ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
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Post by ljwilson on Jan 5, 2016 20:16:15 GMT
I'm currently half way through 'The English Way of Death' and enjoying it very much, so what other DW novels do you recommend? Btw I haven't heard the BF version.
The Witch Hunters and Grave Matter sound good too.
Ps ive no idea if this id the correct thread but posted here as my query is non-BF
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Post by omega on Jan 5, 2016 21:19:27 GMT
Witch Hunters is a solid historical. It's very well researched and well worth your time. Grave Matter is a bit traditional, but that doesn't hinder the book. It's a dependable Justin Richards novel, with the Sixth Doctor and Peri well characterised. A bit gruesome in places.
The various re-prints from the past several years are all good stories. Shadow in the Glass from the History Collection has the Brig as the main companio for the Sixth Doctor (a much more satisfying meeting for them than Dimensions in Time) and will keep you glued to the page right to the end. Human Nature is finally affordable as well, and also gives the companion, Benny Summerfield, a good role in the story (better than Martha got in the TV adaptation anyway). Festival of Death is a complex yet very satisfying novel, and brilliant for how it uses and characterises the season 17 team.
Some Sixth Doctor novels I like are Millennial Rites and The Quantum Archangel. Both are written by Craig Hinton and feature Mel as companion, and are strong novels. Quantum Archangel is a direct sequel to Time Monster and is full to overflowing with continuity (fanjodrell basically), but there is still a strong story. Wolfsbane is an unusual one, in that it features the Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry (set before Terror of the Zygons) and the Eighth Doctor from a story arc where he has forgotten all about his adventures in Time and Space. It's a great novel and one I heartily recommend.
For the Eighth Doctor, Alien Bodies is a great start. It's when the Eighth Doctor novels truly took their own path and it is glorious. Written by Lawrence Miles it's chock full of interesting ideas (one of which is a sentience that communicates by altering your perception, through things like crossword clues, tv guides and cracks in the wall) and features an old enemy who is far more dangerous than they were in their TV story. It also introduces the Faction Paradox, a sort of time-travel voodoo cult, which gains pleasure from inducing paradoxes. They return in Unnatural History and Interference, a two novel story where the narrative includes an adventure with the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane. It's another Lawrence Miles and fully ambitious, from the writing styles to the twist ending.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2016 21:32:45 GMT
Witch Hunters is great. A really fine first Doctor novel and a damn good book in its own right. Some of my favourites:
Virgin New Adventures Nightshade Christmas On A Rational Planet Lungbarrow
Virgin Missing Adventures The Romance Of Crime The Plotters The Dark Path
Past Doctors BBC The Infinity Doctors Heart Of TARDIS Verdigris
8th Doctor BBC Alien Bodies Interference Mad Dogs And Englishmen
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,063
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Post by ljwilson on Jan 5, 2016 21:56:34 GMT
Some ace and detailed recommendations, much appreciated to you both.
I've already got Festival of Death (un-read) and Last of the Gaderene (body snatchers-esq, i ploughed through it). Traditional is fine by me as im more of a sci-fi rather than a DW fan per say but I do enjoy the 1970's 4th Doctor vibe and the 'Early' black-and-white BF audios, i also glaze over a bit when people fret about which story is set where in the Whoniverse...(yes, I'll get my coat)
Plenty of food for thought, thanks again.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2016 22:09:59 GMT
There are some amazing reads awaiting you The books are more varied than the tv series or the audios have ever been. They go - especially in some VNAS - to places that BF or Cardiff would never even think of going (sometimes wisely!).
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Post by Hieronymus on Jan 6, 2016 4:21:04 GMT
Some novels I haven't seen mentioned yet:
The Highest Science - one of the best new alien races in the novels White Darkness - if you like horror Theatre of War - my personal favorite of the NA First Frontier - at one point in the novel, you'll suddenly want to reread it from the beginning
Venusian Lullaby (1, Ian, Barbara) Byzantium! (1, Ian, Barbara, Vicki) Dreams of Empire (2, Jamie, Victora) Dancing the Code (3, Jo) The Face of the Enemy (Master, UNIT) The Sands of Time (5, Nyssa, Tegan) State of Change (6, Peri) Mission: Impractical (6, Frobisher, Glitz) Millenial Rites (6, Mel) Illegal Alien (7, Ace) Cold Fusion (5 / 7 & co.) The Scarlet Empress (8, Sam, Iris Wildthyme) The Janus Conjunction (8, Sam) Earthworld (8, Fitz, Anji) Engines of War (War, Cinder) Only Human (9, Rose, Cpt. Jack) Beautiful Chaos (10, Donna, Wilfred) The Silent Stars Go By (11, Amy, Rory) The Dalek Generation (11)
And I heartily give a second endorsement to these (posted above) as well: The Plotters The Dark Path The Romance Of Crime Nightshade Lungbarrow The Infinity Doctors
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Post by seeley on Jan 6, 2016 4:35:03 GMT
In addition to the above recommendations, I'd suggest the following: New Adventures: The trio of Blood Heat, the Left-Handed Hummingbird and Conundrum: Part of a story arc that concludes with No Future (which I've yet to read.) Eighth Doctor Adventures: The Banquo Legacy The Burning The Missing Adventures: Managra (a criminally forgotten story featuring Sarah and the Fourth Doctor) Sands of Time (a thoroughly timey-wimey story published 12 years before Blink introduced the term.) Empire of Glass (not the strongest of stories, due to the rushed circumstances of its writing, but rather charming nonetheless. It features Irving Braxiatel.) Past Doctor Adventures: Heritage (not bound to be everyone's cup of tea, but there's probably nothing else quite like it in Doctor Who.) Eye of Heaven (a wonderful, experimentally told story with the Fourth Doctor and Leela.)
