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| What: | The Aztecs (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 11 April 2013 |
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| Rating: |   9 |
One of the best 1st Doctor story's gets the SE treatment.
Your probably familiar with the story so I won't bother with that apart from to say its very good with some wonderful acting.
Once again the RT have done wonders with the sound & picture quality making it look much brighter and revealing much more detail.
The highlight of the extras is of course seeing Airlock, episode 2 of Galaxy 4, and what a treat it is.
It's encased in a cut down reconstruction of the entire story, including the previously seen 6 minute segment. It's a real treat. The chumblies are very impressive as is the Rill space ship and we finally see a Rill ! William Hartnell is very lively and animated in this story.
There's also a new documentary on Dr Who toys that's very entertaining.
Highly reccomended
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 | 6 for the story, 10 for Evil Davison |
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| What: | The Cradle of the Snake (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Alexandra Smith, Alexandria, United States |
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| Date: | Wednesday 10 April 2013 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
This story will make no sense at all to anyone who hasn't seen Kinda and Snakedance, but I suspect you all have. It does not do anything really special or groundbreaking with the Mara, one of classic Doctor Who's more interesting "threats." The way it's vanquished at the end is a little confusing. But there are some clever pieces in it and it's a story I will listen to over and over again to hear Sarah Sutton and Peter Davison being possessed. They are terrific, especially Davison. It's a damn shame he hasn't had more opportunity to play villains because he does it quite well when he gets the chance. And interestingly, the only time this very attractive actor is really sexy is when he's playing a bad guy. I wonder if his shrink has noticed that. Ladies, if you have even a little crush on Davison, listen to this audio and listen to it in a private place.
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| Three Good Short Stories and One Stunner |
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| What: | Circular Time (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Alexandra Smith, Alexandria, United States |
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| Date: | Wednesday 10 April 2013 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
I like the short-form stories for short trips in my car. The first three in this set are all very enjoyable and quite different from each other: an inventive tale on an alien planet, a funny historical piece and a charming idyll in which the Doctor plays cricket and Nyssa finds a romance. Each has amusingly referential lines to give serious fans a chuckle. But it's the fourth that really knocked me out. It's infinitely darker in tone from the start and packs a big surprise. I literally gasped and had to pull the car over when I realized where it was going, and then I cried uncontrollably for about the last 8 minutes. I listened to it again, and bawled like a baby a second time. If you are a big fan, particularly a fan of this particular Doctor, you will respond to this strongly as well. Wow.
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| Leisure at a Retirement Home |
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| What: | The Leisure Hive (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | kevin glover, Cornwall, Canada |
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| Date: | Wednesday 10 April 2013 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
Thous begins the long and turbulant ride in the JNT era, and the inevitable end of the show, after watching this the end was closer then the beginning .
The Leisure Hive is a story about style over substance and sadly that style is now a tacky early 80s production that looks like an extended David Bowie music video. The story itself is not bad and the acting itself is strong, the guest cast are wonderful to watch but their roles are reduced to reciting technobabble that only the most hardcore nerds would understand, or even care about. Its nice to see the attempt at building alien cultures and given them a believable exsistence, and the Argolians are a wonderful design so much so I would not mind seeing them making a cameo in the new series, the Foamasi on the other hand were better regulated to the shadows and if they came back would probably work as CGI. era of annoying aliens
Direction wise its phenomenal, Lovet Bickford does an impressive job at the helm and its a shame he was never brought back to do the series again, when the likes of Peter Moffat and Ron Jones came back to do seconds. The often derided 90 second Brighton pan is worth it if you like the technicality of it, and the idea of Who taken on new challanges not done before, but other then that its just a dull dull dull story .Listen to the DVD commentery the best bitchfest you'll ever get,
Final Rating C- (Fans and completist)
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| Dont we want the feel of the season? |
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| What: | Dreams of Empire (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 8 April 2013 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
As for fitting in with season six, then this story is near flawless. Because Im not so up as the other reviewers on the "roman" aspect of this story, as Ive never learnt that much about anything to do with Rome, then maybe I give this a better mark than If I did know about Rome more. But as I dont, then I mark this for what I alone think of the story.
