mczolly's review against another edition
3.0
The dialogues are well written, I can almost hear the voice of the well-known characters, but the whole story is just a generic invasion-type Who story. Gatiss certainly knows his Classic Who, and his intentions of mimicking it completely don't really leave space for innovation and great story telling. This is an excellent way to revisit the Third Doctor & UNIT years of the show but nothing more.
chicafrom3's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The Third Doctor, Jo, and UNIT handle an alien invasion of Earth focused in a small village in England - secretly spearheaded, of course, by the Master. Charming and exciting, if somewhat oddly paced, with a delightful cast of supporting characters.
scampr's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I don't intend to be mean, but I doubt I'd be alone in saying that around 80-90% of Mark Gatiss' contributions to the Doctor Who universe are are just okay. The remaining percentage is where he shines - this book being one of them.
The best way to summarise Last of the Gaderene is that it combines every distinct element of the 3rd Doctor's era into a story that feels straight from Mark Gatiss' childhood imagination. On paper there is a risk that a story like that would be overly fan-service-y, unoriginal and convoluted, but it manages to balance things successfully.
There'd be no point in me listing the specifics of what this novel does well, because it's be easier to explain my complaints - of which I have next to none. Aside from nit-picking there are one or two moments where the story is a little dense or dragging somewhat, but that's about it.
Just a genuinely fun read that delivers on several fronts.
The best way to summarise Last of the Gaderene is that it combines every distinct element of the 3rd Doctor's era into a story that feels straight from Mark Gatiss' childhood imagination. On paper there is a risk that a story like that would be overly fan-service-y, unoriginal and convoluted, but it manages to balance things successfully.
There'd be no point in me listing the specifics of what this novel does well, because it's be easier to explain my complaints - of which I have next to none. Aside from nit-picking there are one or two moments where the story is a little dense or dragging somewhat, but that's about it.
Just a genuinely fun read that delivers on several fronts.
astroscribe40's review against another edition
4.0
A fun read and a great adventure with a classic Doctor. Many smiles were present on my face while reading.
alasdair_smith's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nwhyte's review against another edition
3.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2235024.html[return][return]This is a satisfying return to well-known themes of the Third Doctor's era - the country village, the Master, the sinister scientific installation, the aliens taking over people's bodies - updated for the audience of the year 2000, with the government being rather more obviously malicious rather than incompetent.
isayhourwrong's review against another edition
3.0
Ee oo Mr gatiss at it again. Loved the interactions between the doc and the master at the end and for once the master revealed was nailed, however it felt super stodgy at times and too many characters confused me especially at the start!
blackngoldgirlsbookspot's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a little bit crazy when it comes to Doctor Who. Chances are, if it involves the Doctor, I want in on it -- I want to see it, I want to read it, Pin it, and/or I want to collect it. I pretty much begged the tour coordinator (thank you, Lisa!) at TLC Book Tours to get on the tour for at least one of the books in this 11 book, 50th Anniversary Collection. I must have convinced her that I was a Whovian since I ended up with two books from the series PLUS the new Who-ology Doctor Who book. I have to say that after reading just this one book, Last of the Gaderene, I'm probably going to have to make sure I get the rest of the books in the series.
What, you may be wondering is this book about and why is it worth reading? Well, for starters it's written by Mark Gatiss who isn't just an author of books, he's a multi-talented guy. He's written a few episodes for the actual Doctor Who TV series AND co-created a certain TV series about the world's only consulting detective for BBC and Masterpiece Mystery that you may have heard of called Sherlock (insert obligatory picture of Benedict Cumberbatch)! I know, right?! I thought just based on the author's background that it was probably going to be a stellar book and I wasn't disappointed at all.
Enough about the author, you really want to know about the book itself, right? Well, if you are at all familiar with any of the TV series's, the classic episodes or the reboots, you might know that the Doctor's favorite thing to do is to run! While we don't meet the Doctor in this book until a few chapters in, when we do meet him what do you think he's doing but running? This gave me a chuckle because I honestly didn't know what to expect in a Doctor Who story since (GASP!) I've never read one, but he was exactly the same as the Doctor I'm familiar with from the show. In that respect, Gatiss did an excellent job.
