gingerreader99's review against another edition
5.0
There are so many things I love about this book its not even funny. Okay it is funny. The whole book is hilarious. However it is also very touching - particularly a specific part near the end regarding a certain book being alike in size and binding to the one a large portion of the plot revolves around.... The reviews in the front pages told me this would be good however they were wrong. It was great. This was my first 4th Doctor novel and I know now that it will surely not be my last and with that being said I NEED to make sure that I FINALLY read Douglas Adams famous novels and check out more by Gareth Roberts.
side note- the amount of lore I learned in this novel was also fantastic. I find ancient lore of the Time Lords to be quite interesting the more I learn!.
side note- the amount of lore I learned in this novel was also fantastic. I find ancient lore of the Time Lords to be quite interesting the more I learn!.
timberwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
katdawg7's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
frahorus's review against another edition
4.0
Bellissimo romanzo, il primo che leggo dove il protagonista è il mitico viaggiatore del tempo Doctor Who. Inizialmente nato come sceneggiatura per il finale di stagione del celeberrimo telefilm di fantascienza, per motivi di sciopero però le riprese furono interrotte. Lo stile di Adams si sente e se ancora non lo avete letto, oltre questo, vi straconsiglio Guida Galattica per gli autostoppisti. Geniale autore!
tankooni's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
4.75
roxanamalinachirila's review against another edition
4.0
Doctor Who is magic. It isn't always a particularly *good* TV show. It can be too silly at times, or too boring at other times - or entirely underwhelming, particularly when you want to introduce your friends to it and you sit in your chair and think "oh, dear lord, they'll think I'm a nerd now and no mistake".
But then your friends love it anyway and you're bewildered and grateful about it. For some reason, they got it. They fell in love with the idea of a madman traveling around space and time in a blue box, saving the world not through fighting the bad guys through sheer, raw firepower, but by bluffing, cleverness and attempts to make everyone's lives better. There's just so much power in that.
And then you find out that the Doctor is a Time Lord and that means he has two hearts and he can regenerate into a new body when he dies, but he's always different - still mad, and fun, and clever, but so very different.
"Shada" is about the Doctor's fourth incarnation, pictured above. In 1979, the Doctor arrives in Cambridge, where an old friend of his, the Professor, is living out the last of his decades in peace, reading and making tea (there is an abnormally large amount of tea brewed in this book). He may or may not have sent an emergency distress signal, and the Doctor came running, only to discover that a very powerful artefact (a very powerful book, to be precise) fell into the hands of Skagra, who wants to take over the world and remake it in his own image.
Cue a lot of silliness, cleverness and running around.
The novel is based on Douglas Adams' script for the Doctor Who show, but a script that was only partly produced before it was cancelled. Gareth Roberts explains at the end that he reworked Douglas Adams' script to make more sense and to tie up loose ends. I have no idea what he did, precisely, because I don't know the original script - but the story makes sense and really works from the narrative point of view.
I was less impressed with the characters and the atmosphere - they aren't bad, but they feel a bit underdeveloped. Still, it's a good book if you're a Doctor Who fan and know your way around the universe (pun not intended), even if your knowledge is based, like mine, on the revived series launched in the 21st century.
But then your friends love it anyway and you're bewildered and grateful about it. For some reason, they got it. They fell in love with the idea of a madman traveling around space and time in a blue box, saving the world not through fighting the bad guys through sheer, raw firepower, but by bluffing, cleverness and attempts to make everyone's lives better. There's just so much power in that.
And then you find out that the Doctor is a Time Lord and that means he has two hearts and he can regenerate into a new body when he dies, but he's always different - still mad, and fun, and clever, but so very different.
"Shada" is about the Doctor's fourth incarnation, pictured above. In 1979, the Doctor arrives in Cambridge, where an old friend of his, the Professor, is living out the last of his decades in peace, reading and making tea (there is an abnormally large amount of tea brewed in this book). He may or may not have sent an emergency distress signal, and the Doctor came running, only to discover that a very powerful artefact (a very powerful book, to be precise) fell into the hands of Skagra, who wants to take over the world and remake it in his own image.
Cue a lot of silliness, cleverness and running around.
The novel is based on Douglas Adams' script for the Doctor Who show, but a script that was only partly produced before it was cancelled. Gareth Roberts explains at the end that he reworked Douglas Adams' script to make more sense and to tie up loose ends. I have no idea what he did, precisely, because I don't know the original script - but the story makes sense and really works from the narrative point of view.
I was less impressed with the characters and the atmosphere - they aren't bad, but they feel a bit underdeveloped. Still, it's a good book if you're a Doctor Who fan and know your way around the universe (pun not intended), even if your knowledge is based, like mine, on the revived series launched in the 21st century.
kindasjulia's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
seattleserina's review against another edition
4.0
although this wasn't written by Douglas Adams per se, you can still definitely see his influence in the writing. Fun read, especially for Who fans.