tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52728437736040589182024-03-06T05:32:17.311+00:00Doc Oho's ReviewsDoc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.comBlogger184125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-39941101806307900772014-08-29T02:09:00.004+01:002016-10-15T10:08:04.021+01:00Alien Bodies by Lawrence Miles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Plot:</b> The Doctor and Sam arrive on Earth in the East Indies in the future and
stumble across an auction taking place, involving several of the biggest alien
powers. Just what is the mysterious Relic that everybody is after and how does
it connect to the Doctor? And what’s all this business about a War with the
Time Lords?<br />
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Top Doc:</b> There is a wonderful passage where Sam imagines the eighth Doctor is
extremely frustrated to be trapped inside a young body (with a baby face and
foppy curls) when he is the accumulation of so many lives. He's not afraid of anything in Miles' hands, happily playing chess whilst he knows his life is in the most terrible danger and jumping out of the window when trouble arrives. He has to face up to the terrible truth that he will die in the future, hardly a shocking revelation but to have it shoved under your nose in such a tawdry way really hits home that the universe will continue to tick along without him. When the Doctor
discovers what is being auctioned off it is the first time since he regenerated
that he has gotten really, REALLY angry and he even has a few homicidal
thoughts (which he later attempts to brush off as another of the Shift’s
personality manipulations but even he isn’t convinced…). During a thoughtful conversation
with his corpse he is condemned for not thinking about the consequences of his
actions anymore. Obviously the book has huge consequences for the Doctor, but
not necessarily this Doctor, as his death is pre-ordained and his corpse is
present within the pages of the book. However this is somewhat muddied by the
events in Alien Bodies, which turns his body into a paradox. Nothing is ever
simple with Doctor Who, is it? Who cares, this is out and out one of the best
takes on the eighth Doctor until his revision later in the range. He’s dynamic,
funny, magical, terrified and beautiful. </div>
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<b>Friend or foe:</b> Sam actually seems quite fun with Miles’ steady prose to guide
her. Certainly there is none of the boisterousness or bitchiness, which she has
exhibited when at her worst. There is an excellent moment where Sam isn’t
culture shocked by the Faction’s ‘interior’ TARDIS, whereas Kathleen is a
gibbering wreck. In the hands of a lesser writer she would come across as an
arrogant chump. But she doesn’t. He even manages to suggest there is more to
Sam than meets the eye when she is scanned and revealed to have had two
different sets of biodata, one who is a drugged up failure who never met the
Doctor and the one we know. It is even suggested that the version we have been
travelled with has been manipulated, her timeline was twisted by the Doctor
himself (unconsciously) so she could be everything his hearts desire, the
perfect companion. Oo-er missus…what could this all mean? Sam is inherently a
faceless placard so thumbs up for making her bearable and interesting
throughout. </div>
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<b>Foreboding: </b>This is it chaps. This is where the eighth Doctor arc starts and
astonishingly doesn’t finish until the very last novel, The Gallifrey
Chronicles. That’s a long time to wait for some answers. This book introduces the
future War that the Time Lords will fight, the voodoo cult Faction Paradox (who
will turn up again to fox the Doctor) and the Celestis (conceptual entities who
used to be Time Lords but saw that they would lose and turned themselves into
ideas). Brilliantly, Miles includes a scene where the Time Lord Homunculette
compares the Enemy’s attack on Gallifrey to the Daleks attack on Earth little
knowing the eventual fate of the planet in the new TV series. There is a moving
prologue where the Doctor lays to rest a space travelling dog; this equation of
the third Doctor and death is an omen for the tragic events in Interference.
Sam’s twin sets of biodata s followed up in Unnatural History. The Grandfather
Paradox is brought up and will return to haunt the Doctor in The Ancestor Cell. </div>
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Twists: </b>Pretty much the inclusion of everything in the previous category.
Unveiling the secret of the Relic has to be the best twist of the entire book
range though, even given the ramifications of the Time Lord War, this series is
all about the Doctor at the end of the day and the confirmation of his eventual
death is probably the biggest, boldest shock in any of the book ranges. I would
go as far to say the Doctor undereacts to the revelation. </div>
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<b>Funny bits:</b> Loads. This is a genuinely funny book with most of jokes ground in
Doctor Who history so totally inaccessible to a non fan but absolutely
hilarious to the rest of us. Marie the sentient TARDIS hiccups every time she lands. The
Doctor’s reactions to Qixotl’s attempts to reveal the future are hilarious.
Page 148 features a reference to Karma and Flares: The Importance Of Fashion
Sense To The Modern Zen Master which the Doctor has read to be at one with his
pockets (explaining why he always happens to have the right thing to hand).
The Doctor’s jaw actually drops when Qixotl has the nerve to offer him 40% of
the profits from his own body (and even tells him he has to bid himself!). The
thought of the Krotons managing to overpower the Daleks is funny enough but everybody
else’s reactions to their cumbersome appearance is a delight too. The way
E-Kolbot’s head revolves alarmingly every time he gets agitated is worth a
chuckle. His overreaction to the Raston sex dancers (dismembering each one) is
one of the highlights of the book. There is a farcical moment right out of a
Woody Allen movie where all the bidders get into a huge scrap once the Doctor’s
identity is revealed. When the Doctor realises who Qixotl is he punches him in
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Embarrassing bits:</b> There is a mention of Dalek sex. Let’s never go there again.
An incredible Doctor Who book, full of unusual, fascinating, imaginative
concepts…so it’s rather embarrassing that the writer forgot to include a plot. <br />
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Result:</b> The book that turned the EDAs from a tidy book series to risk taking
engine of storytelling. Alien Bodies is about as good as Doctor Who literature
comes; it is shocking, daring and imaginative and features some of the best
prose in any of the ranges. Any of the innovations this book flaunts would be
enough to drive a novel but they continue to pile up: the creepy and unnerving
Faction Paradox, the glimpses of a Time War, the humanoid TARDISes, Sam’s dual
timeline, the diabolical Celestis, the existential Mr Shift and more
importantly the Doctor’s death. The guest cast are amazing; the book traps them
all in one claustrophobic location and unpeels them like Russian dolls until we
saw who they <i>really</i> are inside.
Lawrence Miles produces such an accomplished piece you don’t bat an eyelid that
he has forgotten to include a narrative. A poll topper and with good reason,
the inclusion of the Krotons is a work of genius. The ideas in this nove are so strong that Steven Moffat barefacedly nabbed them for his series seven finale, The Name of the Doctor, without apology. Spellbindingly good: <b>10/10</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-6407586616649569242012-12-18T14:34:00.000+00:002014-08-29T00:17:35.200+01:00The Roundheads by Mark Gatiss<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Plot:</b> The Doctor, Jaime, Polly and Ben are embroiled in the politics
surrounding the trial and death of King Charles. But is there a sinister plot
that never made it to the history books and can the Doctor make sure that
history as he knows stays on the right track?<br />
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Oh My Giddy Aunt:</b> Absolutely spot on rendition of the hardest Doctor to capture
in print, Mark Gatiss proves just how well he understands this show. His attire
looks as though it has seen better days. He loves snow and claps his hands
together in child like delight when he spots the roundheads. He still gets
hopelessly lost in the TARDIS but there is already a sense that the ship looks
after him. He is frequently hilarious, especially when put in awkward
situations (such as having to pass Jaime off as a seer of the future and trying
to convince Richard Cromwell that his CIVIL WAR book is just jealous
propaganda). He was taught hypnosis by the Master. He has to pay the price for
travelling through time and making sure that history runs its course is one of
those responsibilities. You don’t realise it until the end of the book (because it is so darn
entertaining) but the Doctor spends pretty much the entire book incarcerated!
However I could feel Troughton radiating from every page from his giddy wonder
at the Thames-side marketplace to his improvisation to how he can turn on a
coin from mischievous charm to utter seriousness. Good job. <br />
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Who’s the Yahoo’s:</b> Almost a sly dig to readers is the indication that Polly and
Ben are no longer needed (thus their stunning last moment of glory in this
story before their unfortunate dumping in The Faceless Ones), the Doctor and
Jaime strike of on their own and prove why they were such a winning act. Jaime, still new
to this time travelling gig feels a little hurt that Polly and Ben dig at him
for his naiveté at times. He remembers his mammy singing ‘Adam Lies Y’Bounden’
in front of a roaring fire. He is starting to think of the TARDIS as his home
and his fellow companions as his family. His honesty about knowing future
events gets him dubbed McCrimmon, powerful seer of Culloden. <br />
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<b>Able Seaman:</b> Ben rarely received material this good on the telly (I can only
think of The Smugglers and The Macra Terror) and The Roundheads proves what an
asset he and Polly were to the show in one of its most difficult ransition periods. Booze
always gets him lively and after a few he gets them noticed by cheerfully
mentioning King Charles’ execution! His sailing days are exploited to great
effect and he is press ganged into working for two ships, first for the
sinister Captain Stanislaus and then for the brilliantly entertaining Captain
Winter who he strikes up a rousing rapport with. Ben always wished he could
live the life of a pirate and he sure gets his wish when the two ships go at
each other, firing cannons and fighting hand to hand with cutlasses! He
gets to have fabulous adventures in Amsterdam having a rowdy piss up, flirting
with the girls and embroiled with Winter and the ominous mystery regarding
Stanislaus’ package due for England. His relationship with Winter is a joy to
read, he gets so close with her that after she is killed he tracks down her
killer (okay so that’s Rupert but Stanislaus is her nemesis!) and seeks revenge
for her dispatch. He almost gets a terrifying moment when he is trapped in
quicksand to his waist, thinking he is going to die. It is a great book to show
how likable this down to Earth character was and how sad it is that so little of his material can actually be seen.<br />
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Lovely Lashes:</b> Polly too deserves much praise for her contribution. She had
worked with a girl called Rosie in an office in Bond Street and Rosie took this
shy young girl under her wing and turns her into a swinger! She is enchanted by
the chivalrous and courteous Christopher Whyte and is devastated at the climax
where she has to follow him and reveal where he is hiding the King to keep
history on track. She strikes up a warm and friendly relationship with Frances
Kemp and manages to make a bad situation even worse when she is tricked into
freeing the King. She realises that when trapped in history’s key events her
actions are no longer insignificant. Brilliantly, she flirts like mad with the
lecherous guards in order to poison them and free the King. <br />
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Twists: </b>The colourful writing is extremely attractive and readable and
instantly noticeable, Gatiss blowing the works of the likes of Christopher Bulis and Gary Russell, out of the water. Ben is attacked outside the inn and Polly is
kidnapped. Pages 68-69 depict a nightmarish battle in beautifully vivid prose prose. William
Kemp is a firm Royalist and his daughter wants to marry a Roundhead, the
excellent political intrigue starts early on. The Doctor drops his CIVIL WAR
book, which is scooped up by Richard Cromwell who is horrified to learn his
father will die in ten years and that he will be seen as an embarrassing
footnote in history. Parliament wants control of the army and religious
reforms. I loved the descriptions of the pirate fight (“Two great wooden whales
in conflict, gaily dressed crabs scuttling about executing their dance of
death, a dreadful popping sound and a sailors innards spilled from him like a
cork from a bottle.”) O’Kane falling into a barrel is a brilliant end to such a
brutal character, his beard aflame he sets the powder of and blows his head
off! Winter and Ben plant a bomb on the Teazer after discovering the hung body
of Ashdown and watch it go up. After freeing the King Copper attempts to stab
Polly in the neck! We discover Stanislaus and Winter had an affair and he gave
her the pox which ate away half her face and after their breathless struggle,
Price Rupert cruelly shoots her in the back and the sea claims her body. Kemp
slugs the vile Copper after he attempts to rape his daughter. Richard Godley is
revealed as Prince Rupert, the Kings exiled nephew back with a plan to
assassinate Oliver Cromwell and make way for a Catholic invasion army to move
into British waters. van Leewenhoek’s method of assassination is a dart
infected with plague, a week later and the victim is dead, not even knowing he
was murdered. Politics is a dirty business and Culpeper is wrongly executed
simply because Thurloe doesn’t like him. <br />
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Funny Bits: </b>Jaime talks like Bill Shankey! The Doctor proudly owns EVERY BOYS
BOOK OF CIVIL WARS. Euro-sceptics are like winnets on a mans backside!
Stanislaus has less between his legs than a maiden girl, apparently. <br />
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Result: </b>Tasty! Anyone questioning the validity of the Past Doctor Adventures
should pick up this delightful book immediately. It slots beautifully into its
chosen era and captures its regulars with pinpoint accuracy, highlighting all
of their strengths and yet it also manages to be a brilliantly plotted,
deliciously written and deftly handles political drama with tons of excitement,
humour and strong characterisation. The book is worth reading just for Ben’s
adventures at sea, which I would have to have been filmed. It is a well selected
period of history, expertly explored with some lovely conspiracy theories and
twists and with a guest cast that match the regulars for pure entertainment
value (I wanted smelly Scrope to be a companion!). What’s more Mark Gatiss’
prose is blisteringly good, astonishingly visual, hugely entertaining and in places
qutite inspired. Astonishingly good:<b> 9/10</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-42692689180171807362012-12-18T14:13:00.005+00:002012-12-18T14:14:29.698+00:00Nightshade by Mark Gatiss<br />
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<b>Plot: </b>Something has been brewing under the sleepy village of Crook Marsham for
a long, long time. A radio telescope has been built on the site of a haunted
castle and has started feeling power under the ground, power that gives the
force the strength to reach out and bring back old loved ones home, even though
they are already dead…<br />
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Master Manipulator:</b> Without a doubt the best interpretation of the seventh Doctor
yet. Whilst he remains sullen and uncommunicative, the work done with the
Doctor here is so vivid and believable I cannot bring myself to complain. He
has grown irritable and sulky of late and was in need of a change. He snaps at
Ace for simply being herself (“It’s the Doctor! How many times do I have to
tell you, you stupid girl!”). He wonders if he has really done any good over
the years and if he has the right to act as judge and jury to the whole
universe (that makes a world of difference to some of the other NAs, here he is
questioning his manipulation of others). He is tired and is starting to wonder
if he should settle somewhere for a few centuries, away from all the death and
destruction. He knows it is time he stopped shirking his responsibilities and
went home to Gallifrey to sort out his problems there. Perhaps the revealing
moment in this book comes when he admits to himself there is nobody for him to
run away from anymore. Only himself. He tells Ace she is too important to die.
He feels a genuine melancholy at the thought of losing a friend. Sweetly, when
the enemy using the image of Susan against him he is overwhelmed with a tide of
grief and regret. Not a day goes by when he doesn’t think of her. He has a
profound loneliness and yearning to belong. He’s a scientist, an explorer,
philanthropist and general do-gooder. In a moment when you realise just how
desperate for company the Doctor is, he ignores Ace wish to leave him and
tricks her into one last ride in the TARDIS with no intention of ever taking
her back to Robin. You want to punch the guy in the face for controlling her so
much but the effort Gatiss goes to to make you feel sorry for the guy. This is what he should have been all along, not a Time Lord who is at odds with
himself but one who is at odds with the universe. Here he is carved as a flawed
hero, a thoughtful man and it is utterly compelling. <br />
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<b>Miss Attitude: </b>I would like to bow down and kiss Mr Gatiss’ feet. He even
manages to make Ace palatable, something I would have thought impossible after
these last seven or so books. The way he does this is to remind us of her
innocence, the one thing that made her so appealing on the television and her
romance with Robin is very sweet and (almost) naïve. The scene where they are
sleeping in the same room, listening to each other’s breathing but too tired to
go to sleep is lovely. Ace is terrified of living forever, watching her loves
ones die around her. When the Doctor insults her she feels as though she has
been struck. Ace had grown up before the Doctor’s eyes, this funny misfit,
changing from a little bundle of venom into a confident, maturing adult. She
has zest, spontaneity and sparkle and that is why Robin is so attracted to her.
She has to believe in the Doctor otherwise there is no point in going on. Ace
tells the Doctor she is leaving, she realises she has missed being with
somebody real, uncomplicated and human. Her reaction when she realises he has
tricked her is palpable, sliding down the wall in tears of grief.<br />
<br />
<b>
Twists: </b>Jack is lured out onto the moor and killed by an image of younger,
beautiful wife. Betty dreams of her brother’s death in a scene full of
nightmarish images, Alf clawing his way from the bath as a putrefying corpse.
Jackson’s fingers push straight through Crooke’s forehead as though through
rotten fruit! Hawthorne’s casual racism (Dirty, unnatural and somehow less
human, like a chimp at the zoo dressed in human clothes) is terrifying. Pages
92-3 could be the scariest bit of Doctor Who fiction ever. The thought of the
tar baby hiding under Hawthorne’s bed is petrifying, but worse when the Black
Hand grasps his ankle. Trevithick in the lift shaft with the creature from his
old TV show is wickedly exciting; I love it when the monster starts punching
through the floor of the ascending lift. The thought of the petrified, lifeless
old people makes me queasy. The Doctor hits the floor with sickening force and
Ace has to pop his shoulder back into place whilst he is screaming. The
Sentience runs through space, growing and hungry and has been on Earth for a
long time. The Doctor manages to trick the being into space, with the promise
of the energy of a star that has gone nova but instead it is sucked into a
black hole. Memorably, Holly has the life sucked out of her in front of Vijay.
The Doctor and Ace both manage to confront their fears, Susan and Ace’s mum
Audrey. <br />
<br />
<b>
Result: </b>Absolutely fantastic, I read this in one sitting and was unable to put
it down. Gatiss’ prose is superb and he carves out believable characters with
only a page or two of description. He manages to populate the village of Crook
Marsham vividly in the first chapter. Small, sensual details make the overall
experience much more realistic. The theme of nostalgia and the thought of the
past coming back to haunt you is terrifying and explored in some considerable
depth. Even the regulars are given a chance to shine; both the Doctor and Ace
are fleshed out more believably than in all their previous books put together.
Pacy, awash with genuine horror and with enough atmosphere to trick you into
thinking this is happening around you, this is the first NA classic and a book
that deserves all the praise that it gets: <b>10/10</b><o:p></o:p></div>
Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-22634488479572781512012-08-16T12:09:00.002+01:002014-08-29T00:37:18.090+01:00Dark Horizons by J. T. Colgan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDj79uit1i75dbpbFlDPjQ9UO3lS5pbv3b6dx0GAObMagMFqPicpNdDESnn-n9neBwnx0QdXM-PcAF1qwBuYn3LBN3SRVnyL23pAROqhtKuL779ql_yjDVxJJtcMZWQM_pyTxN3q9tueo/s1600/darkhorizons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDj79uit1i75dbpbFlDPjQ9UO3lS5pbv3b6dx0GAObMagMFqPicpNdDESnn-n9neBwnx0QdXM-PcAF1qwBuYn3LBN3SRVnyL23pAROqhtKuL779ql_yjDVxJJtcMZWQM_pyTxN3q9tueo/s320/darkhorizons.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
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<b>Plot:</b> The Doctor comes to the aid of a group of villagers
who are besieged by Vikings, famine and an alien intelligence that wants to fry
their brains…</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Nutty Professor:</b> <i>‘The great snake eating its tail is
simply the wheel of time, rolling around and around, ever on. And the poisons
of the snake are the wounds of time. And yes it is my destiny to endure them,
and to find them, and to fix them, if I can. But I don’t think of it as a
terrible destiny. It doesn’t make me sad…’</i> I never would have thought that
the eleventh Doctor could be transformed so potently in print. There have been
a great many novels that capture his spirit (Touched By an Angel, Nuclear Time)
but their reduced word count has prevented the authors from probing too deeply
into his character, instead having to charge on with the plot. Colgan brings a
unique, female voice to the range and captures his essence perfectly – giving
him a great deal of time to ponder his responsibilities, much humour and
capturing that mad energy of a crazed child juggling fifty problems at once. He
leaps from the pages and makes every passage he appears in a joy. </div>
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With no companion the Doctor is lonely and finds himself
playing chess by himself and always losing. He finds it much easier to have
somebody else around to tell him precisely what he should be wearing. Humans
and their ability to do astonishing feats for ridiculous reasons never ceased
to amaze him. In his next regeneration he makes a silent wish for body fat.
He’s a true action hero when he pops up with a plan to capsize the remains of
the Viking ship and save the remaining crew. The Doctor always had to resist
the urge to stay underwater because it was so beautiful down there, so new and
with so much to see. This time the psychic paper lets him down and promotes him
as a rabbit inspector! The Doctor talks to all but takes no sides. He’s a God,
a trickster, a shape shifter and a joker. He can empathise with children
because basically he <i>is</i> one. He tries and fails to look bashful, its
just not in his nature. It took a lot to make the Doctor feel small. Normally
he felt he danced across the universe on the tips of his toes like Fred
Astaire. But this, somehow, seemed like a world that was not quite yet his to
play in. He finds it an unsullied world, a bit horrible but doing its own
thing. <i>‘This planet is very much not open for business to the rest of you,
thank you’</i> he tells the rest of the universe. He draws the sea up into a
defence wall, like a God controlling the elements. In a moment of pure cool he
proceeds to surf the wave all the way to the shore! Suddenly the Doctor doesn’t
feel flippant when a boy with his life ahead of him is reduced to a ghastly
outline and the proud man who loved him is howling in pain. Even when he is in
a hurry the Doctor is unable to stop himself from examining the more unusual
species as he makes his way across the surface of the young ocean, bursting
with new life. In the throng of asphyxiation the Doctor wonders if he might
regenerate into something with gills. On the verge of death the Doctor feels
for the first time in a very long time, relaxed. Nothing could scare him or
chase him, he felt totally comfortable. The Doctor’s relationship with the TARDIS
has never felt more intimate as he orders her to run and save herself, leaving
him to die. He admits that he isn’t a God but he is a Lord and he has no magic
powers apart from his astonishing brain thank you very much. ‘Who says I’m
grown up? Perhaps I’m just unnervingly tall!’ – there’s a lovely moment where
the Doctor pauses to dance about in the rain with a child. He feels real
frustrating because he isn’t used to problems that he can’t solve in an hour.
The Doctor hates lying to children but not as much as he hated scaring them. He
doesn’t know much about women but he does know that its <i>always</i> the mans
fault. The Doctor is really torn at the climax because the Arill form a field
of iridescent jellyfish that he finds utterly delightful to look at. He offers
himself to the Arill, his brain like a massive battery full of energy, even
though it will mean the end of his life. At least he wont have to eat anymore
raw rabbit. His head is desperate to burst into flames with the millions of
strands of consciousness feed on him, his brain screaming. How awesome is it
that they become the Aurora Borealis? A line of charged particles, circling
endlessly. ‘<i>You’ll be able to check up on them whenever you like.’</i> Eoric
isn’t saved but he does get to live with the Gods. All fathers and sons should
get a chance to say goodbye and the Doctor manages to arrange that as the power
leaves his body. </div>
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<b>Great Ideas:</b> You might find yourself instantly drawn to
Freydis who is the Donna Noble of the Vikings, a loud mouthed, flame haired
woman who is being held captive against her will and being taken as a gift to
Gissar Polvaderson, the Icelandic King and the fattest man anyone has ever
seen. Snakes of flame attack the Viking ship, bursting through its decks and
crew and leaving an ominous fiery ghost ship approaching the shore. The fire
snakes are indiscriminate, blazing, unstoppable. The Viking ship is capsized
with all the spectacle and drama of the <i>Titanic</i>. Braziers are lit to
warn the neighbouring towns – one means send help and two stay away because
they have war or disease. Corc is described as a good chief but a terrible
father which pretty much sums him up. His son Eoric resents his brother Luag
because if it hadn’t been for him he would still have a mother, she died in
childbirth. Erik’s Viking crew want to rape and pillage exposing just how
extraordinary Ragnor’s crew were for not behaving that way, thanks to the
Doctor. Suddenly Ragnor’s crew can see how terrifying the raiding parties can
be to those on the land. For the first time ever the outside of the TARDIS
impresses somebody far more than the inside (<i>‘I realise you haven’t really
invented perspective yet. But everything in there is actually bigger, you know,
not just closer’</i>). The TARDIS can jump galaxies in a heartbeat, throw
herself headlong into hundreds of thousands of years and bounce along the very
edge of existence…but she really, really, really doesn’t like water very much.
Henrik’s way of telling the Doctor that he is impressed with the TARDIS (the
ship that can <i>‘jump through the air’</i>) is absolutely gorgeous. The world
at the bottom of the ocean is dangerous, alien and utterly beautiful. The Arill
live as ghost webs and trolls and throng cyberspace and endospace and any non
physical existence. They are a race of pure consciousness that need networks in
order to survive. They love war planets, anywhere they can parasite on energy
sources with causing too much trouble. This time they are ridiculously,
embarrassingly <i>early</i>. On the Earth at this stage all they have is tiny
amounts of electrical energy in the brain to feed them. They are swarming
wanderers and they need power connections to continue the line. They are
beautifully visualised as a colourful fountain of 1s and 0s at the bottom of
the ocean. The TARDIS has been trying to hide from them because she is the only
power source in the world capable of sating them. They want to suck the life
out of her once she has helped them to escape this primitive world. I loved the
sudden leap to Henrik’s backstory, his story of falling through the ice and
being carried along the river beneath the ice is rivetingly told. Its great set
up for the climax, telling of how he was pulled from the freezing river close
to death and survived – an impossible boy. The Arill can drain any power
source, they could suck up a sun. They can’t stop being hungry and they will
feast on everything and everyone they can get their hands on. To maintain their
species they will feed on the only power source available to them – the people.
<i>‘They steal and ravage planets and plunder all their power and leave them
for barren waste. But some people think that’s quite romantic.’</i> I love the
idea that Henrik thinks that other worlds are really small because that is how
they appear in the sky. Braan killing his wife to spare her from an even worse
death is painful to read. There is a fascinating passage about the many
different hunger pangs a human being feels. Colgan suggests an anti-climax by
making it appear as if the Arill are sacrificing some of their number to escape
the Earth but its just a ploy to get the reader and the characters of their
guard so they can attack in force. Some of the villagers are made so cold by
the lack of fire they <i>choose</i> to join the warmth of the Arill. <i>‘They
didn’t start out a bad race, you know. But they seem to have got a taste for
it. Like children playing with matches.’ </i>The Doctor’s very clever plan is
to use swords as a lightning attractor and force the Arill out of his body as
the bolt hits him, the unwanted hitchhikers flung into the sky with the awesome
power source. </div>
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<b>Funny Bits:</b></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">‘We’re
going to have to make like fish’ ‘Under the water?’ ‘No, flying fish. Yes
under the water.’ </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">The
Doctor’s boat didn’t look seaworthy for a Sunday duck pond, never mind the
wild North Atlantic! </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Freydis’
escape from the Viking’s the second time around is very funny, attacking
the guard who hadn’t even bothered to ogle her and holding Erik hostage
and hoping that he wasn’t fearsomely unpopular! Just as the ship is
turning back to the shore the Doctor blunders in with the TARDIS and ruins
everything! </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">‘Argh!
I am not going to die in metric!’ – the TARDIS falls to the bottom of the
ocean like a heavy stone and the Doctor counts down their descent. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">‘Unless
we all start living underwater. But that doesn’t happen until the year
3000.’ </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">The
Doctor is desperate for that game of ‘Chest’ so he teaches Luag who
resorts to a battle featuring a red headed Queen, a fat King, Horsies and
Prawns! </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">He
is appalled that the Vikings have a word for ‘cool’ but not one for ‘bow
tie’ especially when the two are practically synonymous! </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Only
Doctor Who would dare to stage a sitcom domestic between two Vikings! </li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Notes: </b>There are moments and images in this story that feel
like kisses to previous books in the range even though it is probably entirely
coincidental. There have been so many books in the Doctor Who range now that
you are bound to happen across similar ideas and set pieces from time to time.