The Second Doctor here is so pleasingly like his screen persona, one can have seen the late great Patrick Troughton having a whale of a time with some of the dialogue in this story. Im sure he would have cracked up just like I did at the "I might have been a bit of silly billy" although I just hope this isnt a feeble witicism of the First Doctor! But it made me smile none the less.
What is also good is the build up of tension. Maybe Im just dumb but the ending took me by complete surprise, which is always good for a good story. When the man in the mask is not the man you thought he was at all. And also there are the few moments of horror peppered throughout the story too, and I found the death of Haden sad and maybe a little jolting. Sad I know, but I really liked the character!!
The only criticism I will share with one of the reviewers is the sore lack of Jamie and Victoria action. These two would have needed far better involvement in a TV adventure. But the Doctor is spot on, and the pleasing mannerisms all come thick and fast through the action of this novel. Overall, not a bad story at all. The characters are all believable and the VETACs are a nasty set of robots.
I love it when my favourite Doctor is done so well in written prose. I love to be reminded of why I liked his performance so much. Patrick was so much fun, and his act has always been my favourite portrayal of the Doctor. And this is a good choice for the 50th anniversary reprint. And on the very very high plus side, this keeps the swear words down to an acceptable single outburst. Many of these books suffer from such a high overdose of foul mouthed rubbish that they become as unreadable as many of the authors of this age. Thankfully Justin Richards kept it to one word. (Although it would never have been allowed in the classic series: one of the reasons I loved the classic series so much)
Yes, this could have fitted into season six with no help at all.
| What: | The Macra Terror (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 3 April 2013 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
Once again, I've read a Target novelisation of a missing story. I find the soundtracks quite hard to follow, so I am now experimenting by reading these Target novels first, and then listening to the CD. This method works very well, so I'll keep doing it this way.
This is not the best novelisation ever, but it is still an interesting to read. The story idea is fascinating, but not very well realised in the novel (and I suspect in the TV version either, but alas we can't see that). Black is just going through the motions with the novel, but I still enjoyed it. I am also certain that the Macra are much better in this novel (Black is not held back by money). I understand that there was only one Macra built for the actual TV story, so thankfully we can enjoy more than one in this novel.
All in all, a good enough story - just not the best novel. 6/10.
| What: | Who Killed Kennedy: (Miscellaneous original novels) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 1 April 2013 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I really, really enjoyed this book. It's a wonderful story which is set during the early years of the Third Doctor and UNIT, and is from the perspective of James Stevens (no relation to Stevens in the Green Death) who is a journalist. He's a journalist that happens to keep bumping into UNIT and the various events of the first/second season of Jon Pertwee - and gets the complete wrong end of the stick. It's a fascinating take on everything and the Third Doctor is very much a secondary character. It's also a lovely book for fans, as the story is littered with connections and old characters. A free copy can now be downloaded - go do it, you won't be disappointed. 10/10
| What: | World Game (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Monday 1 April 2013 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Most the reviewers in this forum really liked this book, yet it has only a 6 rating overall. Peculiar. I note that Dicks' other original novels are also in the mid-range of the ratings. I suspect that maybe people see the name, know the connection to Doctor Who of old, and expect something more than they get. Whatever the reason, the book is definitely better than a 6. This novel is very "Terrance Dicks." If one has followed his interviews and read some of his various work, one will notice that Dicks sees himself as a "jobbing" writer, someone editors can count on to produce a workmanlike job within the budget. Dicks clearly also admires other writers with similar credentials, often answering the question of why he chose this or that writer during his days as script editor and producer that so-and-so was a working professional of known abilities and thoroughly reliable.
