Scan barcode
hidekisohma's review against another edition
3.0
So while reading the 8th doctor EDA's, i decided to also try the 7th doctor ones as well. This is the first one and i was a little worried about it being any good, but i figured it was worth a try.
I have to say i was pleasantly surprised. John Peel is usually a good author for doctor who, but he usually sticks with Dalek stories, so seeing him do something out of his usual comfort zone was interesting to me. The story takes place in ancient mesopotamia with Gilgamesh and an evil alien snake cyborg lady and i have to say, i wasn't even really bored reading this one.
The action is pretty fastpaced and there's a lot of back and forths with the characters and ace. There are a few chapters here and there that dont' feature either the doc or ace, but by far and large, they are the driving factors of this book and are not delegated to background characters as other doctor who books do.
Since it takes place in ancient times, yes, the women are treated as second class citizens, but you have to remember, it takes place in like 20,000 bc and to alter the facts would just be disingenuous. Sadly, that's the way it was back then and you can't whitewash it. Ace does her best to champion women's rights, but the doctor very clearly tells her it's not the time or place and you can't alter history like that.
The villain wasn't too fantastic in this one i have to say. she was your standard "mwahaha i want to take over the universe" evil lady. never really felt threatened around her.
The doctor interestingly enough was kind of an ass in this one, especially to Ace. Not sure why he was so grumpy in this one, but that may just have been John Peel's style. i'll have to move on to the next one with terrance dicks to see if it keeps that way.
One part i have to say i really enjoyed was when 7 needed an incarnation of himself that was better at computers, so he called back the 3rd doctor and his personality changed to that of the 3rd doctor. that was quite amusing.
All in all, i had enough fun with this one. The plot or writing wasn't too convoluted, the doc and ace were in enough of it, there definitely was enough action going on, and it leaves you on a cliffhanger to which you're definitely going to want to read the next one.
It had its flaws as all doctor who books do, and i REALLY wish i could give this a 3.5 out of 5, but...since i can't... i'm going to give it a 3 just because there were enough flaws that i can't say i REALLY liked it, but i liked it more than enough to read the next one and see where it goes. i may go back and change my rating if the further books in this quadrilogy are good. All in all,
3.5/5 rounded down to a 3.
I have to say i was pleasantly surprised. John Peel is usually a good author for doctor who, but he usually sticks with Dalek stories, so seeing him do something out of his usual comfort zone was interesting to me. The story takes place in ancient mesopotamia with Gilgamesh and an evil alien snake cyborg lady and i have to say, i wasn't even really bored reading this one.
The action is pretty fastpaced and there's a lot of back and forths with the characters and ace. There are a few chapters here and there that dont' feature either the doc or ace, but by far and large, they are the driving factors of this book and are not delegated to background characters as other doctor who books do.
Since it takes place in ancient times, yes, the women are treated as second class citizens, but you have to remember, it takes place in like 20,000 bc and to alter the facts would just be disingenuous. Sadly, that's the way it was back then and you can't whitewash it. Ace does her best to champion women's rights, but the doctor very clearly tells her it's not the time or place and you can't alter history like that.
The villain wasn't too fantastic in this one i have to say. she was your standard "mwahaha i want to take over the universe" evil lady. never really felt threatened around her.
The doctor interestingly enough was kind of an ass in this one, especially to Ace. Not sure why he was so grumpy in this one, but that may just have been John Peel's style. i'll have to move on to the next one with terrance dicks to see if it keeps that way.
One part i have to say i really enjoyed was when 7 needed an incarnation of himself that was better at computers, so he called back the 3rd doctor and his personality changed to that of the 3rd doctor. that was quite amusing.
All in all, i had enough fun with this one. The plot or writing wasn't too convoluted, the doc and ace were in enough of it, there definitely was enough action going on, and it leaves you on a cliffhanger to which you're definitely going to want to read the next one.
It had its flaws as all doctor who books do, and i REALLY wish i could give this a 3.5 out of 5, but...since i can't... i'm going to give it a 3 just because there were enough flaws that i can't say i REALLY liked it, but i liked it more than enough to read the next one and see where it goes. i may go back and change my rating if the further books in this quadrilogy are good. All in all,
3.5/5 rounded down to a 3.
arthurbdd's review
2.0
Pretty inauspicious start to the series - a fairly bog standard adventure with an added emphasis on sexual assault which is fairly unpleasant. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2024/01/04/the-virgin-new-adventures-timewyrm-from-genesys-to-revelation/
thevampiremars's review
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
2.0
“But he is a good king, and he makes Uruk strong. And if he is at times a little rough, well — that’s just his manner.”