Eoric with glowing eyes and smoking footsteps is reminiscent of the fire
creatures from Justin Richards’ The Burning. Henrik in the diving suit
attempting to rescue the Doctor brings back memories of an Impossible Astronaut
(which is referring to the TV series but could also be a reference to Apollo
23). Eoric’s burning boat funeral brings back images of the Doctor’s death in
the season six opener. Freydis trying to save Henrik feels remarkably like
Amy’s attempts to revive Rory in The Curse of the Black Spot but it has much
more tension because unlike ‘cat of nine lives’ Rory you actually feel as
though Henrik might die. The Doctor using the elements so powerfully to save
the day recalls The Year of Intelligent Tigers. </div>
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<br /></div>
<b>Result: </b>Dark Horizons is an effortlessly readable
book, concealing evocative imagery and charming characterisation within. Potent
set pieces, an unusual and voracious villain and a great deal of humour add to
this books charms and help it go down like a spectacular desert. Henrik and
Freydis have a terrifically engaging romance that sees them coming from different
worlds and triumphing despite their heritage and the dangers that are
constantly thrown at them. Colgan allows you to get close to the characters so
that their losses really hurt and without undoing those deaths allows for a
marvellously uplifting climax. Its not an especially complex plot but this is
one book that will bewitch you with the quality of its writing, its fabulously
drawn setting and a cast of characters that really come alive. Chief amongst
them is the eleventh Doctor who has never been better served in print and made
me laugh and cry in equal measures. He’s absolutely <i>delightful </i>here and you
might find yourself longing for more full length novels featuring him once it
is over. With her delicious prose and exciting storytelling, Colgan is a fresh
new voice for the range and continues the strong line of female writers
attracted to Doctor Who (Orman, Rose, Rayner). I had a blast reading this book
and found that once it had got its hooks into me I couldn’t put it down until I
had finished it: <b>9/10</b>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-71435536318999751602012-08-14T07:04:00.002+01:002012-08-14T07:04:20.417+01:00The Devil Goblins of Neptune by Keith Topping and Martin Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETNVxUa5kYondmAwF15UoMgYDLrN31HNAt3dllI3smHfOZnQm2OzPSx4-f0aiykPxIiQOJ_J6aXiTr9YQlUsi8e1NIaU-mLVsLAe6g9HyxlMh4oBQ3UYXqY0xaXahqKocs5_EwdB7Il4/s1600/4701.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETNVxUa5kYondmAwF15UoMgYDLrN31HNAt3dllI3smHfOZnQm2OzPSx4-f0aiykPxIiQOJ_J6aXiTr9YQlUsi8e1NIaU-mLVsLAe6g9HyxlMh4oBQ3UYXqY0xaXahqKocs5_EwdB7Il4/s320/4701.png" width="191" /></a></div>
<b style="font-size: 16px;">Plot: </b><span style="font-size: 16px;">A complex conspiracy is unravelled when a sadistic alien menace threatens the Earth and the Brigadier is horrified to discover that UNIT is involved. The Doctor meanwhile, attempts to defeat the evil Waro in Russia and finds out some horrifying truths of his own…</span><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><b style="font-size: 16px;">Good Grief: </b><span style="font-size: 16px;">The Third Doctor is such a delightfully brusque fellow and works beautifully in print. His love for the finer things in life and his gentlemanly arrogance beams from every page. In the hands of these two authors he comes across as a firm member of UNIT and an independent agent in his own right. He is a fop, a dandy, quite debauched and lacking in moral decency (clearly the CIA don’t know him that well!). He swears in Venusian. As with all the best storytellers, the Doctor’s tales are at best apocryphal and at worst entirely fabricated. He admits he is a terrible namedropper, especially when dealing with gullible humans! He is very unco-operative when trussed up like a sack of potatoes. He is not too proud to ask for help. Noble and powerfully melancholic, alone and lonely, a stranger in a very strange land. He has the ability to ‘soul catch’, transferring the dying memories of somebody into his own. An ability that would have come in handy in quite a few situations after this tale so it quite surprised me that it wasn’t taken from him in this novel. </span><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><b style="font-size: 16px;">Smart Chick: </b><span style="font-size: 16px;">Liz is clearly approaching the end of her time with UNIT in this story and feels quite out of her depth with the military invasion of her life. She is a meteor expert, medical Doctor and a quantum physicist with an IQ of over 200. She hated working for UNIT at first but has grown accustomed to sharing new wonders with the Doctor. She feels alienated returning to her digs at Cambridge with her college chums because she has been out of the loop for so long. She did not become a scientist to help soldier boys fight wars with nastier toys than they already have. When she is given a gun to fire at the Waro she fires blind, terrified at handling the weapon. She thinks she is getting old and feels a stab of jealousy at people who are living mundane lives and know nothing of alien invasions. After she left UNIT she published a book which earned her fame, money and death threats. Her tutor, Professor Trainor, turns out to be a huge disappointment when collaborating with the villainous Rose, and dies whilst she still has ill feeling towards him. It leaves a nasty taste in her mouth. </span><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><b style="font-size: 16px;">Chap with the Wings:</b><span style="font-size: 16px;"> I fine character study of the season seven Brigadier who was all business and lacking the charm that creeped into his character later. Whilst an American CIA agent is looking down his nose at the British arm of UNIT the Brigadier considers Americans too loud and full of their own self-importance. You really can see why he was chosen to head UNIT since his determination to get into the heart of the conspiracy at UNIT is a potentially career destroying move. His plan to hire a group of prostitutes to rip each other’s clothes off and scrap to cause a diversion shows that he isn’t afraid to use whatever resources he has to hand to get the job done. He is almost tricked into murdering a UNIT officer but realises there are conspiracies within conspiracies occurring like a Russian Doll of betrayal. His motto is ‘if it moves, shoot it!’ and sounds about right. It is when we go underground with the CIA and you see the difference between Control (who exploits, kills and steals from aliens) and the Brigadier (who sets them free and asks them to help save the Earth). He’s definitely the man for the job when it comes to first contact with aliens. </span><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><b style="font-size: 16px;">Camp Soldier: </b><span style="font-size: 16px;">You’ve got admire a man who is so chauvinistic that he admits he is all for women’s lib but thinks that having a woman as head of UNIT is taking things too far. Thank goodness he has been quietly put to pasture by the time Brigadier Bambera turns up. He’s so professional that he falls to pieces when he is in the big chair, he is trying to sleep with women when he should be doing his job and his least favourite words are ‘my boyfriend’ when chatting up the ladies. He tells one chick he is a racing driver! There is a moment of depth when he shows real remorse at having sent Benton into danger but on the whole there is a real impression of a private schoolboy trying his damdest to play James Bond and failing. Bless him. </span><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><b style="font-size: 16px;">Foreboding:</b><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Control makes an appearance (head of the CIA) who will crop up from time to time in BBC books (Trading Futures, Time Zero). Liz Shaw has a very successful life away from UNIT and it would be nice to explore that further (The Wages of Sin). </span><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><b style="font-size: 16px;">Twists: </b><span style="font-size: 16px;">The Doctor escaping from Soviet ‘custody’ is one of many red herrings but a fantastic look at the physical ability of the third Doctor. Learning that something is rotten in the heart of UNIT is quite disturbing given their important role in making contact with alien races. Bruce’s infiltration into UNIT makes for memorable reading, his thought processes leave little to be desired and he steals secret information with casual abandon and leaves bombs primed in his wake. Benton is caught in the explosion in the Doctor’s laboratory. The Waro mass attacking the Soviet aircraft is well written with some memorable visual prose. When the Waro attacks the Doctor he receives deep cuts to the chest and shoulders and Liz thinks he is close to death. There was a time when alien invaders set up mining operations for a real purpose but for the Waro it is just a massive diversion. The Waro are described as evil, egotistical and depraved but </span><i style="font-size: 16px;">not</i><span style="font-size: 16px;"> stupid and they want to cleanse the Earth with a nuclear device so only they can populate its surface. Capitalising on the ambitious James Bond feel of the era, the Doctor finds the Waro ship under the sea and has an underwater action sequence. It’s the books indulging in something that could never have made it on screen and good on them. The CIA under Control, have been harbouring aliens since the 40’s and attempting to subvert UNIT’s aims ever since the organisation was conceived. The Nedenah are the Waro’s sworn enemy and currently held hostage in CIA custody. Whilst the rest of the world has been defeating alien the US have been stealing and utilising their technology. The Doctor is quick to point out that any government would do the same and utilise it for their own benefit. What with Torchwood around plucking alien technology from the skies its any wonder there was any left for UNIT! In a horrific moment, Rose blows the brains of a Nedenah out. The Waro are defeated by turning their anger against themselves, amplifying it and ripping each other to pieces. Its quite a neat solution but the body count would be astonishing. Chalk another act of genocide up for the Doctor. Tom Bruce tries to kill himself but is reminded, ‘When you join the CIA, you join for life.’ It’s a typically unsubtle ending for an unsubtle character but its nice to see him bow out in such an ignominious fashion. </span><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><b style="font-size: 16px;">Embarrassing bits: </b><span style="font-size: 16px;">Mike Yates. What a </span><i style="font-size: 16px;">prat</i><span style="font-size: 16px;">. The prose can be a little too dry and functional at times in a very David A. McIntee sort of way. There’s nothing wrong with adding a bit of flowery description at times or delving a little more into the emotion of a situation. Like season seven itself, The Devil Goblins of Neptune is written in a very serious, action packed fashion with a focus on the nastier aspects of the military and lacking agreeable characters. Which means the authors capture the era beautifully but it’s a book to admire rather than like. Oh and the cover is dismal, as though a child has glued two pictures together without much effort. The drawing of the monsters of the piece defies belief. </span><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><b style="font-size: 16px;">Funny bits: </b><span style="font-size: 16px;">Benton and Yates trying to pass off as hippies. And then reporters. </span><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><span style="font-size: 16px;">I love this exchange, ‘You do still remember how to follow orders?’ ‘Yes, but I think you’re acting like a </span><i style="font-size: 16px;">pillock</i><span style="font-size: 16px;">. Sir.’ </span><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-size: 16px;" /><b style="font-size: 16px;">Result:</b><span style="font-size: 16px;"> Not a bad opening act for the Past Doctor Adventures at all with plenty of action and incident to kept fans of the era happy. All the regulars are given loads to do and the book is convincingly set on an international scale (England, Russia, Nevada) and builds a gritty atmosphere of conspiracy and murder. It would seem that The X-Files created a taste for paranoia tales and the Brigadier sourcing something rotten at the heart of UNIT is worth the admission price alone. We don’t find out much about the Waro and Rose’s motives are a bit sketchy but I am willing to overlook this for the sheer amount of excitement this book provides. In order to pull off its ambitious action the series would have needed the budget of a blockbusting film and the Devil Goblins of the title feature in a number of unforgettably grisly moments. Exciting and intriguing in equal measures with only its occasionally dry prose holding it back, Devil Goblins outshines all of the other novels that kick started the various book eras (with the possible exception of Goth Opera). Authentic: </span><b style="font-size: 16px;">8/10</b>
Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-80209258660033430282012-07-20T09:00:00.001+01:002012-07-20T09:00:21.584+01:00Beautiful Chaos written by Gary Russell<br />
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<b style="background-color: white;">Plot:</b><span style="background-color: white;"> The Doctor, Donna and the rest of the Noble clan take
on the evil Mandragora intelligence which has changed its mind about humanity…</span></div>
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<b>Mockney Dude: </b><i>‘Last time we had a chat I sent you into
darkness. Remember that?’</i> When the Doctor had lost Donna he had looked so
haunted, so lost and so old. The eyes of an old man trapped in a ridiculously
young body. So miserable and alone. The Doctor has learnt that people don’t
like getting hints about their future (is that a reference to the eighth
Doctor?). Spoilers, as someone once said. Food was nice but a good mystery was
much better. The Doctor is ill at ease with domesticity at the best of times.
Is his style geek chic or scruffy Arthur? Donna opts for the latter. Jackie he
had worn down through sheer charm (once he had regenerated) and Francine
through her daughters faith in him. Once the Doctor might have used Netty with
less conscience. The Doctor and Wilf in the garden laughing about his
adventures is a wonderful image. Without Donna to bring him back here was there
a guarantee that the Doctor would save the Earth next time? <i>‘Everywhere we
go we make a difference, we put things right, we make things happier. That’s
what the Doctor is all about. He finds a way for the universe to make sense.’</i> </div>
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<b>Tempestuous Temp: </b>Gary Russell thanks Russell T Davies in
his acknowledgments for his help with fleshing out the Noble family and his
input is really felt simply because Donna, Wilf and Sylvia all feel so
authentic. There is no effort in conjuring Catherine Tate, Bernard Cribbins and
Jacqueline King up but this much more than just a description of their features
and mannerisms. It’s a book that tries (and succeeds) in getting in touch with
what makes these characters tick, how they function as a family and how they
have had to handled so much grief over the last couple of years. There are a
few occasions where the book feels as though it is a little too celebratory
when it comes to Donna but for once its okay for Russell to enthuse like an
exploding Catherine wheel because as far as Donna is concerned there <i>is</i>
a great deal to celebrate. The tragedy of Donna is really highlighted in this
book, that the old, selfish Donna has gone because of her travels with the
Doctor but forced back into existence after the events of Journey’s End. <span style="background-color: white;">Donna Noble is Queen of the </span><i style="background-color: white;">‘Oi’s!’</i><span style="background-color: white;"> The Doctor and
Donna played a game, a game of two equals who’d gone through so much together
and played instinctively with each other because of it. It was all about
familiarity and friendship and fun. Before she met the Doctor Donna would
always put herself first but she had learnt so much and wanted to go back and
help her mum on the anniversary of her dads death. Donna would loved to say
that her bitterness and resentment was because of her dads death but the truth
was Sylvia had always been with her daughter and rarely hid it. And Donna
didn’t understand </span><i style="background-color: white;">why</i><span style="background-color: white;">. Donna and Sylvia loved each other. She just
wasn’t entirely sure they </span><i style="background-color: white;">liked</i><span style="background-color: white;"> each other. It’s a universal truth
amongst family members that Russell capitalises on really well here. When did
the idea of coming home fill Donna with such dread? Was this the downside of
travelling with the Doctor? That normality was now alien? Now Wilf could see
what a brave, brilliant woman Donna had becomes he loved her even more. She
admits that she misses her father and Sylvia holds her. Remember when Rose went
to pieces when she saw the future of the Doctor’s companions in School Reunion?
Donna is given the same treatment here and instead of falling to pieces she
tells Madame Delphi that she lives in the here and now. Travelling with the
Doctor, Donna finally thinks she’s doing the right thing. She feels </span><i style="background-color: white;">alive</i><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></div>
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<b>The Cribbins:</b> <i>‘Come back soon, Doctor. Not just when we
need you. Pop in for a cuppa one day…’</i> The rain always reminds Wilf of the
sad, awful day that the Doctor brought Donna home. He enjoys looking up at the
stars at the planets that were still there because of his Donna. He felt
insignificant in comparison to the Doctor but that didn’t matter because the
honour had been knowing him. Geoff’s death brought back memories of his wife’s
death but he soldiered on making arrangements and supporting the others. When
did Wilf get so old? What happened to that naughty old man who used to take
Donna for a spin and she her off to his paratrooper mates? Wilf wanted to prove
that he was independent, strong and about 20 years younger than he was! He
likes to look and imagine and dream. There is a real sadness to Wilf knowing
that he will lose Netty to Alzheimer’s and his quiet hope that the Doctor will
be able to provide some medicine from the future to cure her. You can just imagine Bernard Cribbins
playing the climactic scenes of Netty being possessed by Mandragora and Wilf
having his heart ripped out. It would be heartbreaking, utterly manipulative
(the Doctor brought her along just to give the climax some sentiment?) but
still very poignant. Donna offers to stay and be with her Gramps but he,
selfless as ever, tells her to get out there with the man she loves and enjoy
the life he could never have. </div>
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<b>Moody Mare:</b> For all the good work that is done with Donna
and Wilf that is nothing compared to the depth that Russell brings to Sylvia.
Over the course of Beautiful Chaos Russell takes this aggressive Jackie Tyler
clone and turns her into a full bloodied character that is trying to hold her
family together with her bare hands. There’s a moment where Netty gives a
speech about Sylvia after she has been viciously rude to Wilf’s friend that is
very useful because it is wonderful to see from an outsiders point of view how
much Sylvia is <i>trying</i>. <span style="background-color: white;">Sylvia thinks that the Doctor brings monsters in his wake.
Sylvia had been prepared for Geoff’s death but after 38 years of marriage it
haunted her like nothing else. They had only been at the new house for 3 months
when Geoff died and the whole reason they had moved was to provide him with new
challenges. Talking about anything with Sylvia Noble was rarely a positive
experience. She doesn’t like people being too open and honest – ‘those bleeding
hearts who wear their hearts on their sleeves!’ Mothers have an in-built guilt
trip that forbade you from saying the things you want to say to them. She
desperately needed to cry at her husbands passing but her attitude to bleeding
hearts meant she could never do that. In a touching (and unexpected) outburst
Sylvia admits that she doesn’t know if Donna’s disappearances are the last she
is going to see of her and that she has images of a policeman turning up on her
doorstep to tell her that she is dead just like they did with Geoff. The moment
when they suddenly drop all the pretence and cry in each others arms almost
made me shed a tear. She’s not selfish, she’s worked hard and built a life and
always tried to do the best by her daughter. She tolerates the Doctor for
Donna’s sake just as she tolerates Netty for Wilf’s sake. She wants Netty to
move in and be a part of the family for Wilf’s sake but Netty refuses saying
that they are not prepared for how difficult it will be when she loses her mind
completely.</span></div>
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<b>Great Ideas:</b> So much sadness in the Noble household over the
last couple of years and so much emotional gold for Gary Russell to mine.
Revenge on the Doctor after 500 years is a good clue about the villains
identity early in the book. Wilf has discovered a new star which has been named
after him. The stars are aligning to form a malevolent, smiling face. A column
of light strikes London and the infected people heads towards it, hypnotised by
its majesty. When the Doctor earthed Mandragora it got into the land, the water
and ultimately the people by attaching itself to DNA. Transferring from
generation to generation, the Helix now has a willing army. Mandragora has
realised there is no stopping the human race flooding to the stars and building
empires and colonies until the end of time. It wants a part of that action and
plans to infect humanity and help to push their advancement forwards. Spreading
Mandragora as the human race infects the corners of the universe like a plague.
That’s actually a pretty solid reversal of The Masque of Mandragora and holds a
lot of weight. Dara Morgan = Mandragora! Am I the only idiot that didn’t spot
that? He was chosen at the lowest point in his life and offered power and
riches. Callum is killed by the woman he once loved – his ascension to power is
well catalogued and his downfall is one of pure ignominy. The climax comes down
to an old man trying to hold on to the woman he loves and how can you fail to
be moved by that? The unusually long coda marks this out as something a bit
different. The Doctor pointing out that there is no miracle cure to Netty’s
condition is exactly the statement e book needed to make. Imagine how awful it
would have been had the story ended with a miracle cure for Alzheimer’s?
Instead this feels very <i>real</i>. </div>
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<b>Embarrassing Bits:</b></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">Initially
I quite liked how all of the characters we given a decent bit of
background. It felt like a refreshing change for the NSAs to include a
wealth of characters who felt like real people with dreams and a history.
However the book repeats the trick again and again right down to the most
insignificant character to a point where this is focussed on to the
detriment of the (slight) plot. Points of populating your book with
fleshed out characters, minus points for regurgitating their life history
in one great heave of exposition when their main purpose is to be a
corpse. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Russell
occasionally adopts an omnipresent narrator which is very jarring after
the intimate character scenes from Donna or Wilf’s POV because I kept
wondering who was thinking these thoughts…</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Ben
is the obligatory gay character and his inclusion is utterly
cringe-inducing. His ‘sorry, you lose…’ to Jayne adds nothing to the story
and feels like it is trying to be modern for moderns sakes. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Although
his handling of the Noble clan is superb generally he can get a little too
enthusiastic at times – sometimes a little restraint can be more effective
and you don’t have to be cute all the time. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Russell
has great fun comparing the events of this book to the importance of the
Kennedy assassination. Delusions of grandeur much? </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">‘It
was like a slow motion moment in a movie’ – under any circumstances that
is an <i>appalling</i> descriptive term. It sounds like it was written by
a five year old. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Killing
off all the presenters of <i>Big Brother?</i> Really? Its not a show that
I have ever watched but this seems like tedious point scoring with the
novels audience to me. This mention just jars because its not really
connected to anything, its just the author trying to be smart and falling
flat on his face. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Joe!
It wouldn’t be an NSA without the obligatory child character!</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Splitting
the story into days is a nice idea in theory but makes finding a point to
stop the book if you want a quick ten minute read before bed nigh on
impossible. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Why
does Madame Delphi talk like such a smart arse? </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Caitlin’s
crisis of faith is so sudden its deeply unconvincing. Its what the plot
needs her to do rather than any kind of natural character progression. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">As
affecting as the Wilf side of the climax is (and it really <i>is</i>),
Mandragora ultimately proves to be a bit rubbish. All those centuries of
scheming and growing to be defeated <i>that</i> easily? </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">‘A
few days later, and mankind, as it always did, coped and moved on…’ –
Russell as good as admits that his plot was just a bit of useless fluff to
hang the more personal Noble drama on!</li>
</ul>
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<b>Funny Bits:</b> The image of Donna glammed up and having to
escape from danger on a push bike made me chuckle. You could imagine Tate
playing that for every laugh she could get! ‘Never cracks a noble tart, how
about a good night sweet Donna?’ earned Neal Bailey a clump in the nuts when he
took Donna on a date! </div>
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<b>Notes: </b>Nice mention of Park Vale School (SJA). Oddly
considering this is a Gary Russell book (even though it is scaled back there is
still a fair bit of continuity – perhaps that’s why he didn’t write for the
eighth Doctor range post amnesia because he couldn’t write a novel without
including aspects of the past?) he doesn’t reference the SJA adventure The
Secrets of the Stars of which there is a great deal of similarities (including
the obvious use of Mandragora in that episode despite it never being named).
Garrazone (Big Finish stories such as The Sword of Orion were set there). The
Tycho Project (SJA – The Last Sontaran). There is something of Polly in Miss
Oladini, a temporary administrator who gets caught up in the extraordinary and
brainwashed. The plot is basically a cross between the SJA stories Secrets of
the Stars (Mandragora) and The Man Who Never Was (SERFboard/MTEK) although one
wasn’t written yet so that's not really fair...although it does make me wonder if this inspired Gareth Roberts (frankly superior) take on the subject. </div>
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<b>Result:</b> I spent the majority of this book swinging from one
emotional to another, from one extreme to another, from wiping away tears with
the poignancy of the characterisation to laughing at the ineptitude of the
plotting. Russell is never going to be the worlds best writer but (as with Mel
in Business Unusual and Evelyn in Instruments of Darkness) if he <i>really</i>
likes a character he will go the extra mile to bring them to life with real
gusto and the characterisation transcends his often, barely perceptible, plots.
Beautiful Chaos is littered with Gary Russell’s usual faults as a writer; its
over indulgent, continuity obsessed and features prose that is so enthusiastic
the word restraint is a forgotten concept…and yet his handling of the Noble
clan is exceptional and offers a glimpse of the character writer he could be if
he calmed things down a bit. His touching treatment of Donna, Wilf, Sylvia and
Netty elevates this considerably and there is a great deal of development for
each of them, especially Sylvia who has never been handled so sympathetically.
Plus the way Alzheimer’s is handled deserves real credit, especially for not
searching for an easy answer at the climax. Massively flawed but beautifully
characterised and ultimately very touching, Beautiful Chaos is Gary Russell’s
greatest accomplishment in prose to date: <b>8/10</b></div>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-53794322707039898992012-07-15T14:19:00.001+01:002012-07-15T14:26:56.690+01:00The Eight Doctors written by Terrance Dicks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Plot: </b>Following on directly from the TV Movie the Eighth Doctor falls foul to
one last trap left by the Master that leaves him amnesiac. To regain his
memories he must pop through time and meet his previous selves and in doing so
he gets involved in An Unearthly Child, The War Games, The Sea Devils, The
Daemons, State of Decay, The Five Doctors and The Trial of a Timelord. All in a
days work really.<br />
<br /><b>
Top Doc:</b> Unfortunately the Doctor spends most of the book amnesiac or as a
collection of certain memories and thus displays little character outside of
the generic ‘Doctor’ image that Terrance knows so well. On the plus side, this
book also contains nine other Doctors (there are two sixth Doctors and the
Valeyard) which Uncle Terrance has been writing for for far too long now to get
wrong. His bombastic sixth Doctor is a particular triumph and considering how
hard he is to capture in print the season eighteen fourth Doctor is word
perfect too. <br />
<br /><b>
Friend or foe:</b> I cannot imagine what possessed whoever was editing the books at
the time to introduce Sam Jones in this fashion? Having to live up to a legacy
left by New Ace (who as much as I didn’t like her she certainly made an
impact), Benny (rock on!), Chris (a total wet blanket but again memorable for
his grief following Roz’s death) and Roz (wasted but a fine companion who
deserved a longer run) would be intimidating enough but being shoehorned into
one of vaguest books Doctor Who history like a spare part was not the way
forward. Its no wonder everybody was against her if this was their first
glimpse of the girl. She jogs every morning and hates drugs but is totally
unfazed by the interior dimensions of the TARDIS. She’s totally faceless here
and a complete irrelevance to the main plot. It would have made much more sense
to have had her join in Vampire Science and give her Carolyn’s role in that
story. Oh well. <br />
<br /><b>
Foreshadowing:</b> It might have been unintentional but the mention of the Third
Doctor’s death on Metabelis Three will be a vital plot point in Interference.
Flavia is President of Gallifrey…what happened to Romana? Old town is referred
to which will be followed up in The Infinity Doctors. And indeed the Master’s
presence in the TARDIS will be forgotten from this book onwards right up until
the very last Eighth Doctor book, The Gallifrey Chronicles. The Vampires of the
State of Decay segment will be followed up in the very next book. <br />
<br /><b>
Twists: </b>The entire book! Who could dare to conjure up such a book? One which would
encompass so much Doctor Who history? That would have the third Doctor threaten
to murder himself! That would allow the Eighth Doctor to give his fourth
incarnation a blood transplant! To follow up on several Doctor Who stories with
mini-adventures (State of Decay, The Daemons, The Sea Devils and The Five
Doctors). The writer of this book is either very brave or inexplicably stupid. <br />
<br /><b>
Funny bits: </b>I was roaring with laughter throughout, sorry. It’s such
implausible twaddle! But the moment of absolute genius has to come when the
Time Lord Ryoth beams a Drashig to the Eye of Orion to kill the Doctor only to
have it beamed back and eat him. Hilarious stuff! You couldn’t make this stuff
up if you tried! Oh and the sixth Doctor’s insatiable hunger is also worth a
chuckle. <br />
<br /><b>
Embarrassing bits:</b> Oh gee I think I covered that in the last two columns. This
is clearly the work of a deranged mind…only somebody who is very sure of their
talent would even attempt to write a book that contains ten Doctors, four
Masters, Susan, Ian, Barbara, Jaime, Zoe, Jo, the Brig, Romana, Tegan,
Turlough, Mel, Flavia, Spandrell, Borusa, Engin, Rassilon, a Raston Warrior
Robot, Sontarans, Giant Spiders, loads of TARDISes, Gallifrey, the Eye of
Orion, the Trial ship, Metabelis Three, etc, etc…and try and write a coherent
plot around it. Looking at it this way it’s rather more embarrassing for the
writer and editor than us. I think I was most embarrassed whilst I was reading
the first thirty pages which consists of Terrance attempting to wipe away what
he considers to be the terrible mistakes of the TV Movie and get back to good
old traditional Doctor Who. And a cringe-worthy lecture on crack cocaine…say no
drugs kiddies! <br />
<br /><b>
Result:</b> Well you’ve got two choices. Hurl the book at the nearest wall after
fifty odd pages or accept that it is total madness and enjoy it on that level.
As the book develops it ties itself up in knots, piles implausibility on top of
embarrassment until I was at a loss at how much lower Terrance could sink. As
an introduction to the eighth Doctor it sucks because we learn nothing new
about him and instead churn up his previous selves for what feels like a particularly
retarded anniversary party. For those initiated newcomers who watched the TV
Movie this is a nightmare of continuity wrapped up in some astonishingly weak
prose (which is so lacking in description or nuance that it could be arrested
for being described as such by the trades description act). A garbled,
incomprehensible mess but surprisingly fun if you’re in the mood (the same way
Time and the Rani, Warmonger and Zagreus are fun if you’re in the right<i> </i>mood),
nonetheless as a novel it has to rank as one of the least interesting and most
desperate entries in the entire range. You’re not going to appeal to the fans
of the New Adventures who are used to something a lot more sophisticated than
this and you’re not going to appeal to anybody who is familiar with the English
language and simply wants a good read either. The Eighth Doctor Adventures
really couldn’t have gotten off on a worse footing: <b>2/10</b></span>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-47194753059150570122012-07-12T07:22:00.002+01:002012-07-12T07:24:06.523+01:00Night of the Humans written by David Llewellyn<br />
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<b style="background-color: white;">Plot: </b><span style="background-color: white;">The Doctor and Amy are trapped on the Gyre and
fighting for their lives as a savage tribe of humans launch an all out attack
on the Sittuun…</span></div>
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<b>Nutty Professor:</b> <i>‘He is a good man, better than any of
us, and it broke his heart…’</i> Llewellyn is not interested in merely having
the Doctor prance about making witty asides, popping about in his own timeline
and breaking rules of time to tie up plots and generally acting like a bit of a
smart mouth buffoon but instead wants to take him to a genuinely dark place
where his efforts to save the day don’t always go rewarded. Steven Moffatt take
note, this is how it is supposed to be done. The way that the 11<sup>th</sup>
Doctor is pushed to the edge in a dramatic situation reminded me very strongly
of the events of The Waters of Mars and there is that similar feeling of
desperation. You get the feeling that the Doctor has totally bought into the
myth surrounding him and that he can do anything. Boy is he about to be proven
wrong. If there is a mystery behind the TARDIS door then the Doctor is bound to
open no matter how much Amy objects. The Doctor has faced many dangers before,
found himself in so many situations in which there seemed to be no way out. In
his many lives he had fallen great heights and been shot. He had lost a hand
and grown one back. Had seen the end of the universe and lived to tell the
tale. But acid would rule out regeneration. Acid would be <i>final</i>. Its so
unlike the Doctor to think defeatist thoughts like this I was completely gripped.
The Doctor preparing himself for death makes this danger suddenly feel very
real. The last time the Doctor saw Slipstream he was behind bars and he was the
one that put him there. The book is vague about which Doctor watched him go
down but it was ‘many regenerations ago’ so take your pick. The Doctor tries in
vain to convince the humans to leave the Gyre but they are blinded by their
ignorance and their faith. For once he simply cannot get through to them and
many women and children are going to die as a result. Amy had never seen him
like this – pale and drawn and so much older, his boyish charm nowhere to be
seen. There are no last minute solutions this time. She can do nothing but
reach out and hold his hand and he finds some small comfort in that. The Doctor
has built himself up as a mythic figure that can do anything and he simply
crumples when he fails. He is surprised, sad and deeply moved when Amy values
his life more than her own. If leaving the humans to meet the fate they have
chosen was a loss, then having Amy (the little girl with the monster in her
wall) beside him took some of the pain out of losing. Getting back to the
TARDIS has never felt like such an incredible relief. Slipstream describes the
Doctor as ‘irritatingly astute.’ The Mymon Key is the last remnant of the
Hexion Geldmonger civilisation and with it the Doctor could be invincible. He
could bring his own species back. The key to the universe is too powerful for
anyone to own and he tosses it into the acid swamp as so much rubbish. As the
bomb explodes the Doctor watches a world being destroyed. <i>Again</i>. Two
civilisations erased from history on the surface. For one who is so young he
has the air of somebody who has seen the universe several times over. <i>‘You’re
a good man, Doctor and you did everything you could’</i> are kind words but
they barely impact. </div>
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<b>Scots Tart:</b> A truly responsible take on Amy Pond and one of
her best showings in print, this is so much better than Justin Richards’ slight
take on the character in Apollo 23 its actually a little embarrassing for the
editor and it genuinely feels as though it takes place in the early run of
season five where Amy is finding her feet in this time travelling lark.
Llewellyn grasps hold of what little we know about Amy and wrings it for every
drop of emotion that he can and whilst I maintain that she will never be one of
the more riveting companions in print here is proof that she can at least be
made to work if you push her to the limit. She doesn’t like being called Pond
or Amelia. Fussy cow. Captured by the Sittuun on an alien planetoid, Amy is <i>terrified</i>
for once rather than cocky. It makes her feel much more real. After hearing
insults all of her life about redheads, Scots and women Amy never thought she
would ever have to feel offended on behalf of her <i>species</i>. She struggled
with the scale of how far away the Earth is in both miles and years. If there
was one thing she has learnt about the future, it was that it was nothing like
people said it was going to be. When she jumps to her possible death Amy thinks
of home, the Doctor and the dress she will never wear. If Amy dies here
everyone will think she’s run off to Thailand or something and she wont exists
for her loved ones for another 250,000 years. How could her life have taken
such a diversion that was leaping over a cavernous pit of monsters onto a
spacecraft on an alien world in the distant future? Only when she is out of
danger and can relax does Amy break down. She wants to rescue the Doctor
because he is her friend but he is also her only way home. There’s a gorgeous
relationship the builds between Amy and Charlie as she tries to understand him
and the prejudice of his people against humans. Through her Charlie has an
example that they aren’t all as racist as his father thinks. Drama was
definitely Amy’s best subject at school, she was a natural. She teases the
Doctor that she has rescued him for a change and that he is jealous of her
friendship with Charlie. There was no way that Amy was leaving without the
Doctor. Not after waiting 14 years for him to come back for her. Amy knows she
has to go home sooner or later. She’s got a big day tomorrow and she can’t keep
putting it off. After the events of this book Amy starts to wonder if all
humanity if good for is being horrible to each other until Charlie plays her
some music and reminds her of the beauty her species can create. </div>
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<b>Great Ideas: </b>I always applaud the books when they try
something visually interesting and the emergency log of the crashed ship gets
us off on an intriguing footing. The idea of the TARDIS bouncing off of speed
bumps in space really made me smile as did the distress beacon that travels in
time so that a rescue mission can be organised before the crash has taken
place! The Gyre is such a fantastic location and it is described in exquisite
detail. Its an endless scrapyard as far as the eye can see with a flaming comet
filling the sky and heading towards the planetoid. Shipwrecks and refuse are
brought together by the gravitational force of the five nearest stars. If Schuler
Khan hits the Gyre it will send chunks of debris the size of cities spinning
off towards the twelve inhabited worlds of the system. The Sittuun want to
detonate a nanobomb in the upper atmosphere and neutralise the comets threat,
literally eating away the Gyre so it can pass harmlessly through. Within
seconds the Gyre will be a mist of atoms. There’s a great lake of acid with a
giant rusted exhaust pipe as a bridge. The Sollogs live in the acid; fat slimy
slugs with long spindly legs and gaping maws that attack anybody that tries to
pass over. Its nice to see the books trying to pull off something this
disgusting that a TV budget could never pull off. There is a brilliant role
reversal where you think the Doctor has been saved by the humans from the aliens
but they in fact turn out to be the aggressors. The human settlement is built
from refuse; towers, shelters and huts all lit up by burning torches. Ancient,
run down and rusted; stinking of smoke and rotting food. Ancient adverts for
sportswear and soft drinks looking weathered an otherworldly, as Egyptian
hieroglyphs and Roman mosaics. Whilst there are shades of The Face of Evil with
the human settlement being constructed around the remains of the crashed human
ship many generations ago this is a much more fulsomely realised, insidious
location. The humans are described as ‘superstitious, unpredictable and
violent…scared of absolutely everything.’ There’s definitely something in that.
