saoki's review against another edition
3.0
A good story, but written in a slightly uneven way, so that some parts have too much description, others have so little I had to read them twice to understand where things were happening. The author knew how to write the Doctor, Romana and K-9, so every part of the story in which they had any part was elevated, much in the same way a good actor elevates a scene. The other characters, however, seemed to spend a lot of time repeating the same dialogues and thoughts, which helped to make them seem like caricatures (something that wouldn't have bothered me so much in a Doctor Who TV story, but somehow is taboo for me in books). And then there was the way the narrator pulled things from the character's minds, a debatable technique* itself made worse for its use for infodumping secondary characters' pasts.
In any way, this is an enjoyable book and a well crafted tale, if not very well written. The story is interesting and fast-paced, filled with perfect little moments of 4th Doctor goodness (even ogrons like jelly babies, after all) and a very fine villain. It would make for a great movie, if nothing else because a multimedia version of this story would cut out Spiggot's inner dialogue, all of which was a long running joke with a terrible punchline, and that itself would upgrade the story in one star.
* Honestly, reading this book taught me a lot more about how I see the limits of the omniscient narrator than debating this with other writers.
In any way, this is an enjoyable book and a well crafted tale, if not very well written. The story is interesting and fast-paced, filled with perfect little moments of 4th Doctor goodness (even ogrons like jelly babies, after all) and a very fine villain. It would make for a great movie, if nothing else because a multimedia version of this story would cut out Spiggot's inner dialogue, all of which was a long running joke with a terrible punchline, and that itself would upgrade the story in one star.
* Honestly, reading this book taught me a lot more about how I see the limits of the omniscient narrator than debating this with other writers.
shane's review against another edition
4.0
The Fourth Doctor and Romana II are very well known to me from the TV episodes. I remember Tom and Lalla so well the first time around and now get to revisit these old friends in book form. Gareth Roberts does a fantastic job here in capturing the Doctor and Romana as they find themselves embroiled in an investigation on a rocket powered asteroid called The Rock of Judgement. A humorous, run-around reminiscent of the classics that have the Doctor and co. 'running through corridors' and generally managing to engage the reader in a story that's smart and silly and everything in-between all at once. With never a dull moment(I won't count what amounts to a text-dump by the Doctor at one point in a bid to catch us all up on proceedings by 'telling' rather than 'showing') the pace keeps us on our toes and builds to a nice climax and a satisfying conclusion at the end.
Happily, the next one I've chosen to read is set directly after this one, even though it wasn't written until later in the Missing Adventure series. It's An English Way of Death and if it's only half as good as this, Ill be very, very happy.
Highly recommended.
Happily, the next one I've chosen to read is set directly after this one, even though it wasn't written until later in the Missing Adventure series. It's An English Way of Death and if it's only half as good as this, Ill be very, very happy.
Highly recommended.
andystehr's review against another edition
4.0
Captured the feel of Classic Who during this particular era. Has an almost Douglas-Adams-like quality that I very much enjoyed. Also, 3 chapters from the end I was asking myself 'how is this going to wrap up in 3 chapters' and then it did and I was very satisfied with the conclusion.
nwhyte's review
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1208304.html[return][return]I liked this much more than the other Four / Romana II / K9 novel I've read, The Well-Mannered War, which as it happens is by the same author. Our heroes arrive on a sinister prison asteroid, where they find themselves at the centre of a plot involving miners, corrupt judges, criminal brothers based on the Krays, Ogrons, and a dead mind-stealing criminal. The Doctor accuses K9 of never knowing the answer when it's something important, a glorious reference to the famous Tom Baker out-take. It all pretty much hangs together, Russell juggling multiple viewpoint characters without losing track of the story. One of the good ones.
nukirisame's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
shane's review
4.0
The Fourth Doctor and Romana II are very well known to me from the TV episodes. I remember Tom and Lalla so well the first time around and now get to revisit these old friends in book form. Gareth Roberts does a fantastic job here in capturing the Doctor and Romana as they find themselves embroiled in an investigation on a rocket powered asteroid called The Rock of Judgement. A humorous, run-around reminiscent of the classics that have the Doctor and co. 'running through corridors' and generally managing to engage the reader in a story that's smart and silly and everything in-between all at once. With never a dull moment(I won't count what amounts to a text-dump by the Doctor at one point in a bid to catch us all up on proceedings by 'telling' rather than 'showing') the pace keeps us on our toes and builds to a nice climax and a satisfying conclusion at the end.
