|
Post by mark687 on Aug 9, 2019 19:11:30 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2019 4:52:14 GMT
Nice list of authors as well. Terrance Dicks, Matthew Sweet, Simon Guerrier, Colin Baker, Matthew Waterhouse, Jenny T Colgan, Jacqueline Rayner, Una McCormack, Steve Cole, Vinay Patel, George Mann, Susie Day, Mike Tucker, Joy Wilkinson and Beverly Sanford. Among the many tidbits of information: Matthew Waterhouse's popping up in four upcoming adventures with Tom's Doctor... *rummage* *rummage* Colin's been in over 140(!) Doctor Who audio dramas for Big Finish... *further rummaging* I had no idea that Matthew Sweet had been series consultant on Penny Dreadful. *rummage* Jenny Colgan won a national fan competition at 11 to meet the Doctor and "was mistaken for a boy by Peter Davison". As a reader, can I say I love little quirky things like that in author bios? It helps to remember the writer, I can always recall Lawrence Miles's "finite number of cats".
|
|
|
Post by newt5996 on Sept 16, 2019 22:45:03 GMT
I decided to preorder this today, and some Target books themselves hopefully to get a feel for them. Being a young fan, I never really knew the Target's as a style of experiencing Doctor Who stories.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2019 9:45:36 GMT
I decided to preorder this today, and some Target books themselves hopefully to get a feel for them. Being a young fan, I never really knew the Target's as a style of experiencing Doctor Who stories. This raises a good point. Question for the masses, could we technically call "Target novelisations" a subgenre when it comes to Doctor Who?
|
|
|
Post by number13 on Sept 17, 2019 12:39:50 GMT
I decided to preorder this today, and some Target books themselves hopefully to get a feel for them. Being a young fan, I never really knew the Target's as a style of experiencing Doctor Who stories. This raises a good point. Question for the masses, could we technically call "Target novelisations" a subgenre when it comes to Doctor Who? They're a very mixed bag aren't they, stylistically speaking. From the "straight down the broadcast line" ones which preserved the programme on paper, to the "variants" such as 'The Massacre' which tell a different story which could have been the broadcast version, to the "expansions" like 'Black Orchid' - and finally the brilliantly imaginative "Donald Cottons" in a class of their own!
Subsubgenres?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2019 9:08:50 GMT
This raises a good point. Question for the masses, could we technically call "Target novelisations" a subgenre when it comes to Doctor Who? They're a very mixed bag aren't they, stylistically speaking. From the "straight down the broadcast line" ones which preserved the programme on paper, to the "variants" such as 'The Massacre' which tell a different story which could have been the broadcast version, to the "expansions" like 'Black Orchid' - and finally the brilliantly imaginative "Donald Cottons" in a class of their own! Subsubgenres? The subbiest of subgenres. You're right there. I guess if it were to be considered a style of pastiche, it would have those four categories. Straight-line, variants, expansions and... I guess we can call them, extracts? They're very Bram Stoker, those Cotton adaptations. Historically, they've a certain poetry to how they're bookended. Publishing-wise, I mean. They began by re-releasing the mature-age novelisations ( The Crusaders, et al.) and ended with a line of proto-NAs ( Battlefield, Remembrance of the Daleks, Curse of Fenric, etc.). The archetypal Target style has to be Terrance Dicks, though. His wheezing, groaning TARDIS and sharp observations about each Doctor he wrote. I was flipping through his adaptation of The Dalek Invasion of Earth and came across his description of the First Doctor: That's our man. One glance and you can just picture him in your mind's eye.
|
|
|
Post by mark687 on Oct 24, 2019 12:40:14 GMT
Well this is out is seems, and going by themeddlemonk's story breakdowns on the Timeline Thread as well as being sequels and missing bits from TV Eps, it seems to be Multi-Cannon acknowledging!
