duncan_mcguire's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t this. What a masterpiece. So, so good. Superb.
webslingingadam's review
4.0
Day Of The Doctor is my favorite episode/special/movie of the series and I was excited to read the novelization and was not disappointed at all. It goes into greater detail of not only The Doctor’s thoughts but also the Zygons and the people forced into the Time War where there are no heroes. A great read, high recommend for fans of The Doctor.
benjaminj1996's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The benefit of now owning an e-reader is that I can read any number of geeky books in massive series and not take up space on my shelf. And so, it begins. I've wanted to read the novelisations of some classic Doctor Who stories for a while. This one, however, is what I assume to be far from normal.
In typical Moffat style, the chapters are all out of order, there's a lot of extra 'papering over the cracks' where gaps were left in the mythology of the show, and there are some very convoluted plots (on top of the ones I already knew about from the episode this was based on!)
It mostly works, and was mostly very enjoyable. I do think Moffat's desire to fill in blanks *all* the time tends to draw attention to the fact that there were blanks in the first place. In writing this book, he actually points out plot-holes that I had never realised existed before… so it's a double edged sword.
However, I was very impressed at how well this flowed, and the lovely extra details in there for fans of the show (like me). There is actually a lot of emotional depth added here too, which was nice (rather than just showboating). So overall I really enjoyed it, if for a few flaws.
pygmypuff's review
5.0
I loved this book. I wasn't expecting it to vary much from the tv special but it was a pleasant surprise.
jakewjerrard's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jiwiz's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
again some questionable choices from moffat but the ending made me emotional and i like the eccentric writing style. it's a nice extended version of the episode story
eevanelson's review
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
thoroughlymodernreviewer's review
5.0
Steven Moffat should absolutely consider novelizing more of his episodes if the BBC decides to do more of these. This book brilliantly expands on all the best parts of the episodes while filling in gaps that weren't able to be filled in in the episode itself. There are so many unexpected elements of this book that I don't wanna go into any detail about them for fear of ruining the fun. Needless to say, if you loved the episode, you'll love the book. And the best part is that it's still a surprising book even if you've seen the episode one hundred times. It begins with an adaptation of the 8th Doctor mini-episode, Night of the Doctor, and that's everything you'd ever hoped it would be, and continues from there, more or less following the sequence of events as they happened in the episode, while adding lots of new details here and there as appropriate. There are many, many little moments that Moffat sprinkles throughout this adaptation that really adds to the magic of the episode, especially towards the end when the multiple incarnations of the Doctor come together to save Gallifrey.
Moffat plays with point of view a lot in this book and uses the fact that it's a multi-Doctor story to his advantage when it comes to exploring the Doctor's thoughts in regards to the action happening around him. There's a chapter, about midway through the book, where the 10th Doctor, 11th Doctor, and War Doctor are being transported to the London Tower and the chapter really goes into how it feels for the Doctor to be experiencing the same events, over and over again, throughout these three incarnations. This exploration comes to a head in a later chapter that covers the events inside the prison cell where the multiple incarnations of the Doctor confront themselves over how many children were on Gallifrey when it was destroyed. It's a beautiful moment in the show that's made even more beautiful by the way Moffat uses the prose to explore the thoughts and feelings of each of these three Doctors and how it feels to know what's about to happen and having to feel the pain of the realization over and over again. My words don't do the beauty of the chapter justice.
Like many of Moffat's best episodes, this adaptation of The Day of the Doctor features many timey-wimey elements, least of which being the fact that the chapters aren't at all in the correct order (the first chapter of the book is actually Chapter 8, and they continue to be out of order for the remainder of the book). There's a reason for all of this, of course, but it still feels very Moffat-y. The action jumps around from scene to scene and features lots of added scenes and asides to flesh out the book, and it's all narrated by a rather surprising narrator. At the end of the day, if you liked the episode, you'll love the novel even more. It's Moffat at his best.
Moffat plays with point of view a lot in this book and uses the fact that it's a multi-Doctor story to his advantage when it comes to exploring the Doctor's thoughts in regards to the action happening around him. There's a chapter, about midway through the book, where the 10th Doctor, 11th Doctor, and War Doctor are being transported to the London Tower and the chapter really goes into how it feels for the Doctor to be experiencing the same events, over and over again, throughout these three incarnations. This exploration comes to a head in a later chapter that covers the events inside the prison cell where the multiple incarnations of the Doctor confront themselves over how many children were on Gallifrey when it was destroyed. It's a beautiful moment in the show that's made even more beautiful by the way Moffat uses the prose to explore the thoughts and feelings of each of these three Doctors and how it feels to know what's about to happen and having to feel the pain of the realization over and over again. My words don't do the beauty of the chapter justice.
Like many of Moffat's best episodes, this adaptation of The Day of the Doctor features many timey-wimey elements, least of which being the fact that the chapters aren't at all in the correct order (the first chapter of the book is actually Chapter 8, and they continue to be out of order for the remainder of the book). There's a reason for all of this, of course, but it still feels very Moffat-y. The action jumps around from scene to scene and features lots of added scenes and asides to flesh out the book, and it's all narrated by a rather surprising narrator. At the end of the day, if you liked the episode, you'll love the novel even more. It's Moffat at his best.
avrilhj's review
5.0
Absolutely brilliant. This was one of my favourite episodes and the written additions make it even better. If only I could remember chapter nine ...
itisnotrick's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this take on the 50th anniversary special! The cameos from all the Doctors were a highlight.