Dirk Slipstream’s rocket ship lands and is described as a glittering diamond in
a mound of coal. I think Llewellyn is playing games with his audience because
Dirk Slipstream screams of Zap Brannigan from <i>Futurama</i> down to his look
(in fact with Gobocorp being a delivery company there is more than a touch of a
dark, skewered version of <i>Futurama</i> here) and diction and yet I think
this deliberate so we think he is going to be as inept and as cuddly as the
cartoony character. Instead he is completely amoral, murderous and lacking any
kind of moral sense. And he hides it all behind a perfect smile. There’s a
great action set piece when the pipe breaks in two and Achmed falls to his
death and Amy hangs onto the vines for her life and Slipstream simply waves
goodbye to her grisly fate in the pit of Sollogs. The relationship with Heeva
and Jamal is nicely handled and is all the more impressive because it isn’t
necessary to tell this story but makes for a poignant background detail that
gives these character and extra touch of realism. They clutched hold of each
other in this situation of crisis but now Jamal is going home to his wife and
Heeva has to pretend nothing ever happened. Slipstream was responsible for the
Belaform diamond heist where he crashed a passenger ship into the diamond
depository and killed 600 people. He was sentenced to 70,000 years
imprisonment. Tying up one little mystery, Slipstream was the one that sent the
distress signal that attracted the Doctor to the Gyre. Wars have been fought
over the Mymon Key; it is an unlimited energy source, drawing its power from gravitational
force. It can drive a ship through a black hole and be used to tear the fabric
of the universe apart. Slipstream is quite mad, planning on using the Mymon Key
to turn the sun into a black hole unless he gets 10% of the all the profits
from the industries on Sol 1. <i>‘The humans are coming…’</i> – what a
genuinely ominous threat humanity is in this book. The dark mass of humans
caked in clown make up tearing across the desert of glass on a murderous
journey is an unforgettable image. The Sittuun under attack by laughing, insane
humans and the destructive comet fragments reveals a level of terror that is
rare in the books these days. The whole Gobo/clown/western religion is so
ridiculous but because the humans (and the author) take it <i>so</i> seriously
it transcends that and becomes something very dark and malignant. With the
burning fragments raining from the sky and causing such devastating earthquakes
and craters it feels like Armageddon has arrived. Slipstream’s greed is what
gets him killed and the Doctor doesn’t show a flicker of remorse. </div>
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<b>Result: </b>After The Taking of Chelsea 426 (a fun but
unremarkable book) I would have never thought that there was a novel quite this
gripping to come from David Llewellyn but he has defied all expectations with
this nourishing read. The Gyre is a superbly thought through and vivid location
that comes across as very alien and packed with dangerous detail. Llewellyn
stacks up the dangers for the Doctor and Amy (both superbly written for) to
face from the nest of dark hearted humans, the disgustingly realised Sollogs,
Slipstream and his absence of morality to the comet that is screaming through
space towards the Gyre and the bomb that will destroy it. Despite the fact that
this is a tie in novel by the end of the book the location is so oppressive you
might wonder if our heroes are going to escape with their lives. The prose is
visual, dynamic and conveys a real sense of jeopardy. At first Dirk Slipstream
comes across as a superfluous element but before the book is over he has become
the most vivid of characters and the most dangerously unpredictable one. Night
of the Humans isn’t trying to be too clever or cute, its simply a gripping
piece of writing that wants to captivate you from beginning to end and it
succeeds admirably. The ending is particularly memorable, with the Doctor
tragically failing to save lives but with a hint of optimism in the poignant
coda. Powerful and unexpected: <b>9/10</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-41787593785466866022012-07-09T14:39:00.002+01:002012-07-09T14:39:22.336+01:00The Peacemaker by James Swallow<br />
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<b style="background-color: white;">Plot: </b><span style="background-color: white;">Standby for a rootin’ tootin’ adventure in the Wild
West with dusky babe Martha Jones and her sonic slinging, fancy talking
companion the Doctor! They’ll be parties, gunfights and plenty of riding
through the desert and alien weapons that threaten to destroy the Earth in its
infancy…</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Mockney Dude: </b>I really don’t understand the comments of
people who say that the tenth Doctor is ill characterised in these books. Read
on to hear some top notch characterisation of one the most subversive and
aggressive of incarnations…</div>
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<br /></div>
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The Doctor had a way about him as if he took every piece of
sadness in the universe personally and like he had the sole responsibility to
banish such things. His open manner is infectious and his intelligence
stimulating. He is so fascinated by anything out of the ordinary sometimes he
needed reminding that normal people are caught up in it. ‘We just help the ones
we can’ – the Doctor and Martha make an excellent life saving team. In chaos
the Doctor became the eye of the storm. He held a sheriff’s badge once and it
brought him nothing but trouble. He requires a gun belt so he can brandish his
sonic! The Doctor can make a good time out of anything, never mind if it was
terrifying as well. Usually it takes at least 3 minutes for people to want to
kill the Doctor. He is a Time Lord and moves between the ticks of a clock. He
is described as Rides in Night, Brother of Coyote and the man who defeated the
Bad Wolf. A legend, a story for young braves. After Martha is shot he is a
nightmare storm, absolutely furious as he approaches the long riders. <i>‘Like
knows like Doctor. I can smell the blood on you. I can hear the echo of war
that clings to your coattails. Such dark glory. I envy you.’ </i>The Doctor’s
mood darkens when the Clades brandish him a murderer. On another day he might
have turned his back and let Nathan kill Godlove. When Martha is at the very
edge of her life the Doctor can see the sheer weight of blame in Francine’s
eyes. Once it is inside the Doctor’s mind it forces him to see Rose, Mickey,
K.9, Captain Jack and Sarah Jane dying in wastelands of fusion bombs. He was
willing to do a terrible deed, to destroy so much to defeat a terrible enemy.
When the Clade ask him to merge with them and dangle the carrot of hunting down
every last Dalek and erasing them from existence, he wants to agree. He hates
himself for that. If he had been one with the Clade the Daleks would be gone
and the Time Lords would have survived, Rose would still be with him and the
Cybermen would be nothing but scrap metal. The Doctor knows violence, he knows
anger only breeds more anger. The Doctor can think beyond four dimensions and
he locks the Clade weapon into a feedback loop. He doesn’t mess about, he drops
a hill on top of them! With the Doctor around nothing will seem scary again. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Delicious Doctor:</b> You will hard pressed to find a book with
Martha written for more accomplished than Peacemaker. James Swallow simply <i>gets</i>
her, the mild lust for the Doctor, her love of travelling and her ability to
snap into action as a training medical student. Throughout she continually
sparkles with wonderful observations and sneaky peeks at her family life and
Swallow seems to enjoy really selling how accomplished this duo can be at their
height. Whilst Donna will always be my favourite tenth doctor companion (and
one of my favourite companions full stop) Swallow convinces that Martha was top
dog here. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Martha slyly suggests that their movie is a date. When they
were kids Martha, Leo and Tish always stuck on a western whilst Francine cooked
a joint and made great roast potatoes. With her mum and dad they would eat
during the last half and thinking of
them causes a tightness in her chest and a pang of homesickness. She feels
cheerless that a creaky old western is the only way she can feel close to her
family. Martha wonders when she will get blasé about time travel because it
hasn’t happened yet. She wants to visit the Alamo, Deadwood, Tombstone and the
gunfight at the OK Corral (‘Been there, done that’ the Doctor retorts). Martha
studied smallpox in her training and remembers the victims scarred by lesions
and blinded. Quack Doctors with made up cures make Martha quietly furious. At
times the Doctor thinks he is in charge but that’s not how they work. Martha
sighs with regret when she tells Jenny its ‘not like that’ with the Doctor. She
thinks life challenges us and we should challenge it right back. Injured people
are her priority. I love the moment when the Doctor makes Martha realise that
prejudice can cut both ways. Martha sticks her cowboy hat at a jaunty angle and
declares herself ‘very Madonna.’ Living on the outskirts of London’s sprawl all
that country horsy stuff felt a million miles from the world she comes from.
Martha recognises shock in Nathan, hiding bereavement behind a wall of anger.
Martha feels sadness about her family knowing they are so far away but joy
knowing they are waiting for her. Lately Martha has learnt a lot about courage,
to be afraid and still face what terrifies you. Trying to be as bold as the
Doctor, even for a moment, was never easy. Martha is shot and the pain is like
a million times every broken bone, rotten tooth and gut sick agony all in a
rush of hurt. She actually thinks <i>am I going to die? </i>Martha snogs the
Doctor to bring him back to reality. Whenever she has a bad experience in the
past Martha always called Tish but she’s not sure her sister would believe her
anymore. </div>
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<b>Great Ideas: </b>White fire ripped into them turning their flesh into
ashes – you know you are in for a well characterised book when two incidental
characters jump of the page so well in the prologue. The planet Hollywood has
its sign made out of ice and rock dust in orbit. The Doctor is taking Martha to
the pictures where the chairs are intelligent and mould to your comfort zones.
I love the idea that one of the films is the <i>Starship Brilliant</i> story!
Smallpox has been cured in the Wild West? Nathan is one of the townsfolk who
was struck with the pox and cured and now he is plagued by terrible dreams of a
future war. I like the way Swallow makes you feel sympathy for the unlikable
characters in this book, especially Sheriff Blaine who is shot dead after
betraying the Doctor. There are small mentions of naongenes, New Earth, small moments
of continuity that place this firmly in NuWho territory. The Clades are weapons
that are independently intelligent and so advanced they are capable of
conscious thought and action. They would hunt down and destroy their creators
enemies without pity, remorse or pause. They are the pinnacle of biological
engineering named the Peacemakers, the last resort. The peace that reined in
the wake of weapons brought untold prosperity. The Clades watched and waited
through peace time, silent and calculating. Without fire, blood and destruction
they had no purpose. Peace was repulsive slow decay. They reactivated
themselves and turned on their creators, it had been what they were made for.
They don’t want power or wealth, just to destroy. There’s always a war going on
somewhere and now the Clades exist as mercenaries. All they leave behind them
is ashes and destruction. They have a limited regenerative ability built in –
Godlove’s cure all. Side effects are fragments of the Clades battle reports
from a million campaigns across the galaxy. The telepathic imprint of a never
ending war. The Clades are insidious, Martha will die slowly unless they take
them Godlove. Walking Crow’s sacrifice could have been like a hundred other
scenes we have seen of this ilk but instead it is dignified, poignant. I love
Martha’s mow-bile from Nathan’s point of view! The long riders tear a
rattlesnake in half and eat the raw meat in silence. Like an angry child in a
tantrum the Clades were not going to go quietly. They’d want to destroy
something just because they could. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Funny Bits: </b></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><i>‘Jules
took a lot of convincing to cut out the stuff about the Silurians’</i> –
the Doctor on Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea! </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Professor
Alvin Q Godlove’s Powerful Dispatulated Incontrovertible Panacea Potion! I
would buy that medicine just because of the name! Although I am reliably
informed by the Doctor that it tastes gross, proof that that is simply the
case the universe over!</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Martha
calls her buck toothed horse Rose! Ahem…</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Martha
isn’t sure if the Doctor looks like Clint Eastwood or the Milky Bar kid!</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">The
Doctor unleashes a torrent of technobabble – <i>‘Please do not speak in
that manner. It causes pain in my head.’</i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">When
she is shot the Doctor thinks Martha is going to confess her love for him
when she just wants to tell him where Godlove is!</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Martha
doesn’t leave dirty kilts everywhere unlike some people!</li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Result: </b>The beating heart of the American Frontier is our
stomping ground in this attractive tale, the Wild West in all its glory! What
impressed me here was how confident and engaging the prose was, James Swallow
is not a name I am familiar with but he writes a Doctor Who story with artful
passion. His characterisation of the Doctor and Martha is peerless and both
characters jump from the page as living breathing people. The Clade backstory
is a little similar to that of the Daleks but its such a good story who
actually gives a damn? I am not a huge western fan so the fact that Peacemaker
appealed to me as much as it did was down to some nifty writing, an authentic
location and a real sense of pace of danger. Lets see another from this
accomplished writer please: <b>8/10</b></div>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-33035138740985951552012-07-08T18:01:00.002+01:002012-07-08T18:01:43.292+01:00Shining Darkness written by Mark Michalowski<br />
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<b style="background-color: white;">Plot: </b><span style="background-color: white;">The Doctor and Donna are separated from each other in
Andromeda galaxy and caught in the middle of a race war…</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Mockney Dude:</b> <i>‘I’m the Doctor’ ‘That’s not a name, it’s a
title’ ‘Well as long as I get the job done isn’t it enough?’</i> Splitting up
the Doctor and Donna is a great idea because initially she gets to do all the
Doctory bits with the villains and he gets to do all the Doctory bits with the
good guys and then halfway through the book they get to swap places. It’s a
chance to see both characters at their best amongst ally and enemy. The Doctor
brought Donna to the Andromeda galaxy for the very reason that he was out of
his depth, he wanted to take her somewhere where his ignorance matched hers.
Donna wonders what the Doctor would do in her situation and ponders if he has
ever sat any of his companions down and taught them ‘Breaking out of Locked
Rooms for Beginners.’ He shows real compassion for Mother when she reveals
about her shady past and the lengths she went to to escape it. Threatening
Donna is the quickest way of ensuring that this <i>is</i> the Doctor’s fight.
He’s rather attached to his head and is (fairly) certain that if it is cut off
another one wont grow back. The Doctor knows that if you stop thinking of
somebody as being like you then it means that you start treating them
differently and that usually means treating them worse. He points out the one
flaw in all megalomaniacs plans when they are trying to subjugate others: ‘When
you’re done and look around you’ll find that the universe isn’t any better
after all!’ The Doctor hates people who turn individuals into <i>types</i>. For
one awful moment he genuinely thinks that Donna is dead. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Tempestuous Temp:</b> I think its tragic that Donna only
appeared in four Doctor Who novels (she was similarly neglected in the comic
strip whereas Martha had a wealth of stories in both medias) but in a way I can
almost understand why they chose this option rather than keeping her on because
she’s almost <i>too</i> good in this format and practically overshadows the
Doctor. Its fortunate that the Donna tetralogy came along when the NSAs where
really picking their feet up and producing works that could easily sit side by
side with the paperback ranges that preceded them and The Doctor Trap, Ghosts
of India, Beautiful Chaos and Shining Darkness are all great reads with a great
role for Donna. I find that the Doctors/companions that transfer most
successfully into print are those that had an awful lot of personality on
screen (the First, Third, Sixth and Tenth Doctors, Ian and Barbara, Jamie and
Zoe, Leela, Romana and Peri work really well in the books) and the ones that
tend interpret blandly are those whose performances were a little more subtle
(the Fifth and Ninth Doctors especially). Donna definitely falls into the
former category and in the hands of Michalowski (who has never been accused of
subtlety!) she springs from the page as a fully formed character, hilariously
funny, armed with acerbic wit, ready to tackle anything that is thrown at her
and almost fulfilling the Doctor’s role for large chunks of the book. Its an
extremely vivid depiction (compare and contrast with the yawnsome handling of
Amy Pond in the books) and throughout you can hear Catherine Tate saying the
lines (‘Go on, Sister Wendy, what is it?’). </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Within moments Donna is being bossy, funny, picking fights
and tossing pop culture references at anyone who gets in her way (‘That
supposed to be some kind of <i>insult?</i> ‘Cos where I come from, sunshine,
that wouldn’t get you on <i>Trisha</i>, never mind <i>Jeremy Kyle!</i>’). She
nearly coughs up a furball when somebody calls her the Doctor’s pet. Donna
genuinely loves art and had a copy of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at home but she
thinks that you have to earn the title and not just slap random things together
and call it art. She thinks of herself as an Ambassador for Earth (Lord help
us!) and spells her name TROUBLE. The Doctor describes her as a priceless
treasure when she is stolen along with the exhibit. She has never been this far
away from the Doctor before on a world that feels so alien. These robots
creeped her out because they looked too much like living things. If they look
more like robots then she might be more comfortable around them – the novel
goes on to explore her prejudices in a very creative way. For Donna
psychological abuse is being kidnapped and locked up <i>without</i> a
television. She shows great compassion for one of the bimbots when its spine is
snapped and is determined to point out that it is murder when Ogmunee shoots
it. As a child Donna was teased relentlessly about the colour of her hair and
so becoming a Goddess for that very reason almost makes up for it! For one
silly moment she wished that her mum (who always told her to stop being so
sensitive) was her to see her being treated to deification. There’s a very
telling moment where Mesanth compares Donna’s non reaction to her kicking a
door to her more emotional reaction to the destruction of the bimbot on Karris
– Donna’s emotions very much depend on appearances. The Doctor grins at her
down-to-Earthness and how she often misses the bigger picture but gets the
details right. Donna is not a racist because she judges by appearance and not
race (‘Its only natural to see something that doesn’t <i>look</i> human and
doesn’t <i>act</i> human and assume it doesn’t <i>think</i> human’). She
acknowledges that her shortcomings aren’t how things should be and that <i>we
are only as ignorant as we choose to be</i>. Donna is a quick thinker when she
is in danger and thinks up the awesome plan of everybody squeezing into an
escape pod, Mother wrenching it free of its defective release mechanism and
ride atop as they fly away from the exploding spaceship! Travelling with the
Doctor scares the willies out of Donna but she’s learnt to question what is
normal with hi and to question her core beliefs in a way that she feels has
made her a better person. </div>
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<b>Great Ideas:</b> Mother is our main robot character and is
described as looking like a high speed collision between a truck and a steel
mill (you can check her out yourself on the splendid cover!). She was created
as a product of war but tried to damage herself so she would be of no use to
them, literally attempting to commit suicide so she wouldn’t have to kill.
Through Mother we experience a robot with feelings and the emotional/thematic
crux of the story. Promechanicals are friendly types that harp on about robotic
rights. The Cult of the Shining Darkness on the other hand are a bunch who
refuse to believe that machines intelligences are sentient They consider
anything non organic to simply be a collection of spare parts. The Shining
Darkness is a time when they fear that the machines will rise up against
organics and slaughter them all. The people of Jaffee collect religions like
ornaments and they often have two or three mutually incompatible ones going at
the same time! They are too smart and rational to actually believe in any of
them and so consider the pinnacle of sophistication to believe in something
utterly without any proof. It was easy to believe in things where there was
evidence but took a special sort of person to devote themselves to something
when there isn’t a scrap of corroboration. They especially love the idea of
Heaven because you could make it as fabulous or as strange as you wanted and no
one could prove you wrong! Sacred artefacts are great because you can lose them
and then spend ages going on quests trying to find them again. These sequences
are simply divine, like we have tripped into the <i>Hitchhikers Guide</i> with
a wonderfully silly parody of religious zealots who can change their faith on a
whim. Like Adams at his best there is a serious meaning here amongst the fluff.
Unfortunately the artefact that was left on Jaffee by the cult was tossed in
the junk cupboard when a more interesting religion came along! Junk is a
planetoid where you can unload all your obsolete technology and it is crushed
and catapulted into the sun. For the surface think of the opening scenes of
Wall-E with towers of junk. Crusher (he crushes the junk up) and Chuck (he
tosses it into the sun) make an impressively macho entrance like two killer
Transformers but they turn out to be a pair of bitching mincers who let their
squabbles interfere with their work! Weiou with his cartoon display emotions
and excitable manner is another gorgeous invention. Given the right resources
machinekind can reproduce at a much greater rate than organics (‘But they <i>haven’t</i>’
points out the Doctor). The Cult have an ideal hidey hole inside a black hole
where they can plot and put their plan into action. There’s a really exciting
sequence where the <i>Sword of Justice</i> is on a collision course with the <i>Torch</i>
and Donna’s only escape route (the TARDIS) has been blown into space! ‘Every
home should have one’ says one character about the robots and it evokes a feel
of how black women were treated in the 50s. Li’ian is revealed to be Cult
member and in an unexpected moment shoots who we thought was our central
villain, Garaman, right between the eyes! Her plan is to take control of all
the mechanicals via the Mechanet and use them as an army to subdue organics and
ensure that their warped view of reality endures. They want everybody to be frightened
of machines so they will wipe them out. Boonie placed an antimatter bomb inside
Mother as a final solution to stop the cult if all else fails. I really like
how the Doctor comments that even though their plans have been scuppered they
cannot wipe out the Cult because it’s a state of mind and not an organisation.
As much as I hate the BNP if we managed to snuff out their political party
there will still be racists out there. The Doctor sums up this books moral:
‘People being people. <i>That’s</i> normal.’ </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Funny Bits: </b></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">‘I
have to find a friend!’ ‘You’ll be wanting the companion district then…’</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">‘A
bit <i>Scooby Doo</i>, isn’t it?’ – if only he would go on to be this
smart in Judgement of the Judoon where that is literally the case! </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">‘Earthons!’
‘We’re called humans’ ‘How confusing!’ – I love the way that Michalowski
is constantly taking the piss out of science fiction conventions in this
book. Donna also names the Solar System and the Sun (‘how quaint!’) and
suggests that because they are invaded all the time that humanity are
‘major players!’ </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">There
is a forty year old childlike man…is the author taking the mickey out of
the fact that every NSA has to contain a child of some kind as an
identification figure?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">‘You
never hear of the second rate ones going mad though, do you? Its always
the geniuses.’ </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Donna
winging her way into becoming a deity is as priceless as you can imagine!
Michalowski has really though about how Catherine Tate would bring this
scene to life and its all in there; dramatic pauses, mouth hanging open
and sudden bursts of emotion! What a shame The Ginger Goddess never made
it to the screen! The Doctor: ‘I think she’s getting ready for panto
season.’ </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">The
Mechanet: ‘Generally its just full of nerds and losers complaining that
machinekind isn’t what it used to be or circulating rumours about an
organic agenda’ Naughty, <i>naughty</i> Michalowski! Hahaha! Even Weiou
has been looking at <i>specialist</i> sites that make his display blush! </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Weiou:
‘Explosions always make me feel bilious!’ and ‘So we’re all dead and this
is the final upload?’ </li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Notes:</b> ‘Don’t use Huon particles for anything, do you?’ the
Doctor asks as Donna is beamed away. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Result: </b><i>Nothing made of circuits and cogs could really
feel, could it? </i>Why is it when Star Trek tries to humanise machines it
comes across as a preachy sermon but when Doctor Who tackles exactly the same
theme its more of a charming fairytale? I’m putting it down to Shining Darkness
having a fantastic sense of humour so that despite having a very serious point
to make it is always a joy to read regardless. Michalowski packs his book full
of silly, quirky, funny touches and whips up a crazy, colourful corner of the
universe for the Doctor and Donna to have a spin around. Within its chucklesome
exterior is a very serious message and a touching exploration of prejudice
proving that the NSAs can tackle important themes and yet still keep things
light and readable. By making the victims of hate crimes robots the author can
tackle the subject of racism in a censored and creative way. I love all the
idiosyncratic robotic creatures that we meet along the way and the author has
the voices of the Doctor and Donna so perfect its as though he had created the
characters himself. Donna in particular is expertly handled and learns some
valuable lessons from this adventure. It’s a genuinely lovely piece of work
that wouldn’t be at all out of place next to <i>Mad Dogs and Englishmen</i> and
<i>The Tomorrow Windows</i> in the EDA range. I got through this in record time
and I don’t think there was a point where a smile left my face, this is a book
which evokes pure <i>sunshine</i>: <b>9/10<o:p></o:p></b></div>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-5633418420009458122012-07-05T23:27:00.002+01:002012-07-05T23:27:18.885+01:00Apollo 23 written by Justin Richards<br />
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<b style="background-color: white;">Plot: </b><span style="background-color: white;">The Doctor and Amy investigate sinister happenings on
the moon where prisoners are being treated in a mind altering fashion…</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Nutty Professor: </b>Considering the lack of material he must
have had to write this book with it is astonishing that Justin Richards manages
to get the eleventh Doctor as accurate as he does here, right down to his
quirky, effete mannerism and rapid dialogue. He hasn’t had lunch for centuries
and so is delighted at the prospect. He hadn’t died for a couple of months now
but found that whenever it did it always gave one hell of an appetite. I love
how he can turn up on the Moon in his ridiculous goldfish bowl helmet and tell
the first person they stumble across that he’s ‘just visiting.’ The Doctor has
an out of control comb over even though he isn’t going bald! He doesn’t look
old enough to have a doctorate in anything but its suggested it would be wit
and sarcasm if anything. Polishing up on his infiltration techniques should be
high on his priorities because when Walinski says he doesn’t look like a liar
the Doctor replies ‘good liars don’t.’ The Doctor does the honourable thing and
drags Devenish’s body back to Texas and loses what he thinks is his last chance
to save Amy. ‘Don’t ask, just believe’ is just about the best reaction you
could ever have to the Doctor. He rubs of on people and inspires them. He’ll d
6o impossible things before breakfast and still have time to make the toast.
Wonderfully he screams ‘Geronimo!’ as the shuttle ascends! The unforgiving
Doctor has no qualms whatsoever about forcing Garrett out into the deadly
blackness of space and even has an acidic sixth Doctor retort for the moment
(‘He went outside. He might be gone some time’). At one point Amy has been so
clearly taken over that I’m pleased that Richards didn’t even pretend that the
Doctor was convinced for a second or keep the pretence going for longer than
one scene. The Doctor trying to shake hands with one of the sweaty Talerian
appendages is very funny. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Scots Tart: </b>Oh Amy Pond. This is what I consider to be her
first novel (like The Clockwise Man it makes sense for the range editor to kick
start a new era) and so this was the first chance to see how she worked out in
print. Not very well is the honest answer. Its not Justin Richards’ fault
because he tries his best with so little to work with but the Amy Pond of
season five is simply too dull and vacuous to transplant into a novel with any
great success. Moffatt might have been working in some masterplan wherein her
life is beguilingly revealed to her at the end of the season but that means for
13 episodes she is a blank slate. Karen Gillan is a fine actress and she tried
her utmost with what she was given but frankly the only moments that I felt
anything for Amy during that season was when I <i>didn’t</i> like her – when
she was trying to cheat on the man who would give up anything to be with her
(the lovely Rory). Otherwise she was just a feisty redhead who seemed
unperturbed by everything around her and we’d already had a superbly
characterised, complex fiery redhead in the series (the fabulous Donna) and
unfortunately she just didn’t match up. Amy is Scottish and so she is used to
rain, that’s about as engaging as her characterisation gets here. She is so
lacking in character she ponders about tea and spiders and even takes a doze
whilst the place is going to hell! There is literally nothing for Richards to
grab hold of and elaborate so he sends her to sleep instead. It takes Amy ages
to realise that she has walked into a trap of Reeve’s making – for somebody
with such a smart mouth she can pretty dense at times! When she meets the prisoners
who are emaciated and exhausted she exhibits a moment of compassion! It can be
done! Amy has been mind-wiped! And we can tell the difference <i>how?</i> ‘She
shouldn’t just be a pretty face, you know!’ says the Doctor. <i>Ahem</i>. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Great Ideas:</b> Richards has been at this game for too long to
not know how to open a novel and his opening line of ‘twenty minutes before he
died’ entices the audiences interest immediately. Barbinger spends his last
moments in such a mundane fashion I wanted to jump into the book and warn him
that he was about to croak! The set up of the astronaut turning up at a burger
bar and Barbinger dying of asphyxiation in exactly the same way that he would
were he standing on the moon is intriguing (‘from Earth to the Moon, talk about
a giant step for mankind!’). Recidivist prisoners are being experimented on on
the Moon, they have all resisted conventional attempts to rehabilitate them.
They were sent so far because of the dangerous, illicit government knowledge
they have obtained during their crimes. It’s a fascinating premise and the
Doctor’s response of ‘you do it up here on the dark side of the Moon for
convenience or because its morally and ethically wrong?’ touches on a
captivating argument. The Keller impulses (The Mind of Evil) are being washed
away and the Doctor asks ‘who gave you the right to decide which ones are bad
and which ones are normal?’ At this point in the novel I thought we were in for
a substantial piece about the wrongs of mistreating prisoner and the
psychological ramifications of what they were doing. When the argument comes to
the scientist suggesting chillingly that the brilliant minds of critically ill
patients can be preserved in the minds of these criminals the surface of a
whole different book was scratched. Perpetual regeneration at the cost of a
life. The brain abhors a vacuum so whatever they take out has to be filled with
<i>something</i>. As the aliens are transplanted into that gap it is described
as the scuttling claws of a rat creeping inside. <i>Brrr</i>. With a Richards book
you can always count on the nuts and bolts of the novel making sense and he
adequately explains why the base was sabotaged and why one of the patients is
talking in a bizarre code. Apollo 23 is the dilapidated 30 year old standby
space shuttle that flies the Doctor to the Moon! Naturally he thinks its ‘fab!’
There’s a terrific action sequence in zero gravity as the Doctor grapples with
the saboteur that would have look <i>gorgeous</i> on screen. The image of the
Talerian that literally explodes into the vacuum of space is an enduring one. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Embarrassing Bits:</b> The guest characters are generally as
functional as the prose and fulfil their roles but never break out of being
ciphers. I couldn’t tell you anything about any of them if you prompted me now
and I only finished the book half an hour ago. Sometimes Richards tries to make
the Doctor too eccentric and it falls flat on its face (‘Doc is a dwarf. I am
not!’). Is it just me or is this the quickest rocket launch known to mankind?
The Doctor’s scheme to stick the ‘Pond Water’ (the minds of the people who have
been taken over) into the sprinkler system and have their personalities
literally rain down on them is so insubstantial and ridiculous I had to put the
book down for a second to recover. It smacks of the similarly brainless
solution to New Earth when the Doctor creates a cure-all and has the zombies
touch each other to ‘pass it on!’ ‘The brain should be able to recognise its
own mind print and just take the data that belongs to it. Like recognising your
car in amongst hundreds in a supermarket car park!’ When I heard the books
might be dumbing down a tad I never anticipated a climax quite this backwards.
The Talerians then show up for the B-Movie climax wobbling their slimy,
pustulous hides about and exploding about the joint like cut price Slitheen.
They even have names like Commander Raraarg! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Notes: </b>How odd that an Impossible Astronaut should turn up
at the beginning of this novel in an incongruous location. It gets even weirder
when the Doctor spends time in a Texan desert and fiddles about with a US space
shuttle! I don’t know how much input Steven Moffatt had into the books during
this period but there are a number of remarkable similarities to his season six
opener. If that is the case then Justin Richards should slip a feather into his
cap. Mind you the author isn’t above nabbing elements from other New Series
episodes and the raining on the moon sequence felt very familiar (Smith and
Jones). He mentions a penal wing on the Moon that he would be locked up in in
the future (Frontier in Space). The Doctor didn’t think there would be a direct
link between the Earth and the Moon until T-Mat got going (The Seeds of Death).
I liked the mention of Control marking a crossover between the paperbacks and
the hardbacks. Fortunately those in the US are in the know because they have
read up UNIT and Torchwood files about alien incursions. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Funny Bits: </b></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">‘From
the tip of Edgewayz to the Bakov Beyonned!’ – where the Doctor has visited
in his travels!</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">The
time delay sequence is really funny and must have been hard to pull off in
print. Without the actors to bring the dialogue to life Richards has to
rely on the reader to pace the scene and I found that he interrupted the
Doctor and Amy at just the right points to get the best giggles. Amy is
slagging off the military when the Doctor tried to interrupt and inform
her that he is sitting with some of the most important military bigwigs in
America! Her response when it comes…’I think soldiers are great!
Lovely…uniforms.’</li>
</ul>
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<b>Result: </b>An engaging read for the most part but not half the
book it could have been. What a shame that Apollo 23 has to become an <i>Invasion
of the Body Snatchers </i>style alien invasion because there is clearly a lot
of dramatic and psychological potential in the abused prisoner scenario that
Richards sets up. The prose is the epitome of this authors functionalism and is
so bare boned for the most part that it could practically be called a
screenplay. Richards is too much of a good writer to botch any novel but here
he wastes so much potential by reducing what is a very dark and promising first
half to an archetypal base under siege/invasion story with barely a glimmer of
wit or invention in the concluding half. The characters barely register and Amy
maintains her position as one of the most vacuous companions the Doctor has
ever travelled with but Richard’s depiction of Smith’s Doctor is right on the
money and provides some terrific moments of levity. I wanted more intelligent
discussion and less blobby monsters and it frustrates to have a carrot dangled
in from of you and then snatched away. Still I can’t complain too much about a
book that lets the Doctor drive a space shuttle, march across the lunar surface
with blue murder in his eyes and inadvertently cause a whole bunch of monsters
to spontaneously combust! Not a bad start to the 11<sup>th</sup> Doctor novels
but the best is yet to come: <b>6/10</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-34890210957890673722012-07-04T22:43:00.001+01:002012-07-05T07:13:43.214+01:00Judgement of the Judoon written by Colin Brake<br />
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<b>Plot: </b>The Doctor, a young investigator and Judoon Commander
become embroiled in the machinations at New Jupiter…</div>
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<b>Mockney Dude: </b>I’m not going to lie to you…you’re not going
to get the most dense characterisation of the Doctor in a Colin Brake novel.
You’re just not. Saying that he manages to write a fair intimation of the
character as seen on TV with lots of quirks and ticks that match David
Tennant’s portrayal. Apparently his eccentricity accentuates his natural goods
(I wouldn’t argue with the last bit). It must be an NSA if the Doctor gets
saddled with teenage sidekick but lets be honest he’s a big kid himself so he
works on their level! He deals in crisis management without the management. He
loves a good mystery and he loves four even more. A Judoon companion? Who would
have thought that could ever have been as effective as it is here? I think it’s
a great idea and I’m willing to bet that a lot less people would be willing to
point the finger at the Doctor on his travels if he was backed up by a
grunting, leather clad rhinoceros! I love the way he provides such violent
distractions while the Doctor gets up to no good in the background. The Doctor
is easy to like a fits in anywhere. There’s something secretive, lonely and
grief stricken and lonely about him for all he tries to cover it with smiles
and smart alec comments. The Doctor finds it easy to tar all of one species
with the same brush despite the fact that he is always meeting the exception to
the rule. Trustworthy and full of honour. He can convince you that you have had
a conversation and come to a decision when he has done all of the talking!