"World Game" delivers what Dicks does well. Fast-paced, easy-to-read, and amusing to just the right degree, the novel makes for an entertaining pastime. It is not deep, nor all that original, but it does have its background and rationale carefully worked out. Doctor 2 is in prison, an "oubliette," and awaiting his execution when the Celestial Intervention Agency calls upon him to complete a mission for them in return for some different kind of sentence. Someone is messing around with the lives of Napoleon and Wellington (and Nelson), and the Doctor must discover who it is. He gets a new assistant, a beautiful and untrained Gallifreyan aristocrat. The setup allows Dicks to tie up many loose ends in the series, most especially the rationale for "The Two Doctors." He also gets to use bits and pieces from his Doctor Who scripts. He gets to indulge his love of British history. He gets to borrow from other Who writers, such as the Immortals from "Enlightenment" and the psychic paper from the new series. And he gets to replay and revise, in a way, "The Key to Time." (It is interesting that Dicks most "interferes" with the scripts of Robert Holmes, one of his preferred writers and the only other writer from the classic Who period of equal involvement and stature.)
As far as it goes, there are indeed things to question or dislike in the book. As one reviewer here remarked, there is a bit too much plot by convenience. Also, his companion Serena is not as interesting a character as she could have been. The villains are rather flat and obvious. Yet, given what Dicks has set out to do, the book works rather well. In a way, this is perhaps the best example of classic Who as a novel. Apart from the battle scenes, the story could have been produced on television. However, Dicks has used the novel format to widen the scope and especially to provide the historical background that justifies its setting. The plot runs like a television serial, but the book reads like a novel.
Readers should take "World Game" for what it is, an entertainment fun most of the time, serious when it has to be, and subtly educational.
| What: | Fury from the Deep (Target novelisations) |
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| By: | C G Harwood, Dunedin, NZ, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Wednesday 20 March 2013 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This book is without a doubt the best of all the Target novels. This had me gripped from page one. Makes me very sad that this story no longer exists on film.
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| Absolutely brilliant start to season 2 |
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| What: | The Auntie Matter (Fourth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 16 March 2013 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
One is only truly sad to hear the wonderful Mary Tamm now that she's left the world, she was a brilliant actress and seemed to be a really good decent person too. It was with a bit of a lump in the throat that I put this on my cd player. I didnt even begin to wonder whether she'd still have the same magic she did all those years ago as Romana Mark 1, the by far superior incarnation of the lovely time lady.
The Auntie Matter is probably one of my favourite of Jonathan's scripts so far, its littered with good humour and comedy, and possesses several of those all time brilliant near misses and nasty robot villains, and above all else, that amazing chemistry that Tom had with the lovely Mary. They still have that beautiful spark that made their season on the TV series my favourite of the whole series to date.
The whole near misses of the two of them never knowing the other is as Bassett hall are hilarious and made me smile. This is what real decent storytelling is all about. And also, somehow, Tom sounds younger here....he's such a brilliant Doctor this guy. There are many who say Doctor Who isnt very good when its trying to be funny, but that is so not true. And as a story in the 50th anniversary of the brilliant show, then this is a brilliant summation of all that is great in Doctor Who, and why it has lasted so long is easy to figure out when you listen to a brilliant little tale like this one.
I love Romana. She was pretty, smart, witty and able to care of herself, and she was more than able to take care of herself, but then Mary left after only one season and I was left cold with Lalla Ward, who was OK, but not a patch on lovely Mary Tamm. I will miss her, and stories like these only make me miss her more. She was a great actress, and this small snippet of Whodom makes that resonate like no mans business.
I long awaited Tom to return to the role of the Doctor for BFP, and my wish came true. But what I really wanted was Mary back as Romana...and oh boy, thanks to BFP, again I got my wish. And The Auntie Matter bodes well for the rest of the series if they are even half as good as this. The Auntie Matter is good old fashioned PG Wodehouse fun at its core. And Ill say it again, the BFP series of Doctor Who outshines and outclasses the New TV series in every respect.....