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Post by omega on Jan 6, 2016 4:49:39 GMT
There's an arc of books in the Past Doctor Adventures with the Seventh Doctor and Ace that forms a "season 27". It's mainly written by Mike Tucker and Robery Perry, and includes: #5: Illegal Alien (available in the Monster Collections #16: Matrix #23: Storm Harvest #33: Prime Time #57: Heritage (written by Dale Smith) #60: Loving the Alien
Both of Jonathan Morris's Eighth Doctor novels are superb. Anachrophobia does tie into a big arc, but Tomorrow Windows acts well as a stand-alone. Another great writer is Lloyd Rose. She's written three novels, one Seventh Doctor (The Algebra of Ice with Ace and the Brigadier) and two Eighth Doctors (The City of the Dead and Camera Obscura, both with Fitz and Anji).
A great jumping on point for the Eighth Doctor is The Burning, which has no continuity whatsoever and launches a five-book arc with the Eighth Doctor, having forgotten his life in Time and Space, on Earth in the 20th century. Lance Parkin's book from this arc, Father Time, is a lovely novel based around the concept of the Doctor adopting and raising a young girl.
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Post by whiskeybrewer on Jan 7, 2016 13:57:32 GMT
EDA : Vampire Science I'd add to the list as well
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Post by J.A. Prentice on Jan 12, 2016 4:49:05 GMT
How many times is it possible to write "The Infinity Doctors" in a row? Because even if you don't read anything else, read that. It's amazing. Just don't think about the continuity or your brain will start to melt.
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Post by omega on Jan 12, 2016 5:38:10 GMT
How many times is it possible to write "The Infinity Doctors" in a row? Because even if you don't read anything else, read that. It's amazing. Just don't think about the continuity or your brain will start to melt. The writer deliberately refers to every bit of Gallifreyan mythology and continuity used on screen, even if some of it is contradictory. The version of the Doctor is deliberately unstated, and could potentially be a parallel world version of the Doctor who had different adventures but a better relationship with the Time Lords.
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Post by J.A. Prentice on Jan 12, 2016 6:15:56 GMT
How many times is it possible to write "The Infinity Doctors" in a row? Because even if you don't read anything else, read that. It's amazing. Just don't think about the continuity or your brain will start to melt. The writer deliberately refers to every bit of Gallifreyan mythology and continuity used on screen, even if some of it is contradictory. The version of the Doctor is deliberately unstated, and could potentially be a parallel world version of the Doctor who had different adventures but a better relationship with the Time Lords. I believe it was actually originally part of a duology where the Doctor's history was altered, but when the other book fell through, it was simply rewritten to be vague about the continuity. I'd agree that it's best treated as being a parallel world, although some people have tried to wedge it into the regular timeline.
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Post by omega on Jan 12, 2016 6:38:28 GMT
The writer deliberately refers to every bit of Gallifreyan mythology and continuity used on screen, even if some of it is contradictory. The version of the Doctor is deliberately unstated, and could potentially be a parallel world version of the Doctor who had different adventures but a better relationship with the Time Lords. I believe it was actually originally part of a duology where the Doctor's history was altered, but when the other book fell through, it was simply rewritten to be vague about the continuity. I'd agree that it's best treated as being a parallel world, although some people have tried to wedge it into the regular timeline. I believe the popular opinion is that it's the Eighth Doctor, despite the fact that the incarnation is left deliberately ambiguous, down to a lack of description of his physical appearance and no continuity references to stories outside of Gallifrey-set stories. Is that other book Unnatural History?
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Post by randomjc on Jan 12, 2016 14:50:03 GMT
I always had a fondness for Spiral Scratch.
