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emachinescat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's fascinating to see the War Doctor in action, and the companion was fleshed out and enjoyable, and the peek at the Time War is a welcome prequel of sorts to the 50th anniversary special.
joshknape's review against another edition
2.0
Unlike the old New Adventures series novels I used to read, this book is written in a young-adult style. It's also not particularly imaginative in either its ideas of what the Time War is like or its characterization of the War Doctor. As other reviewers note, the War Doctor is not particularly different from other versions of the Doctor. The Eleventh Doctor could have been him. This is a mistake, because he's not supposed to be like other Doctors--he's a warrior. He's generally uninteresting.
To boot, this author can't quite resist injecting his sociopolitical views into the story at least once.
Not recommended.
To boot, this author can't quite resist injecting his sociopolitical views into the story at least once.
Not recommended.
dmcke013's review against another edition
2.0
The War Doctor.
A previously unknown incarnation of the Time Lord known only as The Doctor, as portrayed by John Hurt in the Dr Who 50th anniversary special 'the Day of the Doctor' in 2013 during Matt Smith's tenure as The Doctor (and with David Tennant also reprising his role as the same character).
The War Doctor refers to the fact that *this* incarnation participated in the Time War, a fundamental part of the backstory of Nu-Who, between the Daleks and the Time Lords.
Its also open to interpretation whether the Engines of War of the title here are those Daleks, or the various TARDIS's used by the Time Lords during this story, which itself is largely split into 3 segments: part 1 on the planet Moldox (which the Daleks have conquered, and where the Doctor meets his new companion for this story), part 2 on Gallifrey (the home of the Time Lords), and part 3 in the space above Moldox, in the Tantalus Eye.
The result is something that is generally light-weight enough: solid if not spectacular. But, then again, that could probably apply to just about every extended universe tie in there is!
A previously unknown incarnation of the Time Lord known only as The Doctor, as portrayed by John Hurt in the Dr Who 50th anniversary special 'the Day of the Doctor' in 2013 during Matt Smith's tenure as The Doctor (and with David Tennant also reprising his role as the same character).
The War Doctor refers to the fact that *this* incarnation participated in the Time War, a fundamental part of the backstory of Nu-Who, between the Daleks and the Time Lords.
Its also open to interpretation whether the Engines of War of the title here are those Daleks, or the various TARDIS's used by the Time Lords during this story, which itself is largely split into 3 segments: part 1 on the planet Moldox (which the Daleks have conquered, and where the Doctor meets his new companion for this story), part 2 on Gallifrey (the home of the Time Lords), and part 3 in the space above Moldox, in the Tantalus Eye.
The result is something that is generally light-weight enough: solid if not spectacular. But, then again, that could probably apply to just about every extended universe tie in there is!
lesserjoke's review against another edition
3.0
This first official Doctor Who novel to feature John Hurt's War Doctor has some interesting Time War backstory stuff, especially regarding what Rassilon was doing beyond what was seen in the David Tennant special The End of Time. There's also some fun Classic Who references during the part of the narrative spent on Gallifrey. The story itself, however, is kind of a snooze, and doesn't do much to distinguish this Doctor's characterization from any other version of the Time Lord we've seen on TV.
dreaming_ace's review against another edition
4.0
It was very interesting to learn more about The War Doctor. There were lots of moments of forshawding of where his story goes as we learned the 50th anniversary.
zmull's review against another edition
4.0
Just to get it out of the way, anyone wondering how Mann and BBC Books deal with the fact that John Hurt's incarnation of the Doctor is quite specifically not called "the Doctor" can stop wondering. I'm here to answer the question. They ignore it. They just call him the Doctor, both in the narration and in the dialogue.
That fact, combined with a first act so generic you could replace the War Doctor with any other incarnation with only a few minor changes, left me wondering if BBC had any daring in them at all. Fortunately, with the second act the story kicks into gear, with the intrigue, politics, and universe scale threat you could reasonably expect from the first Time War novel. Mann's Time War is not the galaxy splitting psychedelic freak show of Russell T. Davies imaginings. It's a lot closer to the more conventional glimpses in Stephen Moffat's "Day of the Doctor." Still Mann presents an intriguing take on the war. His take on the War Doctor, here in his first wack outside of DOTD, is fairly safe. I finished the book without a sense of what makes War different from the rest.
