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beth_books_123's review
2.0
What a disappointment - 2*
To say this is in the same collection as The Dalek Generation and The Plague of the Cyberman, HUGELY disappointing.
The monster was ridiculous and bored me completely.
The characters and their plot weren't that exciting.
WHY WEREN'T THE VIKINGS MORE EXCITING?
I've read 39 of these now so I know not to have the highest expectations but even some of the Martha adventures were more interesting than this one.
To say this is in the same collection as The Dalek Generation and The Plague of the Cyberman, HUGELY disappointing.
The monster was ridiculous and bored me completely.
The characters and their plot weren't that exciting.
WHY WEREN'T THE VIKINGS MORE EXCITING?
I've read 39 of these now so I know not to have the highest expectations but even some of the Martha adventures were more interesting than this one.
saoki's review
3.0
I'm not sure what happened with this book. It's well written, has a cool creature, the Doctor is pretty doctorish and the historical bits are mostly correct, but it came out pretty boring. There is a strong start and a nice ending, but the middle is more of a muddle, like it was supposed to be a lot shorter.
sabregirl's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars. A nice read, Colgan got Eleven's voice nicely which is hard to do as a few of the previous Eleven books couldn't really get his unique voice. I would liked to have seen maybe more of an effect of the fact that the Doctor didn't have official companions. Though I suppose since that it's not really developed even in the series it would be hard to see in the novels this soon.
However, the plot was nice, though I think it's awfully familiar. An alien traveling to earth and burning people up. It's in the back of my mind, and I can't really seem to grasp where it came from. The Vikings and Islanders seemed far too advanced I suppose you could say in their language and sounded a bit too modern. But since you don't really know how that interacted it could be forgivable.
The ending seemed very Dr. Whoish, happily ever after with a bit of wistfulness. But I don't really see how the Doctor was fooled by his own perception filter that doesn't seem all that plausible.
I did like however, that they tied the Doctor to the Norse God Loki. I thought that was a nice twist he does fit him nicely. Though not as mean and cruel. But the parallels are there.
However, the plot was nice, though I think it's awfully familiar. An alien traveling to earth and burning people up. It's in the back of my mind, and I can't really seem to grasp where it came from. The Vikings and Islanders seemed far too advanced I suppose you could say in their language and sounded a bit too modern. But since you don't really know how that interacted it could be forgivable.
The ending seemed very Dr. Whoish, happily ever after with a bit of wistfulness. But I don't really see how the Doctor was fooled by his own perception filter that doesn't seem all that plausible.
I did like however, that they tied the Doctor to the Norse God Loki. I thought that was a nice twist he does fit him nicely. Though not as mean and cruel. But the parallels are there.
readingwithemmett's review
4.0
I surprisingly enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I'm not a huge fan of this genre; however, I did like this book.
heatherp23's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.0
kimal25's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first Doctor Who book I have read and I have to say it was somewhat of a let down. The plot was pretty good, but it didn't have the same explosiveness for me as the show. I think part of that was that there were no companions in this book and no enemy that I was already familiar with. Still it was good and entertaining.
writingwwolves's review against another edition
5.0
Rating: 4.5 stars (simply because Clara would’ve made a good addition to the story!)
paperbackd's review
3.0
All the Doctor wants is a game of chess with a worthy opponent, but soon he’s caught up in a fight for human survival - involving battle-hungry Vikings, an underwater excursion in the TARDIS, and an otherworldly fire which burns its victims up from the inside.
It should come as no surprise that like many other Tumblr users, I am a Doctor Who fan. So when I was offered the opportunity to read and review a Doctor Who novel - and one written by a female romance author at that* - I jumped at the chance.
Dark Horizons feels like an episode of the show - in fact, I’d go so far as to say I enjoyed it a lot more than at least half the episodes of the most recent season. The ‘monster of the week’ was particularly impressive, and visually, I’d love to see Colgan’s creation brought to life, because not only were the Arill an original foe, her descriptions of the Arill were beautiful. The Arill present the Doctor with an interesting moral dilemma over how to save both species, which was by far my favourite part of the story. The supporting cast were well fleshed out, particularly the main two, Henrik and Freydis. Henrik and the Doctor had some wonderfully funny scenes together, and Freydis, with her fervent beliefs and persistent attitude, made a perfect companion.
As much as I enjoyed Dark Horizons, though, I only started to become invested in the story and the characters at around halfway through the book, when the Arill were finally introduced. Maybe it’s because I’m used to 45-minute Doctor Who stories, but I did feel that the pacing dragged slightly. I felt that 100 or so pages could easily be cut, along with a few supporting characters’ storylines. But Colgan’s story is well worth persevering with, and I’d definitely still recommend it to Doctor Who fans who need a new adventure to keep them going during long wait until the 50th anniversary episode!
Many thanks to Random House, for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd
*I sincerely love the show, but I have a lot of negative feelings about Doctor Who’s overwhelmingly male writership, and the lack of inclusiveness for female scifi writers in general. But that’s a rant for another time.
It should come as no surprise that like many other Tumblr users, I am a Doctor Who fan. So when I was offered the opportunity to read and review a Doctor Who novel - and one written by a female romance author at that* - I jumped at the chance.
Dark Horizons feels like an episode of the show - in fact, I’d go so far as to say I enjoyed it a lot more than at least half the episodes of the most recent season. The ‘monster of the week’ was particularly impressive, and visually, I’d love to see Colgan’s creation brought to life, because not only were the Arill an original foe, her descriptions of the Arill were beautiful. The Arill present the Doctor with an interesting moral dilemma over how to save both species, which was by far my favourite part of the story. The supporting cast were well fleshed out, particularly the main two, Henrik and Freydis. Henrik and the Doctor had some wonderfully funny scenes together, and Freydis, with her fervent beliefs and persistent attitude, made a perfect companion.
As much as I enjoyed Dark Horizons, though, I only started to become invested in the story and the characters at around halfway through the book, when the Arill were finally introduced. Maybe it’s because I’m used to 45-minute Doctor Who stories, but I did feel that the pacing dragged slightly. I felt that 100 or so pages could easily be cut, along with a few supporting characters’ storylines. But Colgan’s story is well worth persevering with, and I’d definitely still recommend it to Doctor Who fans who need a new adventure to keep them going during long wait until the 50th anniversary episode!
Many thanks to Random House, for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd
*I sincerely love the show, but I have a lot of negative feelings about Doctor Who’s overwhelmingly male writership, and the lack of inclusiveness for female scifi writers in general. But that’s a rant for another time.
pantsreads's review
4.0
4.5/5. I wish this had been an actual episode!
Read my review (and enter to win a copy of the book!) here.
Read my review (and enter to win a copy of the book!) here.
kristamccracken's review against another edition
3.0
Set in the era of the 11th Doctor the basic premise revolves around the Doctor stumbling upon an islander community and vikings struggling with fire breathing aliens they don't understand.
I listened to this as an audiobook. The characterization of the Doctor was well done, the silliness and fun nature of the Matt Smith's Doctor came through in the story. The plot of this particular adventure seemed a bit drawn out at points, with a few too many viking battles. A solid historical adventure that I could see being enjoyed by children audiences as well as adults.
I listened to this as an audiobook. The characterization of the Doctor was well done, the silliness and fun nature of the Matt Smith's Doctor came through in the story. The plot of this particular adventure seemed a bit drawn out at points, with a few too many viking battles. A solid historical adventure that I could see being enjoyed by children audiences as well as adults.