And again the sound design on this outting is flawless, and realistic. Oh, and have I said I love Mary Tamm....a very sad loss for the acting world....
Despite the clunky & awful title, this is a pretty good book that updates season 7 to a more modern era though of course this was first published in 1997.
The story has several strands which all pull together nicely at the end.
Quite adult in places & contains the line "Corporal Bell with her knickers round her ankles" !
I loved it.
| What: | Bunker Soldiers (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Chris Arnold, Bundaberg, Australia |
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| Date: | Wednesday 13 March 2013 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
I was putting off reading this as the Kiev setting doesn't really inspire my imagination. I was pleasantly surprised by the actual novel. I found it easy to read with clear and concice characterisation.
I can see why others have said that the alien was not needed and served no real story purpose but I welcomed the brief breaks from the historical setting. It is a good little device to keep the non historical readers interested.
The regulars worked well and I only tired of Steven's first person narration right near the end of the story. Overall a nice novel not destined for classic status but nevertheless a worthwhile read.
| What: | Revenge of the Judoon (Quick Reads books) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 4 March 2013 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
A really good read and a book that can be completed in an hour/two hours. It is a great idea - providing an opportunity for children (and adults) who are not into reading. The hope then is that the non-reader will want to read much more.
It's a good little story and it is really great to read a nice bit of Terrance Dicks again. It's like I've gone back to the glory days of Target and it feels wonderful. The book even includes some lovely Terrance descriptions such as the wheezing and groaning TARDIS. The plot is straightforward enough and an enjoyable little story. He's also described the 10th Doctor and Martha perfectly and feels very much like a mini-episode.
Highly recommended.
| What: | I am a Dalek (Quick Reads books) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 4 March 2013 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
A really good read and a book that can be completed in an hour/two hours. It is a great idea - providing an opportunity for children (and adults) who are not into reading. The hope then is that the non-reader will want to read much more.
It's a good little story and though a similar plot to other Dalek stories is full of fun, sadness and lots of tenth doctor brilliance. Roberts is an excellent author, and he's written a great little story. It can be read by adults and children alike. Highly recommended.
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| Callan's Doctor Who DVD Reviews #1 |
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| What: | Earth Story (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Callan Jones, Invercargill , New Zealand |
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| Date: | Monday 4 March 2013 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Hello there, Im new to this TardisLibrary site and thought I might review all the DVDS based on doctor who and might start book reviews in the future. Welcome to my reviews of Doctor Who DVDS. Today I will be reviewing.. Earth Story!
Earth Story is a fairly new set to me, as I got it two weeks ago. When I came home from school and seen the package sitting on the table I was so excited to open it! When I cut the top of the package off and glared inside to see what it was, I seen some Doctor Who DVDS! A boxset and a single DVD. I pulled out to see the boxset being Earth Story and the single dick being Timelash! (I will review Timelash in the future.)
Okay, enough of me talking about my feeling when I got it and Ill start reviewing the episodes! (WARNING: This review will be long as I will ramble and give spoilers. If you haven't seen these episodes and don't like spoilers and just want simple reviews, you might want to stop reading here.)
The Gunfighters- In my opinion this story is William Hartnell's best story. (Of what I've seen of him). I really liked this history story in the town of Tombstone. I personally thought that Episode 1 was the standout episode and made me want to watch more! I couldn't believe my eyes when I seen this and was surprised at how good they could actually make stories in the William Hartnell days. I wasn't as surprised as much as I was with 'The Tomb Of The Cybermen' but this is its runner-up. I recommend this story more than 'Genesis Of The Daleks' and I don't know why this gets a lot of hate, it's outrageous!
One of the only few bad points is the lady singing in the background all the time. Your ears get annoyed so much that you want to turn the sound off.
The best part is the Doctors toothache! I laughed wildly at the scenes of it. My favourite was the scene outside the dentist. Way better than any other JellyBaby scene from Tom Baker years.
