caroleheidi's review against another edition
This was cute. Apart from the weeping angels. They are never cute. *refuses to blink*
emgrace93's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book. There were a couple of stories that were a little boring but most of them I liked a lot.
stiricide's review against another edition
1.0
This is... dull.
"Time Lord fairy tales," you think. "How exciting!" And I did too, settling in for an exciting glimpse in to Gallifrean mythology and folklore, stories that could only come about from a race that can manipulate the very timestream and experiences near immortality simply as conditions of existence. And two hearts!
Buuuuut no. What we have instead is Earthen fairy tales, retold under the guise of the Whovian canon, incorporating words/races that ostensibly define entire races of characters, but these actual characters behave within the limitations of regular Earthens. The Sontarans we meet here are decently Sontaran, but everyone else - well, there are concerns over aging, no mention of regeneration, petty squabbles over royal bloodlines, and everything else you'd expect out of bad retellings of classic (primarily German) fairy tales.
The Weeping Angels story that intros this collection isn't terrible, but it's as close as the entire collection gets to an actual "Time Lord" fairy tale.
Hard pass, Whovians. Go read the comics instead.
"Time Lord fairy tales," you think. "How exciting!" And I did too, settling in for an exciting glimpse in to Gallifrean mythology and folklore, stories that could only come about from a race that can manipulate the very timestream and experiences near immortality simply as conditions of existence. And two hearts!
Buuuuut no. What we have instead is Earthen fairy tales, retold under the guise of the Whovian canon, incorporating words/races that ostensibly define entire races of characters, but these actual characters behave within the limitations of regular Earthens. The Sontarans we meet here are decently Sontaran, but everyone else - well, there are concerns over aging, no mention of regeneration, petty squabbles over royal bloodlines, and everything else you'd expect out of bad retellings of classic (primarily German) fairy tales.
The Weeping Angels story that intros this collection isn't terrible, but it's as close as the entire collection gets to an actual "Time Lord" fairy tale.
Hard pass, Whovians. Go read the comics instead.
ellierichards90's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a huge Whovian and received this book for Christmas. It's a series of short stories with some lovely illustrations throughout, plus it has a beautiful hardback cover.
There are plenty of Dr Who references, plus interesting sci fi twists on classic fairy tales. The book feels like it is targeted at a slightly younger audience - I'm sure older kids and teenagers would enjoy this, probably more so than older readers. For me as a 25 year old, it was a pleasant, easy read - I dipped in and out of the book as a bit of light relief whilst reading other more challenging books.
Overall, I would recommend this book if you are a big Dr Who fan, and to younger readers in general. It's probably not worth reading if you aren't a fan of the TV show though.
There are plenty of Dr Who references, plus interesting sci fi twists on classic fairy tales. The book feels like it is targeted at a slightly younger audience - I'm sure older kids and teenagers would enjoy this, probably more so than older readers. For me as a 25 year old, it was a pleasant, easy read - I dipped in and out of the book as a bit of light relief whilst reading other more challenging books.
Overall, I would recommend this book if you are a big Dr Who fan, and to younger readers in general. It's probably not worth reading if you aren't a fan of the TV show though.
anatema's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
super_jane19's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
3.0
The Garden of Statues | 3 stars
Kicked off straight away with one of the monsters that scares me the most! It was enjoyable, but I felt unsatisfied with the ending. There wasn't much of a discovery of which I was hoping for.
Frozen Beauty | 3 stars
And intergalactic take on Sleeping Beauty, one of which I feel could have left out the heavier fairy tale theme and had it rather as a hint. It felt a bit forced and could have done better with less inspiration of the original.
Cinderella and the Magic Box | 3 stars
I loved the spin on this one, yet I still feel like if we had time to flesh out these stories a little more it would be more impactful.
The Twins in the Wood | 3 stars
I'm not sure what this particular one was based on but it was good! I feel like I would have liked more depth with the animals and the story itself was predictable, but still enjoyable.
The Three Little Sontarans | 1 star
I really didn't care for this one and have nothing more to add.
Jak and the Wormhole | 3 stars
I think this is one of the short stories I enjoyed the most. I like the original of Jack and the Beanstalk and this was an interesting version. Again, wish there was more to the world.
Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday | 3 stars
This one felt the most unique out of all these retellings and I would say it was a favourite out of the all. I liked the concept.
Little Rose Riding Hood | 3 stars
Another good one. I assume it was based on our Rose, especially with mention of the Bad wolf, but I think they just used that for the convenience of it and familiarity, but it's in itself it's own thing.
