newt5996
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Post by newt5996 on Aug 3, 2021 18:36:11 GMT
I’m reading Prime Time today and I must say how weird of a book it is. It follows a really similar premise and themes to Time of Your Life, but implies a lot of things changing and I’m not entirely sure how much I’m enjoying it. Like there are definitely things I like, and the surprise villain is also a great twist, but I think the premise might have been done better elsewhere.
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Post by fitzoliverj on Aug 3, 2021 18:40:12 GMT
Back in the mid-1980s, with a fresh new incarnation of the Doctor on-screen, the programme was suffering from an eighteen-month hiatus in production. A period where it was fighting for its life with resources that seemed to be dwindling everywhere in the production office. Yet, almost in reaction to this, the Sixth Doctor's life leapt off into all manner of other mediums. Comics, books, even short stories, he was there, and one of these outlets produced this novella. This is the kind of thing I'd like to read in DWM. I do find their articles coveirng a single impossible-to-get-hold-of EU stories a bit limited.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2021 13:03:15 GMT
Back in the mid-1980s, with a fresh new incarnation of the Doctor on-screen, the programme was suffering from an eighteen-month hiatus in production. A period where it was fighting for its life with resources that seemed to be dwindling everywhere in the production office. Yet, almost in reaction to this, the Sixth Doctor's life leapt off into all manner of other mediums. Comics, books, even short stories, he was there, and one of these outlets produced this novella. This is the kind of thing I'd like to read in DWM. I do find their articles coveirng a single impossible-to-get-hold-of EU stories a bit limited. Cheers! I try to get as close to the texture and feel of these stories as I can. Retelling what's otherwise caught on (currently) out-of-print pages. I was thinking about collecting all of these together once they're written and republishing them in a PDF with a few edits. I'll likely write something for it in the future, but not too long ago, I contributed a section on The Garden of Evil to the Gallifrey Historia at Divergent Wordsmiths. Its bookending paragraphs have a few embellishments to fit the timeline, but if you want to read a brief synopsis of the book, it's available right here under "Serpents in the Grass: The Galactic Famine".
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 5, 2021 21:49:54 GMT
The Tenth Doctor: Volume 3 of the IDW Archives.
Nice variety of stories. I really liked Emily and Matthew and even though they had a long run in terms of issues, it did feel short lived in terms of content. I’d have liked a couple of extra adventures with them prior to Matthew going with the Advocate, potentially with Matthew feeling left out to better serve his decision. And then I’d have liked a few more adventures with the Doctor and Emily before Final Sacrifice. Just to make it feel more of an era really, but what we got was good and I enjoyed the continuity it crafted throughout the run. The direct lead-in to The Waters of Mars works well and in universe the events of Final Sacrifice play on the Doctor’s mind in creating the Time Lord Victorious.
I thought Martha was well served in her guest appearance. The Doctor rightly challenges her given his most recent encounter was Martha almost using the Osterhagen Key in The Stolen Earth. That always felt a bit overlooked, so it was nice to have that addressed.
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 6, 2021 14:47:46 GMT
Been really enjoying the latest DWM Special Edition of Directing Doctor Who over the past couple of days. There’s some great articles and interviews in there, particularly on the post-2005 stuff and how the lines between television and film become increasingly blurred.
One thing I’m baffled by is not one mention of Ben Wheatley. I’m a big fan of his, so perhaps I put more thought into it than I should, but it feels like his involvement in Doctor Who is glossed over. Deep Breath has some gorgeous direction, very unsettling and tense in places, and Into the Dalek, for me, is the best the Daleks have ever been shot on screen and has some very claustrophobic sequences. Sure, he only did the two episodes, but it was a coup for the show and 7 years on those two episodes still stand out.
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 9, 2021 16:47:33 GMT
Continuing the Tenth Doctor Specials year trend with Judgement of the Judoon. Enjoyed it a lot, a nice detective mystery with a Doctor Who twist. I was a bit taken aback with how the Judoon Commander was written at first, but adjusted as it became part of his character and gave the Doctor opportunity to question himself and not judge them at face value.
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 16, 2021 14:20:56 GMT
The Slitheen Excursion. I enjoyed the first half of this and the final 30 pages or so, where the Doctor and June try to piece together what happened, but the actual Slitheen story in the middle is a bit all over the place, I thought. It just quickly glides from event to event without much thought for the whole novel, doesn’t really serve the Slitheen well and it’s quite hard to picture just what’s unfolding, which isn’t great when you’re reading prose! I’m normally a fan of Simon Guerrier’s work, but this one was a bit off for me.
