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Post by tuigirl on Oct 23, 2021 10:00:42 GMT
I'm at the 77% mark in Engines of War, which came highly recommended. It's... it's fine. But I've read maybe 20 books since I started it, so it's been slow going. It never really hooked me--I feel like it doesn't quite capture the Doctor's "voice" properly--which is not a new issue for me. And I don't mean that literally. The first Doctor Who book I tried was a collection of short tp stories about Missy, which I wound up getting a refund for (gotta love eBooks) because I just couldn't fit the written dialog to the character I know from the TV show and audios. (Though at that point, just the first two sets). That said, I really like how Engines of War just lets the Doctor be the Doctor, rather than repeat Big Finish's silly misunderstanding of assuming that this incarnation ceased to "be the Doctor" at the very beginning of his life rather than the end. Already have my next book lined up, too: the Day of the Doctor novelisation. Surely if anyone can capture these voices well, it's Moffat, right? Also picked up Shada but I'm not really sure what to expect there. Will it be More of a Douglas Adams Story, or more of a Gareth Roberts story? Well, I have to say I also did not enjoy Engines of War. For pretty much the same reasons. Plus, the story just was a bit meh for me.
However. I ADORED the Day of the Doctor novel. Wow. I have seen the episode many times, but that book still brings new things to the table- new scenes, shifting points of view, Easter eggs, and a ton of surprises. I love Moffat and his writing, and I think he had really excelled with this book.
As for Shada- I liked the book. The author did a great job. It is not quite Douglas Adams, but the story is enjoyable.
EDIT- and the book with the Missy short stories. Worth it for the "text speak" story alone. OMG, that is amazing and such a weird and wonderful way of telling a story. I was laughing sooooo hard. Simply fantastic.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
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Post by ljwilson on Oct 26, 2021 11:38:51 GMT
Hi everyone, both The Hollow Men and Deep Blue sound like good stories...any thoughts from you experienced Doctor Who bods? Thanks, as usual.
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Post by mark687 on Oct 26, 2021 13:00:48 GMT
Hi everyone, both The Hollow Men and Deep Blue sound like good stories...any thoughts from you experienced Doctor Who bods? Thanks, as usual. 2 of my favorites. Deep Blue a good all rounder and Hollow Men got some great Horror sequences. Regards mark687
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Post by sherlock on May 16, 2022 21:56:23 GMT
Marathoned the audiobook of Prisoner of the Daleks over past few days.
Now that is a Dalek story. The pepperpots are barely in most of it, but boy do they make their impact felt when they do rock up. In between the Daleks being as nasty as possible, there’s a very well characterised bunch of bounty hunters who were all clearly shaped by their interactions with the Daleks. Bowman especially who is pitched as a fascinating kind of anti-hero version of the Doctor; his dialogue to a crew member about the courage it took for them to go through with torturing a Dalek (an event which is perfectly described to be as nasty as possible) feels deliberately an inversion of the Third Doctor’s words of wisdom back in Planet of the Daleks for example.
This is the closest to a true space opera I think Who has done and I loved that the ending sees the Doctor finally escape the tropes of said space opera to win the day. A happy ending salvaged amongst all the misery of the Daleks.
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Post by newt5996 on May 17, 2022 16:19:59 GMT
Over the last few days I’ve been listening to Paradise Towers and The Happiness Patrol. Loved both of them on television but the novelizations kind of do some necessary expansion of a lot of what the plots are attempting to do, especially with the former
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Post by shallacatop on May 19, 2022 19:54:48 GMT
Empire of the Wolf. That was, erm, not very good. Utterly nonsensical story and some very questionable art for the most part; I get really taken out of it when they try to repurpose well known promo shots.
I’m hoping Origins is a return to form with Titan and they just go back down the route of alternating Doctor miniseries if the ongoing runs aren’t going to be revived. The latter is what they’re best at, especially if they create new companions, but miniseries will do if they revisit lesser used Doctors and stay away from crossovers and returning elements.
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Post by Star Platinum on May 21, 2022 0:27:03 GMT
Started the Roundheads today, got the first disk done on the drive to work.
Honestly, it's a bit of a struggle.
English history has always been my least favourite sub genre of historical. Added with the fact that canadian schools don't cover any of this means I've got less background information than normal on these particular kinds of stories.
Still Anneke Wills has a lovely reading voice, There's a lot of affection in her take on Michael Craze and it's hard not to enjoy her performance in that respect.
7 more discs to go.
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Post by sherlock on May 29, 2022 15:03:56 GMT
Judgement of the Judoon
So a few odd moments aside (I really didn’t need the descriptions about how revealing the uniforms the 17 year old pseudo-companion was wearing as disguises are, and there’s one scene where the authorial perspectives shifts around at random), this was a well done “organised crime but for kids” story, sporting a decent world-building and likeable leads. The highlight by far is Rok Ma the Judoon Commander and his partnership with the Doctor.
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Post by constonks on Jun 9, 2022 3:10:17 GMT
After too long a time without completing a book, I finished off Unnatural History today. One of the best. Might be my favourite Eighth Doctor Adventure! (Although it has been a long time since I read Vampire Science and Alien Bodies, which are the other contenders...)