Regards
mark687
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2019 16:53:50 GMT
There's a nice little appetiser on www.doctorwho.tv/news/ of Terrance Dicks 2nd Doctor story, a 'divergent' style detour to Karn, post-trial. Remarkable how he hooks his readers with just one page.
|
|
|
Post by number13 on Oct 24, 2019 19:46:57 GMT
Mine arrived today! A new 'Target' book, cor!! I had my pocket money ready for it just like the old days
(And one last story from Terrance Dicks too, what more could a nostalgic Pertwee-era fan want than a 'prequel' story for that special time from the writer who was there when it all happened. It's a long time since I bought my first 'Target', but sometimes magic is real and real magic never fades.)
|
|
|
Post by shallacatop on Oct 24, 2019 22:13:23 GMT
My copy arrived today. I’ve just had a flick through the illustrations and I did see a comment by someone on The Doctor Who Site warn that it’s not necessarily a story per Doctor, but rather a story from each of their eras. That doesn’t bother me, though, it seems rich and varied and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.
As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, a new War Doctor story is something very special to me, as well as one final piece from Terrance Dicks too.
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Oct 25, 2019 18:10:24 GMT
Ordered mine today. Even as a hard copy. A real book to grace my shelves!
Matthew Waterhouse would not shut up about this book during the convention (and everybody teased him with it), and I just got curious.
A well, there are a few interesting authors in there who have written great stories in the past (even one of my very favorite ones), so there should be something in there for me, too.
At the very least I can take the book along to get it signed by an author if I meet them at a convention.
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Nov 1, 2019 13:09:55 GMT
Right. So I started on this, and decided to read to Rose and „Corin“ story first. I had seen on review sites that this particular story got a lot of flak and people had downvoted the whole book because of it. I wanted to know if the story was really that bad and tasteless. I am not a fan of Rose. I am not a fan of Rose/Doctor shipping. I am not a fan of the „boyfriend“ clone. I thought I would therefore not mind his story.
I was wrong.
I hope this was written with the intention of it being a comedy/ tongue-in-cheek/ ironic piece trying to troll the shippers. I really hope so. If not, why would anyone think this would have been a good idea to include in a book such as this? WTF? Honestly, for me, this is on the same level as Hell Bent for insulting the characters. And Hell Bent at least has a couple of awesome scenes to make up for it a little bit.
Let us just call this a really weird dream sequence and be done with it.
Now, with that out of the way, the book can only get a lot better.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2019 14:02:35 GMT
Right. So I started on this, and decided to read to Rose and „Corin“ story first. I had seen on review sites that this particular story got a lot of flak and people had downvoted the whole book because of it. I wanted to know if the story was really that bad and tasteless. I am not a fan of Rose. I am not a fan of Rose/Doctor shipping. I am not a fan of the „boyfriend“ clone. I thought I would therefore not mind his story. I was wrong. I hope this was written with the intention of it being a comedy/ tongue-in-cheek/ ironic piece trying to troll the shippers. I really hope so. If not, why would anyone think this would have been a good idea to include in a book such as this? WTF? Honestly, for me, this is on the same level as Hell Bent for insulting the characters. And Hell Bent at least has a couple of awesome scenes to make up for it a little bit. Let us just call this a really weird dream sequence and be done with it. Now, with that out of the way, the book can only get a lot better. Have a flip through to Colin's story, you won't be disappointed. It's got a lovely, cosy feeling to it. I was rather charmed. Journey Out of Terror with the First Doctor was great too. Rather unusually, it's set right in the middle of The Chase, just after they've lost Vicki.
|
|
|
Post by shallacatop on Nov 2, 2019 13:25:09 GMT
Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to make as much progress with this as I hoped to. I’ve only read the War Doctor story, but that was a pleasant read. I think it’s different enough from the opening sequence of George Mann’s own Engines of War to justify it, but I would have preferred something a little more distinct.
|
|
|
Post by iainmclaughlin on Nov 2, 2019 14:40:24 GMT
Just ordered a copy. I have been mulling saving it for Christmas. When I was a kid I used to spend a big chunk of the Christmas holidays reading and rereading the Targets. I doubt it'll survive much beyond the postie handing it over before I'm diving into it but at least I'm starting with an aspiration.