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 22, 2021 8:11:14 GMT
Prisoner of the Daleks. It’s long been one of my favourites and a re-read hasn’t changed my stance. Pacy, gritty and touches upon the Doctor’s recent encounter with the Daleks in Journey’s End well, particularly the Osterhagen stuff. I love the Wayfarer crew, every single one of them is well realised and the imagery of the Doctor and a ragtag team of misfit bounty hunters against the Daleks is great. It’s something I’ve been wanting in a War Doctor set for a few years now. The Dalek interrogation and the Doctor’s reaction to it is well written and chilling in places.
Dalek X is a cracking villain, but all of the Daleks are well served here, with different ranks and formations. Trevor Baxendale doesn’t go over the top with hundreds of them storming after the Doctor; he gives Dalek X his guards and he has regular Daleks with different attachments for whatever task is required at hand. It’s got that balance of letting the prose do its work, but also not detracting from not being able to picture it on screen.
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newt5996
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Post by newt5996 on Aug 22, 2021 19:38:02 GMT
Starting The Burning today aka one of the many times 8 has amnesia.
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 27, 2021 14:21:47 GMT
The Taking of Chelsea 426. Another enjoyable read. It doesn’t feel like the Doctor is in this a massive amount, he plays second fiddle to Jake and Vienna and some chapters are dedicated to other characters. And it works all the better for that! Sometimes you need that in a Doctor Who story and Tennant’s Doctor is written perfectly here; cheeky swagger, emphasis on certain words and even little things like crouching down to talk to the kids.
The Rutan’s don’t do a great deal in the end, but I liked the extra lore for the Sontarans and the duel between Kade and Sarg.
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 30, 2021 8:14:36 GMT
Autonomy. Hmm, I was disappointed in this one, I’m afraid. It’s a New Series Adventure with noticeably smaller print, and therefore has been afforded the luxury of a higher word count, yet it still seems to not reach its full potential.
The Autons aren’t the most endearing of monsters. They’re iconic, but it’s always the same; bursting out of the shop window. More could be done with them, but rarely is. Autonomy has a couple of interesting concepts; Plastinol-2, the Hypercards and the actual autonomy itself. But it doesn’t really take advantage of any of them. The Hypercard isn’t much more than a deus ex machina (a term I don’t particularly like!), the autonomy is just an excuse to resolve a cliffhanger where one of the characters doesn’t die, and the Plastinol-2 is used as a backstory for one character and an admittedly creepy death. Overwhelmingly it goes back to the same old shop window mannequin with a gun in its hand. And if I have to read the same old description of an Auton killing it’ll be too soon!
I know this isn’t the case, but it’s a book that reads as though Daniel Blythe has never watched the RTD era, or anything beyond watching Rose. It’s a bit of a sweeping statement of what his era could be described as in comparison to what came before; pop culture heavy, quippy and emphasis on humanity.
There’s good elements in there, it should’ve just forged its own way, rather than redoing Rose, albeit if it was a mid-series episode.
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Post by shallacatop on Sept 3, 2021 19:17:14 GMT
The Krillitane Storm - Not bad, but there’s a lot going on and not a single thing feels developed enough. The Krillitane’s aren’t in it all that much so the story ends up playing its hand quite late. The book could’ve done with taking a step back at the planning stage and streamlining things a touch. Still, I love the Krillitane, they’re quite underused for monsters with such potential, and I liked the little glimpses into their society.
And that’s it for the solo Tenth Doctor books! I’ve got a stack of other things to catch up on, but think I’ll have a short break first and read other non-Who things on the backlog!
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newt5996
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Post by newt5996 on Sept 3, 2021 19:35:59 GMT
Imperial Moon, not looking forward to this one as Bulis is so hit or miss . The first few chapters are nice enough so this might be one of his better ones. Or I’m just kidding myself
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Post by mark687 on Sept 3, 2021 19:42:08 GMT
Imperial Moon, not looking forward to this one as Bulis is so hit or miss . The first few chapters are nice enough so this might be one of his better ones. Or I’m just kidding myself It is one of his better ones,I like it, but its also one of more the different ones for the 5th Doctor as in does it suit him. Regards mark687
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Post by sherlock on Sept 3, 2021 19:59:46 GMT
The Krillitane Storm - Not bad, but there’s a lot going on and not a single thing feels developed enough. The Krillitane’s aren’t in it all that much so the story ends up playing its hand quite late. The book could’ve done with taking a step back at the planning stage and streamlining things a touch. Still, I love the Krillitane, they’re quite underused for monsters with such potential, and I liked the little glimpses into their society. And that’s it for the solo Tenth Doctor books! I’ve got a stack of other things to catch up on, but think I’ll have a short break first and read other non-Who things on the backlog! Having finished the solo books, which would you recommend?