The Gingerbread Trap | 3 stars
This was another one that I liked the concept of but I would have appreciated more information about the monster and a more fleshed out conclusion.
The Scruffy Piper | 3
I had recently read a sort of reimagining of the Pied Piper and this one was good too. I like when the Doctor is featured in these short stories. It gives it more character and humour, and a splash of modernity.
Helana and the Beast | 3 stars
This one was one of the more unique retellings that I quite enjoyed! I liked how they changed the Beauty and the Beast into something a little different.
Andiba and the Four Slitheen | 3.5 stars
I'm not sure what tale this is based of but it definitely felt like one of the more unique reads! I enjoyed it.
The Grief Collector | 3 stars
This was a very mediocre one. I don't have much to say about it as I neither overly liked or greatly disliked it. It was just okay.
The Three Brothers Gruff | 3.5 stars
So, in comparison to the other Sontaran story, I liked this one way more. Again, it may be because it felt a little more unique, not having remembered much from the original fairy tale. Standing on its own, it was a nice story of family loyalty and saving the planet.
Sirgwain and the Green Knight | 3 stars
This one was interesting. I liked the idea of the plot but left with unanswered questions about the Green Knight.
So, to wrap up some overall thoughts on this short story collection:
-The illustrations of this collection were great; I wish we got more! I found the paper quality to be really nice too. Thick and luxurious.
-I will say, the common thought for most of these short stories though, is that we needed just that little more time to flesh out and make some things make better sense. If that meant sacrificing a story or two so be it, if the end goal would be less mediocre stories as a whole. ~ They lacked oomph.
-I also feel the blend of folk x sci-fi didn't really mesh well. And I feel like the climax of all of these rather quickly finished, not leaving much satisfaction.
-I liked the ones that featured the doctor.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
Kicked off straight away with one of the monsters that scares me the most! It was enjoyable, but I felt unsatisfied with the ending. There wasn't much of a discovery of which I was hoping for.
Frozen Beauty | 3 stars
And intergalactic take on Sleeping Beauty, one of which I feel could have left out the heavier fairy tale theme and had it rather as a hint. It felt a bit forced and could have done better with less inspiration of the original.
Cinderella and the Magic Box | 3 stars
I loved the spin on this one, yet I still feel like if we had time to flesh out these stories a little more it would be more impactful.
The Twins in the Wood | 3 stars
I'm not sure what this particular one was based on but it was good! I feel like I would have liked more depth with the animals and the story itself was predictable, but still enjoyable.
The Three Little Sontarans | 1 star
I really didn't care for this one and have nothing more to add.
Jak and the Wormhole | 3 stars
I think this is one of the short stories I enjoyed the most. I like the original of Jack and the Beanstalk and this was an interesting version. Again, wish there was more to the world.
Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday | 3 stars
This one felt the most unique out of all these retellings and I would say it was a favourite out of the all. I liked the concept.
Little Rose Riding Hood | 3 stars
Another good one. I assume it was based on our Rose, especially with mention of the Bad wolf, but I think they just used that for the convenience of it and familiarity, but it's in itself it's own thing.
The Gingerbread Trap | 3 stars
This was another one that I liked the concept of but I would have appreciated more information about the monster and a more fleshed out conclusion.
The Scruffy Piper | 3
I had recently read a sort of reimagining of the Pied Piper and this one was good too. I like when the Doctor is featured in these short stories. It gives it more character and humour, and a splash of modernity.
Helana and the Beast | 3 stars
This one was one of the more unique retellings that I quite enjoyed! I liked how they changed the Beauty and the Beast into something a little different.
Andiba and the Four Slitheen | 3.5 stars
I'm not sure what tale this is based of but it definitely felt like one of the more unique reads! I enjoyed it.
The Grief Collector | 3 stars
This was a very mediocre one. I don't have much to say about it as I neither overly liked or greatly disliked it. It was just okay.
The Three Brothers Gruff | 3.5 stars
So, in comparison to the other Sontaran story, I liked this one way more. Again, it may be because it felt a little more unique, not having remembered much from the original fairy tale. Standing on its own, it was a nice story of family loyalty and saving the planet.
Sirgwain and the Green Knight | 3 stars
This one was interesting. I liked the idea of the plot but left with unanswered questions about the Green Knight.
So, to wrap up some overall thoughts on this short story collection:
-The illustrations of this collection were great; I wish we got more! I found the paper quality to be really nice too. Thick and luxurious.
-I will say, the common thought for most of these short stories though, is that we needed just that little more time to flesh out and make some things make better sense. If that meant sacrificing a story or two so be it, if the end goal would be less mediocre stories as a whole. ~ They lacked oomph.