Happily, the next one I've chosen to read is set directly after this one, even though it wasn't written until later in the Missing Adventure series. It's An English Way of Death and if it's only half as good as this, Ill be very, very happy.
Highly recommended.
Happily, the next one I've chosen to read is set directly after this one, even though it wasn't written until later in the Missing Adventure series. It's An English Way of Death and if it's only half as good as this, Ill be very, very happy.
Highly recommended.
markk's review
3.0
In the human-colonized Uva Beta Uva system, justice is dispensed from the Rock of Judgment, an asteroid converted into a roving courtroom in which cases are heard and sentences carried out. When the Doctor, Romana, and K-9 arrive, they quickly become entangled in an investigation by a newly-arrived lawman into suspicious activities on board. For despite all of the seeming normality aboard the Rock, events are unfolding that are tied to the inexplicable murder of a survey team on the eleventh planet, one that suggest the return of the most feared criminal in the history of the system — despite her execution aboard the Rock years before.
Gareth Roberts was at the beginning of a prolific career as a writer and contributor to the Doctor Who franchise when he wrote this novel, the first of four he would contribute to the Virgin Missing Adventures series. It is a work that evokes the "base-under-siege" trope familiar to fans of the franchise, albeit one that was less in use at this stage in the series. It helps that the base in the story is not the typical scientific station or military outpost but a floating courthouse, one that allows Roberts to draw upon his experience as a Court of Appeals clerk for an unusual setting for the franchise. Combined with a pair of narrative twists that keep the plot going in the later chapters, it all comes together to make for an entertaining adventure that fans of the characters will enjoy.
Gareth Roberts was at the beginning of a prolific career as a writer and contributor to the Doctor Who franchise when he wrote this novel, the first of four he would contribute to the Virgin Missing Adventures series. It is a work that evokes the "base-under-siege" trope familiar to fans of the franchise, albeit one that was less in use at this stage in the series. It helps that the base in the story is not the typical scientific station or military outpost but a floating courthouse, one that allows Roberts to draw upon his experience as a Court of Appeals clerk for an unusual setting for the franchise. Combined with a pair of narrative twists that keep the plot going in the later chapters, it all comes together to make for an entertaining adventure that fans of the characters will enjoy.
hammard's review
2.0
When I tried to remember this story two things stuck out to me; Ogrons running around a space station and Stokes. Revisiting this book these are still two of the most memorable factors but also the most problematic.
The Ogrons were undeveloped heavies in Jon Pertwee era that could just slot into any story but there appearance and speech patterns made the dangerously close to stereotypes of black people. Here Roberts dives head-first into this. They are cartoonishly stupid (due to their evolution), described as being a slave race and impossible to tell apart from each other. The entire experience is unpleasant to read.
Menlove Stokes is a cliche of the self-important artist but the problem comes in where hes is constantly really creepy over Romana. Once might have been close to amusing but how often it happens it becomes distasteful to read.
On top of this the female characters in this story are just appallingly treated, Romana spends much of the story been captured or shooting Ogrons, Madeline is said to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown and Xais is a violent murderer. The only other one mentioned is Spiggot's unnamed family which he constantly mentions.
What does raise this up is Robert's strong dialogue and understanding of structure of stories of this era. This moves it up from being a terrible novel to being a really bad Doctor Who story that could just about fit into the era (albeit with added violence, gore, racism and misogyny)
The Ogrons were undeveloped heavies in Jon Pertwee era that could just slot into any story but there appearance and speech patterns made the dangerously close to stereotypes of black people. Here Roberts dives head-first into this. They are cartoonishly stupid (due to their evolution), described as being a slave race and impossible to tell apart from each other. The entire experience is unpleasant to read.
Menlove Stokes is a cliche of the self-important artist but the problem comes in where hes is constantly really creepy over Romana. Once might have been close to amusing but how often it happens it becomes distasteful to read.
On top of this the female characters in this story are just appallingly treated, Romana spends much of the story been captured or shooting Ogrons, Madeline is said to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown and Xais is a violent murderer. The only other one mentioned is Spiggot's unnamed family which he constantly mentions.
What does raise this up is Robert's strong dialogue and understanding of structure of stories of this era. This moves it up from being a terrible novel to being a really bad Doctor Who story that could just about fit into the era (albeit with added violence, gore, racism and misogyny)
More...