by Arnold T. Blumberg
The new DOCTOR WHO is now in its second year, and you can read all of my episodic reviews at these links. Check below for new WHO novel reviews as well!
2006 - SERIES 2:
New Earth
Tooth and Claw
School Reunion
The Girl in the Fireplace
Rise of the Cybermen
The Age of Steel
The Idiot’s Lantern
The Impossible Planet
The Satan Pit
Love & Monsters
Fear Her
Army of Ghosts
Doomsday
SERIES 2 WRAP-UP REVIEW
2006 CHRISTMAS SPECIAL:
The Runaway Bride
2005 - SERIES 1:
Rose
The End of the World
The Unquiet Dead
Aliens of London
World War Three
Dalek
The Long Game
Father’s Day
The Empty Child
The Doctor Dances
Boom Town
Bad Wolf
The Parting of the Ways
SERIES 1 WRAP-UP REVIEW
2005 CHRISTMAS SPECIAL:
The Christmas Invasion
NINTH DOCTOR NOVELS:
The Clockwise Man
The Monsters Inside
Winner Takes All
The Deviant Strain
Only Human
The Stealers of Dreams
(Episodic and new novel reviews hosted by Now Playing Magazine)
SUDDEN REVIEWS:
DOCTOR WHO NOVELS - PERTWEE-ERA ADVENTURES:
The Paradise of Death by Barry Letts - A delightful romp in the pure pulp sci-fi tradition, with stun guns and gladiators. But what’s with Letts and fellow Pertwee-era creator Terrance Dicks always writing about their characters eating all the time? Pertwee is solidly in character - Letts certainly knows his own Doctor - but nothing can convince me that the Brigadier ever rode an alien bat creature into battle as he does here.
Dancing the Code by Paul Leonard - An engrossing - and gross - adventure with a fascinating but disgusting insectoid alien race and the contrast of a down-to-Earth Middle Eastern setting. Some of the preaching about peace and brotherhood is a bit pat, and the story seems initially built on a back cover blurb - will the Brigadier really shoot the Doctor and Jo in cold blood? - but the gimmick is just one part of the puzzle. Even one of Jo’s familiar clichés - “We’ve got to do something! - has a dramatic pay-off.
The Eye of the Giant by Christopher Bulis - A really fun, well-paced adventure culled from the Hinchcliffe-era pastiche playbook, this is The Lost World, King Kong, and Mysterious Island with the Doctor, Liz and UNIT thrown in. Just when it seems to end, there’s a dark and exciting second act involving alternate timelines, like the extended multi-episode Who serials of old. Great stuff with nicely fleshed-out characters and cohesive plotting.
Speed of Flight by Paul Leonard - It’s one big metaphor for growing up and letting go, but it’s also a fun flight (heh heh) of fantasy that tips its hat to “Timelash” of all things by setting up a TARDIS crew of the Third Doctor, Jo and Captain Mike Yates. While the idea of a resurrected Mike made of clay might be a bit hard to swallow, the Land, Sky and its denizens are nicely fleshed out, and there are a few good twists before the end.
The Devil Goblins From Neptune by Keith Topping & Martin Day - In the first Pertwee-era BBC novel, everyone is uncomfortably out of character (The Doctor using a Vulcan mind meld? Captain Yates a self-doubting womanizer?) with clichéd hippie stereotypes filling the gaps. The book feels like an alternate reality look at the early UNIT era; fortunately, recurring references to a ’70s Beatles line-up suggest this is precisely the case.
The Face of the Enemy by David A. McIntee - A brilliant idea, pairing the Master with UNIT while the Doctor and Jo are away from Earth, is marred only slightly by the addition of First Doctor companions Ian and Barbara, who seem a bit out of their depth. But the rest is gritty and suspenseful. Reading the dialogue aloud almost brings Roger Delgado back to life; it’s a - dare I say? - masterful portrayal.
Catastrophea by Terrance Dicks - The Target novelizations are many years behind us, but this back to basics approach to Pertwee-era plotting isn’t without its marginal charm. It is however overlong and childish, with cardboard characterization and heavy-handed simplistic “big political ideas.” The Casablanca elements are also overdone. It may not be an offensive read, but it’s a forgettable one.
The Wages of Sin by David A. McIntee - Teaming a post-exile Doctor and Jo with former Third Doctor companion Liz Shaw is an original idea, and it’s also refreshing to encounter a well-researched historical backdrop. The political intrigue surrounding the impending Russian Revolution is well structured and tense, the characters are spot on, and Rasputin makes for a refreshingly real “villain” who has echoes of the Master but none of his baggage.
Last of the Gaderene by Mark Gatiss - Sheer joy for a traditional Pertwee fan like myself. This loving homage to every old Season 8-9 Master story lovingly re-creates the Target novel feel while maintaining a mature level of storytelling, weaving elements of a darker Alien-inspired zombie/possession plot into the more familiar trappings of the UNIT Family era. Pitch perfect.
Verdigris by Paul Magrs - The essential flip side to Last of the Gaderene. Magrs subverts the UNIT Family motif with a post-modern wink, somehow managing to be both affectionate to and irreverent about the source material. Iris Wildthyme, while occasionally way too over the top, is still a nice addition, and the story gleefully plays with expectations while also skewering another familiar ’70s sci-fi icon.
Rags by Mick Lewis - An (intentionally) vile and heartless novel that never meshes with the era in which it is supposedly set, sidelining the Doctor almost entirely until he’s needed in the final moments to unravel the villain’s plan in a wholly unsatisfying manner. Jo is way out of character, even given the unearthly influence of the creepy Ragman, and although many of the book’s eerie set-pieces and excessive gore are morbidly fascinating in a faux-Stephen King way, this never feels like a Doctor Who story at all.
Deadly Reunion by Barry Letts & Terrance Dicks - (review coming soon)
Island of Death by Barry Letts - In this strange alternate reality, the Brig travels in the TARDIS and drinks like a fish, the Doctor is obsessed with aging and has none of his ‘action man’ charm, and Sarah Jane is constantly cataloguing her use of clichés…oh yes, and there’s Jeremy. The insect-like Skang are invading, but the book grinds to a halt as we travel on a naval vessel awash with jargon. In the end, the Doctor literally stops the book by pressing a button on a little silver box! This is a sad shadow of the TV era that Letts himself presided over; he should know better.