If all of this sound very fannish and inaccessible, well, it is. The Engines of War serves as a prequel to both "the End of Time" and "The Day of the Doctor" and a knowledge of those will come in pretty handy. It's also, surprisingly, very much a continuation 1983's "The Five Doctors." Add to that a few important reference to "Genesis of the Daleks" and you've got a steep curve for a reader new to Doctor Who to climb. I can't decide if I'd like to see more War Doctor novels or not. Part of the appeal of the Time War is imagining it for yourself. I'm open to the idea, especially if the War Doctor is giving a bit more of his own personality.
That fact, combined with a first act so generic you could replace the War Doctor with any other incarnation with only a few minor changes, left me wondering if BBC had any daring in them at all. Fortunately, with the second act the story kicks into gear, with the intrigue, politics, and universe scale threat you could reasonably expect from the first Time War novel. Mann's Time War is not the galaxy splitting psychedelic freak show of Russell T. Davies imaginings. It's a lot closer to the more conventional glimpses in Stephen Moffat's "Day of the Doctor." Still Mann presents an intriguing take on the war. His take on the War Doctor, here in his first wack outside of DOTD, is fairly safe. I finished the book without a sense of what makes War different from the rest.
If all of this sound very fannish and inaccessible, well, it is. The Engines of War serves as a prequel to both "the End of Time" and "The Day of the Doctor" and a knowledge of those will come in pretty handy. It's also, surprisingly, very much a continuation 1983's "The Five Doctors." Add to that a few important reference to "Genesis of the Daleks" and you've got a steep curve for a reader new to Doctor Who to climb. I can't decide if I'd like to see more War Doctor novels or not. Part of the appeal of the Time War is imagining it for yourself. I'm open to the idea, especially if the War Doctor is giving a bit more of his own personality.
breakfastgrey's review against another edition
3.0
Quick read that starts off quite weak but really shines whenever it is on Gallifrey. The writing is particularly weak with sections of the book so paint by numbers that I repeatedly finished a page without actually reading it and needed to restart it. Mann has the Doctor’s voice down perfectly, though, and I enjoyed getting a peak into an unexplored era of the mythos.
draculaura's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
3.25
If you're a Doctor Who fan, you will enjoy this book. It's not simply a telling of one of the many adventures of the Doctor, but it recounts the last days of the Time War, the days leading up to The Day of the Doctor episode, and the dreadful burden the War Doctor must bear. There are even hints at the episode itself (because timey wimey).
Structurally speaking, it flowed very much like an episode of Doctor Who: the introduction of the companion, the beauty of humanity, the inevitable guilt and fury of the Doctor. I did find a number of typos, but I'm not sure if these were British turns of phrase (completely foreign to a Yank like me) or if they were actual oversights. Either way, they didn't detract from the story and I easily absorbed this book in the span of 4 days.
This was the first time I've read any accompanying lore to a beloved universe (be it Star Trek, WoW, Halo, Star Wars, etc.). I thoroughly enjoyed it and am willing to seek out other Doctor Who novels in the near future.
Structurally speaking, it flowed very much like an episode of Doctor Who: the introduction of the companion, the beauty of humanity, the inevitable guilt and fury of the Doctor. I did find a number of typos, but I'm not sure if these were British turns of phrase (completely foreign to a Yank like me) or if they were actual oversights. Either way, they didn't detract from the story and I easily absorbed this book in the span of 4 days.
This was the first time I've read any accompanying lore to a beloved universe (be it Star Trek, WoW, Halo, Star Wars, etc.). I thoroughly enjoyed it and am willing to seek out other Doctor Who novels in the near future.
vickyposts's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I loved this Doctor Who story so much! We need more stories with the War Doctor. Cinder was wonderful, the Time Lords and the Daleks were scary. It was a great read that I couldn't put down. I give it 5/5 stars, I loved this adventure!
For my full review with spoilers check out my blog vickyposts.wordpress.com
For my full review with spoilers check out my blog vickyposts.wordpress.com
amerasuu's review against another edition
4.0
This was a lot of fun, narrated by Nicholas Briggs, AKA the guy who does the Dalek voice. I had a lot of driving to do and listened to this in the car. I love the character of Cinder.