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Post by newt5996 on Jun 9, 2022 13:28:48 GMT
Bunker Soldiers: Surprisingly good, though Martin Day’s first solo book was one of the weakest VMAs. While I generally prefer pure historicals, this one is light enough on the sci fi elements that the history doesn’t become overshadowed. It’s also just steeped in the atmosphere of a Hartnell historical.
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Post by sherlock on Jun 11, 2022 17:04:36 GMT
The Slitheen Excursion
This was chugging along nicely save one really unnecessary elongated boat journey and the author’s bizarre refusal to describe the pseudo-companion (it took 7 chapters to learn she was wearing jeans and then no other details present themselves). But then the final chapters utterly annihilated my goodwill. There are three final acts. Twice the story seems to be reaching its natural end and then it just. keeps. going.
Also hilariously this story gets the element the Slitheen are based on wrong. Twice. How on Earth did that make it through editing when them being calcium based is a massive plot point in their original appearance.
Well aside from this misfire, I’ve really enjoyed the 2009 novels so far. I think I’ll rummage around on Audible for the rest at some point.
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Post by newt5996 on Jun 27, 2022 16:08:34 GMT
Rags
Somebody shoot me, this is an awful experience. I now have a book to rebuke people who say the VNAs are too dark and edgy because this is one where everything is just vile. There might be a good idea of exploring counterculture but No Future did that viscerally and much better. Also there’s a lot of racism that’s just there.
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Post by whiskeybrewer on Jun 27, 2022 16:15:20 GMT
Rags Somebody shoot me, this is an awful experience. I now have a book to rebuke people who say the VNAs are too dark and edgy because this is one where everything is just vile. There might be a good idea of exploring counterculture but No Future did that viscerally and much better. Also there’s a lot of racism that’s just there. *Secretly plans to try and adapt it*
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Post by newt5996 on Jun 27, 2022 16:28:11 GMT
Rags Somebody shoot me, this is an awful experience. I now have a book to rebuke people who say the VNAs are too dark and edgy because this is one where everything is just vile. There might be a good idea of exploring counterculture but No Future did that viscerally and much better. Also there’s a lot of racism that’s just there. *Secretly plans to try and adapt it* Better you than me. I thought adapting The Pit was bad but that had some decent bits to improve upon.
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Post by constonks on Jul 24, 2022 22:58:50 GMT
Cracked open Doctor Who and the Day of the Daleks and had a chuckle about the Brigadier's casual thoughts on a potential Third World War:
(All while he's supposed to be listening to a government official on the phone, too.)
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Post by newt5996 on Jul 24, 2022 23:33:02 GMT
Eater of Wasps, well just when I thought the EDAs had slipped back into old habits this one comes back to kick things into high gear, especially the horror of the wasps and the WASPs.
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Post by constonks on Jul 25, 2022 14:59:35 GMT
Eater of Wasps, well just when I thought the EDAs had slipped back into old habits this one comes back to kick things into high gear, especially the horror of the wasps and the WASPs. Quite a cover, too. I've not read it yet but every time I see it I go "euggh..."
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Post by newt5996 on Jul 25, 2022 15:42:49 GMT
Eater of Wasps, well just when I thought the EDAs had slipped back into old habits this one comes back to kick things into high gear, especially the horror of the wasps and the WASPs. Quite a cover, too. I've not read it yet but every time I see it I go "euggh..." And the cover happens in the book and yes it’s gruesome
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Post by sherlock on Jul 27, 2022 22:43:38 GMT
Been working through the audiobook of Twelve Angels Weeping, the first Dave Rudden anthology (each story is good commute fodder length). These stories are all genuinely great.
I’ve been slowly reading The Infinity Doctors lately and there the Time Lords have a device that doesn’t just let them view the universe, but encapsulates it. This anthology to me encapsulates the Doctor Who universe; there’s a Weeping Angels horror story, there’s a Time Lord story delighting in continuity madness, there’s have a tragic Cyberman story, there’s a nasty Silence story and there’s a Davros story where he goes too far and the War Doctor calls him an idiot. I’ll definitely get round to The Wintertime Paradox sometime.
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Post by constonks on Jul 28, 2022 0:44:10 GMT
Been working through the audiobook of Twelve Angels Weeping, the first Dave Rudden anthology (each story is good commute fodder length). These stories are all genuinely great. I’ve been slowly reading The Infinity Doctors lately and there the Time Lords have a device that doesn’t just let them view the universe, but encapsulates it. This anthology to me encapsulates the Doctor Who universe; there’s a Weeping Angels horror story, there’s a Time Lord story delighting in continuity madness, there’s have a tragic Cyberman story, there’s a nasty Silence story and there’s a Davros story where he goes too far and the War Doctor calls him an idiot. I’ll definitely get round to The Wintertime Paradox sometime. I've only read half of Wintertime, but all of Twelve Angels - and, yeah, they're lovely. The Rhino of 23 Strand Street is probably my favourite Thirteenth Doctor story. In fact, Twelve Angels might be my favourite Who anthology! Rudden's love of the series in all its forms is so evident throughout - Classic, New and EU alike. (And he said in a Reddit AMA that the first DW media he experienced was Alien Bodies, which is the strangest jumping-on point I've ever heard of.) Huge recommendation to anyone who hasn't read/heard them - and, hey, there are twenty-four stories between the two anthologies and they're Christmassy, so they made a great advent calendar.
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