-I also feel the blend of folk x sci-fi didn't really mesh well. And I feel like the climax of all of these rather quickly finished, not leaving much satisfaction.
-I liked the ones that featured the doctor.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
mmeller's review against another edition
4.0
I love Doctor Who and fairy tales, so this was a delightful blend. Some of the tales are better than others, but they were all enjoyable. A good light read.
book_hoarding_dragon's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book as a Christmas present from my sister who also shares my Whovian love. Initially, I thought this book would be Gallifreyan fairy tales. I was a bit disappointed that these are classic fairy tales set in the Whovian universe. Also, I do want to point out that the writing for these stories is simplistic but I saw on the copyright page that this is actually a children's book. With this in mind, I adjusted my expectations and the book made for a good read.
The book contains fifteen stories of European classic fairy tales. Each chapter is under 20 pages, and makes for a quick read.
Listed are the 15 stories and in parenthesis' I have my thoughts on what story influenced it.
1. The Garden of Statues (unsure of the influence here but I'll give you one guess who the villian in this story is)
2. Frozen Beauty (Sleeping Beauty)
3. Cinderella and the Magic Box (Cinderella)
4. The Twins in the Wood (not really sure about this either, but I think the story occurs mostly on Gallifrey?)
5. The Three Little Sontarans (The Three Little Pigs)
6. Jak and the Wormhole (Jack and the Beanstalk)
7. Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves)
8. Little Rose Riding Hood (Little Red Riding Hood)
9. The Gingerbread Trap (Hansel and Gretel)
10. The Scruffy Piper (The Pied Piper)
11. Helana and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast)
12. Andiba and the Four Slitheen (no clue about the influence)
13. The Grief Collector (Perhaps Rumpelstiltskin?)
14. The Three Brothers Gruff (Three Billy Goats Gruff)
15. Sirgwain and the Green Knight (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)
One aspect that I really enjoyed was the artwork. Each chapter contained art on the title page and one full page in the chapter, reminded me of block printing, which I found to be quite lovely. Another aspect I enjoyed was the appearance of the Doctor throughout the book.
My favorite stories are Little Rose Riding Hood, the Scruffy Piper, and Sirgwain and the Green Knight. Rose is one of my favorite companions and I enjoyed the "Bad Wolf" references in the story. For The Scruffy Piper, we see the Doctor take a larger role in this story and I really enjoyed his antics in this one. As for the later, I love anything Arthurian and I very much enjoyed this tale (though Arthur is not included in this tale, but I do have a soft spot for Gawain ).
The book contains fifteen stories of European classic fairy tales. Each chapter is under 20 pages, and makes for a quick read.
Listed are the 15 stories and in parenthesis' I have my thoughts on what story influenced it.
1. The Garden of Statues (unsure of the influence here but I'll give you one guess who the villian in this story is)
2. Frozen Beauty (Sleeping Beauty)
3. Cinderella and the Magic Box (Cinderella)
4. The Twins in the Wood (not really sure about this either, but I think the story occurs mostly on Gallifrey?)
5. The Three Little Sontarans (The Three Little Pigs)
6. Jak and the Wormhole (Jack and the Beanstalk)
7. Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves)
8. Little Rose Riding Hood (Little Red Riding Hood)
9. The Gingerbread Trap (Hansel and Gretel)
10. The Scruffy Piper (The Pied Piper)
11. Helana and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast)
12. Andiba and the Four Slitheen (no clue about the influence)
13. The Grief Collector (Perhaps Rumpelstiltskin?)
14. The Three Brothers Gruff (Three Billy Goats Gruff)
15. Sirgwain and the Green Knight (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)
One aspect that I really enjoyed was the artwork. Each chapter contained art on the title page and one full page in the chapter, reminded me of block printing, which I found to be quite lovely. Another aspect I enjoyed was the appearance of the Doctor throughout the book.
My favorite stories are Little Rose Riding Hood, the Scruffy Piper, and Sirgwain and the Green Knight. Rose is one of my favorite companions and I enjoyed the "Bad Wolf" references in the story. For The Scruffy Piper, we see the Doctor take a larger role in this story and I really enjoyed his antics in this one. As for the later, I love anything Arthurian and I very much enjoyed this tale (though Arthur is not included in this tale, but I do have a soft spot for Gawain ).
woolfardis's review against another edition
3.0
This review can be found on Amaranthine Reads.
Heroes can be found in the most unlikely places. Perhaps we all have it within us to do great things, but may simply lack the circumstances or the reasons to be heroic.