Let’s get to the point, shall we? Timewyrm: Genesys is infamous for its depiction (and defence?) of child sexual abuse. I was aware of this going in, but I wrongly assumed the issue was a single iffy scene, not something that permeated the novel throughout from chapter one.
Gilgamesh is a sexual predator. In his eyes, women (and girls as young as thirteen) are sexual objects who that exist to be groped, fondled, and raped.
...Except it’s not just in his eyes; his attitude is implicitly backed up by the narrative. There is much more focus on how embarrassing it is for a man to be cuckolded than how traumatic it is for a woman to experience rape. There’s also the fact that Ace is introduced to the reader naked and she examines herself in the mirror, assessing how “feminine” and “useful” (?) her body looks. This is before she arrives in Uruk, so it can’t be chalked up to ancient Mesopotamian cultural norms. Sexual objectification isn’t just a part of that society, it’s a part of this entire text. If this book is to be believed, women and girls are not human beings with lived experiences; they exist only as they are perceived (and used) by others. That’s the male gaze, baby!
I think there’s also something to be said about orientalism and primitivism. This book got me thinking about fantasies – far off lands with strange customs, where our taboos are freely flouted; barbaric societies which give us permission to be barbaric too; the consequence-free refuge of fiction. Pornography, even. If I were writing an essay (which I could) I would expand on this. But this is supposed to be a review of the book, not deep analysis. Moving on.
So Ace is harassed by Gilgamesh chapter after chapter after chapter. Gilgamesh is not so much a character as a personification of violence; he is the looming threat of rape (even if this is presented as mildly annoying rather than horrifying). How does the Doctor respond to Ace’s legitimate fear? Well, he mocks her for being overly concerned about her “virtue,” lectures her about being more open-minded and embracing cultural differences, reminds her that most girls would be grateful for the king’s “attentions,” and hey, “suffering builds character.” In essence, shut up and take it.
The Doctor is out of character throughout; he has no affection for Ace, and he leaves her alone with Gilgamesh (multiple times!) despite her literally begging him not to. Even when Gilgamesh isn’t a factor, the Doctor is constantly irritated by Ace and wishing she would just be quiet.
Gilgamesh is one-note. He talks like a Klingon and thinks only of fighting and fucking. Enkidu is similarly flat and isn’t given anything to do, but I do think it’s neat that he’s a Neanderthal. There is very little focus on the relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu – in fact, they barely interact at all – even though their bromance is the crux of the original epic.
It’s a disappointing start to the VNA series and to the Timewyrm arc.
CONTENT WARNINGS: sexism, orientalism, sexualisation/harassment/assault of women and teenage girls, emotional manipulation, drunkenness, violence, death
justiceofkalr's review against another edition
2.0
It sucks to give this books two stars since I love Seven and Ace, but this book was really not that good. The story was decent, but not particularly outstanding. None of the characters are really very likable, probably because they're all so ridiculously two dimensional. Then there's all the unnecessary references. I expect and enjoy some amount of references to previous Doctor Who events and characters, but most of the ones here felt rather crudely shoved in and out of place. Not to mention that at least one was wrong. The Doctor is reminiscing on places he's been with Ace and names someplace he went with Mel instead. And to top it off the relationship between Ace and the Doctor felt really off in places. Sure they bicker in the show, but there was an underlying meanness at times to their bickering here that felt really out of place. The Doctor particularly seems really callous when he ignores Ace's worries about the fact that Gilgamesh is acting really dangerously rape-y and the Doctor basically tells her to suck it up and sends her off alone with him repeatedly.
paddyh's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
secretlyadoombot's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
dp112's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
It's quite contrived, and its politics are a little sketchy. Gets too far into professional fanfic territory at times (in a bad way).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Pedophilia, and Rape
One of the supporting characters is a 13 year old sex worker, who is a priestess in the Temple of Ishtar in Kish (it takes place in ancient Mesopotamia)isayhourwrong's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
More like the flaws of john peel being the focus of this book
nwhyte's review
http://nhw.livejournal.com/666835.html[return][return]The first ever of the New Adventures of Doctor Who published by Virgin between 1991 and 1997. Actually rather good stuff as the Seventh Doctor and Ace find themselves in ancient Babylon battling an alien force, mixing it up with Gilgamesh. If I'd picked this up back in 1991 I would certainly have ended up buying many more. Biggest flaw - the silly title. Why the "y" in "Genesys"?