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Nov 3, 2019 9:14:27 GMT
Yesterday, I made it though the first 3 stories. I was pleasantly surprised by the 13th Doctor story. It is quite dark and claustrophobic and not at all what I had expected. It has that „Gridlock“ feel to it, with the vision of the future society and runs with it. It starts out with a gruesome dead body and becomes a murder mystery. This was quite good. The 1st Doctor story is a bit more kiddie- friendly (although, as a kid, I also would have preferred the style of the 13th Doctor story). This one felt a bit basic, and since I have never been particularly sold on that particular parallel universe, it did not do a lot for me. Terrace Dicks 2nd Doctor story picks up again and is a really cool idea clearing up the question if the Doctor was an unwilling CIA agent before he was exiled. And this is exactly how I like my Time Lords. Dark, nasty and scheming. So, this book comes across as not too bad so far. It certainly is not fair to downvote the book on review sites just because of the story with Rose. Although I agree that that was a tactical blunder because it subverts everybody’s expectations. And comes dangerously close to insulting the characters.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Nov 3, 2019 10:55:14 GMT
Colin Baker’s story is magnificent, his Doctor is weary, wary, witty and hopeful all at once. It has some lovely BF winks, including an allusion to Evelyn Smythe and most importantly an explanation for why the Doctor chose his encounter with the Vervoids as his defence, given it clearly opens him up for accusations of genocide. {Spoiler} Because, in reality the Doctor saved the Vervoid seedlings and gave them another chance.
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Nov 3, 2019 11:41:26 GMT
Also liked the 3rd Doctor story. This one got quite gruesome. And dark. Nice outing again for Jo and the UNIT crew.
I am still not sure who the exact target audience is for these stories- yes, there are stories more suited for little kids, but others are a bit too dark and brutal. Maybe it was meant for kids like the ones who enjoyed the classic series back in the day?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2019 12:11:22 GMT
Also liked the 3rd Doctor story. This one got quite gruesome. And dark. Nice outing again for Jo and the UNIT crew. I am still not sure who the exact target audience is for these stories- yes, there are stories more suited for little kids, but others are a bit too dark and brutal. Maybe it was meant for kids like the ones who enjoyed the classic series back in the day? It's actually pretty true to how the Targets themselves were written back in their heyday. Terrance Dicks was very frank about death. He didn't tend to shy away from it too much and trusted his audience understood the weight of it. Some went a bit further than others, though. Ian Marter's adaptation of The Reign of Terror, for instance, has this for a scene that originally takes place off-screen on television: Twentieth-century media for kids was very strict about any mention of sexuality, but violence, even threats of violence, were depicted rather explicitly. Particularly in comparison to modern children's programming. It was an era where a villain could set a trap for the heroes by bombing a mine shaft to trap two young boys at the bottom. That's "Cry Wolf", a Thunderbirds episode. No gore, but a pretty shocking subject matter for adults. Books allowed for that, helped to softly contextualise it through the narrator, and enabled whatever a child's imagination could throw into the mix as well. I could remember being my own censor and I went waaaay beyond what they were able to do for The Seeds of Doom when Chase went into the composter.
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Nov 3, 2019 13:10:23 GMT
Also liked the 3rd Doctor story. This one got quite gruesome. And dark. Nice outing again for Jo and the UNIT crew. I am still not sure who the exact target audience is for these stories- yes, there are stories more suited for little kids, but others are a bit too dark and brutal. Maybe it was meant for kids like the ones who enjoyed the classic series back in the day? It's actually pretty true to how the Targets themselves were written back in their heyday. Terrance Dicks was very frank about death. He didn't tend to shy away from it too much and trusted his audience understood the weight of it. Some went a bit further than others, though. Ian Marter's adaptation of The Reign of Terror, for instance, has this for a scene that originally takes place off-screen on television: Twentieth-century media for kids was very strict about any mention of sexuality, but violence, even threats of violence, were depicted rather explicitly. Particularly in comparison to modern children's programming. It was an era where a villain could set a trap for the heroes by bombing a mine shaft to trap two young boys at the bottom. That's "Cry Wolf", a Thunderbirds episode. No gore, but a pretty shocking subject matter for adults. Books allowed for that, helped to softly contextualise it through the narrator, and enabled whatever a child's imagination could throw into the mix as well. I could remember being my own censor and I went waaaay beyond what they were able to do for The Seeds of Doom when Chase went into the composter. Yes, we have discussed this before... I also discussed this with my sister concerning my niece and nephew. Back in the day, we were allowed to watch, read and listen to things that would be waaaaay out of line today. For example, we were allowed to watch James Bond movies even in late kindergarten. I know as a kid, I would have been shocked by the Doctor‘s summary execution at the end of the War Games. In this story collection, they are certainly not shying away from death and gruesomeness. Not sure many „modern“ educators and helicopter parents would approve. This is not Paw Patrol.
|
|