Doctor Who is one of those classic British things that everyone knows about, despite the fact they've never seen it. Even before the series was rebooted in 2005, I had a vague notion of The Doctor and the Daleks and a few other monsters, and was absolutely on first-name terms with the TARDIS. He is an integral part of British culture and I eventually found my way to watching it on TV-and really enjoying it. David Tennant was my first Doctor, having missed out on Christopher Eccleston, and jumped right in to the middle of the Tenth regeneration and was hooked. Whilst lately the series has gone down the toilet in a rather out-of-control helix motion, I still hold a certain patriotic connection to it. It's a series I wish I'd had during my childhood.
Time Lord Fairy Tales was bought purely for two things: the cover and the fact that it is Doctor Who related. I dislike short stories as a rule, but read them anyway in the hope for a vague surprise of expectations being exceeded. This was no exception.
We have fifteen short stories, each written by Justin Richards, that have ideas, plotlines and general characteristics of our own well-loved fairy tales. Think Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and those fables that we all seem to know so well despite probably never having read them. Yet each story has a Doctor Who twist: either they feature the Doctor himself or have a decidedly science fiction element to them.
My only two areas of consternation were thus: one, I dislike short stories as a rule, and two, I currently dislike Doctor Who the television programme. Both of those were put to bed with the first story, a tale that features probably the scariest monsters of Doctor Who: the Weeping Angels. These moving statues scare the absolutely bejesus out of me, a fully grown adult. The first story goes right for the jugular and is written sufficiently enough that I felt palpitations. That rarely happens when I read and the suspense, storyline and general spooky feel of the piece really had me gripped.
From then on, it was a little lacklustre. I enjoyed the re-working of the fairy tales we know so well, but I feel as if more could have been done with them. There were interesting twists in a lot of them, and there were a couple of times I found myself thinking, "I did not see that coming", which in any story is a good thing.
They are all written well technically and the illustrations go so well it was a joy to see them, but I think my dislike of short stories held out and was not shaken by these. They are fun to read and any Doctor Who fan will enjoy them and I believe even if you dislike or have never heard of Doctor Who you can absolutely enjoy these for what they are, which are Our-World Fairy Tale re-workings with a sci-fi twist.
Heroes can be found in the most unlikely places. Perhaps we all have it within us to do great things, but may simply lack the circumstances or the reasons to be heroic.
Doctor Who is one of those classic British things that everyone knows about, despite the fact they've never seen it. Even before the series was rebooted in 2005, I had a vague notion of The Doctor and the Daleks and a few other monsters, and was absolutely on first-name terms with the TARDIS. He is an integral part of British culture and I eventually found my way to watching it on TV-and really enjoying it. David Tennant was my first Doctor, having missed out on Christopher Eccleston, and jumped right in to the middle of the Tenth regeneration and was hooked. Whilst lately the series has gone down the toilet in a rather out-of-control helix motion, I still hold a certain patriotic connection to it. It's a series I wish I'd had during my childhood.
Time Lord Fairy Tales was bought purely for two things: the cover and the fact that it is Doctor Who related. I dislike short stories as a rule, but read them anyway in the hope for a vague surprise of expectations being exceeded. This was no exception.
We have fifteen short stories, each written by Justin Richards, that have ideas, plotlines and general characteristics of our own well-loved fairy tales. Think Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and those fables that we all seem to know so well despite probably never having read them. Yet each story has a Doctor Who twist: either they feature the Doctor himself or have a decidedly science fiction element to them.
My only two areas of consternation were thus: one, I dislike short stories as a rule, and two, I currently dislike Doctor Who the television programme. Both of those were put to bed with the first story, a tale that features probably the scariest monsters of Doctor Who: the Weeping Angels. These moving statues scare the absolutely bejesus out of me, a fully grown adult. The first story goes right for the jugular and is written sufficiently enough that I felt palpitations. That rarely happens when I read and the suspense, storyline and general spooky feel of the piece really had me gripped.
From then on, it was a little lacklustre. I enjoyed the re-working of the fairy tales we know so well, but I feel as if more could have been done with them. There were interesting twists in a lot of them, and there were a couple of times I found myself thinking, "I did not see that coming", which in any story is a good thing.
They are all written well technically and the illustrations go so well it was a joy to see them, but I think my dislike of short stories held out and was not shaken by these. They are fun to read and any Doctor Who fan will enjoy them and I believe even if you dislike or have never heard of Doctor Who you can absolutely enjoy these for what they are, which are Our-World Fairy Tale re-workings with a sci-fi twist.