gingerreader99's review
4.0
I suppose it was about time I read my favourite Doctor's regeneration story. Quite enjoyable to be fair. I have always been a fan of the Cybermen as well, so of course there first appearance as villains was equally exciting as the Doctor's regeneration itself. Although it is MUCH different than the televised version that I have now viewed. All in all though. I still really enjoyed the story and blasted through it in a matter of hours.
scarletsky's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
josephmoore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.5
tempus's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.5
I love the TV serial of this story. Having heard that the novelisation expanded upon the Doctor's coming regeneration, I was keen to see it incorporated more into the story - but it's only mentioned about two times in the form of a passing description about his ageing appearance. The first seven~ chapters made me realise how little actually happens in this story, how minimal the variation in locations is, that I now am questioning how I missed in the TV episodes. It's an okay novel for a good TV story. Weirdly it was a breezy read for me but I don't know if that's cause I'd rewatched the serial fairly recently.
cicadacryptid's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
alysmw's review against another edition
4.0
Very well told story. No idea how accurate it is to the original episode (which i think has been lost anyway) but I definitely enjoyed this version.
nwhyte's review
http://nhw.livejournal.com/1026309.html#cutid2[return][return]This was the first new First Doctor book published by Target, and is of course both the last First Doctor story and the first Cybermen story. Davis made a number of changes, mostly minor and annoying, to the script he co-wrote with Kit Pedler. Most crucially, the Doctor's regeneration at the end takes place in a coffin-like cabinet rather than just on the floor of the Tardis; also the year of the action is shifted from 1986 to 2000. Bizarrely, considering that Pedler's involvement was supposed to bring a bit more scientific credibility to the show, the number of basic mistakes is legion - the South Pole is about the least suitable place imaginable to put either a space tracking station or a deadly nuclear missile, the terms 'nova' and 'supernova' are flung about with wild abandon, and the whole foundation of the plot makes as much sense as Velikovsky. Plus Davis is compelled to do some retconning of the Telos/Mondas confusion which actually makes matters worse. I enjoyed the screen version much more; it was easier to go with the flow and ignore the flaws is the story.
snowsnakes's review against another edition
5.0
What more can I say? Doctor Who is amazing- even more so in a book-version. I will say a few words about the book though, because there is honestly a lot to say.
This is a really old Doctor Who episode-turned-book. It's actually the first Doctor's final episode (if your following me), which means it was written in the late 60s. It also means that The Doctor was not the same young-looking jumpy guy we know today, but an old, wise looking man. Figures, "when the Doctor was younger, he was an older man," Doctor Who in a nutshell for you.
But what's even more cool is that this book is based in the future, or at least their future, which is our past really...
I rated it 5 stars not only because I love The Doctor and all his adventures but also because it was extremely interesting to read how the writers drew out the year 2000. What was most interesting though, the technology (movie players, radios, etc) and social norms (women's role and the general mannerism of the characters) stayed the same, as if the story took place in the 60s, only with space travel and advanced weaponry- the writers never imagined how much society would evolve technologically and socially in just 40 years. My favourite part regarding this inability of the writers to 'see' the future was the moment when Ben, one of The Doctors companions, was locked in the "Projection Room," where the 'high tech' military base kept their films and their film projector, which they still used to watch movies... Little did the writers know that film projectors would be antiques by the 1990s.
It was really cool reading Doctor Who, especially because the book portrayed the character of the first Doctor, who was not the ever-present and action driven as the more recent incarnations. You can see how much the TV show progressed and the classic characters and ideas that were developed since the 1960s. For example, this is the first episode where the Cybermen appeared. Moreover, my favourite line has to be, "'Imagine trying to tackle one of them geezers with a screwdriver!' Ben said to himself in disgust." ... I wonder if they knew?
Here we are witness to the birth of the sonic screwdriver!
This is a really old Doctor Who episode-turned-book. It's actually the first Doctor's final episode (if your following me), which means it was written in the late 60s. It also means that The Doctor was not the same young-looking jumpy guy we know today, but an old, wise looking man. Figures, "when the Doctor was younger, he was an older man," Doctor Who in a nutshell for you.
But what's even more cool is that this book is based in the future, or at least their future, which is our past really...
I rated it 5 stars not only because I love The Doctor and all his adventures but also because it was extremely interesting to read how the writers drew out the year 2000. What was most interesting though, the technology (movie players, radios, etc) and social norms (women's role and the general mannerism of the characters) stayed the same, as if the story took place in the 60s, only with space travel and advanced weaponry- the writers never imagined how much society would evolve technologically and socially in just 40 years. My favourite part regarding this inability of the writers to 'see' the future was the moment when Ben, one of The Doctors companions, was locked in the "Projection Room," where the 'high tech' military base kept their films and their film projector, which they still used to watch movies... Little did the writers know that film projectors would be antiques by the 1990s.
It was really cool reading Doctor Who, especially because the book portrayed the character of the first Doctor, who was not the ever-present and action driven as the more recent incarnations. You can see how much the TV show progressed and the classic characters and ideas that were developed since the 1960s. For example, this is the first episode where the Cybermen appeared. Moreover, my favourite line has to be, "'Imagine trying to tackle one of them geezers with a screwdriver!' Ben said to himself in disgust." ... I wonder if they knew?
Here we are witness to the birth of the sonic screwdriver!
squidbag's review against another edition
3.0
From the end of Wm. Hartnell's tenure, so there's a whole section where he's barely in it. Truly a relic of 1976, with its flattened female characters and Negro spacemen (never used in a derogatory way, though), this has a Star Trek World Utopia vision of International Space Cooperation kind of structure with Ben and Polly as companions. Good, scary Cybermen, but the Doctor's not as much of a presence on the page as maybe you'd like, and the secondary personalities - Ben, Cutler, and so on - are dominant. A few loose ends, but otherwise an okay read.
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