Beneath his energy and relentless enthusiasm there is a sadness and bitterness.
With a book as predictable as this it is a relief that at least the Doctor is
privy to each twist and turn because I couldn’t bear it if he was <i>this</i>
stupid. The Doctor had found good company on New Jupiter and the TARDIS feels
so empty without a companion. He has had the feeling for some time that change
was coming, something lurking in his near future. Something big, terrible and
inevitable…</div>
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<b>Great Ideas:</b> The Judoon are thorough but far from gentle and their
sledgehammer tactics are a cause for much drama (leaving hull breach in a ship
after cutting into it for access) and humour (the Commander crashing through a
door rather than walking through it!). They always get their man but its
usually at a pretty high price. 2487 and the human race is established amongst
the stars, colonies scattered about and hyperspace making travel over
incredibly long distances commonplace and swift. The King of Elvis spaceport is
right next to hyperspace nexus point on an otherwise uninviting world and has
grown from an automated fuel dump to sprawling city state with a permanent
population. It’s a place of contrasts; of wealth and glamour, grime and crime.
This is a fantastic (and authentic) Doctor Who setting with visits to casinos,
grimy Downtown cityscapes and mafia style organisations. It makes you ponder
wistfully. what this could have been if it hadn’t been quite so castrated by
the author and the tone of the series. It’s a spaceport of humans, aliens,
robots and androids and if you squint hard enough you can see Roger Langridge
going to town with his depiction of it! I loved the Courier exploding because I
genuinely did not think the book would ever go that far! Nikki might not be the
most sophisticated character in town (and her character spec is a barely
concealed reworking of Veronica Mars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer mixing
private investigations with her father with martial arts) but she proves to be
resourceful and quite engaging by the novels close especially in her dealings with
the hilarious Judoon Commander. Thank goodness she appeared in a Colin Brake
novel because I could only imagine how she would have fared in the hands of
Terrance Dicks (casual rape, probably), Mick Lewis (eaten) or Lawrence Miles
(deconstructed and turn out to be the Time Lord weapon that was needed to break
the deadlock seal on the Time War). Is this the first time the TARDIS has been
described as lost luggage? The Invisible Assassin is a virus coded to kill the
Widow – I never saw that one coming! 100 bombs are due to go off at Terminal 13
which might sound like an act of desperation to inject some tension on the
authors part but it really works, especially after one goes off and kills three
Judoon and then another goes off almost immediately afterwards. It feels (for
the first time in the book) that <i>anything</i> could happen. After everything
being so obvious for so long there are a number of great moments when all the
secrets are out in the open. I really thought there was going to be a touching
reconciliation between Uncle and Hope (its that sort of book) but instead he
dies in the most ironic of fashions (killed by the virus that he unknowingly
sent after his daughter) and slips away with the Doctor pointing out the error
of his ways and thinking his daughter must have <i>hated</i> him. Redemption
simply isn’t an option. For once the Doctor’s ‘I’m so sorry’ feels heartfelt
and not just a catchphrase. Salter’s involvement is well hidden beneath the
more obvious twists and he makes a number of salient points about how it is
‘always about money’ and that if the Doctor is above such things then ‘the rest
of us live in the <i>real</i> world.’ It might be another insurance scam but it
does have some bite. Hope also dies off-screen (so to speak) and unmourned. </div>
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<b>Embarrassing Bits:</b> The tone of this novel is more akin to
the adventures of the Famous Five than Doctor Who at times especially when we
open with the case of the Invisible Assassin on the Spaceship Tintin! New
Memphis sounds quirky but I’m starting to wonder if there’s a New <i>Everything </i>in
the future. There is a massively unsubtle parody of the Heathrow Terminal Five
crisis but at least it is part of the plot and not just a tasteless gag. Brake
has this annoying habit of introducing characters and settings and describing absolutely
everything about them in the first couple of paragraphs before they
speak/anything happens. We literally learn nothing more about them than what is
fed to us in that primary description. I understand that I am not the target
audience for these books but there is such a thing as talking down to children
and there are plenty of extremely engaging kids books out there that don’t
patronise them in this fashion (there are plenty of NSAs that don’t do it too
as exemplified by most of the novels since this was published). The Jupiter
Investigation Agency reminded me strongly of The 3 Investigators novels I used
to read as a little boy. If anybody hadn’t figured out that Hope was the Widow
and Nikki’s father was Moret then I would seriously question whether you should
be reading novels at all. I’ve never known Crime Lords that are so easy to make
an appointment with! Don’t they have underhanded Empires to run? There’s plenty
of references to deadlock seals, kronkburgers and psychic paper just in case we
didn’t know what era we are in! Frustratingly Brake has his characters
contradict themselves from paragraph to paragraph – its especially evident when
Uncle wishes he could have the same working relationship with his daughter that
Nikki has with her father than then exclaims that he wants her to have nothing
to do with his sordid business. </div>
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<b>Funny Bits: </b></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">‘At
least something works around here…’ – black humour as the Courier
spontaneously combusts and the sprinkler system manages to cool things
down!</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">One
character ponders how the Doctor could talk so fast and for so long and
say <i>nothing!</i> </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">‘Service
is swift. Thank you’ says the Judoon Commander to a taxi driver after his
horns have torn through his roof! </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">In
a laugh out loud moment the Commander cracks open a wall with his massive
horn to rescue Nikki! He’s a really useful guy to have around! </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">‘Why
is everything deadlock sealed these days?’ Good point! </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">I
chuckle at the observation that the bombs might have made less damage than
the Judoon seeking them out.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">It’s
a pat ending for sure but I was laughing my head off at the thought of the
Commander joining the Jupiter Detective Agency! Can you imagine that beast
going undercover? </li>
</ul>
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<b>Result: </b>I just don’t know how to sum up my reaction to
Judgement of the Judoon which has many fine elements but is constantly held back by
the childish writing voice of the author that makes any attempts drama fall
flat. If you thought that Terrance Dicks spelt things out (but he does it in
all the best ways) then you haven’t seen anything! I don’t care if the target
audience is an intelligent 12 year old…any kid worth their salt is not going to
be stumped by this imminently guessable plot with every twist signposted. You
get the feeling that there is a much darker, sleazier novel to be told in this
genuinely <i>great</i> location. Instead what we get is something more akin to
a PG13 James Bond crossed with Enid Blyton with a sprinkling of Scooby Doo (it
was Uncles daughter all along!)! Saying all that Colin Brake has one very
special weapon that he deploys to his full advantage. The Judoon Commander is a
fabulous character and lifts the book every time he appears with his honking
laughter and sledgehammer approach to everything. I wanted him to skip in the
TARDIS at the end with the Doctor. After 200 odd pages of light prose and
retarded plotting the book pulls off a coup in the conclusion with a handful of
dark and exciting moments. I feel as if I should be harder on this novel but it
does try and aim high even though it is restricted by the writing voice and the
tone of the book range. Brake’s books are improving successively but that
doesn’t mean this is anything to shout home about: <b>6/10</b></div>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-24940745444576425112012-05-29T17:07:00.000+01:002014-08-29T01:23:12.815+01:00The Gallifrey Chronicles by Lance Parkin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Plot: </b>The Doctor’s home planet of Gallifrey has been destroyed. The Time Lords are dead, their TARDISes annihilated. And the Doctor is about to find out why….<br />
<br />
<b>Top Doc:</b> There is so many vital eighth Doctor scenes that if I was to compile a list of his best moments it would consist of much of this book. What you need to do is forget the blurb which promises and epic confrontation between the Doctor and the Time Lords and instead appreciate that this is all done on a remarkably small scale, the focus here on characterisation and stunning dialogue. The Gallifrey Chronicles is basically an exploration of the eighth Doctor, what he once was, what he has done and what he is going to do in the future.<br />
<br />
The Doctor isn’t human and he lives in the now. He is an adventurer, a bookworm, a champion, a detective, an explorer, a father and grandfather, a historian, a iconoclast, a jackanapes, a know-it-all, a lord, a meddler, a nuisance, he was old, a physician and a quack, a renegade, a scientist, a traveller, a utopian, a violinist, a widower, a xoanon; he was youthful and a zealot. His history is one of temporal orbits, paradoxes, parallel timelines, re-iterations and divergences. And he has three ninth incarnations! He and Trix are both hiding something from their pasts. He didn’t cry for Miranda when she died, rather he remembered their time together and revelled in the fact he was now a Grandfather. He is accused of being a coward for not facing up to the terrible things in his past, Marnal sounding brilliantly like a few GB posters I know! It is wonderful to compare Marnal and the Doctor as the Doctor went out into the universe to discover himself and make a difference and Marnal stagnated in his dusty old house, writing his books and waiting for the answers to come to him. The Doctor has plenty of new memories now. He has felt unease when trying to remember back to before his amnesia. I love how he refuses to feel guilty even after he witnesses the fall of Gallifrey and his part in it, seeing for a fact that he has stopped the Faction menace spreading into the universe. The scene between the Doctor and Rachel is vital, where she admits that most humans live in misery and despair and the Doctor fights her argument at every turn, offering magic and wonder, excitement and imagination. Only the Doctor could break a promise before he has made it. He had always assumed that he was being protected from nasty old memories but it suddenly occurs to him that maybe the memories are being protected from nasty old him. Reading about Gallifrey, the Doctor nearly falls asleep…repetition, routine and ritual, he concludes it was no place to live your life. We finally discover why the Doctor has amnesia; he deleted his memories so he could store the entire contents of the Matrix in his mind. The reason he has been unwilling to explore his past is because revealing these memories will wipe them out and he has been left with an inbuilt aversion to probing to deeply. He sacrificed his identity in order to save the identity of his people, killing himself so their seed can survive and one-day flourish. This is so in tune with the eighth Doctor’s willingness to sacrifice himself for the greater good and in one fail swoop turns the amnesiac Doctor from the ultimate coward to the ultimate hero and makes his amnesia not only satisfying but also necessary. Brilliant. On his first day on the job he brought the dead back to life and he does the same here with Fitz who sums him up beautifully: “You’re going to bring millions of people back from the dead. God, you’re cool.” One day he knows he will fall but that wont stop him fighting the monsters and the final shot of him leaping into the Vore nest, Fitz and Trix at his side, is the perfect way to end his fictional adventures.<br />
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<b>Scruffy Git: </b>This book is as much about Fitz as it is the Doctor, considering this is his 51st book! For such an unpromising character (a sleazy, cigarette chugging space bum) Fitz has developed in leaps and bounds and easily become my favourite novel companion. Like Jaime is perfectly suited to the 2nd Doctor, Fitz is ideally paired with the 8th and I am really going to miss reading their adventures together. Fitz was an incredibly flawed character; not too bright, not that charming and yet he had a heart of gold and was faithful and funny. He made some really terrible books bearable. And he made some really great books practically flawless.<br />
<br />
When Trix’s life was in danger Fitz realised how much she means to him and how much he would miss her. To this end, once the regime has been toppled they head back to the TARDIS, drink a bottle of wine and make love. After fourteen failed romances this is Fitz’s successful romance number one! This confirms his earlier doubts about his life with the Doctor, realising he has finally grown out of him and that it is silly to keep following him around. He wants to settle down with Trix. In a scene that should have fans cheering he finally snaps at the Doctor when confronted with Sam Jones’ grave and doesn’t remember who she is. He accuses him of having two hearts and no balls, not willing to find out why he lost his memories. He is ashamed of the fact that he always stays the same although Anji says that is part of his charm. He is scared that he cannot adjust to a normal life. He feels as if everything is changing really fast but for the better. He thinks Trix is a beautiful person. After singing to a couple of dozen honest people in a pub and leaving with his beautiful girlfriend, Fitz doesn’t think he has ever been happier. He likes to think of his travels as adventures but so many people have died and he has known the Doctor longer than the Doctor has known himself. When they are attacked by the Vore Fitz proves himself selfless to the last, offering himself as bait so the woman he loves can escape. He asks her to tell him her name before he is slaughtered and he tells her he loves her. When Trix admits why she loved Fitz it reminds you of everything that was great about the guy…he was honest, what you see was what you got, she trusted him with her life so often it seemed like a natural thing, he didn’t play games, have hidden agendas or emotional baggage even after everything he had been through. When they are reunited he admits to the Doctor that he and Trix are moving forwards together and yet they both remain by his side, where they belong, whilst he fights of the latest threat.<br />
<br />
<b>Identity Tricks:</b> How far has Trix come in 11 books? She has had much more development than Compassion did in the same amount of page space. She started out as a one-dimensional bag of tricks (hahaha) but has matured into life in the TARDIS, respecting the Doctor, falling for Fitz and getting wrapped up in the adventurous spirit. All this without ever filling us in on much detail of her past…<br />
<br />
Admittedly Trix hasn’t carried a torch for Fitz long and only realises she wants to sleep with him when they uncork the wine. She admits to Fitz several times that she is hiding something nasty in her past but he is oblivious to this, so wrapped up in her. She was planning to stick around for a year or two and move her ‘career’ on. Trix and Anji cooked up a scheme between each other; she would send Anji information from the future and Anji would make investments based on that data. As a result Trix is now worth £150,000,000. She is described as a good catch and a beautiful person. Trix realises with sudden clarity that her relationship with Fitz is going to work. They know each other well, trusted each other with their lives, liked and respected each other and could talk to each other about everything and anything. We discover Trix murdered her father, her big secret she was hiding from and is on the run from the police, hence the disguises and the playacting to avoid her past. She weeps for the loss of Fitz when the whole world is falling to pieces around her. Her feelings for him snuck up on her but she really did love him. She occasionally forgets that things belong to other people. She begs the Doctor to bring him back for her and he obliges and proves at the climax that she has total faith in him, willing to leap into a nest of homicidal insects and help him save the day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxduH7ULoi6P2mIfZj1tpD4XTWBXZNEsTSCeF8iKLBkkLBLO9aVy3Qp9eejPOlzYwgDLUnn_wwAjIdXGuq4pE8kJV93g5HJYp4f5tz8uBLiRU4XNmwh_DEhrY9RV7t28K2kXs0a_nx1O0/s1600/eighth_doctor.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxduH7ULoi6P2mIfZj1tpD4XTWBXZNEsTSCeF8iKLBkkLBLO9aVy3Qp9eejPOlzYwgDLUnn_wwAjIdXGuq4pE8kJV93g5HJYp4f5tz8uBLiRU4XNmwh_DEhrY9RV7t28K2kXs0a_nx1O0/s400/eighth_doctor.png" height="100" width="200" /></a><b>Foreboding: </b>I could be talking complete nonsense but the Doctor’s willingness to try and re-build Gallifrey (probably via Remote technology if he can find it again!) could explain his presence on Gallifrey in The Infinity Doctors. It is obviously (to me) the eighth Doctor in that book and how he feels so content and at home on Gallifrey there would explain a hell of a lot. Ah well, its just a theory.<br />
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<b>Twists: </b>The first scene features Marnal regenerating and suddenly remembers the name of his home planet…Gallifrey! Marnal suffered amnesia and wrote down all his memories in a series of novels entitled The Gallifrey Chronicles. It is great for readers attracted to the books via the TV series to discover the fate of Gallifrey with Marnal. The flashback adventure with Miranda is positively charming and intelligently and wittily exploits the horror of mobile phones as an enemy a millions times better than the atrocious Stephen King novel Cell (and with far less pages). The Daleks are back, attempting to assassinate the Pope on his first visit to Mars! Sam is officially dead and if she hadn’t met the Doctor she would have lived to a ripe old age although the Doctor consoles himself with the knowledge that in periods of the future she would be alive again. Anji is now engaged and due to be married to Greg next year, she is now on the board of a multi national conglomerate bank and the fifth richest person in the country! We get to re-experience the destruction of Gallifrey and hilariously it is more atmospheric and dramatic written here than it was in The Ancestor Cell! The Doctor never was Grandfather Paradox, it just reflects back to emaciated form of whomever it is battling. The Doctor returns to the garden with the cunning man (the 7th Doctor) guarding the gate and is given a fabulous clue about the Matrix being in his head (there are 153,841 blossoms behind the gate minus 5). To the save population of London, the Doctor tosses a nuclear bomb in the TARDIS which rips through the ship and strips away everything until it is just a burnt out spaceship. The TARDIS can repair her structure but the contents are irreplaceable. The energy from the explosion is funnelled into the Eye of Harmony, which opens pinpricks and allows the Master (trapped there since the TV Movie!) to talk to the Doctor (he is the ghost in the machine, imprisoned with infinite power, condemned to godhood with no chance of parole). The Vore are attracted to Earth because of the pricks in the Eye of Harmony and their attack is genuinely apocalyptic, worldwide panic and a terrifying death count (shooting into a swarm is like shooting into a storm, no matter how many you kill there is always more). The set piece of Fitz and Trix clinging for dear life as the Vore attempt to bring their plane down is excellent, especially the end where Trix runs from the exploding engines that tear through the Vore. The Black Eye Sun is finally explained, it promises rule of the spaces between time to the five lost ghosts (remaining Time Lords). Brilliantly, K.9 is discovered hiding behind the back wall of the TARDIS (he was the one scratching in Trading Futures!) with orders from Romana to kill the Doctor! The Vore want to turn the human race into vomit, line their walls with it and plant their food spores (ugh). The Doctor’s stolen TARDIS was originally Marnal’s, it was with this that he originally attacked the Vore. Save the best twist for last, the Doctor’s revelation that he has saved the entire contents of the Matrix in his head, thus saving his people whilst wiping out the scourge that threatened to infect them.<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Embarrassing bits:</b> It looks like Trix killed her father and its a shame that there is so much going on that we never get to explore this further. The Doctor’s line about a PC borrowing his PC and being very PC is crap. Fitz turning on the Doctor is very sudden considering how loyal he usually is (but frankly it needed to be said) and wasn’t Fitz himself who prevented the Doctor getting his memories back in Halflife???<br />
<br />
<b>Funny bits: </b>There are lots of wonderful digs at the book series that made me chuckle heartily, its nice to see now the range is over they can take the piss out of their failings. Apparently a postmodern hero is on a journey of self-examination and self validation (just like the Doctor!). Every word of every novel is real, even if they contradict each other (cool that explains the dual explanation for why the Doctor’s heart turned black!). Marnal’s books had become an impenetrable jungle, alienating even the most loyal fans (just like the EDAs!). Whatever the books literary merits the covers were always a problem (hahahahaha). The trouble for the writer of a series books set on Gallifrey is that nothing much happened there (hehehehe). Parkin describes ideas from his old books as unreadable, senseless, risible tat! The Doctor criticises continuity, exclaiming who cares if Ace or Mel visited Paradise Towers? Why do we need it? The Doctor’s eyes slipped off the page before he got to the end of the first paragraph about Gallifrey, its that boring. The scene at the Roman Orgy is hilarious, especially Trix’s attempts to pull the disguise of a perfectly normal person and then the Mule suddenly revealing himself as the disguised alien!<br />
<br />
<b>Result:</b> Forget that blurb which seems to suggest an all out war between the Doctor and the remaining Time Lords and settle down to one of the best examinations of the Doctor in print. For a range that focuses too much on spectacle over examination and consequences it is fantastic to finally see so much pay off for outstanding plotlines and relationships. Fitz and Trix make a surprisingly believable couple and the fact that their relationship survives attempted arrests, diving planes and even death is wonderful. The Vore attack is really just a healthy reminder of what the Doctor is about, the real meat here is his examination of the past, finally discovering that he destroyed his planet. This revelation shifts the book amazingly when you realise what that Doctor managed to save from the destruction, shifting his character arc and the entire range from something that refuses to admit the truth and cowardly avoids the past into a justification of this satisfyingly necessary period of the Doctor’s life. He is the hero we always knew he was. The prose is simple but powerful and there are scores of gorgeous character scenes that you would expect from Parkin. Appropriately the Doctor’s past (Sam, Miranda, Anji) is recognised and his future is left wide open with possibilities (that gorgeous open ending that promises so much more…) and as a celebration of everything that this series did well it is about as perfect an ending as we could expect. A powerhouse novel, probably not the climatic ending you were expecting and yet all the better for it: <b>9/10</b><br />
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Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-27974187949002634112012-05-29T17:04:00.004+01:002012-07-05T06:58:11.533+01:00To The Slaughter by Stephen Cole<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_k4OCYkGPM6x7CRtFJWAK9a9jQxc4QDW9PANhNh7uSlj_F3XKWcI_s8hIO_bIThSx1RoF_5vQC7OyKKRAVPUWNSfazcTJZfYyFrUbzjTlMx7Btw5ec0wFebzD9CJnVZjNNGuVk8KuyA/s1600/To_the_slaughter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_k4OCYkGPM6x7CRtFJWAK9a9jQxc4QDW9PANhNh7uSlj_F3XKWcI_s8hIO_bIThSx1RoF_5vQC7OyKKRAVPUWNSfazcTJZfYyFrUbzjTlMx7Btw5ec0wFebzD9CJnVZjNNGuVk8KuyA/s320/To_the_slaughter.jpg" width="198" /></a><b>Plot: </b>Shock horror! Celebrity
decoriste Aristotle Halcyon is planning a spring clean of the solar system,
demolishing scores of Jupiter’s moons in order to bring them down to an even
twelve. But with eco terrorists plotting devious schemes, secret weapons being
developed and millions of innocents set to the slaughter it isn’t going to be
as simple as he feared…<br />
<br />
<b>
Top Doc:</b> What a forgettable fellow! Coming from Stephen Cole, the guy who knows
how bland the eighth Doctor can be (hell he guided him through three years of
total blandness!) and has delivered two excellent previous interpretations
(Vanishing Point’s Doctor was merciless and Timeless’ was shockingly violent
and funny). All out the window. This is the generic Doctor through and through,
he reacts to the plot appropriately, tells a few gags, defeats the baddies…but
there is little here to distinguish him from any of the others. It doesn’t help
coming after The Deadstone Memorial which featured some definitive eighth
Doctor characterisation. With some people it is football fixtures, with the
Doctor it is moons. He is gallant, always trying to protect Trix (much to her
chargin!). The first chapter sees him using an executive in a chair as a
weapon! He cannot resist a mystery, although they are supposed to be getting
the TARDIS back he gets embroiled into investigations into Falsh’s secret
project. In an almost homoerotic moment the Doctor is reunited with Fitz and
intimately kisses him on the hand. Brilliantly, it is the Doctor who sets of
the charges for the demolition of the moons, causing a wave of devastation that
snaps all the blood-crazed zombies out of their homicidal stupor.<br />
<br />
<b>
Scruffy Git:</b> Fitz too seems to be less than the sum of his parts, more an
amalgamation of his most well known traits than an honest portrayal of
everyone’s favourite space bum. We do discover he has a special link to the
TARDIS since he was reconfigured in Interference, when he was remembered some
bits were made up and some bits were improved. He falls for another bird, this
time it is the astonishingly bland Sook, the innocent victim of society and
perfect sob story material to drag old Kreiner down. What’s that…failed romance
number fourteen? Sheesh give it a rest man! He is described as culturally
illiterate and ignorant of everything. A mystery charmer? His relationship with
Trix is interesting, as he admits he would never leave the TARDIS without her.
Its nice to see his experiences with the Doctor helping him out and he uses
designs from Parallel 59, The Fall of Yquatine and Sometime Never… to aid in
his pretense as an art student! <br />
<br />
<b>
Identity Tricks: </b>Trix is given the best material here simply because we don’t
know her all that well so seeing her lurch from one crisis to another is a joy.
She has a famously low borderm threshold, petite and becoming. Even adrift in
space, Trix has standards. She is described as being hard, devious, and
manipulative and always trying it on…but at least you know where you are with
her. Sweetly when she is reunited with Fitz she throws her arms around him and
tells him she can rely on him whilst stepping on Falsh! She suggests that Fitz
couldn’t live without her. She gets all the best lines, getting all bitchy with
Tinya, pointing out the absurdities in the plot (“It’s a Trojan Slug!”) and
actually has great chemistry with the Doctor. Astonishingly enough all her
flitting around the universe she only felt she was in outer space when
confronted with stunning vista of the Milky Way. <br />
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<b>
Foreboding:</b> The intimacy between Fitz and Trix is about to blossom…<br />
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<b>
Twists:</b> The opening thirty pages read like a Benny Hill sketch on acid (you can
even hear the comic music!). It’s a load of running about, people being knocked
unconscious with soup ladles, people hiding under desks misleading those in the
meeting to think they are being felt up and Trix flirting outrageously with
people to escape (to the pointing of offering herself as an all you can eat
buffet!). There are loads of atmospheric descriptions of planetscapes which
genuinely take your breath away (The glowing eyes of planets and moons stared
in from the golden glass). Falsh’s attempts to destroy his weapons facility
goes horribly wrong when the facility launches in space…the Doctor and Trix
discover it and the piles of sickening corpses. The eco terrorists strike on
the eve of the grand demolition…by suggesting a new life form exists on one of
the moons…a space slug! Halcyonite, as the Doctor discovers, leaves you in a
hypnotic state and open to suggestion. Fitz’s latest squeeze steals the TARDIS
key and plans to duplicate and market the time machine…as the Endless Cupboard!
Torvin turns out to be the evil scientist…Klimt! The revelation that Sook
turned her parents over is quite a shock as is the fact that she is being
manipulated because this information by Gaws and Mildred. I loved the stampede…the
crowd of slavering, homicidal animals storming towards our heroes and ripping
through the crowd! The slugs turn out to be the ultimate weapon…indestructible
and inducing violence in all. Fitz’s murderous personality once under the
influence of the slug is really nasty and has various bloody fights. It would
appear we have a Kroton and a Sontaran at the alien auction but it is never
specified. The last scene of the Doctor, Trix and Fitz hugging on the TARDIS,
is lovely. <br />
<br />
<b>
Embarrassing bits: </b>Where do I start? Psychedelic paint that hypnotises people.
Indestructible space slugs that turn people into homicidal maniacs. The blatant
drug using. The fact that Fitz just happens to stumble across the rebels. The
chiggocks! None of these ideas is especially embarrassing as such…just totally
and utterly odd. Its like Cole doesn’t want you to like the book. This is a
book that wants you to enjoy its fluffy atmosphere of
escape/capture/flirt/threaten/steal and then accept a vicious bloody massacre
with a hideous death count. The jokes are fine but match with the violence and
things get…uncomfortable. <br />
<br />
<b>
Funny bits:</b> Pick a page. The books best asset is its humorous tone. The
future’s bright. The future’s class C. The mental Chiggock attacking Trix. Fitz
being killed by a glowing wall! The Doctor and Trix stepping in front of each
other as neither of them wants to appear a coward in the face of the fish faced
monster. <br />
<br />
<b>
Result:</b> Gah! Get rid of that editor! Whilst To The Slaughter is okay, it should
NOT be the penultimate eighth Doctor adventure! Its about nothing in
particular, contains nothing that indicates the series is winding down and
subsequently becomes one of the most forgettable, inconsequential books in the
entire range. It uncomfortably tries to mix violence and humour (which can work
if the writer is clever enough) with a cast of nobodies (the background of most
of the guest cast is all cliché). The regulars aren’t terrible especially Trix
who is great fun in her scenes and their growing intimacy is lovely to witness.
