gingerreader99's review against another edition
4.0
I don't have much to say specifically about this other than what I thought after watching the actual episodes. It's simply a badass fight between Daleks with some Brits and an Alien we call the Doctor in between, perhaps a little more violent than most Doctor Who stories but I don't mind one bit.
cathaldon1's review against another edition
3.25
Remembrance of the Daleks starts off strong, returning to the setting of the original Doctor Who serials while looking at the time period with more attention to contemporary life. It makes sense that, in an England not even 20 years after WWII, characters would be mildly traumatised and injured by war and scarred childhoods, and it makes sense National Front holdouts would continue to agitate afterwards. However the book runs out of steam in the second half, with a Dalek civil war consisting of samey skirmishes up and down roads, and the aforementioned National Front plot failing to find its bite. The cast of ensemble of characters may have come to life on TV, but blend into each other on the page. It works, it makes sense, there’s pleasure to be had in watching it all shake out, but it doesn’t live up to its potential - a decent first outing for Aaronovitch all the same.
book_worm_91's review against another edition
5.0
Great first novel. Anything Doctor Who related is a hit with me.
l_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Als fan von Doctor Who, der die zum Buch gehörende Episode schon kannte sehr Interessant und trotzdem noch spannend.
aeroleo's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
read_n_drink_coffee's review against another edition
4.0
This was a pleasant read. I didn’t find it that riveting
stephen_on_a_jet_plane's review against another edition
4.0
Daleks are kinda boring but Ben Aa made them cool with a civil war and and a story which went back to the first episode of dr who. In some ways this story led the way for a lot of the dalek tales in the modern era. Also Ben is a jolly good writer of prose.
whiterosereader's review against another edition
2.0
Probably one of the worst Doctor Who book I've read. The supporting cast are just introduced without any explanation or hint as to whether they've met the Doctor and Ace before, they seem incredibly comfortable with each other if they have just met each other for the first time. I found the whole thing like watching a film or episode of a TV series, where you've fallen asleep partway through, and woken up again and missed something important. It feels like there's some backstory there, not mentioned or discussed. It doesn't help by the fact that there was no introduction, introducing the characters like there is in the Target/BBC books reprint editions. Another problem with the book, was my paperback copy (at least) was littered with mistakes, like commas being missing and the text being simply incorrect, an example being 'Aced' rather than Ace. The ending redeemed it somewhat, resulting in two stars rather than one, and I did like finding out more about Ace's background, which hitherto I'd not known about before.
All in all, one definitely to send to the charity shop!
All in all, one definitely to send to the charity shop!
lokster71's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the best Doctor Who novelisations of the initial Target run. Written with style, perfectly paced & with enough extra information to make it a fine companion to the television story.
This is the Seventh Doctor at his most ruthless. It also introduces us to characters that will go on to have an afterlife in the Doctor Who universe: The Intrusion Counter Measures Group, headed up by Group Captain ‘Chunky’ Gilmore. With Rachel Jenson and Allison as scientific consultants. This is their only television appearance but there are now several series of Big Finish featuring the team. We get a little more of their background here, particularly Gilmore & Jensen.
Indeed this novelisation might be seen as one of the seeds for the new Doctor Who. The whole Cartmel era has that influence-especially with Ace-but Remembrance seems to be the story that feels the most ‘New’ Doctor Who.
The novel also is more than just a story of Daleks v the Doctor. It’s also about race, betrayal and loss. It actually feels incredibly contemporary. Indeed this is one for all those people whinging about the ‘wokeness’ of New Who. Here is a story explicitly about racism. With Daleks.
It’s well-worth a read.
This is the Seventh Doctor at his most ruthless. It also introduces us to characters that will go on to have an afterlife in the Doctor Who universe: The Intrusion Counter Measures Group, headed up by Group Captain ‘Chunky’ Gilmore. With Rachel Jenson and Allison as scientific consultants. This is their only television appearance but there are now several series of Big Finish featuring the team. We get a little more of their background here, particularly Gilmore & Jensen.
Indeed this novelisation might be seen as one of the seeds for the new Doctor Who. The whole Cartmel era has that influence-especially with Ace-but Remembrance seems to be the story that feels the most ‘New’ Doctor Who.
The novel also is more than just a story of Daleks v the Doctor. It’s also about race, betrayal and loss. It actually feels incredibly contemporary. Indeed this is one for all those people whinging about the ‘wokeness’ of New Who. Here is a story explicitly about racism. With Daleks.
It’s well-worth a read.
kristinasshelves's review against another edition
3.0
This story featuring Doctor Who and his companion Ace takes place in 1963 London over the course of two days. the Doctor arrives and warns the local military that they are no match for the mysterious enemy they believe is a snipe. In reality its the Daleks, humorously described by the Doctor as “little green blobs in bonded polycarbide armor”. He has returned to this point in the timeline to retrieve the Hand of Omega, the device that is the key to time and created his race of Time Lords.
In his introductory note, the author shares this was his first attempt to novelize a Doctor Who episode, preparing the reading for a rushed, novice attempt to fit a story into a word count that feels both too long and too short plot. I felt both of those things throughout reading, but still enjoyed the story and the world of Doctor Who. This is a story that will only be understood and appreciated by Whovians, and is one that makes me want to go watch the original series.
In his introductory note, the author shares this was his first attempt to novelize a Doctor Who episode, preparing the reading for a rushed, novice attempt to fit a story into a word count that feels both too long and too short plot. I felt both of those things throughout reading, but still enjoyed the story and the world of Doctor Who. This is a story that will only be understood and appreciated by Whovians, and is one that makes me want to go watch the original series.