The story in and of itself moved along at a fast pace, as you might expect in any sci-fi adventure. The Doctor's companion and friends, Jo Grant and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of U.N.I.T. help the Doctor to investigate the strange goings on at the newly closed Culverton Aerodrome. With citizens disappearing left and right, nobody's really sure what or who is behind it. The Doctor suspects something otherworldly and his gut turns out to be correct. It just so happens, the Gaderene's, as well as an old foe of the Doctor are busy plotting more than just a take over of a small English village but the destruction of humanity!
At just over 300 pages, this is one story that doesn't let up. I have to admit to being more weirded out by the Gaderene's than just about any of the aliens that the Doctor has encountered on all his adventures. I imagine I'm not alone in thinking that face sucking aliens and aliens that take over bodies are some of the all-time creepiest dudes! I get the heebie jeebies just thinking about those guys! In my opinion, it's books with not only memorable heroes but memorable foes that make the best stories. The only teeny thing that bothered me was that there were a lot of characters to keep track of so, while reading, I often had to take a second to stop and get them all straight in my head. However, I won't soon be letting this book go from my collection and highly recommend it to all Whovians and science fiction fans. Mark Gatiss did an excellent job and would have gained a fan for life in this girl if I wasn't already from all his top shelf TV work!
~ My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars ~
*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*
What, you may be wondering is this book about and why is it worth reading? Well, for starters it's written by Mark Gatiss who isn't just an author of books, he's a multi-talented guy. He's written a few episodes for the actual Doctor Who TV series AND co-created a certain TV series about the world's only consulting detective for BBC and Masterpiece Mystery that you may have heard of called Sherlock (insert obligatory picture of Benedict Cumberbatch)! I know, right?! I thought just based on the author's background that it was probably going to be a stellar book and I wasn't disappointed at all.
Enough about the author, you really want to know about the book itself, right? Well, if you are at all familiar with any of the TV series's, the classic episodes or the reboots, you might know that the Doctor's favorite thing to do is to run! While we don't meet the Doctor in this book until a few chapters in, when we do meet him what do you think he's doing but running? This gave me a chuckle because I honestly didn't know what to expect in a Doctor Who story since (GASP!) I've never read one, but he was exactly the same as the Doctor I'm familiar with from the show. In that respect, Gatiss did an excellent job.
The story in and of itself moved along at a fast pace, as you might expect in any sci-fi adventure. The Doctor's companion and friends, Jo Grant and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of U.N.I.T. help the Doctor to investigate the strange goings on at the newly closed Culverton Aerodrome. With citizens disappearing left and right, nobody's really sure what or who is behind it. The Doctor suspects something otherworldly and his gut turns out to be correct. It just so happens, the Gaderene's, as well as an old foe of the Doctor are busy plotting more than just a take over of a small English village but the destruction of humanity!
At just over 300 pages, this is one story that doesn't let up. I have to admit to being more weirded out by the Gaderene's than just about any of the aliens that the Doctor has encountered on all his adventures. I imagine I'm not alone in thinking that face sucking aliens and aliens that take over bodies are some of the all-time creepiest dudes! I get the heebie jeebies just thinking about those guys! In my opinion, it's books with not only memorable heroes but memorable foes that make the best stories. The only teeny thing that bothered me was that there were a lot of characters to keep track of so, while reading, I often had to take a second to stop and get them all straight in my head. However, I won't soon be letting this book go from my collection and highly recommend it to all Whovians and science fiction fans. Mark Gatiss did an excellent job and would have gained a fan for life in this girl if I wasn't already from all his top shelf TV work!
~ My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars ~
*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*
sshabein's review
4.0
(Well, if I'm honest, it might be between 3 and 4 stars, but I'm a hopeless Who apologist, so I'm rounding up.)
This Third Doctor story, despite its problems (so many, many adverbs and characters' POV), feels very much in the spirit of Jon Pertwee’s time on the show. It’s interesting to see Mark Gatiss at an earlier writing stage, and it’s to our viewing benefit that he’s progressed so well. I still recommend Last of The Gaderene to fans of the show, and I’m hoping to further expand my knowledge of the Doctor’s literary universe.
Catch my full review over at Glorified Love Letters.
This Third Doctor story, despite its problems (so many, many adverbs and characters' POV), feels very much in the spirit of Jon Pertwee’s time on the show. It’s interesting to see Mark Gatiss at an earlier writing stage, and it’s to our viewing benefit that he’s progressed so well. I still recommend Last of The Gaderene to fans of the show, and I’m hoping to further expand my knowledge of the Doctor’s literary universe.
Catch my full review over at Glorified Love Letters.