What saves the book is Cole’s bubbly prose which is effortlessly readable and
fun and his eye for catchy dialogue. All in all though, after such a good run
of books this is the only below average EDA since The Domino Effect and with
its whacky ideas and pointlessness it belongs way back in Cole’s editorship. Oh
the <i>irony</i>!: <b>4/10<o:p></o:p></b></div>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-16601155068915079242012-02-28T08:23:00.003+00:002012-07-05T07:00:25.227+01:00The Deadstone Memorial by Trevor Baxendale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Plot:</strong> Cal McKeown is suffering from terrible nightmares. He wakes in the heart of the night, blood seeping from his eyes, screaming obscenities and flinging himself bodily into the furniture. His mother is at her wits end until a stranger rushes into her life. A man with a Gladstone bag full of sweets and comics, a man with a million and one crazy ideas, a man who calls himself the Doctor…<br />
<br />
<strong>Top Doc:</strong> Practically perfect. You ask any man on the street who writes best for the eighth Doctor and they would probably point out Lance Parkin or Lloyd Rose. For me it is Trevor Baxendale, a hugely underrated writer who has the characterisation of the eighth Doctor down to a fine art. The Deadstone Memorial reminds me precisely why I love the Doctor but more importantly it reminds me why I love the eighth Doctor. <br />
<br />
I love how he shamelessly parades his theories to Hazel, offering up comics and sweets instead of medicine and rants about other planets much to her dismay. He is soft but has a self-confident look that says he can be tough when he needs to be. He is extremely attractive and charismatic here and exudes something magical. Its lovely to see him in such a domestic setting, especially when Hazel comes home to find him preparing the dinner…he is like what has been missing in their lives. He has a way of making you do things you wouldn’t usually contemplate. Fitz asks him why they are bothering with something as small scale as the McKeown’s to which he answers, “It’s a big universe out there, but the important thing in any universe is the people. They’ve got a problem and we can help, what other reason do we need?” There is a glorious scene where the excitable, childlike Doctor drags the stoic Hazel out onto the roof to wave at the stars, he is unpredictable and thrilling leading to Hazel commenting, “You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met.” He loves the Earth and doesn’t know who or what he would be without it. He has been feeling of later as though there is something inside him that wants to be free. He is hard to dislike although there is something slightly scary about him, like there is something awful to follow. He’s a scientist, an inventor, an explorer, a swordsman and he plays the violin. He makes a psychic barrier out of a CD Walkman and a colander! Hilariously, as they are chasing the ghost the Doctor asks a passer-by if he’s seen it saying, “It has teeth like this, you couldn’t miss him!” and demonstrates with his fingers! It is lovely how he is deeply concerned for not only the people in this story but the animals too, devastated when he thinks Milton the Mutt might be skinned alive by the rats and then heartbroken when the rats start dying! He is the presence that gives you hope your entire life, he always makes things better. The TARDIS feels bereft without him. It is glorious to see his magical affect on the McKeown family, gaining their trust, defeating their monsters and opening their eyes to the wonder of the universe. <br />
<br />
<strong>Scruffy Git:</strong> Fitz is scared of being on the Earth because when the time comes he might find he wants to stay. In a scene that demonstrates how much they are made for each other the Doctor and Fitz shout out their favourite ‘Earthy’ things including black pudding, snow on a Christmas morning and beautiful women. He likes to pretend he is a wuss but displays many brave acts here. He loves the TARDIS, it has been his home for as long as he can remember and he cannot forsee a time when he isn’t with the Doctor. His previous life is like a distant country, one which he has no intention of returning to. The climax of the book, where the Doctor is apparently missing forever has a very profound effect on Fitz, he doesn’t know what to do and wanders the TARDIS like a lost soul. His love for the Doctor beams out of every page in this book. <br />
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<br />
<strong>Identity Tricks:</strong> Even Trix is getting into the family spirit, finally loosening up, growing closer to her two friends and getting into the domestic spirit of the story. She even feels hurt when the Doctor accuses her of still only helping out for a profit, after everything she has done for him. She feels she knows the TARDIS pretty well but lately there is a feeling of apprehension in the air, like the future is holding its breath. In a very revealing moment she phones her mother to see how she is, letting her guard down totally. Later she phones Anji and arranges to send her a copy of next years Financial Times, apparently out of concern for her and Chloe. Described as tough as old leathery boots. Fitz thinks she just travels with them for a sight seeing tour of the universe and she is preparing to move her stuff out of the TARDIS at the climax when it looks as though the Doctor is not coming back. In a moment that surprises both Fitz and herself, she nervously offers to let him move in with her. <br />
<br />
<strong>Foreboding:</strong> Fitz wonders why he always jumps at the Doctor’s commands. He and Trix are getting much closer lately. We get another glimpse of the ninth Doctor, this time as a ghost in the TARDIS console room. Trix sending Anji next year’s paper is part of lovely scheme, revealed in The Gallifrey Chronicles. <br />
<br />
<strong>Twists:</strong> The opening scenes portray nighttime as a truly foreboding presence. Cal’s attacks are haunting, flinging himself around the room; eyes drained of colour, screaming out for help and choking himself to death, his tongue protruding obscenely. The Doctor and Fitz standing on the writhing, pulsing mud by the Deadstone memorial as the insects try and escape is horrible. The Doctor, Fitz and Trix investigating Crawley’s filthy cellar is great fun, the three really working together well as a team. The Doctor’s nightmare, blood flowing down his face as his skull splits open like an egg and a blood-slicked rat emerges, is brilliantly nasty. When Fitz breaks his wrist the Doctor does a fabulous hypnosis trick to stall the pain but in a lovely moment it catches up with him and he screams out. Hazel and Cal stepping into the TARDIS manages to recapture that awe inspiring wonder of the craft, especially Cal’s childlike delight at such a craft. The tree creature is sickeningly vile, eyes like wet grey toadstools, a gaping mouth in the soil revealing sharp teeth and gnarled, mud streaked tongue. Things get remarkably bloody towards the end…Crawley gets shot at point blank range, Harris is mauled by Milton, Cal screamed and thrashed and blood welled from his eyes until they looked like blackcurrants swimming in their own crimson juice. The action moves underground where Hazel finally gets to confront the creature that has been tormenting her children, like an after birth, spawned from the Earth itself. Eek rats! The Doctor and Fitz are attacked by a seething torrent of frightened, filthy, angry rats! When the alien crash-landed it split into two beings as a result of the trauma. The psychic energy ended up buried in the mud and the other half was stuck between dimensions. The creature was attacked and buried by Deadstone and it clutched at anything, soil, insects, tree roots and merged with them and took on a strange uniqueness of its own, driven insane. Deadstone fed it animals and children to keep it alive. Hazel slices its head open to reveal a nest of grey worms boiling inside. In the brilliant climax the beast tears free of its underground prison and Deadstone ages to death before them. The image of the Doctor, Fitz and Trix running off to the TARDIS laughing, heads full of dreams, is lovely. But nothing could be more beautiful than the last line as Hazel takes her children out into the evening air and waves up at the stars knowing that somewhere up there he will be waving back. <br />
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<br />
<strong>Embarrassing bits:</strong> Despite the excellent drama caused by the Doctor’s disappearance, his sudden re-appearance is skipped over a little too easily. For somebody who has made the ultimate sacrifice and will never be coming back from the other dimension he just sort of…appears. <br />
<br />
<strong>Funny bits:</strong> The Doctor has been playing a game of chess against himself (“I think I’ve nearly beaten myself but I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve that I haven’t spotted yet!”). His name-dropping the planet Kufan is hilarious (“You HAVE heard of it!” he cries at a dismaying Hazel!). <br />
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<strong>Result:</strong> Excellent, easily the best thing the ever improving Trevor Baxendale has written. It is a truly visceral horror story with some brilliantly disgusting moments; blood, mud, bones, rats and worms used to sickening effect. I love the fact that we never find out where the story is set and the gloriously mundane domesticity of the tale makes the supernatural aspect all the more frightening. As a character tale it works because the McKeown’s are so instantly recognisable, as a monster tale it is perfect because Crawley is loathsome and the soil creature is memorably vomit inducing and as a reminder of how <em>magical </em>the Doctor is it is practically unbeatable. This isn’t great literature but it is a fantastic story and written with relish, impossible to put down and delightful from start to finish. Rather than limping home the eighth Doctor is going out is fantastic style: <strong>9/10</strong>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-70156952889582055522011-12-19T08:37:00.003+00:002012-07-05T07:04:28.588+01:00Prisoner of the Daleks written by Trevor Baxendale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Plot: </strong>When the TARDIS jumps a time track lands back in the height of the Dalek Empire, the Doctor has to use all of his wits to prevent his greatest enemies from using time travel to turn the tide of Dalek history and irrevocably change the events of the Time War…<br />
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<strong>Mockney Wanderer:</strong> A huge glob of spit in the eye for all those people that dismiss the NSAs as having poor or no characterisation of the Doctor. Not only does Trevor Baxendale perfectly capture David Tennant’s wide-eyed Mockney Doctor but he also manages to scare us with the Doctor’s uncontrollable terror of the Daleks. There are some beautiful observations about the relationship between the Doctor and Daleks and the humans behave in equally obscene ways to the point where the Doctor begins to feel sympathy for one of the tortured creatures. It’s a remarkably intense portrayal of the Doctor and one of his best in print. Exceptionally good. <br />
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At the beginning of the book the Doctor and the TARDIS are having something of a domestic and she refuses to take him anywhere interesting anymore. I loved the observation that the Doctor has gotten on the wrong side of enough spiders in his time to keep well clear. It is noted that he wears a very tight fitting suit (ummm). His escape method is to tap out a morse code with a teaspoon! When he sees something of Martha and Donna in Stella the Doctor feels a longing for her to go with him. He never truly understands what happens to people when they die. He has too many bad memories, too many nightmares about the Daleks to feel anything but revulsion for them. He understands the creatures implacably, ‘They want to drag you into a long drawn out war because that’s what they like. Destruction, killing, slaughter, extermination. It’s what they do.’ The Doctor gets angry when he sees the remains of Auros; he finds it a stupid waste to destroy the planet since a self-inflicted wound of this intensity saves the Daleks from bothering. It’s the Doctor’s cold, quiet terror of the Daleks that makes them so frightening. His violent, suicidal rant at Bowman is genuinely disturbing. When the humans start tormenting the Dalek mutant the Doctor questions whether the Daleks have already won, losing their humanity. When the Dalek lets rip its first agonising scream the Doctor sinks to his knees in the corridor – this is some remarkably vivid characterisation. He longs for his companions of old, somebody who understands. He understands perfectly when Koral admits she is the last of her kind and if she dies there is nothing left of her civilisation. The Dalek prisoner thinks the Doctor has come to gloat at the end of its life. He tells the creature that their reign of destruction will end in burning and that there is a storm coming. In a rare moment of levity the Doctor is thrilled at the very notion that he is seeing something new that he has never seen before when they land on Arkheon. Apparently he hates name dropping (yeah, right) and is deeply embarrassed that he has to tell the Daleks who he is! It’s a great moment, he whispers his name to a Dalek and its headlamps flash involuntarily and its gun stick twitches. The Doctor is clearly revered within the Dalek echelons since the meeting between him and the Inquisitor General is made with a shivering thrill. The Doctor likes impossible. Dalek X sums up the Doctor as having above average intelligence, continually changing his appearance to avoid detection and relying on fortuity. He hates continuity (yay!). I loved Bowman’s comment, ‘Don’t cry, you’ll set the Doctor off, you know what a wimp he is.’ Its great to see the relationship between the Doctor and Bowman, how he is forced into respecting the Time Lord by his sheer drive of positivity and determination to survive. He insults, abuses and generally distrusts the Doctor throughout but before the end of the book they exchange slight smiles. There is a great image of the unrelenting tenth Doctor visiting Dalek X trapped beneath the surface of Arkheon never to be discovered and telling him that the Daleks always lose because they never learn, because everybody in the universe is better than them. I questioned the logic of having the Doctor travelling alone for the last of the Tennant books but Prisoner of the Daleks totally justifies the idea. He is a lonely force of nature and absolutely riveting to read about. <br />
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<strong>Foreboding:</strong> The Time War is mentioned several times. It must be tempting for the Doctor to tweak events whilst he has managed impossibly skip back before the War and change things in the Time Lords favour. <br />
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<strong>Twists:</strong> That’s a fantastic cover; it had me practically salivating when I first saw it! There is a delicious Nation-esque beginning set in a macho location with the doctor falling into a logic trap like a fly caught in honey. The mention of the Dalek heartbeat and the awesome comic strip Dalek font caused a fan boy thrill to ripple through me. Stella has a piece of exploded fuel tank jutting from her thigh and bleeds profusely before being exterminated; this is one book that does not respect its nice characters. What about the image of the icy Dalek, dripping with icicles. Dalek armour learns and adapts. Bounty hunters receive a bonus for every Dalek eyestalk they bring back. The Dalek Generation are orphans who have lost their parents in the Dalek War with the Earth Empire. There are enough self-destruct explosives inside a Dalek to keep a bomb disposal squad busy for a month. Spooks are Earth military intelligence agents. We are greeted by Auros on fire, the planet burning and breaking apart. The Osterhagen Principle is to detonate warheads to stop the enemy getting hold of the planet. In an inevitable moment of mass slaughter the Daleks surround the Auron fleet and destroy the lead ship as an example of why they should surrender. Page 78 features a truly spine chilling revelation about the Daleks, that they can blast a human to death in a split second but they deliberately turn down their weapons when exterminating their victims to make sure it hurts and lasts. The Dalek mutant is described as ‘something pale and wet moved like a slug amongst the exposed machinery.’ They gouge the mutant free of its housing like an oyster from a shell and its accompanied by a foul stench of pure wrongness. The dying Dalek is a ‘distended brain sac lying like a rotten melon, squid like arms coiled around the carcass.’ The Arkheon Threshold is a tear in time and space at the heart of a planet torn asunder by the Daleks. A pale, wraith like world, shrouded in mists and shimmering ice with one half of the planet a glowing molten core exposed to space like a luminous scab. The Dalek planet splitters are like hitting an apple with an axe. Imagine reaching the mist shrouded molten rock at the edge of a planet? The exposed molten core of Arkheon broils and spits cauldrons of fire into space. Daleks love prisoners; humiliation, torment and slavery are their thing. The Dalek experimentation facility is called the Black Hole because once you go in you never come out. How scary is the thought of Daleks with surgical instruments instead of suckers? The Wayfarer is blown up in front of Bowman and its remains scars the snow for hundreds of metres. The truth is that the Daleks are losing and they want to use the Arkheon Threshold to change time and turn things in their favour. Anger is something that every Dalek knows. One truly magnificent scene sees a Dalek crushed by an invisible magnetic fist and the creature inside is forced through the splits in the metal armour! The story ends on a fantastic planet-bursting explosion, which ruptures and disembowels the most devastating Dalek warship. <br />
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<strong>Funny Bits: </strong>Tenten 10 is the decimal planet! <br />
‘Between them an your lot, it’s a wonder there are any planets left in the galaxy!’ <br />
Apparently the TARDIS is designed to blend in and come and go like a whisper in the night…what went wrong?<br />
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<strong>Result: </strong>A fantastic read. Unexpectedly adult and graphic with some devastating psychological moments, this is a cut way above your average NSA. What I really loved about this story was the mention of the mock sixties things like ‘Space Major’ and some of the more Saward-esque macho dialogue, it’s a real love letter to the Dalekmania that spread through the classic series whilst never forgetting the fantastic innovations of the new series. The Doctor is really put through the wringer and makes some fascinating observations about the Daleks and we learn so many new and wonderful things about the creatures beyond their ability to exterminate. Add to all of this Trevor Baxendale’s most accomplished prose to date, some stunning imagery and a cracking final scene and you have a book which scores very highly on every count. I wouldn’t want every book to be this intense but it makes for a gripping change of pace: <strong>10/10</strong>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-75566425106679403362011-12-16T08:07:00.003+00:002012-07-05T07:06:59.032+01:00Spiral Scratch written by Gary Russell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Plot:</strong> Lampreys, Doctor’s and Mel’s…oh my! The sixth Doctor has to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the whole of space and time, over and over and over and over and over and over…<br />
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<strong>Theatrical Traveller:</strong> Gary Russell has always been able to capture the sixth Doctor really well. I think he has a definitive image of this much criticised incarnation, one that is far fluffier and cuddlier than the guy we saw on the television. He pushed him in that direction with Big Finish but Colin Baker was still on hand there to give the Doctor some bite and he has really let this far more pleasant Doctor flourish in his novels and yet he still can’t resist leaking in some of his more theatrical and annoying extremes. They are part and parcel of the character no matter how much you try and dress him up as something more approachable. This is perhaps the ultimate sixth Doctor novel (don’t mistake that with the best), a multi Doctor story that finally has the guts to be about various assortments of the same Doctor and we are introduced to some intriguing alternatives. I could bang about the problems with this novel as long as you want to hear them I still couldn’t deny that Spiral Scratch leads up to a moment of self sacrifice with emotional consequences rarely seen in the books and with a final chapter that beautifully explores how much we have come to love the sixth Doctor. It may contradict Head Games (who cares?) but this is a very worthy final end for my favourite Doctor. <br />
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The Doctor always won arguments. What on Earth was he wearing? The Doctor has a nice smile even if his fashion sense borders on the disastrous. When he beams it is easy to feel warm and comfortable around him. One of the alternate Doctors is black cloaked with a scar on his face and comes from a universe where England is still an Empire with Empress Magararita is on the throne. The Doctor has a Tigger look and curly hair like Diana Ross! He can be a big baby sometimes. He threatens to punch Rummas on the nose for all of his interference. Sophisticated, elegant and remarkable or a blowfish with an over inflated sense of self importance. The Doctor would happily sacrifice himself, use himself as bait. I love the myriad of sixth Doctor’s from alternative realities – a little touch of magic when we see the Doctor and Evelyn and the Doctor and Frobisher. I know some people get upset when writes suggest these different ranges exist in different universes but as an excuse to bring together all these wonderful sixth Doctor’s we have been privy to I can think of worse storytelling techniques. All of them are sacrificing themselves to save reality – what a guy. Each an every sixth Doctor is giving his life to ensure that his personal timeline will live on. Looking at the stars he has saved the Doctor thinks his sacrifice was worth it. He feels he has had a good innings and cannot complain this time. <br />
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<strong>Screaming Violet:</strong> Its really odd that Gary Russell, champion of Melanie Bush in the Doctor Who novels should get her so totally wrong in her last book. The Mel we saw on TV was a bubbly, perky, melodramatic fitness freak with a lust for adventure and totally in love with both of her Doctor’s. The Mel of Spiral Scratch is a depressed, downbeat, miserable, bitchy, swearing, moaning sort of girl who argues with everything the Doctor says. It’s the worst thing about the book by far and a real shame because had this been corrected Spiral Scratch would have scored even higher. Russell tries to fill in a lot of the gaps in Mel’s life but a lot of it doesn’t ring very true (the Shag Palace!!!). <br />
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Described as a wrapped up boiled sweet, Mel is wearing her pink and white puffed up costume from Time and the Rani which should give you a clue as to where this is leading. With Mel its all black and white unlike the Doctor who can really spin a yarn. Lately Mel has had a pang for Sussex and her parents, a comfortable living room at Christmas, dates, walnuts and figgy pudding. She’s also have odd memories of a troublesome sister… Oddly whilst Helen Lamprey is being friend Mel’s only thought are to punch her lights out and thinks lovely thoughts like ‘die bitch die!’ When they first moved South Mel’s mum always threw impressive dinner parties to try and fit in. I rather like Melina the slave, its an intriguing take on the Doctor/Mel dynamic. There’s a lovely scene where we think we are with our Mel and the Doctor but it transpires it is Melanie Baal the Silurian! Mel sneakily tries to find out about her own future. Does Mel have a sister called Anabel that she knows nothing about? For Mel Pease Pottage is the home that says love and the TARDIS is the home that says friendship. Mel broke her eighteen month sister like a biscuit? She isn’t sure what happened to Peri and she isn’t sure the Doctor knows either. I really liked it when Mel, Melanie Baal and Melina all join forces to save the Doctor – the madness starts to cohere. The Doctor is a father figure to Mel, they needed each other. <br />
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<strong>Foreboding:</strong> Lakertya is on the edge of this system. Turns out the Doctor was dying all along when the Rani’s tractor beam buffers the TARDIS! <br />
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<strong>Twists:</strong> Chapter one is surreal but it certainly peaked my interest. The story of Dominique and Julien is lovely, a fairytale of two green children who turned up in a village to cure its ills. I could have read a whole book in this vein. Several versions of the Doctor turn up in the console room to warn him of the Lamprey. Chapter four is actually a very beautiful piece of writing, probably the best thing Russell had written to date as Mel’s parents say goodbye to her dead sister before moving away. Rummas obtained a TARDIS and nips into burning buildings and saves books that would otherwise be lost. Lots of dead Rummas’ and dead Doctor’s? There are temporal shenanigans centring on the library on Carsus, a pan dimensional rip, a scratch right through the groove of the vortex spiral causing jumps and gashes. When a Lamprey snatches away somebody time makes adjustments and installs a new person to take their place and fiddles with the details to make sure everybody thinks that has always been the case. Maddeningly (but also quite fun) you can’t tell if you are reading about the same character from scene to scene or one from a different universe! In one universe we visit Utopiana City wrecked by the Lamprey, chewing up concrete towers and spitting out the rubble to crush the inhabitants. Chapter seven is a moonlit flit through various realities whilst the lamprey devours the best of each reality. Cleverly the story crosses through interstitial time and tells the same narrative with different versions of the Doctor and Mel. The lamprey devour time, extinguishing entire multiverse of realities just to fed. It needs a focus, someone to home in on and break through into that reality and they seek out time sensitives and use them as an anchor when they arrive. Rummas has stolen a Spiral Chamber from Gallifrey. I like how Russell plays the same scenes over from the POV of the opposing characters – pages 137-139 are the same as 41-43. If the Spiral were to become damaged and allow leakage within realties all creation could descend into chaos and only the Lampreys would survive. Monica is the green girl from the opening chapters, the female Lamprey. Sir Bertrand is also a Lamprey who blocked his memories so he could forget who he is. Chapter sixteen features Helen’s party again but this time its told on a space station rather than a country manor house – these parallels are boggling! Rummas caused the moment where chaos was unleashed upon creation. Every action he has taken to go back and prevent what he has caused has been anticipated and negated by the Lampreys. This filth is going to destroy everything, past, present and future just to its bloated existence. The chronon energy the Doctors have built up tears free and kills all of the sixth Doctor’s and the Lampreys.<br />
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<strong>Embarrassing Bits:</strong> A cover more garish than the sixth Doctor’s coat, Simon walked into the bathroom whilst I was reading this in a steamy bath and asked why I was reading a murray mint! Why doesn’t Russell learn from the mistakes of his previous books, like Instruments of Darkness come chapter three there are too many characters and choppy scenes with no momentum. Sometimes the prose is just…yuck (page 100 –‘clearly facing the same treacle effect’). The Last Resort did rather a better job of playing the trick of shifting to a different universe from scene to scene and built up t a spectacularly surreal and exciting climax but then I simply think Paul Leonard’s prose is superior which automatically makes things easier. The Earth Empire, the evil Nazi’s and their space conquering Fuhrer were finally destroyed – given the imagination he displays here surely this is the least imaginative alternative universe imaginable? 117,863 Mel’s – the mind <em>boggles!</em> Oh come on…Mel used to live in ‘the shag palace’ when she was at university and whilst she pretended to be prim and proper she secretly loved it! Mel saying ‘Screw you. Bitch!’ is just plain wrong and following that up with a right hook is even worse! ‘Why are you so pissy all the time?’ is a another horrible Mel line. <br />
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<strong>Funny Bits:</strong> <br />
· We get to read an extract of Benny’s view of the Time Lords – ‘Time Lords are like that. Gits. Pompous gits of the highest order. No one likes them very much. Because they’re gits. Big, fat smelly ones.’ The Doctor mentions it is ‘written I believe by some grumpy Professor or other.’ Mel likes her which is ironic consider she would hate her in Head Games! <br />
· The Doctor wrote ‘The History of Gumblejack fishing in the eighth galaxy’, did signings, dinner speeches and made a fortune and donated it to charities the universe over! He became known as the Great Benefactor! This might be a lie. <br />
· ‘Sometimes you can be infuriating!’ ‘Only sometimes? I’m slipping…’<br />
· Page 153: ‘I’m waiting thirty minutes for your response and using software to speed up your words so I can understand them.’ ‘Oh.’ ‘That wasn’t worth waiting for!’<br />
· ‘It’s alright I always get a twinge when I discover myself dead. I think its times way of telling me to watch myself.’<br />
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<strong>Result:</strong> Ignore the odd horrendous Russell turn of phrase, this book is a kaleidoscope of wacky imagination and clever ideas. There are problems for sure but considering this range has already flogged the alternative universe angle to death Russell manages to find lots more interesting things to do with the premise including a multi Doctor story with the same Doctor, some delicious end of the universe action which feels genuinely apocalyptic and a truly climatic finale with a deeply moving finale chapter. The story is not especially well structured, each chapter feels like a short story in an anthology with some being rather good and others not so but astonishingly there is the odd dribble but on the whole a distinct lack of fan wank. ‘It’s very complicated’ says Mel – too complicated, you could happily snip a handful of characters, dodge a few pointless revelations and make this story a smoother ride. Spiral Scratch is ambitious and brave and even if the author doesn’t quite have the skill to pull off the insanity of the ideas coherently there is still a great deal of fun to be had here: <strong>7/10</strong>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-34161430972383460172011-10-04T10:21:00.002+01:002012-07-05T07:08:34.525+01:00The Sleep of Reason by Martin Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSQYIWVOc4ln2xpg5Hdjj6hcYaE_8jyvWkXjFj9_SQb01BhyphenhyphenY0cnsExUAEvDqy0ho7G5co4TYntexjtZTCgPhSS8d0vwJcz3w9RS0ZyHj5-1AFm9GGlPDbBsf9UidueVtR7b9WC0COrQ/s1600/The%252520Sleep%252520of%252520Reason%252520Cover.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659565421460225426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSQYIWVOc4ln2xpg5Hdjj6hcYaE_8jyvWkXjFj9_SQb01BhyphenhyphenY0cnsExUAEvDqy0ho7G5co4TYntexjtZTCgPhSS8d0vwJcz3w9RS0ZyHj5-1AFm9GGlPDbBsf9UidueVtR7b9WC0COrQ/s320/The%252520Sleep%252520of%252520Reason%252520Cover.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a><strong>Plot:</strong> Caroline is a perfectly healthy young girl, except she takes a razor to her wrists with alarming regularity. She dreams of a sinister house and to her surprise finds herself admitted to it, the Retreat, a home for the mentally ill. There she finds herself under the scrutiny of the mysterious Dr Smith and his two assistants…<br />
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<strong>Top Doc:</strong> I always applaud experiments and here Martin Day surpasses himself, writing the book entirely from the POV of the guest characters. It affords a unique view from the outsiders POV of the Doctor and his friends and their crazy adventures. <br />
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He is described as two parts Lord Byron and one part Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen. He is brilliant one moment and almost an idiot savant the next. He seems trouble when asked if he has ever been married (Mary, Debbie) but merely states that he is an observer of such things and watches from afar. He has no ear for gossip. The Doctor cannot bear to be in the same place for more than five minutes. With the Doctor days can feel like weeks and months can pass by in the blink of an eye. The Doctor hates labels (Jungian, Freudian) because they limit potential, ring fence freedom and stamp out individuality. One morning he can believe one thing, the evening something completely different. He believes in truth – justice and prejudice, freedom and slavery, good and evil. He is intimately familiar with people but powerless without permission to proceed. You could never imagine him doing anything as mundane as sleeping, eating or scratching his balls. He tries not to dream because he has nightmares. His touch is not sexual or abusive but more sensual and powerful. He is attracted to weird things which he tries to put right, has power but he chooses to turn away from evil. The Doctor, the man who is most human of all is not human at all. The Doctor is very protective towards the time continuum. He attracts the Sholem-Luz because of all the pain and anguish he has carried over the years. He might be odd and distant at times, but he is full of marvellous insight and irrepressible energy. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6rRVYwATzOatbslkjErsbsp4WjagnwcmMHi1HUzF6etJ5KEKDSc4bva6VEfr2NOgj5ZvgNYANtiqNqvWtlivelwvQyohbE3qIglKp0tO64ZeG1ZdlATFUOUXY70hb-OZ8YcbjUqKnHM/s1600/mcganndrwhoauto250.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659565778284240914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6rRVYwATzOatbslkjErsbsp4WjagnwcmMHi1HUzF6etJ5KEKDSc4bva6VEfr2NOgj5ZvgNYANtiqNqvWtlivelwvQyohbE3qIglKp0tO64ZeG1ZdlATFUOUXY70hb-OZ8YcbjUqKnHM/s320/mcganndrwhoauto250.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="252" /></a>Best of all of this marvellous insight into his character is his admission that his time in the Retreat will probably amount to very little but sometimes all you can do is make a difference to a few lives. For too long now he has been focussing on the ‘bigger picture’ and the details are just as important. People are as fundamental to him as anything. After his universe ending escapades in the alt universe arc, this is some real development for his character…as he was gagging to just spend some time with people in Sometime Never… but he had other, more important priorities. This follows nicely into the next book where he goes all domestic and sets up home and helps out just one family…<br />
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<strong>Scruffy Git:</strong> Described as the dopey bloke and uncombed hair and 5’oclock shadow. Fitz is scared if he goes into therapy (after all the screwing around with his brain!) he might never come out! He is learning from the Doctor, being influenced by him. Unquestioningly loyal and uncomplicatedly honest (that just about sums him up!). When facing death, Fitz is still thinking about sex (I love this guy). You could forgive him anything. Seeing Fitz from other peoples POV makes him seem something of a drop out and totally obedient to the Doctor’s commands. <br />
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<strong>Identity Tricks:</strong> Whilst I don’t agree with wasting Trix’s scarce page space by putting her in the books background it is fascinating how sinister and bullying she seems when seen from other people’s perspective. Described as the bitchy blonde. Terrible things hide behind her eyes. She is as fresh as a daisy and much sexier. Her interests differ from the Doctor and Fitz but they look out for each other. She has many diverse faults but as an agent of intrigue and stealth, Trix cannot be faulted. She is from the bull in the china shop school of tact. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmR9iKU30L2L1y8LH_5IiiZZuc8-BfFYVwtTzUonchZpiVjQl94AdIjGb_Js5BD774tBZhBZZP09hZbgHd7aVjCeZB7_-Tq14UlWIJyS10ybn1oN-Oe0bl83gRyGwmTOdrL_q8SwvD3Ro/s1600/19884-mental_hospital.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="210" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659565917504479714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmR9iKU30L2L1y8LH_5IiiZZuc8-BfFYVwtTzUonchZpiVjQl94AdIjGb_Js5BD774tBZhBZZP09hZbgHd7aVjCeZB7_-Tq14UlWIJyS10ybn1oN-Oe0bl83gRyGwmTOdrL_q8SwvD3Ro/s320/19884-mental_hospital.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="320" /></a><strong>Twists:</strong> The first scene featuring the Doctor (?) locked up in a mental asylum are intriguing to say the least. Caroline’s introduction is featured in the first chapter which is shockingly brutal and real, slicing her wrists open, the slice of metal throbbing with possibility, able to berth her into a more adult world. The scenes from Laska’s POV with the Doctor are excellent as she tries to work out the rules of their mental battles. Laska’s dream in the bath of the hound trying to naw through the bathroom door and waking up with vicious red bite marks, is hypnotically scary. Terrifying mental struggles ensue with Miss Thorne as she recounts having her child taken from her, externalising her frustration and anger by having a row with her lost child. Equally disturbing is Fern kicking Mary Jones until she cannot speak, pinning her down between her breasts with his boot and bashing her skull open with a rock whilst spouting religious dogma. Tracy Wade has her car flipped over and is savaged by the death hound. Dr Christie, doused with oil, glistening like a newborn phantasm of evil, plans to set fire to himself, the bodies and all of Masoulus House. The Sholem-Luz are attracted to the insane, creating tunnels through the fabric of time and space, obeying their biological imperative. They infected a lower species (in this case a dog) who bites one of the asylum workers….who sets about burning the bodies of dead, producing more seeds to scatter on the time winds and infect other places and times. We discover Lis was the one who helped Laska’s father die in a mercy killing. She catches her husband straddling one of the nurses and kicks him in the nuts! Ms Thorne turns out to be Laska’s great, great grandmother and we witness her passing away in Dr Christie’s arms over her father’s grave in a very moving scene. In the busy climax Fits and Trix are trapped in the basement with the patients whilst James (the Sholem-Luz infected host) threatens to feed them to the flames. The Doctor uses his dark memories to attract the Sholem Luz after him into the past and they die in the fire of their own making in Masoulus House. Brilliantly we discover the Doctor was responsible for saving the lives of Christie, Macksay and Torby, the very journal we have been reading throughout is infected with his presence. To avoid waiting another century to see his friends (again!) he sleeps in a sarcophagus in the basement and makes a superb entrance (“How is anyone supposed to sleep through all this racket?”) in the climax! I loved Laska’s last line, when you realise she joined the Retreat a year ago as Laska but is going home Caroline, the Doctor having touched her life in a most profound way. <br />
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<strong>Funny bits:</strong> Finally somebody points out how hideous Fitz and Trix’s names are!<br />
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<strong>Result:</strong> The second of two back-to-back classics and firm proof that the EDAs aren’t going to go out quietly. The Sleep of Reason is my idea of an adult book, one that deals with serious and disturbing issues with sensitivity and emotion and looks at its characters deeply, allowing the reader to get under their skin and understand what makes them tick. It is a dark and mature piece that grips you with the quality of the characterisation and the density of the prose. The characters feel like real people, nothing is sensationalised and the feelings brewed up are painfully real. Refusing to allow us access to the regulars thoughts is another superb plus point, allowing some unexpected and delightful characterisation (especially the Doctor who has rarely been as glowing). A dark, mature and frightening book and a winner in every sense of the term: <strong>10/10</strong>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-37481469343560205252011-08-31T08:14:00.004+01:002012-07-05T07:10:00.966+01:00The Story of Martha by Dan Abnett (with short stories by David Roden, Steve Lockley & Paul Lewis, Robert Shearman and Simon Jowett)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJX7lITNUl3AXSnt5NKOWyA1t34JZ4GxIRqYaKaKQmkUjbWe3YhNwuhtTiu0twOeZwfAdL49Lwpx3P4wUPfDmBdz9kuFkhejqP0NpXfvtLUfgJaEP8Thk3aV8FwvshEZnkQky5VTrcuI/s1600/story_of_martha.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646917397559693714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJX7lITNUl3AXSnt5NKOWyA1t34JZ4GxIRqYaKaKQmkUjbWe3YhNwuhtTiu0twOeZwfAdL49Lwpx3P4wUPfDmBdz9kuFkhejqP0NpXfvtLUfgJaEP8Thk3aV8FwvshEZnkQky5VTrcuI/s320/story_of_martha.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="197" /></a><strong>Plot:</strong> One year. Martha Jones is on the run from the psychotic despot that has murdered one tenth of the world’s population. She has a mission. This is her story…
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The Story of Martha bridges the gap between The Sound of Drums and The Last of the Time Lords and thus potentially makes this the most important NSA yet. You could also throw in the reverse argument that because the entire invasion is unwound at the end of the series three this is the least important book because for everybody except Martha none of these events ever took place! Personally I think it is fascinating to see what happened to Martha during her year on the run. I have never made any secret of the fact that I think Russell T Davies is the <em>ultimate </em>build up storyteller, he can get you more excited than practically any other writer and I found The Sound of Drums utterly spellbinding. Alas Davies is also the absolute worst writer when it comes to concluding his stories and he very often uses narrative cheats such as the deadly Voyager reset button (as he did with the conclusion of this three parter). I am extremely grateful that The Story of Martha was written because not only were people taking the books seriously again but it gives the duff concept of the people of the Earth turning the Doctor back into his usual self with the power of hope some real weight. Given what we see here the Earth is a truly haunting place to live and the stories that Martha tells really are uplifting and heart-warming. Congratulations to Dan Abnett for taking something that was fudged in the TV series and making it work in the novels.
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<strong>Mockney Dude: </strong>Considering he only appears in one paragraph in the main storyline the Doctor makes a massive impression on this book. Martha is out there telling wonderful stories of her life with the Doctor and his name is used as a badge of hope. Its one of the best examples of his impact on the Earth, the fact that the mere mention of his name means salvation, can raise a smile and suggest that things will one day get better. Telling this story through Martha’s eyes who clearly adores him far more than she should allows people to fall in love with him the way she does. The Doctor never pays attention to warnings; paying attention is for cats and he’s more the golden retriever type blundering in all happy and excited! He passes through eternity with no end in sight. The comings, goings and losses fade somehow. He hides it. Once it was a struggle to remember. He had family once but they were lost to the inferno. The Doctor always finds the cleverest way to fight and its never with guns and bombs. I love the sequence where the nameless snowy wraiths want to feed on the Doctor’s hopes and desires and where he has explored and he tells them ‘if you want a feast, you better be hungry.’ Rob Shearman really understands the Doctor and sums him up beautifully in his short story; on his planet, maps never said here there be dragons because his people had been everywhere and explored everything. When he was a child he wanted to be an explorer but there was nowhere left to discover and they told him what was the point? He’d found a point. And whenever he’d forgot it he’d close his eyes and dream again and there it would be. Fantastic stuff.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ynHJ4SOQByz7y0CJXLw6lFgeg3-vqzJjI5tRzmZF1jv5yApXwDPZHzgX92DtY0kAxRL48MxGQ7BucUkTZd_2mGYuyBenx5XZPFk0AfMRhG72BSS1_kzZ28Fr_k5HqO4erOMO-iWi6fs/s1600/Martha_Jones_-_Last_of_the_Time_Lords_8.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="176" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646917531695082642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ynHJ4SOQByz7y0CJXLw6lFgeg3-vqzJjI5tRzmZF1jv5yApXwDPZHzgX92DtY0kAxRL48MxGQ7BucUkTZd_2mGYuyBenx5XZPFk0AfMRhG72BSS1_kzZ28Fr_k5HqO4erOMO-iWi6fs/s320/Martha_Jones_-_Last_of_the_Time_Lords_8.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="320" /></a><br />
<strong>Delicious Doctor:</strong> Along with The Last Dodo this is Martha’s best book. Here we experience her resource, intelligence, skill, warmth and determination. If there was any doubt that Martha Jones could hold up a book on her own this is a bop on the nose to any doubters. Her characterisation speaks for itself. Whatever this books merits are in the literally sense it is an awesome coming of age story for Martha because although everybody else has their mind wiped of these awful events, she <em>remembers</em>. This is what makes the woman that would go on to command forces in UNIT, be left with the responsibility of the entire planet and face down the Daleks.
