paddyh's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
secretlyadoombot's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
dp112's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
isayhourwrong's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Hmmm
unnaturalhistory's review
adventurous
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? Yes
3.0
nwhyte's review
http://nhw.livejournal.com/772832.html[return][return]Not really great literature: Doctor and Ace on far future planet, where not all is as it seems, and the plot depends on an untold story from the Doctor's past.
count_zero's review
3.0
This is an interesting Doctor Who adventure. The book certainly has it's flaws, but there are elements of the story that I really liked, especially the elements relating to the Second Doctor attempting to pass a message along to the Seventh.
This story also shows a lot of what they can do now that they're freed from the constraints of BBC standards and practices. The first book in the series amped up the sexuality somewhat to something more frank than pretty much anything that the original series had discussed.
The semi-love triangle between Ace, Raphael and that other girl whose name I can't remember, feels rather forced.
On the minus side, the semi-love triangle between Ace, Raphael and that other girl whose name I can't remember, feels rather forced. Similarly, most of the Panjistri and the Kirithons aren't particularly fleshed out, and the ones who do get some serious development are also the ones who get to be killed off.
Still, fans of Doctor Who - especially fans of the Seventh Doctor, should get something out of this book.
This story also shows a lot of what they can do now that they're freed from the constraints of BBC standards and practices. The first book in the series amped up the sexuality somewhat to something more frank than pretty much anything that the original series had discussed.
The semi-love triangle between Ace, Raphael and that other girl whose name I can't remember, feels rather forced.
On the minus side, the semi-love triangle between Ace, Raphael and that other girl whose name I can't remember, feels rather forced. Similarly, most of the Panjistri and the Kirithons aren't particularly fleshed out, and the ones who do get some serious development are also the ones who get to be killed off.
Still, fans of Doctor Who - especially fans of the Seventh Doctor, should get something out of this book.
arutha2321's review
4.0
I actually thought this was quite good, so far my favorite of the Timewyrm storyline. It's definitely not fine literature, but everyone is drawing it to be an unreadable mess. What I got was a fun romp, where it's admittedly better to keep your brain shut off, but that's basically what I came to expect of Doctor Who novels.
If this is, as Brendon says, one of the worst entries in DW:NA, my hopes for the series are high. :)
If this is, as Brendon says, one of the worst entries in DW:NA, my hopes for the series are high. :)
whovian2711's review
4.0
After seeing so many negative reviews for Timewyrm Apocalypse, I went in with very low expectations. These appeared to be validated by the confusing opening chapter, which introduces a bewildering amount of names, titles and concepts with very little explanation (and high demands of the reader's memory!). However, once these necessary elements had been established, I actually found Apocalypse to be very enjoyable and a great example of traditional, fantasy-influenced Doctor Who. As such, minus some of the gore and sexual references, and with a significantly reduced budget, it felt like this could have been a story from the tv show itself.
The characters of the Doctor and Ace are particularly well presented; they act in character, have recognisably accurate dialogue, and the deeper explorations of their inner thoughts and motivations are enlightening at times. Although the novel's secondary characters are archetypical, they feel believable and likeable/unlikeable as intended. The descriptions of the setting are evocative and atmospheric, and the pacing is excellent, with a slow building of intrigue leading to a dramatic conclusion that (mostly) ties up loose ends in a satisfying way.
Unlike in the previous VNAs, I was surprised to find that I wasn't irritated by the callbacks to previous Doctor Who stories, which, as I've come to expect of the range, were fairly frequent. Thankfully, these references and plot threads didn't feel obtrusive or alienating, and the more prominent sections concerning the Second Doctor were interesting and made sense within the wider plot.
A criticism that could be levelled at this novel is that the story gets a bit… wacky. I'm also not entirely sure that I understand how the different antagonists' grand schemes fit together. However, I felt that these points were very much in the spirit of Classic Who, and not much of a problem in light of how enjoyable the story was as a whole.
The characters of the Doctor and Ace are particularly well presented; they act in character, have recognisably accurate dialogue, and the deeper explorations of their inner thoughts and motivations are enlightening at times. Although the novel's secondary characters are archetypical, they feel believable and likeable/unlikeable as intended. The descriptions of the setting are evocative and atmospheric, and the pacing is excellent, with a slow building of intrigue leading to a dramatic conclusion that (mostly) ties up loose ends in a satisfying way.
Unlike in the previous VNAs, I was surprised to find that I wasn't irritated by the callbacks to previous Doctor Who stories, which, as I've come to expect of the range, were fairly frequent. Thankfully, these references and plot threads didn't feel obtrusive or alienating, and the more prominent sections concerning the Second Doctor were interesting and made sense within the wider plot.
A criticism that could be levelled at this novel is that the story gets a bit… wacky. I'm also not entirely sure that I understand how the different antagonists' grand schemes fit together. However, I felt that these points were very much in the spirit of Classic Who, and not much of a problem in light of how enjoyable the story was as a whole.