the extreme. However, the other elements of the episode are far stronger, such as the Anti bodies and those shape shifting robot things. ALthough I have to say I find Matt Smith excellent here, his acting lights the story up no end, and its good to see a Doctor beginning to have fun again, and then such a gripping last few moments.
Night Terrors returns to the better form of the likes of Boom Town, The Girl In The Fireplace and The Stolen Earth, in being brilliant for once. Those wooden dolls truly are absolutely creepsville. And to have a little kid turn out to be an alien for once is a good little plot string. And the transformations of characters into dolls is pretty yuck and disturbing actually, well done for once. Mark Gatiss returns to form here definitely, and this episode is one of the best of the series. Its frightening and bold, and directed well.
The Girl Who Waited is a highly original and different kind of story, and makes me like Karen Gillan a whole lot more. The only slight niggle i have here is for the unneeded and unwanted return of the oh its the doctor's fault all over again, really that vein has been done to death beyond any reasonable doubt. But the rest of the story, with the two Amys is highly engaging and Karen shines very bright indeed. Pity though that Matt Smith is banished to the TARDIS for nearly the whole lot of the story, but this is a good episode for highlighting the strength of Karen and her character, very good indeed in that respect. And I just love Arthur Darvill still, that comic yet amiable chap.
The God Complex in my book is very strong, and for once has a good and unpredictable twist towards the conclusion. And the Minotaur looks brilliant, although the Gorilla less so Im afraid, about the worse one Ive ever seen used in a TV programme. But thats the only niggle in this story, who impresses the most here is David Walliams, perfectly placed in the role of that ratty mousy thing. And the ending here to this episode is unexpected and sad all at the same time, this story can be likened to the classic series, for its mentioning of the Nimon is great for this classic series fan!
Closing Time is the comic gem of the series, although once again its slightly marred by the woeful underuse of the Cybermen themselves. I hate these new cyber stories for that factor, the BBC seem to think no one wants to see the Cybermen hardly ever at all. And I dont get that at all. The Cybermen need to be given more. But the Cybermet is riddling cool I can tell you! What great teeth, whilst in keeping strongly with original Tomb of The Cybermen design. And its a real nice touch to see Lynda Baron back again, in a comic and light relief role. But Craig and The Doc are the best here, and the baby scenes are funny and light hearted against the harder moments of this series. Not too bad a story at all, just wish there'd be more cybermen in it. When will the BBC get it?!
For once the series finale is understandable, and in fact is very good indeed this time. What with the return of the Silence and Madam Kavorian, who is as ever rather a mysterious and unexplained character still even now. And for once the timey wimey stuff isnt overdone, and its explained well all along for once. And the Doctor's escape is brilliantly done, although for once I did guess what he would have done to escape the moment of death. But sometimes a little predictability is good. The final scene of addressing at very long long last the question of the whole series Doctor Who? does actually whet the appetite for what is to come in the next season of Doctor Who. But what Id like is a multi doctor celebration story. Thats what Im hoping for. But for once this season end isnt bad at all.