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Martha had acquired an extraordinary amount of fame that really bothered her. People treated her like a saint and would willingly lay down their lives for her. Leo had been an enthusiast of Commando comic so Martha knew all about Dunkirk. This year hangs on her like a dead weight and she wishes she could cast it off. Martha considers Jack’s teleport bracelet one of the top five most painful ways to die. Martha never ran from a fight but she knew when a fight was lost. She’s proper easy on the eyes. Being on the run from armed thugs felt unpleasantly real. She almost hates the Doctor for asking so much of her. Martha is totally, strangely focussed when she is in the most danger. Weatcher tells Martha that the Doctor is ‘not the one.’ Telling the stories reminded Martha of what really mattered. Rob Shearman also aces Martha and the first two pages of The Frozen Wastes say more about her character than anything else I have read. When she was younger Leo pushed her too hard and she fell to the ground with a sharp crack. She was too excited for tears, she was visiting the hospital and it was an adventure. Martha was confused by her x-ray, her arm so strange and ghostly, she wasn’t facing the pain bravely, she was genuinely curious about this secret world underneath her skin. Her mum thought her obsession with the human body was a bit grisly but she kept studying and thinking about the Doctor she would be one day. Martha underestimated the Master’s venom and for the first time in a year she breaks down watching the islands of Japan burn to death.
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<strong>Great Ideas:</strong> Probably my favourite cover, both the Doctor and Martha look edible and the Toclafane (great design) hang over the Earth setting it alight. There is some great world building that really sells the apocalypse; it’s the one book where they can take things as far as they like. The islands of Japan are set on fire, New York is in ruins, the Caspian is poisoned, the Nile frozen and what was once Russia is now Shipyard One. Six billion cybernetic globes were singing childish songs of murder and malice. Planet Earth was dying, one tenth of the population exterminated. The human race are being turned into slaves. The United Containment Forces are the Master’s executors of martial law. Griffin shoots six people dead just to make an impression. He is the man in charge of bring down Martha Jones. He pets a dog and shoots it dead. 20 people are shot down in a flash market in a sports centre. Effigies of the Master dominated the world; he had even carved himself into Mount Rushmore. Packs of feral, hungry dos roam the streets. Abnett manages to trick Griffin into thinking he will catch Martha and trick the reader into thinking we will see the Brigadier! The Master treats the human race with violence and oppression and expects them to react in a similar way. Martha plans to use the Archangel network against him, it was how he got his grip on the planet and it would also be the thing that would punch him away. The Aka labour camp consists of thousands of men and women packed into a caged city, bloody and scarred and overworked, tiny bunks to sleep on, sore and scabbed, nothing but a number. You are shot down if you make a wrong move. Griffin turning up in the workhouse is highly suspicious. The Seague is an artificially produced tear in the fabric of space-time, like a bolt of lightning moving in slow motion. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cl5JmG8rmq5gqCKcr_NDCj2jij2ccjf1zOKIH97FzQ1ZxixXy4im_AVOQd0crFHQje4eDDBgnJruixmrIuycLZZNa_fMiknb0yGQ2T3QsqfBQUdKrM7uHK0IJ8bOvG9P3LEjYVVKaAc/s1600/the_last_of_the_time_lords.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="180" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646917865022576898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cl5JmG8rmq5gqCKcr_NDCj2jij2ccjf1zOKIH97FzQ1ZxixXy4im_AVOQd0crFHQje4eDDBgnJruixmrIuycLZZNa_fMiknb0yGQ2T3QsqfBQUdKrM7uHK0IJ8bOvG9P3LEjYVVKaAc/s320/the_last_of_the_time_lords.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="320" /></a>The Drast Speculation Initiative Fourteen were conducting a clandestine assessment of the Earth, charged to initiate economic takeover when the Master’s invasion taskforce arrived. It’s a long complex operation that leads to their running of an entire world without anyone noticing. When the Master took control we were already being invaded – that is a genius idea! The Earth’s suffering will be over soon when the Drast open the Seague and disintegrate the planet! As soon as the Master learns that the Drast are at work in Japan he orders in the Toclafane to deliver laser death. The islands burn a horrible death. Griffin is sliced apart by the Toclafane.
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Agaleos is a forgotten, majestic, empty city swept into a corner gathering snow. Shimmering aurora borealis in the sky, shooting stars, ion cascades and delicate colours painting the heavens. One of the furthest outposts of the Second and Great Bountiful Human Empire. The lighthouse beacon was set up to warn people from coming. The wormhole has irradiated the people, infected them with thousands of types of DNA and evolved them into feral creatures. Weatcher chooses to change and be with his people. A hot air balloon over the snowy wastes of the Artic, what a magical idea. White above, white blow, white everywhere. It distorts time, running the same seconds back over and over and over. Literally frozen in them, the perfect larder, the meat stays fresh and never runs out. Hundreds of balloons, a whole flotilla of the same balloon blotting out the sky. Pierre repeating his attempt to conquer the Artic, the being feeding from human ambition. Sometimes the destination isn’t half as interesting as to ambition to get there. The Breed are vat-grown clones for ship wide maintenance but the mass produced drones have become individuals and given themselves names. Artificials are forbidden to fall in love with colonists; the Steering Council believe genetic purity must be preserved. When the cryosystem failed, the shock killed most of the colonists outright, The Pilot System downloaded the colonists personality prints into Artificials.
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The Wasting has a lovely mournful tone and an uplifting ending even if it is slightly predictable. Breathing Space is the weakest of the four, little more than an archetypal Doctor Who alien takeover run-around with no time for any thoughtful characterisation but I really like the ending – the aliens didn’t completely clear the atmosphere but they have given the human race some breathing space so use it. The Frozen Wastes is gorgeously written; elegant, thoughtful and smartly characterised. Star Crossed has more than a hint of The Doctor’s Daughter about it with two factions in conflict, the Doctor with one side and Martha with the other and both trying to find a device that will bring it all to an end. It’s a lot more fun and brief than TDD and manages to tell its pleasant story very economically.
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<strong>Embarrassing Bits:</strong> My one complaint (aside from Breathing Space) would be that the ending is really rushed and the destruction of Japan, Martha’s escape and Griffin’s death is skipped over in a few paragraphs when I would have liked to have seen all three explored in a lot more detail considering the build up. It really does feel like Abnett was so excited with the story he was telling…and ran out of space.
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<strong>Result:</strong> <em>Very </em>nice. The Story of Martha is not what a lot of people thought it was but I thought it filled its gap between two unforgettable television episodes with some confidence and gusto. Its unremittedly grim and violent, relieved only by Martha’s tales of her travels with the Doctor. I really like the world of horror that Dan Abnett creates, he doesn’t skimp on detail and really drives home the idea that Martha is on the run for her life. Ms Jones gets some awesome characterisation and is really pushed to the limit, exhausted, pursued, battered, beaten and worked to death, she really shows what she made of here. The short stories were a neat touch and the hit rate is good, from my point of view there’s one excellent tale, two good ones and only one which lets the side down (unfortunately its right in the middle of the book, not <em>ideally </em>placed). This book was billed as something a bit special and I’m not sure if it is out of the ordinary enough to really grab peoples attention but as a slice of apocalyptic drama with some pleasing moments of levity I rushed through this little delight in two days: <strong>8/10</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-72683183267876275642011-08-26T05:01:00.002+01:002013-09-10T17:42:22.646+01:00World Game written by Terrance Dicks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMiSUVFTJ0AulA2nL7LAmR0doWJjITWZBZajzgCOL9L20Eb0HTO8rzWqWrB_fR4egSjWxPPT8A6LOjsq9iEjfvo35M1OwnUM-bu8t2XZZ87xeXHTHFVxzCm1dxGNk9Vdf2b4hRNSeNVFM/s1600/World%252520Game%252520Cover.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645010847628947090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMiSUVFTJ0AulA2nL7LAmR0doWJjITWZBZajzgCOL9L20Eb0HTO8rzWqWrB_fR4egSjWxPPT8A6LOjsq9iEjfvo35M1OwnUM-bu8t2XZZ87xeXHTHFVxzCm1dxGNk9Vdf2b4hRNSeNVFM/s200/World%252520Game%252520Cover.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="125" /></a><b>Plot:</b> Those dastardly Players are back and this time they are fiddling about with the lives of Napoleon, Wellington and Nelson to ensure a devastating future for the planet Earth and a game that will play on until the entire human race is plunged into war.
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<b>Oh My Giddy Aunt:</b> The characterisation of Troughton’s Doctor is as good as you would expect from the script editor of his last season and the co-writer of his last story. What Dicks achieves here is nothing short of a miracle; he is no longer a renegade, not yet and exile, the Doctor is an unwitting agent of the CIA on Gallifrey You have got to admire the gall of the man, literally having his own cake and eating it, weaving together his own continuity from The War Games and his and Robert Holmes’ blatant disregard for it in The Five Doctors and The Two Doctors. Here he manages to open out a whole new series of adventures for the second Doctor, one where he has no ties, a functioning Type 97 TARDIS and is kept on a leash by the Time Lords. Frankly the possibilities are endless and whilst he has the Doctor head off to Space Station Camera to visit Dastari at the end of World Game it is a real shame the Past Doctor Adventures ended when they did because I could imagine a few more stories of this ilk chronically his post Trial, pre exile escapades!
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He never stole the TARDIS, he just borrowed it. The Doctor is a person of great intelligence, courage and ability with a soft and gentle face. The Doctor blames the eighth incarnation for convincing him to contact the Time Lords that leads to his capture (The Eight Doctors). One of his motives for leaving Gallifrey was to escape the endless intrigue, back stabbing and double crossing. Serena is from one of the oldest and most respected family’s on Gallifrey and he objects to her presence on his mission. Cheekily he plans to steal the TARDIS and strand Serena at the first opportunity, figuring that a contract made under sentence of death cannot be morally binding. Brilliantly he is described as shooting into a room as if fired from a canon! He prefers his perpetual TARDIS without the functioning chameleon circuit as it would extremely embarrassing to lose your ship because you have forgotten what it looks like! He finds humans fascinating because you can never tell what they are capable of. I love it when he guzzles down champagne because he has never been on an expense account before! He treats Serena to shopping and dining and she is worried by his incorrigible frivolity! The Doctor is reckless and insanely brave and in this novel he manages add saving Wellington, Napoleon and Nelson to his CV. A mysterious wizard with dark knowledge at his fingertips? The Doctor is often tempted to use his fore knowledge of the future to save lives. There are scenes between the Doctor and Napoleon that I would have loved to have seen on screen where they circle each other like a pair of wary dogs. It is lovely hoe he comes to value Serena’s companionship as they dine and share tales of their pasts. He adores tinkering with the submarine. I love how he is written very much in the post War Games mould, this is a Doctor who has got nothing to lose any more so he leaps forward to a month after Waterloo to see if they succeed in stopping the Countess and even more frivolously he takes Tallyrand well into to the future to show him what will become of the Earth if they do not stop her. The Doctor’s furious anger at Serena’s death matches the readers own and the way he handles his grief, sitting on a stone bench throughout the night as the city prepares for war around him, is very moving. I adored the moment when with surprising and worrying ease the Doctor crushes his conscience and doesn’t step forward to help Serena’s killer. His suicidal plan to impersonate Napoleon on the battlefield and confuse the French troops is priceless! He ponders as to why he can never truly hate who he is supposed to or like those he should look up to. I love his wily ways, bargaining with the CIA to ensure a formal tribute is made for Serena, her death publicly acknowledged and memorialised and her name added to the Gallifreyan Roll of Honour. Just go back and read this paragraph again, that is some <i>fine </i>characterisation. Where has <i>this </i>Terrance Dicks been hiding since Players?
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<b>Foreboding:</b> The Doctor asks for his TARDIS back and seeks out his own companion, Jamie, and asks for him to have his memory altered so he thinks they have left Victoria studying graphology which leads very nicely into The Two Doctors. A Time Ring is mentioned but he wouldn’t get to use one until Genesis of the Daleks. World Game is blissfully confident with how it handles its continuity and throws in a Raston Warrior Robot (The Five Doctors), mentions of the Eighth Doctor (The Eight Doctors), the Players (who the sixth and Eighth Doctor’s would come up against in Players and Endgame) and he even finds time to introduce the Doctor’s psychic paper for the very first time (2005 NuWho). Oh and the Doctor keeps his Napoleon ensemble…which he puts on again in Time and the Rani! He cuts and splices all this continuity together in a way only somebody who is intimately involved in the series could do and by shamelessly making his points and not labouring them.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DQZncTuq5ilE5QjMpA7Ay3x2gRzHfQKLdWoINUIkS38VSkboulfptKeYBFm2mDjgpumhX-0bfC2l87RXu31PqMm9r4ILAEruGtwlhG-JWw4H2i3JVUcU2Xwppq0YiLl5bhzZUWnnEG4/s1600/wargames4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DQZncTuq5ilE5QjMpA7Ay3x2gRzHfQKLdWoINUIkS38VSkboulfptKeYBFm2mDjgpumhX-0bfC2l87RXu31PqMm9r4ILAEruGtwlhG-JWw4H2i3JVUcU2Xwppq0YiLl5bhzZUWnnEG4/s200/wargames4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>Twists:</b> That is a truly memorable wrap around cover – Troughton dressed up like Napoleon – finally a good use of photoshop! An Oubliette is a superior Time Lord cell for important prisoners. Temporal dissolution is to never have existed at all. I loved the description of the Revolution devouring its children, many a head rolling due to fake charges. The Countess attempts to assassinate Wellington and Nelson during the one time that they met and thus altering the events of Trafalgar and Waterloo. She then attempts to build a submarine and offer it to Napoleon to sink the British fleet. I loved the scenes with the Raston Warrior Robot – it fires so many javelins into a barrel it looks like a hedgehog, fires one straight through a soldiers heart and extends its arm into a blade, Terminator 2 style, and decapitates a character! The Doctor manages to blow it up from one of the submarine torpedoes but being indestructible as it is it simply reforms like quicksilver. We get to visit a world where the Countess has one, it is an apocalyptic ruin with the whole world firing rockets at each other. The Grand Design is to mastermind the Earth into a chess game of war with the countries as the different species. That’s pretty obscene actually. He killed Serena…I cannot believe that Dicks had the courage to kill off a character that we were starting to grow fond off! Anybody who is used to his sugary nostalgia trip novels will be aware that this is not the sort of underhanded shock that he deploys and this subversion of his usual storytelling provides the best shock in one of his novels for many a year. The Historical Notes are a lovely, thoughtful touch, a coda that allows us to see these historical figures to their deaths.
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<b>Funny Bits:</b> Serena snootily tells the Doctor that she will be his supervisor. You can imagine his reaction.
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The spanking new Type 97 is apparently a massive improvement on the Doctor’s old relic!
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‘I was saved by Napoleon’s chicken pies!’
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Luco the traitor is dragged away down the corridor and we here ‘No! No! Not the Mind Probe!’ floating back. You have to love how Dicks takes the piss out of his own work!
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<b>Embarrassing Bits:</b> Did we really need to pop back to The War Games and meet up with Lady Jennifer and Carstairs <i>again</i>? The Players seem to pluck dangers from the Doctor’s mind to use against him and fortunately they seem to have been watching a few Terrance Dicks stories too! The Vampire and the Raston Warrior Robot both seemed like a step to far into self plagiarism and yet the former is handled with a great gag (see funny bits) the latter features in some of the books best scenes. Go figure.
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<b>Result:</b> An extremely entertaining and quick read returning to us the Terrance Dicks who wrote Target books that we used to wrap ourselves up in our duvets to devour. This is far and away his best book for the BBC and matches his best work for Virgin as well, it’s a gorgeous trip through some very rich history that brings to life some great mythic figures and leaves you gasping at how fabulous this would have been on the telly. Dicks’ prose is as light as champagne and its effect is just as effervescent, it is deliriously enjoyable. He manages to tell a fast paced traditional Doctor Who story within an innovative new life for the second Doctor. This is my Terrance Dicks writing Doctor Who books again; efficiently plotted, well characterised and pleasingly educational. A joy to read: <b>8/10</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-85133778751080741572011-08-16T23:20:00.003+01:002016-10-15T10:41:54.410+01:00The Tomorrow Windows by Jonathan Morris<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4S9s7Dc4c4XL-RNjAIlnTYeP225iPryhWCUnkdswvgBAh0RKEJBU9Vrpo6st_toOVpjZF2WXPQdKqiCOH3X4d-guouERUexJ8PGO2SkrIcn4JgcosIuRIrw1i-y62_TUtm9tEI73sV_0/s1600/The_Tomorrow_Windows.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641584452720000626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4S9s7Dc4c4XL-RNjAIlnTYeP225iPryhWCUnkdswvgBAh0RKEJBU9Vrpo6st_toOVpjZF2WXPQdKqiCOH3X4d-guouERUexJ8PGO2SkrIcn4JgcosIuRIrw1i-y62_TUtm9tEI73sV_0/s320/The_Tomorrow_Windows.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="198" /></a><strong>Plot:</strong> Alien auctions for planets, Tate Modern blown up, nuclear blasts, God worship, sinister lava lams, killer cars, politics, ghostly apparitions, crappy effects, mind reading, deep freezed superstars, pirate cities, Dalek and Cybermen knock offs….this book has it all. And a chapter set in Lewisham.
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<strong>Top Doc:</strong> He has really found the fun since sorting out the trouble with the broken down universe hasn’t he? This marks as real development because the Doctor has come through his trauma with a brand new lust for life and it is extremely infectious. It is wonderful to see him having fun with some of his confused memories and he is utterly delighted to be told that he defeated the Yeti’s in the Underground, the shop window dummies at Ealing and the Dinosaurs in St James’ Park! His relationship with the Kendroid ('Ken we had a deal, I defeat the aliens from outer space, you get the buses running on time!') is really gigglesome. However he has lost none of his bite and he is extremely sarcastic and edgy at times ('Mankind will learn and it can’t do that if it can flick to the back of the book and look up the answers'). His philosophy: 'Why waste time when you can do it all in a mad rush?' His anger at feeling powerless to stop a planet being destroyed is extremely palpable ('You stupid, <em>stupid </em>fools!'). Saving planets never makes up for the ones he has lost. He has a nagging feeling he is in deficit, that he is seeking redemption. He feels there is always a way and when one doesn’t present itself he gets very angry. The Doctor’s favourite place to be lost is his thoughts. He condemns Prubert for introducing the selfish memes ('Do you have any idea what this idiot has done?'). He is never cruel and he cares for all. He and Trix finally bridge their differences, he realises how Martin has violated her and kisses her, stroking her hair and comforting her.
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<strong>Scruffy Git:</strong> Fitz is still going super strong even after all this time. He looks into a Tomorrow Window and sees a toothless old man…then it shifts to a handsome chap with an olive skinned bride. It gets him thinking about the future and he is very unsure. He has been living in the moment for so long he has forgotten to think beyond it. He’s scared if he leaves the Doctor he will regret what he has left behind. One day, maybe soon he will get a life. He doesn’t know where he belongs, he has no family, no career, no way of determining his life. His adventures being hypnotised by a car would be patently absurd if it was written with such frightening conviction. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfNoxTV0B5pt-lHi2pR4lV5b22QgraZ0vik2RUIjT3gOuxMFZL6r9IoLp9N-oQ4tEs6SPLbcHTVGx5BWnYtoTcl3pK4mn4bMeBshY3ZNai1v5jOOAnNNCS6XMpf5NytV2RIRVdra4Tng/s1600/P1010138.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641584781947449410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfNoxTV0B5pt-lHi2pR4lV5b22QgraZ0vik2RUIjT3gOuxMFZL6r9IoLp9N-oQ4tEs6SPLbcHTVGx5BWnYtoTcl3pK4mn4bMeBshY3ZNai1v5jOOAnNNCS6XMpf5NytV2RIRVdra4Tng/s320/P1010138.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="320" /></a>His Poirot scene (more on that later) is truly excellent and easily the best Fitz moment in his entire run until this point, displaying his wit, his intelligence and his physical ability. Oh and its hilarious too!
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<strong>Identity Tricks:</strong> What started out as a one trick wonder is slowly developing into one of the more <em>interesting </em>companions the eighth Doctor has ever travelled with. What I love about Trix is that she is clearly so vulnerable underneath her bravado, it is very appealing, especially because you only see it when her guard is down such as it is in the latter stages of this novel. Saving planets is what she does. Delightfully (and <em>imaginatively</em>…when you find out the reason why) the book adopts a first person narrative for Trix’s scenes, which allows us to get closer to her than ever before. She is confronted with a cot full of mutilated babies about to be slaughtered and tries desperately to grasp a persona who can deal with the horror, further proof she is hiding from reality in these acts of hers. She cannot remember which story she is supposed to tell, she has spent so long trying not to remember that sometimes she can almost forget (which later transpires to be a deadly secret about her father, who was rushed to hospital after a confrontation, Trix angry and ashamed at what she had done). Annoyingly the Doctor can see through all of her disguises (even the Trix Macmillan one, which we later discover is genuinely an act and not who she really is) and see her, the real her. When it transpires that Martin has been reading her thoughts throughout, getting off her secrets Trix feels sick to the stomach that her privacy has once again been abused (after this and Reo she feels a girl cannot call her mind her own anymore!). She isn’t even sure if she remembers her past anymore because she has spent so long trying to bury it. In her best scene to date she manages to convince Martin that he is the most gorgeous bloke in the universe (with her thoughts alone) just long enough to get close to him and kick him in the nuts.
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<strong>Foreboding:</strong> The Doctor looks into the Tomorrow Window and sees many possible futures but the image finally settles on…Christopher Eccleston!!! Trix’s confrontation with her father will return to haunt her in The Gallifrey Chronicles.
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<strong>Twists:</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChQsJDxYFV0lEr3z-wEa6DtxLbCSI0YUdQJbXrrJyFwPmnn7nzA_a1hGd8wPFf3NW8LvgRigq18Jviycbei84xWp2BfV0ONHso9OQfE4ceZaA4pP8P4-76_vKj-K919gNXsqMWIiW5os/s1600/2006-10-30_192429_BrianBlessed.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641584914278041026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChQsJDxYFV0lEr3z-wEa6DtxLbCSI0YUdQJbXrrJyFwPmnn7nzA_a1hGd8wPFf3NW8LvgRigq18Jviycbei84xWp2BfV0ONHso9OQfE4ceZaA4pP8P4-76_vKj-K919gNXsqMWIiW5os/s320/2006-10-30_192429_BrianBlessed.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="206" /></a>The Tomorrow Windows have been set up in Tate Modern to give people the ‘Gist of Things to Come’. Brilliantly when the Doctor looks into one it shows him several ‘possible’ futures (including Rowan Atkinson, Alan Davies, Eddie Izzard, Michael Jayston) and also some events (the Daleks/ the Time War?, the Nimon (Seasons of Fear). After making a speech Ken Livingstone’s head splits to reveal an electron bomb (leading to the brilliant line, 'The Mayor of London is about to explode!') and Tate Modern is reduced to rubble (hurrah!). The tribal war dance on Valuensis is brilliant. I love the ‘only God can save us now’ situation because all the jokes become suddenly, terrifyingly real and you realise these people are really willing to destroy their entire planet for one more glimpse at their God and that the Doctor can do nothing to prevent it. I love the Ceccecs, what a fabulously scary idea. All the auctioneers are marvellous creations and they all get a funny (in the spirit of taking the piss…Alien Bodies also gets ribbed!) introductory chapter (my favourite was Question Intonation: ‘Why have the creatures chosen to name themselves after a mode of speech. It is my firmly held belief that they do it to be annoying.'). The visit to Welwyn’s Gaia Sphere is brief but memorable, especially when he realises it has reached puberty! The Aztales are very memorable, their never neding conflict and their pretense of humanity is frightening. The Astral Flower, one of the natural wonders of the universe, is beautifully depicted in print and it destruction is tragic but similarly beautiful. The cause of all these planets having their populations wiped out is all down to the loathsome Martin, who is 14,000 years old and (basically) wants a load of cash to settle down (with Trix!). He wants to sell all the planets on the Galactic Heritage list but the troublesome populations need to be dealt with first so he employed Prubert Gastridge to pretend to be the God of these worlds and introduce selfish memes into their meme pools that will ultimately bring about their destruction. Then Dittero Shandy can take the auctioneers on a tour of the galaxy and get the bidding rolling! Gotta love Fitz’s Poirot sequence; proving peoples innocence ('I’m sorry Vorshagg, as much as you’d like to be I’m afraid you are not the murderer'), someone pointing out absurdities ('What would a lava lamp want with a planet?') and revealing the murderer to be Dittero himself ('I had to get the highest possible price by any mean necessary! I <em>am </em>an estate agent!'). Absolute genius. The pain Trix goes through is horrible but her revenge ('Well Mr Mind Reader, listen to this, you disgusting, effluent creep. I would rather die than kiss you. I can think of nothing more revolting then you, your face and your body. You sick, nasty pervert. I think I’ll kick you again') is very sweet. Martin fulfils Astrabel’s prophecy that he will die on Gadrahadrahon and shoots him but Charlton is there to show the younger Astrabel his notes.
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<strong>Funny bits:</strong> Zoberly Chesterfield’s breasts seem to be forming an escape attempt from her brassiere. Prubert Gastridge is a hilarious reminder of all those ex-Doctor Who actors…once famous and now relegated to doing panto at seaside resorts and voice work! When it comes to saving planets from spooky alien tentacles stuff the Doctor is so 'da man!' 'What sort of person leaves a nuclear bomb unguarded? I mean its just shoddy, what is the universe coming to?' / 'God has excellent time managing skills.' / 'Any sudden moves and its <em>hors d’oevres</em>!' All the chatter about Earth is hilarious, especially, 'No other planet in the universe has produced a Rolf Harris!' and 'Ooh a moon…what do they call it?' 'They call it "the moon".' The line, 'The people get the government they deserve' is marvellously apt. One chapter is called The Tomorrow Peephole. The running joke about Gallifrey is perhaps the funniest thing in a book full of laugh out loud jokes…talk about taking the p*ss in style!