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Post by shallacatop on Sept 3, 2021 20:07:56 GMT
The Krillitane Storm - Not bad, but there’s a lot going on and not a single thing feels developed enough. The Krillitane’s aren’t in it all that much so the story ends up playing its hand quite late. The book could’ve done with taking a step back at the planning stage and streamlining things a touch. Still, I love the Krillitane, they’re quite underused for monsters with such potential, and I liked the little glimpses into their society. And that’s it for the solo Tenth Doctor books! I’ve got a stack of other things to catch up on, but think I’ll have a short break first and read other non-Who things on the backlog! Having finished the solo books, which would you recommend? Prisoner of the Daleks is comfortably the best, I’d say. Very pacy and gritty with a great ragtag space crew rounding up the guest cast. The Daleks are well defined and served without being OTT and hundreds of them hunting the Doctor down. If you’re wanting to pick up a couple, then I’d recommend Judgement of the Judoon and The Taking of Chelsea 426 too. The former is a nice detective mystery and the latter is great for its portrayal of Ten. It doesn’t feel like he’s in it massively, but he’s written perfectly; sometimes it’s easy to just write him as grinning or scratching his neck, etc.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2021 11:00:01 GMT
I’ve just found out about a book called Across Time and Space written by Tony Cross and featuring an introduction by YouTuber and Doctor Who fan Daniel Hardcastle aka NerdCubed. It’s currently being crowdfunded on Unbound. The link below has information on the book and how to help find it. unbound.com/books/time-and-space/
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Post by fitzoliverj on Sept 19, 2021 11:45:34 GMT
Imperial Moon, not looking forward to this one as Bulis is so hit or miss . The first few chapters are nice enough so this might be one of his better ones. Or I’m just kidding myself
Many years ago, but I think I recall enjoying it, though isn't there a massive and embarrasing continuity error that demonstrates that the author carried out no research and the editorial staff no editing?
{Spoiler} Turlough's origins are so mysterious that, according to Bulis, even *he* doesn't know what they are. It's been a while since I watched "Planet of Fire", but I'm pretty sure Turlough knows exactly who he is.
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newt5996
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Post by newt5996 on Sept 19, 2021 16:22:16 GMT
Imperial Moon, not looking forward to this one as Bulis is so hit or miss . The first few chapters are nice enough so this might be one of his better ones. Or I’m just kidding myself
Many years ago, but I think I recall enjoying it, though isn't there a massive and embarrasing continuity error that demonstrates that the author carried out no research and the editorial staff no editing?
{Spoiler} Turlough's origins are so mysterious that, according to Bulis, even *he* doesn't know what they are. It's been a while since I watched "Planet of Fire", but I'm pretty sure Turlough knows exactly who he is. Yeah it’s very odd and very paint by numbers from Bulis, like the beginning is great and the end is fine but the middle is so dull.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2021 22:08:15 GMT
Many years ago, but I think I recall enjoying it, though isn't there a massive and embarrasing continuity error that demonstrates that the author carried out no research and the editorial staff no editing?
{Spoiler} Turlough's origins are so mysterious that, according to Bulis, even *he* doesn't know what they are. It's been a while since I watched "Planet of Fire", but I'm pretty sure Turlough knows exactly who he is. Yeah it’s very odd and very paint by numbers from Bulis, like the beginning is great and the end is fine but the middle is so dull. Yeah... Bulis's comfort zone seemed to be the age of Hartnell-era storytelling more than any other period. His most effective stories, to mind, tended to fall into that bracket. I remember enjoying The Sorcerer's Apprentice's approach to Doctor Who's "science vs. magic" dichotomy (with the Doctor fulfilling the role of "wizard") and State of Change was an effective romp into the realm of historical bio-dramas like Cleopatra or Julius Caesar with the "Rome never fell" twist. Traditional (practically archetypal) sci-fi scenarios between them both, nothing particularly groundbreaking, but told in a fun way.
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