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Post by seeley on Jan 12, 2016 20:30:05 GMT
I believe the popular opinion is that it's the Eighth Doctor, despite the fact that the incarnation is left deliberately ambiguous, down to a lack of description of his physical appearance No physical description? The Doctor of the Infinity Doctors has close-cropped hair, a high forehead, an aristocratic face, and wears "a battered cashmere jacket, pressed silk shirt and tailored tan trousers," glasses and a scarf. Plus, there's a scene where he has a vision of a man who resembles him, but has long hair. Said man is implied to be the normal Paul McGann Doctor. And Lance Parkin has confirmed that the book's Doctor is "played" by McGann. As for how ID fits with continuity, the book does provide an explanation, albeit one (like a lot of things in it) that's implied.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2016 21:38:55 GMT
The writer deliberately refers to every bit of Gallifreyan mythology and continuity used on screen, even if some of it is contradictory. The version of the Doctor is deliberately unstated, and could potentially be a parallel world version of the Doctor who had different adventures but a better relationship with the Time Lords. I believe it was actually originally part of a duology where the Doctor's history was altered, but when the other book fell through, it was simply rewritten to be vague about the continuity. I'd agree that it's best treated as being a parallel world, although some people have tried to wedge it into the regular timeline. It's not too difficult to reconcile with larger continuity, considering the massive upheaval the Eighth Doctor's timeline goes through day in, day out with interference by multiple parties. I've always thought you could place it as a distant epilogue to the events of The Gallifrey Chronicles personally with the Doctor settling down to monitor the restored world for a time. I personally can recommend: From the NAs- Falls the Shadow ( Doctor Who meets Hellraiser with prose so great you just can't put the book down) - Transit (You ever want to see Doctor Who do a cross between William Gibson and anime?) - Lungbarrow (One of the best pseudo-origin stories I've read) - All-Consuming Fire (Sherlock Holmes vs. the Cthulu Mythos, pastiches have never looked so good) - Original Sin (Somewhat of a culmination of all the worldbuilding done for the Earth Empire) - Sky Pirates! (Just so much damn fun.) - Blood Heat (What it does with characters we know and recognise is astonishing) - Parasite (Read it for the Artefact. It is one of the most inventive creations in science fiction period.) - Warlock (Very well-written and a good showing of New!Ace) From the MAs
- Burning Heart (A Judge Dredd crossover hiding in plain sight disguises the reconciliation of the Sixth Doctor and Peri; this is why they travelled with one another) - The Man in the Velvet Mask (Shades of Terry Gillam's Brazil and The Prisoner to it) - Venusian Lullaby (Paul Leonard's Venusian physiology and culture is staggeringly well-made) - Killing Ground (It takes all the foibles of the Saward era and does them right; A pivotal novel for the self-loathing, even suicidal immediately post- Trial Sixth Doctor) - Downtime (Slow, but rewarding and a chance to see the Great Intelligence in action and what an astounding Lovecraftian entity it is) - The Shadow of Weng-Chiang (The Aliens sequel to one of the best televised stories in the series' long history; it does its own thing rather than trying to rehash an old tale) - Cold Fusion (For its myth building and pitch-perfect structure; the first story to somehow imbue the Fifth Doctor with a sense of wonder and mystery) From the PDAs
- Grave Matter (A good solid Gothic tale with the Doctor and Peri square centre of focus) - The Witch Hunters (The moral outrage leaps off the page at you; a serious tour de force that paints Salem as one of the vilest places in history) - Players (It feels like a lost Season 22 story foreshadowing The Two Doctors and is pretty fun to boot) - Corpse Marker (Welcome to Kaldor City, there's nothing to stop them now) - The Eleventh Tiger (Everybody was kung fu fighting...) - The Indestructible Man (A Missing Adventure in disguise that manages to take a crossover to the Gerry Anderverse in really powerful directions)
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Post by newt5996 on Jan 12, 2016 21:43:25 GMT
I've only read up to Iceberg from the Virgin New Adventures, but I'd recommend Timewyrm: Exodus, Nightshade, Love and War, Deceit, Birthright, Iceberg and possibly Blood Heat(haven't finished it yet).
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Jan 13, 2016 11:11:13 GMT
Of those easy to track down: Infinity Doctors, Big Bang Generation, Enlgish way of Death, Year of Intelligent Tigers, Illegal Alien, Dream of Empire.
Less easy to track down but worthwhile: Dying Days, Dark Path, All Consuming Fire, Mission: Impractical, War of the Daleks.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2016 9:44:34 GMT
The Man In The Velvet Mask MA novel, a excellent yarn from start to finish.
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aztec
Chancellery Guard
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Post by aztec on Jan 16, 2016 21:15:24 GMT
Currently reading my way through the EDAs (just started Frontier Worlds) for the first time, and I've thoroughly enjoyed most of them, though so far I'd recommend the following as particular stands outs:
Vampire Science The Bodysnatchers War Of The Daleks* (Not necessarily saying it's a brilliantly written book, and I'm aware of the complaints, I just found it to be a wonderfully enjoyable if over the top action romp) Alien Bodies Seeing I** The Scarlet Empress The Taint*** (Not a stand out book by any means, but it introduces Fitz Kriener, a companion who has quickly moved his way up my list of favorites, I'd love to hear more of him...hint hint BF) Demontage Unatural History Autumn Mist Interference Books 1+2 (If I'm honest the storyline of this book felt overlong, and frankly rather indulgent, with the 8th Doctor dissapearing for vast swathes of the story, it didn't really grab me as much as some of the 'weaker' books...but as with Alien Bodies the imagery, world building and thematic material is completely fascinating and very experimental) The Blue Angel
**Has BF ever approached Kate Orman or Jonathan Blum to write for the 8th Doctor? So far their books have brilliant (Vampire Science and Seeing I definitely deserve the plaudits i.m.o)...
Though all opinions are, of course, subjective...
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