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<strong>Result:</strong> Screaming with imagination, excitement, fantastic jokes and with a sense of whimsy that is impossible to dislike, this is one of those rare Doctor Who books that deserves its chart topping position. Every page has gags, dialogue and plot revelations that sparkled and the sheer number of ideas thrown at you is breathtaking. It is deceptively simple to read but contains a lot to think about when you are done rolling about on the floor with laughter, much of the humour having a touch of horror about it. The regulars gleam with interest, especially Trix who (again) is treated to some fascinating developments. Johnny Morris is one of my top three Doctor Who authors, he makes his novels look so effortless and yet clearly a lot of work has been put in here. Sublime humour (“None may sup the sacred soup!”) and a twisty turny plot make this a ruthlessly entertaining book. A top five (of <em>all </em>ranges) book: <strong>10/10 </strong>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-68137426403849428172011-07-30T23:49:00.002+01:002012-07-05T19:07:08.077+01:00The Pirate Loop by Simon Guerrier<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhke-OUVAD1DRCkKpoT1GNhs7_bfwNx011yygbmV_eX-KTXQ5BsJqn1ftbxIquxaXau-CvfGbTrCvJCMgfyft6KHw7Z8wtaK2yMGIz4ai5_ezfdWpoblE0WSDtigSUguY6x4xglkbtXUQY/s1600/drwhopirateloop_lrg.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635281972203287298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhke-OUVAD1DRCkKpoT1GNhs7_bfwNx011yygbmV_eX-KTXQ5BsJqn1ftbxIquxaXau-CvfGbTrCvJCMgfyft6KHw7Z8wtaK2yMGIz4ai5_ezfdWpoblE0WSDtigSUguY6x4xglkbtXUQY/s320/drwhopirateloop_lrg.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="202" /></a><strong>Plot: </strong>The Doctor and Martha decided to unravel the mystery of the Starship Brilliant and during the course of their investigations they discover that death is the best deterrent to war and upon learning that they both lose their lives…<br />
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<strong>Mockney Wanderer:</strong> You have got to love the Doctor’s track record these days, only four hours after landing at Milky Pink City (love that name!) he has broken the robots programming, incited civil war and brokered a peace through the power of Mika. What a guy! Martha finds his wide grin and enthusiasm infectious. He is really disappointed that he solved the mystery of the Brilliant in five minutes, after all a good mystery should take at least an hour. Everything was brilliant with him. He’s something of a rogue vigilante for the missing Time Lords these days, he claims if they had access to the time vortex he would have to stop them. He loves fixing things. He’s always going on about being the last of the Time Lords but on this occasion he just about manages to stop himself in time. He normally needs other people to point out that he is rude. Upon learning that Martha had been killed his thoughts turn darkly to how he feels duty bound to find her body and take her home to Francine and face the family’s tide of grief and anger. Once it never would have occurred to him to brave something like that if he could avoid it. Authority types trusted the Doctor because he was so useful. The transmat was so painful the Doctor has to check to see if he has regenerated. Stepping over the TARDIS threshold always put him at ease. <br />
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<strong>Doctor in Training:</strong> Some really nice characterisation of Martha in this novel, even if at times her empathy with the underdog is turned up to extremes. However even that is subverted when she is stabbed in the gut by the very creature she was cooing over. That’ll learn yer. Martha can remember some miserable family holidays and Tish the Tart chatting up the creeps. This novel is set after Human Nature and Martha has come to accept that the Doctor does not feel the same way about her even if he does give her the odd look to suggest otherwise. Francine’s house smells of strong to and cleanliness. She remembers playing late poker with the porters at the hospital. She hates being pushed in front of other people, her mum used to do that at functions and declare her ‘the middle one.’ The Doctor likes it when she shows initiative. Martha is a real Doctor even if the Doctor isn’t and she feels the need to help people even if the precious laws of time say otherwise. She hates being the centre of attention, especially at parties, she prefers to be invisible. The Doctor thinks she is clever and able and has got lovely hair! Tish had taught Martha the art of torturing boys and making them wait. Thinking her dead the Doctor says she always made things better and was going to do brilliant things. Her Dad told her not to worry about things you can’t control, the other stuff would happy regardless. Now she has met the Doctor she cannot sit idle. <br />
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<strong>Foreboding:</strong> Martha ponders leaving the Doctor soon, for her own sake. <br />
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<strong>Twists:</strong> There is a lovely bit of nonsense at the beginning of the book before things get fatalistic where the Doctor and Martha liberate a colony of robots built to amuse. Its worthy of a Roger Langridge comic. The Starship Brilliant vanished on the cusp of a galactic war. There are mouthless slaves in the engine room who can take instructions and not answer back. The Brilliant travels impossibly, skimming like a stone across the time vortex, travelling huge areas and missing the distance! Time weed is the stuff that lives in the gaps between moments. The Badger Pirates are quite scary simply because they act like idiot kids that hang outside the co-op at night, children playing at murder. Martha stabbed in the gut is a shocking moment even when you are expecting it. I loved all the discussion about cheesy pineapple sticks because it manages to comment on the class system just as Mick Lewis’ Rags did but without the flaying and eviscerations. You know there is something wrong when Mrs Wingworth antagonises the terrorists until she is murdered and as though she has won the class war she looks down on them as they shoot her. I loved the image of the pirate ship being a huge spiky peach whose spikes were invading shuttles that shot away like arrows and pierced the belly of the ships they were looting. Brilliantly once the badgers realised that they couldn’t die and that their bodies would be discreetly returned they see this as a lucrative opportunity and murder each other endlessly to replicate their gold earrings! The Brilliant has a rough idea of how things are supposed to be and ensure it fixes all problems, even death. They are sand banked in time, the bridge crew in another time zone, only four minutes after the attack. If you take the transmat you would be torn between two separate time zones! The badgers were genetically created to be slaves under the name of nature preservation. Ironically whilst they are killing each other over and over they have discovered the perfect recipe for peace ‘If they can’t kill each other they might as well get on!’ In an exciting moment Martha is almost sucked into space and thinks that the badgers are going spare some lives, when they slip their ship from the gut of the ship and let them get ejected into space. The Doctor commits suicide hoping that the loop will start again and he will be brought back to life! He extends the loop around the pirate ship and the story ends beautifully with an agonising choice. Escape the loop and be free in a galaxy at war or stay, trapped and safe inside the loop where the party never ends. <br />
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<strong>Funny Bits:</strong> ‘Humans doing what you do, daring to be brown and blue and violet sky!’<br />
You can have a drink inside an ‘immature Mim!’ <br />
When Martha goes to shake hands she is asked ‘Is there something wrong with your paw?’<br />
‘I don’t mean to be rude but didn’t I see you die?’ <br />
‘Its good that we’re such a close family really, it makes it much easier to hand out the subpoenas.’<br />
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<strong>Result:</strong> A small chunk of loveliness, The Pirate Loop handles some pretty weighty science fiction ideas but manages to keep the story bubbly and manageable. Once you have finished the book you realise this book has about as much death as the average Jim Mortimore and two of the best moments feature both the Doctor and Martha meeting their end. The story stays in one location and you could see how this could be realised on screen with lots of timey wimey cleverness. I love how Guerrier comments on slavery, the class system and mortality whilst still managing to make you laugh at the ironic tragedy of the situation. The ending is especially good, leaving the reader with some quiet thoughts about what they would do in the same situation. A real winner, bursting with intelligence: <strong>8/10 </strong>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-12284751256158967692011-07-26T00:25:00.004+01:002011-07-26T01:58:01.509+01:00The Eighth Doctor Adventures<p><strong>Revolution Man:</strong> A mature piece of work and Paul Leonard’s best novel yet. Basing a book on drug taking was always going to be risky but Leonard pulls it off with real style, mainly because his prose has always had that sort of trippy, hypnotic feel to it that makes the scenes here of people intoxicated so powerful. The regulars are divine and it is astonishing to think it has taken this long to get them this right, but all three of them are vivid and used to drive the story along. The heavily bashed conclusion where the Doctor shoots Ed Hill is anything but disappointing, it’s the sort of sting in the tail these books should all have. Only the relative shortness of the book works against it, this is a storyline that deserves more time to let it breathe. All told, fantastic: <strong>9/10</strong></p><p>Full Review here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/revolution-man-by-paul-leonard.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/revolution-man-by-paul-leonard.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Dominion:</strong> Sporadically brilliant and dull. If you can get past the first terminally dull 50 pages things improve radically with some lovely gruesome set pieces, marvellous characterisation (you have a pair of excellent wannabe companions in Kerstin and Nagle, both competing for the position of replacement for Sam) and a great exploration of the Doctor’s character. Unfortunately the scenes set in the Dominion are mostly boring, a little too weird for my tastes and not giving you enough to care about. The prose is faultless but not risky enough (plain English…emphasis on the PLAIN) but for a debut novel this shows a lot of imagination and fresh ideas and marks Nick Walters as one to watch out for in the future: <strong>6/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/dominion-by-nick-walters.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/dominion-by-nick-walters.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Unnatural History:</strong> There are lots of plot threads, some good (the Faction stuff), some not so good (Griffin and his technobabble hell) and it feels really disjointed because for once in a OrmanBlum book the plot rivals the character stuff for importance. The threats are not intertwined; rather they are like a check list that is ticked off one by one. There are the usual genuine character moments that typify this author’s work but considering they usually torture the Doctor and his companions in horrific ways the three of them get off pretty lightly here, the book unwilling to take the appropriate risks. Dark Sam is a huge let down after so much build up, I was expecting something horrible but instead she just a slightly rougher version of the Sam we usually hang with. I once called this book actively bad and whilst that might have been a bit ingenuous it certainly isn’t good by any means and it is by far the weakest novel to be churned out by the great OrmanBlum machine. Awkward: <strong>4/10</strong></p><br /><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/unnatural-history-by-kate-orman-and.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/unnatural-history-by-kate-orman-and.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Autumn Mist:</strong> Bland, clichéd characterisation and sluggish, awkward prose combine with a woefully inadequate plot to make this one of the weakest EDAs yet. It tries to mix the militaristic and the magical but the writer doesn’t have the skill to pull it off (weird because he does so wonderfully in The Eleventh Tiger) and the result is deathly shallow and worse, boring. This was coming out when McIntee was churning out book after book and his natural storytelling capability was bleeding dry, he doesn’t even get the regulars right here which is usually a given in his books. I cannot remember being excited once during this read: <strong>2/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/07/autumn-mist-by-david-mcintee.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/07/autumn-mist-by-david-mcintee.html</a></p><br /><p>Interference Book I: A book that feels really <em>important</em>, that is adult, intelligent and covers a lot of ground. Lawrence Miles is an ideas genius but once again he forgets to write plot around his massive concepts. It’s all set up and no pay off, 300 pages of character/ideas introductions with little happening but finding out more about them. It does get a little dry in places but the prose is mostly excellent with some excellent narrative devices there to make the journey easier (you’ve got lip reading binoculars, scripting, Sarah’s notes, an omnipresent narrator, one scene told from six POVs). Sam is dealt with very maturely, Sarah is amazingly written and it is worth reading just to find out what happens to poor Fitz. It’s a book that cleverly demands that you read the second half and really feels as if it is entering <em>dangerous</em> territory. It isn’t perfect but after a small lull in the EDAs it feels like a massive step in the right direction: 8/10</p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/07/interference-by-lawrence-miles.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/07/interference-by-lawrence-miles.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Interference Book Two:</strong> A very satisfying wrapping up of the zillion clever ideas already set up in book one. The developments for the characters and the EDAs are astonishing, going beyond anything Virgin ever gave us in the ‘Oh my God I cannot believe that just happened to…’ stakes. Fitz’s story is horrible but brilliantly compelling and all the other characters get sparkling moments. The way the third and eighth Doctor’s life melts together is jaw dropping and the amount of surprises is unbeaten by any Doctor Who book to this point. I still have some reservations about the books length (it could have been a 400 page book with some of its flabbiness cut away) but for the sheer breadth of ideas (Miles is confirmed as the <em>ultimate</em> risk taker) this is one of the best Doctor Who novels ever written. A twisted, dangerous masterwork, which was severely underrated at the time and makes for impulsive reading in the twilight of the EDAs: <strong>9/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/07/interference-by-lawrence-miles.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/07/interference-by-lawrence-miles.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Blue Angel:</strong> Sheer genius from the first page to last, I adored every second of this complex, challenging slice of whimsy. Half of it refuses to make sense, it denies you a satisfying ending and in places it seems to be going off on tangents just for the hell of it but these are reasons to celebrate the book, as it takes risks with its narration and wins through with superb style. All the (brilliant) threads converge in the packed climax and then the whole thing stops, leaving the reader as gobsmacked as the Doctor at how the writers could be so cruel. I have rarely been as eager to find out what happened next or been as happy to be refused that knowledge, I pieced together my own ending with the wickedly playful twenty questions at the end. It is so nice to see the EDAs having some fun; this book is gorgeously written with some stunning set pieces and an infectious sense of adventure. Delightful: <strong>10/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/blue-angel-by-paul-magrs-and-jeremy.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/blue-angel-by-paul-magrs-and-jeremy.html</a><br /><strong>The Taking of Planet Five:</strong> <em>Great</em> set pieces, <em>terrible</em> narrative, this is a book of a thousand wonderful ideas bound up in near-impenetrable prose. It took me two weeks to read this because it required so much concentration (my average time to read a book is two days) and in places I really struggled to go on. Saying that the best parts of this book are extremely brave, clever and rewarding. I’m sure with some tighter editing this would have been a lot more accessible but it wouldn’t feel half as risky or as unique as it does. This is a bold experiment in a time when the books were finally exploring exciting new ground; it reminds me of the best and the worst of Virgin’s output, challenging work but not recognisably Doctor Who. Maybe that’s a good thing though, I certainly don’t regret polishing this off and I may return to it again one day to see just how daring the books could be: 7/10</p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/taking-of-planet-five-by-simon-bucher.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/taking-of-planet-five-by-simon-bucher.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Frontier Worlds:</strong> A huge step up from Kursaal, this is an entirely character driven book and on that level it is brilliant, with the regulars being fleshed out with some considerable skill. It is long past time the EDAs had a line up of regulars as good as this, kicking the ass of the Virgin ones because they are not lumbered with soppy Chris Cwej and hard bitch Ace. The plot is made up of lots of gripping and entertaining set pieces which ensure the piece roars by in fine style. It is a fun piece with loads of cool bits (if you get bored just read a few more pages and <em>something</em> enjoyable will happen) and the prose itself is pretty wholesome. Compassion and the axe is so cool it deserves mentioning again: <strong>8/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/frontier-worlds-by-peter-anghelides.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/frontier-worlds-by-peter-anghelides.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Parallel 59:</strong> A massively undervalued book. For once an EDA bothers to have an equal amount of solid characterisation AND plot and both prove to be quite surprising in places (Anya’s heartbreaking attempts to get Fitz’s attention, the sudden appearance of the ship from Haltiel). The book is a little flabby in the middle, having set up an intriguing mystery it runs on the spot for a little while offering hints and scraps at what is to come. I never felt this was the work of two separate writers and the prose is very readable, made even simpler by those friendly short chapters (48 in a 282 page book!). The regulars are handled very well and the last 80 pages rocket by effortlessly, full of excitement and great twists. Even the ending is perfect, tragic (the loss of life) and yet strangely uplifting (the loss of the militaristic regime and the suggestions of humility, rebuilding and reunion). I devoured this in a day, aware of a few problems but pretty impressed by the end result: <strong>7/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/parallel-59-by-natalie-dellaire-and.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/09/parallel-59-by-natalie-dellaire-and.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Shadows of Avalon:</strong> It might be a bit awkward in spots but that doesn’t matter at all as this is one of the few EDAs to this point to be touched by a sense of magnificence. For a start the prose is beautiful, rich with magical sights and dripping with emotion and the characterisation is the best we have seen in this series (outside of a Kate Orman novel) with the reader going through every stage of the Brigadier’s tragic road to recovery. The EDAs get a wonderful kick up the ass and it is so joyous to reach the last page (that is meant as a compliment) because I was desperate to know what happened next. It is the novel where the eighth Doctor is finally nailed, as a people person who saves the day by getting close to people and the dawning realisation that this fascinating character can actually work in print is the icing on the cake. Very encouraging: <strong>9/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/10/shadows-of-avalon-by-paul-cornell.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/10/shadows-of-avalon-by-paul-cornell.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Fall of Yquatine:</strong> Another winner in what is turning out to be a great little run of EDAs. Fitz and Compassion take centre stage again and rarely have book companions been this fascinating, powering their separate plotlines with real style. The set up of having to experience the attack on Yquatine twice is exploited for all the drama its worth and the book never wastes a page in getting into its characters heads and revealing new colours. You can feel how much Nick Walters has improved since Dominion, his plot and characterisation much sharper and clutches of prose that whip the mat from under your feet. It is only the odd cartoonish moment that lets this book down and some moments of overplayed drama. I gobbled this down in a day, it is a remarkably easy book to read and will definitely surprise you at least once. Another confident, well plotted entry and a book that not only exploits the treasures unearthed in The Shadows of Avalon but actually <em>improves</em> them: <strong>8/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/11/plot-fitz-is-stranded-on-planet-of.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/11/plot-fitz-is-stranded-on-planet-of.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Coldheart:</strong> Predictable and safe and yet somehow strangely likable, despite the feeling of laziness in the plotting and content it ticks all the right boxes for a ‘classic’ Doctor Who TV adventure (and lets face it, that’s what got us into this lark in the first place!). It is barely endowed with innovation and you can guess pretty much every single twist that’s coming, characterisation is pretty sketchy and the prose is nothing to shout home about but Trevor Baxendale clearly LOVES Doctor Who and his enthusiasm for his material is quite infectious. From no-where the last fifty pages are genuinely excellent, the book kicks into high gear, the deaths are extremely memorable and the plot is tied up very nicely. It is the weakest book for an age, which goes to show how good they have been lately because regardless of its unimaginativeness it is still enjoyable and passes the time: <strong>6/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/11/coldheart-by-trevor-baxendale.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/11/coldheart-by-trevor-baxendale.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Space Age:</strong> Oh. My. God. This rubbed me up the wrong from the first scene and coming from the usually reliable pen of Steve Lyons it is a double shock. The premise is ridiculous and the book is full of stupid, illogical twists, the characterisation is poor (The Sandra/Alec thing could really have been exploited but it felt really unnatural) and the regulars barely register. There were a few moments where I perked up, mostly when Compassion turned up, even muted as she is here she pisses over all the other characters. This should have thrown in the slag heap the second it hit Steve Lyons desk, the prose is basic, storyline prosaic and considering its placing (in a pretty decent run of books) it sticks out like a sore thumb. Something could have been made of the Makers but not attached to this plot. One of the weakest EDAs I have read yet: <strong>1/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/space-age-by-steve-lyons.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/space-age-by-steve-lyons.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Banquo Legacy:</strong> I’m so glad this came along when it did, a complex and compelling read, the penultimate book of the Stephen Cole edited era and helping to round it off with some real style. It reminds me of one of those rare TV Doctor Who stories where everything comes together… and not a foot is placed wrong here from the mix of authors, the choice of narrative device, the pace, the setting, the plot, the gorgeous descriptive prose…it is a pleasure to read from the very first page. The amount of detail is extraordinary and the 18th Century is brewed up with atmospheric ease, I loved every single one of the characters and the horror content lives up to its name beautifully. The first two thirds are like the best Agatha Christie story ever written and the last third is pure Doctor Who madness done with real verve and nastiness. And the fact that it segues into the ongoing EDA arc unobtrusively but pushing along the plot and leaving you desperate to read the next book is the icing on the cake: <strong>10/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/banquo-legacy-by-andy-lane-and-justin.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/banquo-legacy-by-andy-lane-and-justin.html</a><br /><strong>The Ancestor Cell:</strong> A chaotic book, needlessly complex but full of fabulous ideas and ridiculously entertaining throughout. Considering what it has to achieve, it dovetails loads of stray plotlines together really well and nothing seems to have been forgotten and for a long term reader there is much here that is rewarding. I loved the pace of the book and found many scenes to be exhilarating and dramatic. Saying that it threatens to lose the reader under too much continuity in spots and the ending does feel like things have gotten out of control for the writers and they wanted to sweep the whole lot under the rug. The writing itself is pretty basic but the dialogue is scorching and many long awaited character confrontations are as electrifying as they should be. It needs one more draft to make it truly excellent (there are some bizarre plotting choices, hopping from one location to another, from one plotline to another) but I have to admit I raced through it in less than a day and found my excitement mounting exponentially towards the climax. A fascinating end to an uneven era, which encapsulates the best and the worst of its period: <strong>8/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/ancestor-cell-by-peter-anghelides-and.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/ancestor-cell-by-peter-anghelides-and.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Burning:</strong> <em>Glorious</em>, a book that looks to the future (offering us a fantastic new take on the eighth Doctor) and looks back to the past (giving us a traditional Doctor Who story with ALL the trimmings) in all the best ways. This is Justin Richards’ most surprising book, predictable as hell (which he rarely is) but containing some truly atmospheric prose (which he rarely is either!). The characterisation is fantastic and the book is packed full of memorable moments, the enemy is vivid and terrifying and there are a number of deaths that really shock you. This is exactly how the eighth Doctor books should have originally started, with a genuinely unsettling Doctor, some delicious scares and lots of intelligent detail. I really couldn’t put this down. A re-format that works on every level, and leaves you hungry for the next instalment: <strong>9/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/burning-by-justin-richards.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/burning-by-justin-richards.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Casualties of War:</strong> A debut novel to be proud of and a book which continues the Doctor’s 100 year exile with something very special. The story has a quartet of characters (Mary, Cromby, Briggs and Banham) who feel so real they bring the story alive with their thoughts and feelings. It’s a horror story with some real scares, potent moments that will leave you terrified to turn the light out and it isn’t afraid to examine the war with some psychological depth. The prose is gorgeous throughout and the setting comes alive in vivid detail. The real heart behind the book is the Doctor/Mary relationship which is in turns playful, awkward and heart-warming. It is a little light on plot but after some of the complex plotting of the Faction Paradox arc that comes as a most refreshing change. This is a novel about <em>people</em> and on that lever it is a total success: <strong>9/10 </strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/02/casualties-of-war-by-steve-emmerson.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/02/casualties-of-war-by-steve-emmerson.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Wolfsbane:</strong> One of the sparkling diamonds in the rough of an extremely inconsistent year for Doctor Who fiction (2003), this is one of those stories, which reminds you perfectly of why you fell in love with this silly show in the first place. It is blisteringly entertaining with lots well observed comedy moments but that never gets in the way of what is essentially a touching horror story about a lone werewolf. Some moments are astonishingly dark (especially when Sarah gets buried alive…) and Jacqueline Rayner’s descriptive prose is at its peak, immersed in nature and magic. The potentially catastrophic idea of pairing up the eighth Doctor with Harry is pulled off like a dream and they read like they were made for each other. The dual plotlines add suspense to the tale, Sarah discovering more and more horrors just ahead of us experiencing them! Top it all of with fantastic dialogue all around and you have a little gem which rightfully belongs in this (so far) astonishing Earth arc: <strong>9/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/02/wolfsbane-by-jacqueline-rayner.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/02/wolfsbane-by-jacqueline-rayner.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Turing Test:</strong> Easily the best eighth Doctor book to this point and perhaps (in terms of literary achievement) <em>the</em> best Doctor Who novel of all time. It comes as a shock that something this good comes from the pen of Paul Leonard, not because he is a bad author (far from it) but because he is usually such a strong plot writer rather than a character man and the reason this book works so fantastically is because it examines its characters in such complex and probing ways. Leonard captures three distinct voices beautifully and the dialogue and observations they make take this book into a world of its own. The Doctor has never been more prominent or fascinating and his comeuppance at the climax is both poignant and rewarding. The plot starts off slow but builds to an incredibly memorable finish and the atmosphere of the second world war is captured more atmospherically than any other Doctor Who book I can remember. The eighth Doctor adventures have struck a pot of gold with the Caught on Earth Arc and this is the pinnacle of a five-book stretch of wonderful stories. Stark, brutal and unexpectedly emotional, I love this novel to pieces and ask myself what you are doing reading this silly thread when you could be immersed in its pages. In a way I’m very pleased Uncle Terry is up next because I’m running out of superlatives: <strong>10/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/02/turing-test-by-paul-leonard.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/02/turing-test-by-paul-leonard.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Endgame:</strong> And it was going so well…but I suppose we had to be brought back to Earth sooner or later and be reminded that this is a Doctor Who book series where childish, patronising storytelling runs free. This is a quick read if you are after nothing more than fluff but the Earth Arc to this point have been so much more than that. Terrance barely injects any effort into this; it feels as though he reeled it off in a day or two with his standard descriptions and plot mechanics. There is some fun to be had seeing the Doctor meeting up with so many historical figures but much of their characterisation is piss poor, especially compared to the depth of the previous book. The Players are hardly the most fascinating villains to begin with and their worldwide struggle could have been far more interesting than this cartoonish game they play here. A huge misstep for the range, shallow and uninvolving for the most part and wasting time when there is clearly so much more to the Doctor’s exile to explore: <strong>3/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/03/endgame-by-terrance-dicks.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/03/endgame-by-terrance-dicks.html</a><br /></p><br /><p><strong>Father Time:</strong> Powerful, deep, beautifully written and populated with characters so real you feel as if you know them, this is something very special indeed. It is full of elements that feel traditionally Doctor Who (the alien dictator/rebels conflict, robots, lasers, spaceships…) and yet there is so much here that is fresh and interesting (the heartfelt relationships, Miranda’s coming of age, setting the book over a decade of history) and the mix is quite intoxicating. Peppered with beautiful moments (the rose petal tower, the hover discs rising over the snowy village), genuine emotion (I defy you not to feel something when Debbie is killed!) and cracking dialogue throughout (“The gun works…but it is useless”), this is how good every Doctor Who book should be. This is the EDA equivalent of Human Nature, it feels absolutely right in every respect. I adore it:<strong> 10/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/04/father-time-by-lance-parkin.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/04/father-time-by-lance-parkin.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Escape Velocity:</strong> Oh. My. God. Who on Earth thought closing one of the best arcs in any novel range with this ****e? Lance Parkin showed us how traditional Doctor could be done in the novel series with his beautiful Father Time and now Colin Brake demonstrates perfectly why the books shouldn’t mimic the TV series too much. This is bland muck; written so a six year old would feel insulted, with some seriously shallow characterisation, a yawnathon plot, some tedious aliens and a climax that is awful it has to be read to be believed. As an introduction to Anji it sucks (and probably has much to do with her reputation) because it is so poor and she reads as nothing more than a character profile. I cringed with embarrassment throughout most of this book, wanting for it to be over so I could move on to something more interesting. A serious error of judgement, ending the arc on this one, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth after all that sweetness: <strong>2/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/escape-velocity-by-colin-brake.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/escape-velocity-by-colin-brake.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Earthworld:</strong> Jac Rayner is clearly finding her feet as an author but there is so much here that is good it is clear she will go on to great things. Her treatment of the regulars is exemplary and she manages to update the new readers about the Doctor and Fitz and re-introduces (as a <em>real</em> person) Anji with effortless ease. She does this without resorting to cheap tricks, getting us close to these people and their insecurities and allowing us to see how much they have lost but how much they gained by finding each other. The book is blissfully funny in places and the main plot regarding the trips is well worth sticking with for the heartbreaking conclusion. The only criticism I have is the prose, which is far too chatty for its own good and the plot, which is thin but made up for by the top-notch characterisation. The end result is an extremely entertaining book, one that clears up a lot of backstory for the regulars and sets them forward for some fab adventures. I found it pretty addictive, especially in the excellent second half and fell in love with Anji all over again: <strong>8/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/earthworld-by-jacqueline-rayner.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/earthworld-by-jacqueline-rayner.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Fear Itself:</strong> One of the best Doctor Who books. A rock superbly plotted thriller, which is loaded with twist after twist that will leave you reeling at its conclusion. There are loads of exciting set pieces, a cast of guest characters that come alive like you wouldn’t believe, a host of fantastic, imaginative ideas, suspense and drama. All this and there is still room to take three fascinating regulars, put them through hell, get up close and personal, and see them emerge stronger and more interesting than they were. The amount of detail that has gone into writing this is rare for a Doctor Who book, the three time zones come alive with astonishing clarity and the prose itself is full of great observations, strong descriptions and a terrifying pace. It really is one of the best Doctor Who books you are likely to read and the one I would personally recommend to non fans who love science fiction. A <em>blistering</em> read: <strong>10/10</strong></p><br /><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/fear-itself-by-nick-wallace.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/fear-itself-by-nick-wallace.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Vanishing Point:</strong> Reading much fan opinion (stupid me) I expected this to be terrible so imagine my delight at discovering how good it was! My only real complaints surface at the end when you think through some of the answers that were given and realise how underdeveloped they were but considering all the other treats on offer that is hardly the greatest sin. It is surprisingly sensitive in places with some lovely character work that really draws you close to these people and starts to exploit the great potential in the engaging Doctor/Fitz/Anji team. The Doctor has rarely been this fascinating in print. There is much intelligent dialogue too, religious debate that really gets you thinking and some world building that proves quite detailed when seen through the eyes of Etty and Dark, two thoroughly convincing, flawed (in a good way!) characters. The pace of the book is great and there are some wonderfully fun set pieces. Stephen Cole might not be the most sophisticated writer on the planet but by God he can spin a good yarn and ensure that there is never a dull moment and some gob smackingly good ones allow the way: <strong>8/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/06/vanishing-point-by-stephen-cole.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/06/vanishing-point-by-stephen-cole.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Eater of Wasps:</strong> A thoroughly engaging read and packed full of grisly moments that make you go “eugh!” Probably the most traditional Doctor Who story the EDAs have offered up yet but it doesn’t suffer in the way others in this vain have because Trevor Baxendale has latched onto the two elements that make it work, a terrifying possession and an unpredictable Doctor. Lets face it the (guest) characterisation is pretty basic and the location is straight out of the Barry Letts book of Who but those things just don’t matter because the wasps are the star of this book and they are just plain terrifying. There is an abundance of sickly moments that made me squirm and the action never lets up, not for one moment, piling problem after problem. Trevor’s prose is much improved and Rigby’s horrific transformation is described in disgusting detail. The time travellers add another dimension to the book and offer tantalising glimpse into the future. Its so nice to have a book this unpretentious, one that isn’t trying to prove a point or make you go ‘ooh isn’t that clever’ symptomatic of so many EDAs, this is just a bloody good read from cover to cover. Enough said: <strong>9/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/07/eater-of-wasps-by-trevor-baxendale.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/07/eater-of-wasps-by-trevor-baxendale.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Year of Intelligent Tigers:</strong> What an <em>amazing</em> book this is. Kate Orman effortlessly breathes music into her story and creates a world that comes alive in so many ways, more than making up for the fact that we have stuck on Earth for so long. The book is peppered with beautiful descriptions, evocative locations and startling emotion. The regulars are defined <em>magnificently</em>, especially the Doctor who is such a far cry from his earlier persona (for the better) it is impossible to reconcile the two. His negotiations between two explosive camps and his despair at their violent reactions is riveting to read. The Tigers, an idea that could have been so naff, turn out to be one of the best ‘alien’ races we have ever met and the mystery surrounding their origins is well worth sticking around for. I read this in half a day, unable to put it down, captivated by the striking narration and vivid characterisation. It’s a unique piece, nuanced and sensitive, slow and sensual. My favourite Kate Orman book by miles: <strong>10/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/year-of-intelligent-tigers-by-kate.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/year-of-intelligent-tigers-by-kate.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Slow Empire:</strong> I just don’t know what to say. It is not good. There are flashes of imagination and the some cracking jokes but this doesn’t make up for 240 odd pages of nonsense we have to endure. There are some great ideas in here but they are wasted on a slooooow plot and writer who is so far up his own arse he thinks he can get away with prevaricating with pointless asides over and over and over and treat characters as a bunch of random observations. I was waiting for a revelation that would tie this altogether and make it all make sense (in that it isn’t just a bunch of random observations shoved in between two covers…the front one of which is utterly hideous too!) but it never happened and the answers we do get are pretty lame considering the everlasting wait for them. Saying all that, Dave Stone has a mastery over language which verges on the genius with lots of horrifically complicated words cropping up…its just a shame he didn’t bother to use them to write a plot with characters and a point. A huge let down for the range, Stone’s unique view of Doctor Who can be a breathless, invigorating experience but this isn’t going to please either camp, it is neither brilliantly camp and insane or purely traditional and functional…its just sort of there. Achieving nothing: <strong>2/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/slow-empire-by-dave-stone.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/slow-empire-by-dave-stone.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Dark Progeny:</strong> The two problems with Dark Progeny are that after the arresting opening chapter nothing happens until the climax AND it writes out its regulars for 2/3rds of the action, two huge errors that leave the middle sections of this book a real slog. A shame because the plot concerning the alien children is genuinely involving and the characterisation of the Doctor is once again fabulous. Emmerson’s guest characters hold up most of the book, especially Josef and Veta who get a sub plot that deserved much more attention. Some scenes are gorgeously written (such as the telepathic Anji hearing Fitz and the Doctor’s thoughts) which annoys because there is so little plot to get your teeth into but with some major tightening up this could have been superb. There are some wonderful concepts introduced at the end that could have done with exploring further too (the Gaia planet). All in all, a bit of struggle to enjoy because you can see clearly how it could be done so much better: <strong>5/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/09/dark-progeny-by-steve-emmerson.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/09/dark-progeny-by-steve-emmerson.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The City of the Dead:</strong> Easily one of the best eighth Doctor book to this point and strong contender for the best original Doctor Who book, this is <em>everything</em> you could want from a novel and more. Lloyd Rose’s prose is a revelation, intelligent, sensual, evocative and risky…she brings New Orleans to life with a real sense of beauty and detail, the city of the dead opens up around you within this books pages. She plants the Doctor at the centre of the novel and allows us closer to him than ever before, his characterisation is absolutely phenomenal throughout and it is clear that although he leaps over this particular hurdle there are still more horrors to come. The plotting is airtight; the characters (even the smaller ones like Flood, Thales and Pierre Bal) come alive in unexpected ways and the levels of emotion the book expresses is extremely potent. Half the time it doesn’t read like Doctor Who at all and that can only be a good thing, this is a stunning novel that restores absolute faith in the range after a couple of clunkers: <strong>10/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/09/city-of-dead-by-lloyd-rose.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/09/city-of-dead-by-lloyd-rose.