Overall I rate 'The Gunfighters' 8.5/10
The Awakening- In my opinion 'The Awakening is not as good as 'The Gunfighters' but isn't far from it. Another history story based on earth, with a interesting plot twister to make you want to keep watching. Unfortunately, the is horrible and not scary and absolutely suck! You get confused and the ending is just rubbish. Usually the monster is the best part in stories, but in this it's the opposite. Part 1 was better than Part 2 by far.
Even though I have given 'The Awakening a pretty bad review does not mean I did not like the story. I would overall rate 'The Awakening' 7/10!
So yeah, Earth Story is a brilliant boxset and I recommend anyone with some spare money buy this set because it is awesome.
Thanks if you read this whole thing and I hope you read my next review, Callan Jones :)
WATCH OUT FOR MY REVIEW ON 'MARA TALES' TWO DISC BOXSET! SEE YA THERE :D
| What: | The Curse of Davros (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug W, An Alternate Reality (formerly Pocono Summit), United States |
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| Date: | Tuesday 26 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
I guessed the twist pretty quickly, as it was pretty obvious from the beginning that something wasn't right. An extra point given for how Colin Baker carried what he had to do here. Honestly, though, I hate to say it, but he's sounding old in this one. Hopefully he just had a bit of a chest cold or something. And Flip is kind of doing Lucy Miller, but not as well. Overall, kind of 'meh.'
I find Lawrence Miles' books to be very much a love it or hate it affair. Whilst I loved "Alien Bodies" and "Christmas...." I found Interference a very choppy affair, and not the defining novel it intended to be.
With "The Adventuress..." I found myself at times confused, at times bored, and others merely disinterested. Lawrence chooses to write from a mixture of third person views and report on facts akin to a factual historical report ("What was said at this point could not be known" etc.) This gave me a feeling of a very incomplete plot, and allowed the writer to circumvent narrative conventions whenever he chooses. Some people may view this as clever. Sadly, to me it comes across as lazy.
Fitz and Anji do nothing in the book, and the Doctor spends most of his time being sick. It's as if Lawrence didn't want to write a Doctor Who book, but has just used the range as a way of showcasing his own characters.
It's not an awful book, just long winded and lacking the hinted adventure. For me less Adventuress, and more Adventurezzzzzzzzzzzz (snore)
| What: | Death in Blackpool (Eighth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | J M W, London, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 24 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
A strange tale of people falling through the cracks at Christmas, set in draughty hospitals and faceless service stations. Not a laugh a minute!
The core story of DiB is heartbreaking but loses something from excessive padding.
For every scene that packs a real emotional punch - like the final goodbye on Blackpool beach - there's some pointless wittering in the sidelines. The drunk santa character is really annoying. I found the sound design - excellent in the rest of this series - confusing.
Like Moffat's series, DiB tries for human drama and eschews "fangush", for which it should be applauded. But it would have been better as a 20 minute short.
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| All Who Things come to those who Trek |
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| What: | Assimilation² Volume 2 (IDW graphic novels) |
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| By: | Earle DL Foster, Invercargill, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Saturday 23 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I can now triumphantly state that I possess the entire mini-series in its glowing entirety, with the final eighth installment rightfully depicted as the pictorial icing upon an already robustly swelling cake. Even if the "subtle" hint of a potential sequel isn't eventually followed up, I sincerely hope that both the Next Generation personnel and the Doctor are utilised again for future independent intercompany crossovers (I for one would like to witness some of the "nice matches" previously brainstormed for the Time Lord).
| What: | The Wheel of Ice (BBC prestige novels) |
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| By: | Earle DL Foster, Invercargill, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Saturday 23 February 2013 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
A spot-on perfect encapsulation of the Troughton era by Mr. Baxter, whose Whovian contribution surely surpasses even his not so long ago literary collaboration with Mr. Terry Pratchett. With additional information hinting that another Past Doctor Novel may be in the pipeline (presumably once again in the style of the former "Missing Adventures" range, with visible references to future notable events), this is the perfect reignition for a previously halted product selection.