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Grimm Reality:</strong> Imaginative, with a real sense of dark whimsy, I’m glad I gave this book another chance because I have been far too hard on it in the past. It takes a while to figure out Albert but when you do there is a lot of fun to be had here, especially being able to see these dirty fairytales, kids stories seen from the POV of adults is fascinating. The regulars are captured beautifully and get loads to do and the plot is full of memorable sights, challenges and riddles. Against that the book keeps reverting to an interminably boring sub plot on a merchants ship that takes you away from all the fun on the planet and the separate voices of two authors can be easily discerned as the book pulls you in far too many directions to be entirely coherent. Packed with laughs and creativity though, I would still give it a thumbs up and I adored the sections of the plot that lapsed into fairytale style prose: <strong>8/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/10/grimm-reality-or-marvellous-adventures.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/10/grimm-reality-or-marvellous-adventures.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Adventuress of Henrietta Street:</strong> Terrifying (in terms of its content and in terms of its <em>content</em>) and unforgettable, this is the ultimate eighth Doctor experience. Defining the exciting, unpredictable new universe the Doctor has found himself in (delightful because Miles has clearly put some real thought into what horrors might lie in a universe without the Time Lords) like no other; this is the sort of book that has been crafted, not written. Packed with sickening images, detailed historical atmosphere, adult relationships and amazing developments, this is my favourite Doctor Who book. Bar none. This is Lawrence Miles’ true masterpiece and the highest level of sophistication the EDAs have ever reached. Challenging and intelligent, it doesn’t get much better than this: <strong>10/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/10/adventuress-of-henrietta-street-by.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/10/adventuress-of-henrietta-street-by.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Mad Dogs and Englishmen:</strong> Delightfully funny and extremely comfortable with its own campness, this is a marvellously brisk read after the fairly torturous Adventuress. You can’t really take any of it seriously but that’s not what we’re here for, Paul Magrs knows how to show you a good time better than any other Doctor Who writer and I haven’t giggled this much in a long time. The regulars are at their all time loosest and we really get to see enjoying themselves and the guest characters (especially the marvellous Flossie and the Noel Coward) all contribute much entertainment. There is quite a complex little plot rattling along here when you dig beneath the candyfloss surface, which ties up beautifully at the end. It isn’t as richly written as The Scarlet Empress or as experimental and risky as The Blue Angel but it is far funnier and easier to read than either of them, making it Magrs’ most accessible book. As long as you can accept the poodles… <em>Another</em> corker in what is turning out to be another very good little run of books: <strong>9/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/10/mad-dogs-and-englishmen-by-paul-magrs.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/10/mad-dogs-and-englishmen-by-paul-magrs.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Hope:</strong> Clearly the work of an author trying to impress on his debut solo novel, there are loads of great ideas in here and the plot never stops developing. Hope itself is a beautifully well thought out Doctor Who location full of danger and atmosphere, a deadly setting for this tale of betrayal and conquest. It’s almost a shame that Silver has to become such a predictable villain in the end because he is such a memorable character and for once there is a character that matches the charisma and intelligence of the Doctor. The prose is a little choppy in places and the plot does hop about a bit but none of these matters because the character work is brilliant. Anji is finally treated to a novel that pushes her centre stage and she is every bit as compelling and thoughtful as I new she would be, Mark Clapham should be extremely proud of taking this much loathed character and making her seem more real and complex than any other writer. Her plot brought tears to my eyes at the end. All in all, a compelling read, not an absolute classic (there’s a bit too much going on and with an extended page count it could be explored more thoroughly) but a confident, intelligent read with plenty to admire and enjoy: <strong>8/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/11/hope-by-mark-clapham.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/11/hope-by-mark-clapham.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Anachrophobia:</strong> The most ingenious use of time travel yet, this is a hugely imaginative and terrifying tale which recaptures all the shadowy horror of those Troughton base under siege stories with an extra dash of gore that makes all the more scary. The book is brilliantly written with a well thought out plot, some marvellously spine tingling moments and spot characterisation of the regulars. The shift of location at the climax is well placed and the Doctor’s final solution is excellent. It is a little hard going in places because the tone is unremittingly grim but I refuse to criticise a book on the grounds that it sticks to its guns (to frighten) and doesn’t try to add any superfluous ‘entertaining’ moments. The last two pages provide a final, electrifying shock and top a nourishing read, full of graphic imagery and a terrorizing atmosphere. It says something about Jonathan Morris' writing that this is the weakest of his three Doctor Who books and its still bloody excellent: <strong>9/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/11/anachrophobia-by-jonathan-morris.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2010/11/anachrophobia-by-jonathan-morris.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Trading Futures:</strong> About as deep as a very tiny puddle, this is the perfect holiday Who novel. There is a fast paced, easily digestible plot, marvellous switches of location, witty lines and some damn good world building. I skipped through it in less than a day, at a loss at how wonderful the team of the Doctor, Fitz and Anji are these days. One thing niggled me, I’m not the greatest Bond fan (which this book is heavily based on) but that is a matter of personal preference rather than a comment on the books quality. Lots of action for those who enjoy it, some cool hardware on display and a great world encompassing war being brewed…its pleasing to note this is one Bond story with a bit of brains, with Anji dissecting the conflict and the players motivations. Enjoyable and funny, although the space Rhino’s were perhaps one joke too many: <strong>7/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/trading-futures-by-lance-parkin.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/trading-futures-by-lance-parkin.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Book of the Still:</strong> How can a book imbued with this much energy have such a mundane first half? The drug-induced prose guides you through effortlessly but it contains nothing but a number of protracted chase sequences! Once the Unnoticed arrives, so does the plot and the second half is excellent, filled with amazing scenes that will make you laugh, cry and tear your head out with the sheer madness of it! This feels like Dave Stone for a more accessible audience and has all the humour, imagination and mind boggling moments that made the former author so popular but connects to its audience with a real sense of heart too, which makes all the difference. Forget the confusing climax and get high on the wealth of memorable moments and hair raising writing style: <strong>8/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/book-of-still-by-paul-ebbs.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/book-of-still-by-paul-ebbs.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Crooked World:</strong> The last time I reviewed a Steve Lyons book in the mighty eighth Doctor marathon I considered the worst Doctor Who book I had ever read so how odd that his next entry should be such an amazing piece of writing. Its one of the all time classic Doctor Who books, such a fantastic idea and pulled off with such incredible style. The writing is extremely adult without ever being patronising but still manages to thrill the child in you, with loads of laugh out loud hilarious scenes. The regulars are vital to the plot and each contribute much to the story and characterised (once again) with supreme confidence and the secondary characters all transcend their stereotypes to become living, breathing people who it is impossible not to fall in love with (even the villains). It shares some themes with the film Pleasantville and is just as touching and magical, coming of age never seemed so frightening and delightful. I am extremely pleased with the imagination and humour the range is displaying at the moment, this is another little masterpiece in a consistently excellent run of books: <strong>10/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/crooked-world-by-steve-lyons.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/crooked-world-by-steve-lyons.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>History 101:</strong> A book which is not afraid of flaunting its intelligence and will leave those behind who wont put the right amount of effort. Saying that, the rewards a manifold; a complex and fascinating plot, some startling ideas, a brilliantly original way of going about exploring a historical event, another excellent use of the regulars… Following hot on the heels of a book that couldn’t be more different, this is an equally thoughtful book which prefers to contemplate rather than thrill and succeeds in intimately exploring the many viewpoints of the Spanish Civil War and continue the eighth Doctor arc plot with Sabbath proving as elusive and dangerous as ever. People say the book has a dry edge to it with documental rather than sensual prose but isn’t that rather the point? By allowing us to see history from so many viewpoints the plot does veer off in far too many directions but I doubt it would be as interesting without this unusual technique. It is a striking debut, layered with meaning and educational, I took my time with it and found it revealing experience: <strong>8/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/history-101-by-mags-l-halliday.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/history-101-by-mags-l-halliday.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Camera Obscura:</strong> A magnificent novel, one of the best Doctor Who books published and a really tasty historical with so many memorable passages I would be recounting much of the book to list them all. After you have finished it you realise that the plot is actually quite thin, nothing more than a protracted chase after a time machine but how the book works its way into the running arc of the EDAs turns it into so much more. This book succeeds on the astonishing strength of characterisation and brutally thoughtful moments. The Doctor and Sabbath are explored in considerable depth and any scene featuring the pair is instantly classic, bouncing off each other beautifully. The prose is stimulating, the sheer beauty of the writing results in an effortless read. It the pinnacle of a great run of books, matching Rose’s debut step for step and being the all round best achiever of the ranger since Adventuress. Powerful and involving, read this now: <strong>10/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/camera-obscura-by-lloyd-rose.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/camera-obscura-by-lloyd-rose.html</a></p><br /><p>Time Zero: Shockingly brutal and gripping, this novel has three equally good action plots wrapping around each other beautifully. Written by the range editor, the regulars are every bit as fulfilling as you would expect and given a healthy dose of development. The tone is certainly dramatic, helped enormously by the reverse numbered chapters, which give the constant impression the book is building up to something. Some people complain about the heavy science in the last third but to be honest that was my favourite part, with some mind-expanding concepts being used to strengthen the character drama. The plotting is flawless and the content very adult and the whole thing is enhanced by that superb, almost photographic, cover. Easily the best thing Justin Richards has written to date; I love this book just for the stuff with Anji on the plane: 9/10</p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/time-zero-by-justin-richards.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/time-zero-by-justin-richards.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Infinity Race:</strong> The Infinity Race has the unfortunate feeling of being made up as it goes along, the author has sections where he is full of ideas and others where he is bored tit-less and can’t wait to finish the thing off. Consequently the resulting novel is hilarious, boring, imaginative and slow. The switching narrative is distinctive but annoying and it feels like Messingham is trying to be too clever for his own good. Compared to the drama of the last four books this is distinctly substandard with huge stretches of nothing happening to prolong the (admittedly) dramatic climax. I cannot bring myself to loathe the book as individual scenes are pretty good (such as the nasty rich folk riot and the native hunt) but as a whole they just don’t gel as well as they should. Sabbath has lots of great descriptions but this is the first time he has really come across as a pantomime villain. In true season eight fashion, you know he will be back in the next story: <strong>4/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/infinity-race-by-simon-messingham.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/infinity-race-by-simon-messingham.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Domino Effect:</strong> Illogical, unsubtle and so stupid in places it defies logic; this has to be one of the sloppiest Doctor Who books ever written. A fascist state, altered reality, history re-written; clichés all and yet the setting is the strongest thing about the book and its unflinching brutality is quite engrossing in places. The characterisation is weaker than my boyfriend’s tea (yuck) and the prose hardly deserves the term, it is practically the transcript of an untransmitted script! Marvel at the banal dialogue, gasp at the inexplicable climax (how the hell does killing one man destroy an entire reality?) and remind yourself that Doctor Who books are just for really stupid kids after all. Almost so bad its good in places, this continues the shocking decline started in The Infinity Race and proves that this whole altered universe idea was really misconceived: <strong>3/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/domino-effect-by-david-bishop.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/domino-effect-by-david-bishop.html</a></p><br /><p>Reckless Engineering: A massive improvement on the last two books, this is a deftly written piece that takes the alternative reality idea by the horns and shakes so hard lots of interesting ideas and dilemmas pop out. The setting is amazing, a cruel and stark post apocalyptic Bristol lovingly described by Nick Walters in some atmospheric passages. The first half is a strong character piece with some terrifying set pieces and the second, whilst not quite as gripping, is a fascinating trip into temporal madness. The regulars really get put through the wringer here and it is nice to see Fitz given some healthy development, although the dangerous Doctor is a great improvement on the last two books too. The only really annoying aspect is the ending, which is inexplicable and insultingly easy. Despite this, I will still champion this book for its strong prose, excellent dialogue and cleverly crafted plot. This is the book which should have come directly after Time Zero: 8/10</p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/reckless-engineering-by-nick-walters.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/reckless-engineering-by-nick-walters.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>The Last Resort:</strong> The trouble with The Last Resort is that it refuses to conform to standard narrative…you don’t follow characters along a linear storyline. What you have to acccept is that from one scene to the next you might not just be reading about the same character, but a different version of the same character. A fascinating device, confusing as hell, but brilliantly exploiting the alternative universe concept. What makes this book so special is what makes it so impenetrable, if you don’t dissect this hardcore puzzle book completely you’ll miss out on all the rewards. A wealth of brain bursting ideas, a satisfying fractured plot (of which the threads link together beautifully) and a genuine adrenaline rush of tragedy, sacrifice and hopelessness. The stakes have never been this high before and it is pleasing to see some real pay off from this misguided arc. The last third is my favourite, packed with imagination and shocking images. Breathtakingly experimental: <strong>9/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/06/last-resort-by-paul-leonard.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/06/last-resort-by-paul-leonard.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Timeless:</strong> Just as the NAs worked when they concentrated on building their own version of the future, the EDAs do their best work on Earth in domestic settings (Vampire Science, Revolution Man The Banquo Legacy, The Burning, Casualties of War, The Turing Test, Father Time, City of the Dead, Advenuress, Camera Obscura, The Sleep of Reason, The Deadstone Memorial and The Gallifrey Chronicles are some the best this range has produced). The Doctor has a cast of wonderfully trendy twenty-somethings here backing him up (Anji, Fitz, Trix, Stacey and Guy work astonishingly well together) and the urban surroundings add a touch of reality to a range, which was slowly going SF crazy (or possibly just crazy). It is another richly plotted story, Timeless has lovely clues planted everywhere and plot threads dovetail together effortlessly. Finally this mighty eighth Doctor arc is building up to its conclusion and the second half of the book is one energetic twist after another (The Time Lords! Sabbath’s plan!). Add to this mix some sizzling dialogue, interesting characterisation (for her last story Anji gets to <em>shine</em>) and lots of moments that remind you how marvellous the central character can be (the Doctor on the boat), this is a confident and stylish piece of storytelling and about as far from the tired hackneyed range as is reputed: <strong>9/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/06/timeless-by-stephen-cole.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/06/timeless-by-stephen-cole.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Emotional Chemistry:</strong> It pains me to punish an author for effort but there is far too much going on in Emotional Chemistry, with a flourish of characters, settings and events that command the readers attention and Forward (agonisingly) injects sumptuous detail into each of them. I just could not concentrate so hard on everything with equal vigour and lost myself in a few places. This is a fascinating experiment with many great, great moments and another excellent plot, which weaves brilliantly through (and justifies) its three time zones. The prose is extremely imaginative and thoughtful, so noticeably colourful that it adds an extra layer of polish to the book. The characterisation rocks and there isn’t one person who rings false (if only there weren’t so bloody many of them!) and the regulars all shine apart from each other, especially Trix who has the ability to convince in all three time periods. Thick with incident, this is a flawed but worthwhile attempt at capturing the feel of Russian literature, unfairly placed between two arc novels and well worth taking your time with: <strong>7/10</strong></p><p>Full Review Here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/06/emotional-chemistry-by-simon-forward.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/06/emotional-chemistry-by-simon-forward.html</a></p><br /><p><strong>Sometime Never…:</strong> Just because its written by Justin Richards that doesn’t make it a bad thing and whilst the grand baddies who have been plaguing the universe these few years or so are revealed to be a bunch of old crystal men who are hardly thrill a minute, that is perhaps the only major disappointment in this otherwise brilliantly climatic novel. It is perhaps the best-plotted Doctor Who book I have ever read, re-reading it proves how not a scene is wasted, every moment is vital to the overall story. The settings here might be small scale but the amount of Doctor Who fiction this encompasses is extraordinary, dragging in plot points from years back (and PDAs too) and turning the entire range into a cohesive whole. The ideas are mind blowing and the revelations in the last third reward the reader for being so patient with this arc and the range(s) in general. Sabbath gets the exit he fully deserves, the Doctor doesn’t escape scott free and there is a real surprise waiting in the last scene (which could potentially annoy but I found it charming). The prose and characterisation is not the best the EDAs can offer (both were better in Emotional Chemistry) but I am willing skip over them because this book got me so damn excited and involved. As a lover of deconstructing narrative, the way everything falls into place is quite, quite stunning: <strong>9/10</strong></p><p>Full Review here: <a href="http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/sometime-never-by-justin-richards.html">http://docohosreviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/sometime-never-by-justin-richards.html</a></p><br /><br /><p></p>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-28877651323323559522011-07-25T11:38:00.002+01:002012-07-05T19:08:28.549+01:00Halflife by Mark Michalowski<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUF14WDK1d-8Vz8gQ_p-GB-OsHONX9XtAcekNpHxJJMCO6_WyTJWn8q4k7A-IaeJRzIB-Au5Wp5YkZSXz78yrDMDb6KTQsLwcVHOGEzwCfE6G6rVMAmSK4yyTGnPZEMKgK2MCX1xILt-E/s1600/Halflife_%2528Doctor_Who%2529.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633238559353761554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUF14WDK1d-8Vz8gQ_p-GB-OsHONX9XtAcekNpHxJJMCO6_WyTJWn8q4k7A-IaeJRzIB-Au5Wp5YkZSXz78yrDMDb6KTQsLwcVHOGEzwCfE6G6rVMAmSK4yyTGnPZEMKgK2MCX1xILt-E/s320/Halflife_%2528Doctor_Who%2529.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="199" /></a><strong>Plot:</strong> The Doctor’s lost his bloody memory again! He’s smoking, he’s drinking, he’s swearing and eyeing up the girls. Fitz on the other hand is acting all intelligent and casual, which is a sure sign that something is up. Cut loose from her friends Trix is tricked into surrendering herself to an alien control device, her desire for change resulting in her never being herself again…<br />
<br />
<strong>Top Doc:</strong> Now this is what I’m talking about! There are some very interesting things being done with the Doctor, all of which work a charm (especially coming after the dangerous, doom and gloom Doctor of the alternative universe arc). Firstly his memory loss allows the series to finally dismiss all those folks who whinge on about when he’s going to get his memory back. He <em>isn’t</em>, and this would have been the perfect opportunity. What is explored is why he doesn’t want his memories back, even when they are offered to him on plate. He is happy with who he is and where his life is and he doesn’t want to get his old life back only to discover he is not a very nice person. He knows he’s done something bad, something big so it does make him seem like something of a coward but the way he explains himself, he makes his amnesia sound like blessing (something of a spring clean). He doesn’t want to be who he <em>was</em>, he wants to be who he is. Another fascinating experiment taken here is his mind swap with Fitz which allows the Doctor an intimate look at how uncertain and scared Fitz is in their adventures and he realises just how lucky he is to have loyal friends who stick by him no matter what he drags them into. This is all excellent, healthy development and long overdue. His status in this book as an offworlder endows him with all the charisma of a sewage worker coming off his shift. He and Fitz are boyishly enthusiastic together. Losing his memory here is a pleasure because it is the most relaxed and happy we have seen the Doctor in a long time. His Fitz like qualities, dying for a ciggie, eyeing up Camalee and swearing a lot (Too bloody right you’re not!”) are all hilarious. He is just a big child and he LOVES weird. After speaking to Madame Xing he starts to remember Miranda’s death and grips the table, desperate to escape the memory. We discover that after he death he brooded in the TARDIS for days. He waves a spell around his companions that makes them inconspicuous. There is a wonderful scene where he is all energy, stealing a pavement artists chalks and sketches away part of the plot. He has a lightness, a casual disregard for proprietary and formality. One minute he was the laid back bon viver, the next all dashing scientist and man of mystery…and the next he is just a nutter! The Doctor likes humans because of their hunger for what they don’t have, their potential. He gets to experience real fear and indecision and he doesn’t like it one bit. He acknowledges that he, Fitz and Trix are hardly a model family. <br />
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<strong>Scruffy Git:</strong> If they were to rely on his wits they were <em>doomed</em>. This book has been a long time coming, the one which reminds us just why Fitz has lasted so damn long and why he is such a special friend to the Doctor. There has been some animosity between Fitz and the Doctor of late and it was high time it was addressed; finally they start having fun together again! He is not a coward and can stand his ground. For various reasons (Interference, Earthworld), Fitz’s memory has become a bit vague about the huge details in his past but thanks to gaining some of the Doctor’s personality it here it pushes them to surface. He remembers the Doctor destroying Gallifrey and his own personal history where he was ‘remembered’. Such a revelation is this last one, he manages to use it to help create an ingenious scheme and save the day and although being remembered might have made him throw up in the past he is surprisingly comfortable with it now. At the end Fitz asks Tain to not give the Doctor the memory of back of him destroying Gallifrey, he decides it is his turn to carry around the heavy stuff and he wants to protect the Doctor from the truth. Fitz hopes Trix will warm to them soon. <br />
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<strong>Identity Tricks:</strong> Oh my God! It was quite surprising just how much why find out about Trix and this easily the best adventure with her yet, one which using her desire for changing identities to create some top drama. When he is not finding a use for her or telling her at the next stop she would have to leave, the Doctor pretty much ignores her. Fitz has taken to her in a puppyish way. She is not good with bodily injuries. She bathes and takes care of Fitz when he is found lying half dead out side the TARDIS. She hates feeling conspicuous and is just starting to feel at home in the TARDIS, although she is still awkward around the Doctor. She had never felt so coward, so ashamed and so shit than when they leave the night beast to be ripped apart by the xenophobic Esperons. She doesn’t ‘do’ kids, a parental role is not one she would like to take on permanently. She feels frustrated that on Espero she has no choice but to be herself, she knows she gets obsessed with role-playing but as long as she has got to Caucasian she might as well be Trix. The thought of Reo’s shape changing toy excites her. She has never been happy with her body feeling it is too mousey, too flat, too dull. Trix feels a longing for Fitz in this story. Taking (stealing) interesting things was somewhere between a hobby and an obsession with her. Trix was so desperate to be anyone other than herself, she realises that she will never be herself again as Reo starts to delete her personality. The thought of never having the option to be herself again terrifies her. There is a lovely dilemma at the climax which means if the bioship gets his wish to commit suicide, Trix will die as well and it is good to see the Doctor agonise over her potential death, we finally get to see the depth of feeling he has for Trix. She refuses to mourn the death of Joshua, she learnt a long time ago that that didn’t bring the dead back to life. She hopes that she has become a hard-nosed bitch. Shit happens, especially around the Doctor and she accepts that she is going to have to get used to the death if she was to keep travelling with him. If you did bad stuff you spend your whole life looking over your shoulder. Never, she thought, the past is never going to catch up with <em>me</em>. <br />
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<strong>Foreboding:</strong> You have Fitz re-discovering about Gallifrey and himself, which sets him up for his confrontation with the Doctor in The Gallifrey Chronicles. Trix’s identity crisis continues to be explored in The Tomorrow Windows. Madame Xing’s offer would be brought up again in The Gallifrey Chronicles. <br />
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<strong>Twists:</strong> There is an intriguing first chapter where an alien is discovered, shot and his spaceship burnt. The Doctor’s explanation of what happened at the palace, “ There was something about the way they said ‘question me later’ that sounded like ‘beat me with sticks’ so I decided to leg it.” The Doctor has lost his memory…again! And Fitz! The set up on Espero is beautiful, with God giving them a second chance at Eden, the Ecumenical Council moving to the planet and taking their faith but not their history. The climate was too hot, the minerals too deep and the neighbouring planets shunned them and as such Espero withdrew into something racist and deeply religious. There is a lovely discussion between the Doctor and Father Roberto which is about the Esperons and their situation but is really discussing the current status of the Doctor in the range (“How can we get where we are going if we don’t know where we’ve been?” “We can’t live in the past forever.” “It would be nice if we could start living in the present.”). The ground starts to get covered in seething bubbling goo…the Gaian wave is well foreshadowed, breaking down everything and building it up again. When the Doctor meets with Madame Xing it is clear that she is Compassion (her voice was female but there was a mechanical edge to it) and she offers him all his memories back (which she would have…see The Gallifrey Chronicles). A night beast is casually ripped to pieces. Trix is cornered in an alley by three drunken Esperons who get off on beating up alien shit like her. The scenes where Trix is trapped within her own mind by Reo are genuinely suffocating. Sensimi has been training a night beast to associate food with the smell of her mother and brother. The Imperator has been offered immortality by Mr Trove. The scene with the maggots eating through the forest and the forest eating the maggots is very memorable. There are some lovely concepts here, none especially original but presented in a fresh way. Tain is a bioship that landed on Espero a year ago, fleeing a war between the Oon and the Makers. The Oon implanted a Trojan device in Tain to subvert his systems and turn him to their side and make soldiers for them and he has been fighting it ever since. He has fought 412 battles and created 95,000 soldiers. He has activated his Gain phase, which will turn the entire planet into a massive gestalt entity, the Oon and the Makers will either have to leave him or kill him, either way he won’t be their killing device anymore. The Doctor has to decide whether to let Tain die (thus killing Trix) or letting him become a slave of war again but Fitz comes up with the scheme to download Tain’s memory into Camalee’s mokey thus allowing them to mind rub the Trojan out of existence before downloading him back. The drawback is that Tain loses most of his memories, which in itself is a good thing because it allows him to have fresh start, unencumbered with the memories of the pain he has caused in the past. <br />
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<strong>Funny bits:</strong> This is a book full of sunshine and hard not to like. The guest cast are highly amusing, especially the Imperator, Tannalis. He gets all the best lines (“It was a beautiful day until you dragged your raddled out carcass in here!” and “I’m too old for all that jiggy jiggy business! Ask my wife, the shrivelled up old mare!”). The Doctor shouting, “Sod off!” is much funnier than it should be! There is a dream sequence where the Doctor and Fitz are standing naked in the TARDIS rubbing butt cheeks together which is so totally disturbing and yet hilarious at the same time I cannot find it in me to put it in the embarrassing bits column. The Doctor’s explanation for the TARDIS is, “Transcendental thingamajig. Pocket Universes. Plasmic Shells. Bibbybobblyboo.” <br />
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<strong>Embarrassing bits:</strong> Mark Michalowski goes to all the trouble of presenting us with a gorgeous planet and a great guest cast and oddly they all seem superfluous to the plot…the only reason the book is set here in the end is because Tain happened to land on this planet! The pacing is way off, with a nice relaxed pace throughout the first two thirds and than a mad rush to tie the plot up at the end. Oh and the line “<em>Ya boo!</em> to you Mr Trove!” which is by far the most cringe worthy thing I have ever read. <br />
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<strong>Result:</strong> A popular book and with good reason. It is great to see the EDAs letting their hair down again and the relaxed pace and character development are most welcome after the doom and gloom of the alternative universe arc. Michalowski’s command over the regulars is breathtaking, the Doctor and Fitz are captured perfectly and learn much from each other but it is Trix who is the standout here, it’s the first time I can see real potential in her character being explored and she is far more interesting than we have seen before. The prose is lovely, creating one of those planets that you would just love to visit. It’s a breezy read, thoroughly engaging and hints at great things for the future. Full of sunshine: <strong>8/10</strong>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5272843773604058918.post-68497021249798725152011-07-17T09:15:00.003+01:002012-07-05T19:11:21.301+01:00The Algebra of Ice by Lloyd Rose<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwanJB5lXAFLc3ZDT1l3rrjfHecNYO-hqb3geoA5w2eyPTkgfbfdhCLnW8SwSU3q1w5R_oaT24wWVkxMq6EgUyg4IT8-YPqXud-sR-Qpfq0Y-6oPZXYWHWjwpAQAdGzSHOXP7bm3HZ66A/s1600/Algebra_of_Ice.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630234169134190786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwanJB5lXAFLc3ZDT1l3rrjfHecNYO-hqb3geoA5w2eyPTkgfbfdhCLnW8SwSU3q1w5R_oaT24wWVkxMq6EgUyg4IT8-YPqXud-sR-Qpfq0Y-6oPZXYWHWjwpAQAdGzSHOXP7bm3HZ66A/s320/Algebra_of_Ice.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="200" /></a><strong>Plot:</strong> Crop shapes have been cut into the Kentish countryside, filled with ice. The Doctor joins forces with a maths nerd and a webzine publisher to take on a force which wants to drain the Earths energy and hack the TARDIS to squeeze the life out of time and space…<br />
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<strong>Master Manipulator:</strong> A fascinating portrayal of the seventh Doctor, particularly in a book that is trying to emulate the best of the New Adventures. As has been pointed out before it doesn’t entirely succeed at this, it’s actually better. Whilst the New Adventures spent so much time building up a mythology around the Doctor he was a cold and impenetrable beast but Rose never lets us forget that he s a person. That makes all the difference because all the New Adventures traits are here, the angst, the manipulation, the possibility of murder but it is tempered by a sense of guilt that truly makes you <em>feel </em>for the guy. Not only that but we actually get to see what the Doctor gets up to behind the scenes, a rare treat. I honestly cannot imagine a more emotional or comprehensive novel focussing on the seventh Doctor than this. Top marks.<br />
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Lately the Doctor has been distant, indulging in nostalgia. Firelight bronzed the Doctor’s eyes and made his eyes glitter. He has a surprising, crooked smile. He was too mysterious by half. The Doctor had his own way of doing things and the Brigadier couldn’t get used to this stern, tense, troubled incarnation. He doesn’t like to be contactable. When the 4th Doctor had chosen not to murder the Daleks how many had died for his virtue? When the 7th Doctor had made the choice years later how many had died for his sins? He had started out as an explorer anxious for new experiences. When had he started playing on a larger board, descending on a planet and ‘fixing’ things? He guarded the universe. He destroyed worlds. He felt he understood sin now and prayed he would never again exterminate an entire race. He wonders if he has a death wish, the creatures had reached out to him and something inside him had <em>responded</em>. Ace loves him so much she can’t see the bad things he has done. The Doctor was slippery, he embodied the unexpected. He wore that stupid hate to encourage you into thinking he was an idiot. He never looked back if he could help it. The Doctor, like the white rabbit, crawls down a hole into a world of magic and fear. The 7th Doctor is the responsible one; he is the only one who replaces the tea at Allen Road. ‘It was time for them to go’ he says of the Daleks. He hates it when the universe comes within a hair of blinking out, it gives him a ‘So glad I cancelled my trip on the Titanic’ shiver. The Doctor’s silent jealousy of Ethan is astonishing. The scene where Ethan realises the Doctor is going to kill him (‘You little monster!’) made me hair stand on end and the dialogue is fantastic (‘You’re trying to take it off you. Murder without murdering. You think I’m going to make it <em>easy?</em>’). He decides to sacrifice himself instead, becoming an energy bullet and murdering the creatures. Without Ace the Doctor doesn’t know what he would be. What he would become. <br />
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<strong>Oh Wicked:</strong> Just as marvellous is the characterisation of Ace who, had she been written for this strongly throughout the New Adventures I would have been a very happy bunny. As this is the bridge between the TV series, BBC Books and the Virgin New Adventures it is perfectly apt that she retains the air of an embarrassing teen she was on screen whilst indulging in sex and a more thoughtful mindfuck relationship with the Doctor so pursued by the books. It is a surprisingly interesting mix, at some moments Ace is painfully childish and explosive and at others she is shockingly mature and humane. <br />
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She always trusted the Doctor to be right but was frustrated when he stopped her from helping people. After being around the Doctor other people seemed flat and dull. Ace enjoyed breaking and entering and the Doctor always gave her good reasons to do it. Where the book gets really interesting is Ace’s involvement with Ethan. Initially distrustful and insulting to each other, things reach a crescendo where they end up in bed together. Freely admitting they have nothing in common but the sex, it is interesting to see Ace shift her love for the Doctor onto somebody else for the first time. Watching her pussy foot around him, embarrassed by his embarrassment is surprisingly affecting. Also Ace’s attempts to reach out to Ethan, to learn from him, shows her at her best. Protection insults Ace but the Doctor shields her from the worst of the life she has chosen with him. She tells Ethan while he sleeps: ‘This isn’t life. Life can be wonderful.’ Perceptively Ethan sums up Ace in a few sentences: all she wants to do is smash something and sometimes she acts as though she is 13. Fighting Ace is like fighting an animal. Ace, a stupid little girl that the Doctor has made a fool of. If she knew about the Doctor it would hurt her for the rest of her life. The Doctor on Ace: ‘She loves me. She trusts me. Perhaps she shouldn’t.’ She manages to save the Doctor by being alive, hugging onto him and crying until her <em>feels </em>something. Brilliantly Ace visits Ethan many times throughout the last four years of his life and is holding his hand in hospital when he dies. <br />
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<strong>Foreboding:</strong> In a way this book is the ultimate <em>foreboding </em>experience. A precursor to the New Adventures it features Ace’s burgeoning sexuality, her desire for a female friend to confide in (Bernice), the first glimpses of how much the Doctor shields her from (with hints of what will happen in Love and War when she finds out how far he will go) and the book sets its conclusion just after Timewyrm: Revelation. The Doctor admits he would like to be handsome one day and thinks how nice it would be to wipe the slate clean and forget all his responsibilities. Hmm…<br />
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<strong>Twists:</strong> There is a worrying, fulsome first chapter that effortlessly fits in the death of Edgar Allen Poe, the destruction of Vesuvius and the sacrifice of Captain Oates…several times except they keep being rewritten and settling on a different version than what we know. The TARDIS had never looked so dramatic, its dark blue exterior the only colour in the bleakness of snow. Molecross’ withered, black frostbitten hand is quite disgusting. A shining, intense darkness tries to carry the Doctor away. There is some thinness between universes, crop shapes are like a keyhole into our universe that the Doctor can spoil by adding random shapes to it. Ethan can see the aliens that exist in the spaces between seconds. Ace and Ethan’s soap opera clinch – who would have guessed? There is a fabulous description of ideas on page 112: ‘An alphabet is static until it forms words, and the words refer to concepts, and the concepts move in the mind and become speech, and speech forms the world.’ Brett’s sadistic unprovoked abuse of Ethan is uncomfortable. The membrane is not as thin in the Swiss Alps but passable. Brett hitting the Doctor again and again until his face is just blood is really <em>horrible</em>. Brett’s nihilistic speech on page 188 is revolting. Unwin’s second set of equations was for hacking into the TARDIS. The creatures want to harvest existence slowly, thread by thread, they want all of time and space. The entity segueing in and out of Brett, a whirlwind of triangles and rhombuses, would look wonderful on screen. Molecross, absurdly happy to have meet the Doctor and experience the wonder he knew was out there, sacrifices himself as an energy bullet. The Doctor realises that his first instinct, to kill Ethan, would have murdered him and defeated his purpose. The last chapter might be the finest chunk of Doctor Who prose as the Doctor quietly visits a dying mans mind to make amends for threatening his life and touchingly gives him a gift of proof of the Riemann theorem, what he has always sought. <br />
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<strong>Funny Bits:</strong> Or that naff marmot planet. Of course The Doctor had defended the marmots. Said they were “humble”. <br />
If this story had been televised Ethan would so have been played by Daniel Radcliffe! <br />
Lethbridge-Stewart: responsible, intelligent and almost certainly without imagination.<br />
The Doctor cross legged on the piano is such a perfect image it made me chuckle. <br />
Ace trying to convince Molecross that the Doctor is not a government spy: ‘Oh bollocks! What are you on about? This is my Uncle John. He’s not a Doctor. He sells cheese.’ <br />
‘I think his lot reproduce by being woven by DNA or something naff like that.’<br />
Page 196, Molecross’ reaction when the Doctor walks into the TARDIS: ‘It’s you!’<br />
‘Ace I’ve told you that this borrowing of American slang must stop. Your speech is indecipherable enough as it is!’<br />
I love the idea of the Doctor keeping all of his previous incarnations clothes in a wardrobe in Allen Road. <br />
The UNIT file on the Doctor, personal statistics: variable!<br />
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<strong>Result:</strong> A rite of passage between BBC Books and Virgin which has been coming on for some time, The Algebra of Ice combines the most successful elements of both to create a very satisfying read. Like snow falling and covering a scene Lloyd’s prose is simple, elegant and beautiful. A book about mathematics and the cold, hard logic of the universe had the danger of being clinical and flat but this novel is laced with moments of warmth and beauty and some starkly emotional beats. It is a fantastic book for the 7th Doctor who is explored in some depth, amazing when you think of the word count this guy has had lavished on him but with hindsight it picks up on many elements of the NAs and elaborates and fleshes them out. His scenes with Ethan, Molecross, Brett and Unwin all shine, he orbits them and they reveal new shades of his character, be it jealousy, pity, revulsion or sorrow. It’s a book that mixes existentialism, sex, philosophy, torture and emotional development to grand effect. Quietly masterful and compelling: <strong>9/10 </strong>Doc Ohohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819922630249965949noreply@blogger.com1