authorjbr's review against another edition
3.0
This was a cool story. It was exciting, interesting, and the character of Allie was well defined. The Doctor was spot on and the reference to Rose was cool. All in all, a pretty good story.
thoroughlymodernreviewer's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
3.25
Far too short for its own good, but a fun enough read. Set in the moments between Nine’s disappearance and reappearance at the end of “Rose”, this story sees the Doctor tackling a Starman - a planet eating being with its eyes set on Earth. Nine’s a bit more brutal than we’re used to seeing him, but Higson perfectly captures Eccleston’s voice. The pacing is all over the place, slow when it needs to be faster and way too fast when it needs to slow down. But for what it is, it’s fun enough.
hjswinford's review against another edition
4.0
This story is set during New Who S1 Ep1 in that moment when Nine leaves at the end, then comes back. I actually LOVED that. Higson did a fantastic job at capturing Nine and his quirkiness. The end seemed to be kind of fan-servicey, but heck. I'm here for it.
sapphosgirlfriend's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first one of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts I've read, because the Ninth Doctor is awesome. The story was okay, nothing really special but still a good, quick read for Whovians.
invisibleobserver13's review against another edition
4.0
It was nice to read a Ninth Doctor story. I like that they set it in between the events of "Rose", post-climax, but right before Rose decides to join him in the TARDIS. Ali was an interesting character. At first, she seemed like a good choice of a companion, but later proved to be a bit unsuitable. I didn't realize that she wasn't humanoid until after the Babylonian soldier (long name that starts with G) was attacked. I didn't like what the Doctor said about why he usually takes humans on as companions, as I felt offended for his non-human companions (Susan, Romana, Nyssa, Turlough, K9, Frobisher).
ronald_schoedel's review against another edition
4.0
Fun story with some bad dudes and near misses, with a clever twist involving the temporary companion. The author sets the story as happening during the time of the Doctor’s visits to Rose at the beginning of her run.
plants_and_bees's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 stars
Even though nine only had one season and it's been quite some time since I watched it last he was once again very vivid. I love how all these authors from these little books got the doctors very right and vivid on paper.
The story was really interesting and Ali was a very interesting character, it's nice to actually be able to read from one of the aliens minds. To see what they think and read how their thoughts lead to certain actions. Really interesting!
Even though nine only had one season and it's been quite some time since I watched it last he was once again very vivid. I love how all these authors from these little books got the doctors very right and vivid on paper.
The story was really interesting and Ali was a very interesting character, it's nice to actually be able to read from one of the aliens minds. To see what they think and read how their thoughts lead to certain actions. Really interesting!
electroclan17's review
4.0
I've seen the 9th doctor's season so I was wondering if this would be still canon or not. I'm glad it is because it shows that he sometimes goes on short adventures when he disappears with the tardis. The beginning and end take place towards the end of the episode 'Rose'.
senspence's review against another edition
3.0
The problem with writing a review about a novella is that many of us are used to a different length of fiction, myself included. The expectations we might have for longer fiction simply cannot apply here. For example, many of the reviews already out there complain about a certain level of contrivance due to the fact that there is no time to create misdirection or for failed attempts at solutions. This is true.
But what is also true about this series is that not a lot of time is needed for character development; we know the Doctor very well and can jump right in. I will just add that sometimes not a lot of time is needed for character development in longer formats either, at least not for minor characters or characters who don't appear for long. All that is really needed is a couple of well-chosen details (Stephen King is a master of this). So, in this novella we see short-hand for the Doctor and Rose and a couple details for Ali, the new companion for this adventure.
I like that Ali is visited by the Doctor more than once during her lifetime and that she challenges him. She also possesses certain "character traits" that his other companions don't have. We also get to see a new villain, a Star Man. I also like that we get to glimpse one of the blank spots in the storyline for the show when the Doctor leaves Rose and goes off on his own. We also get to meet Hammurabi, which adds a comical element to everything.
What I don't like is that we don't have time to learn too much about the villain. What we got was the promise of a good villain but with a built-in solution. I would say that it's like a so-so episode of the series but the author did not really have the advantage of an ongoing storyline; he couldn't leave anything undone.
I would recommend this book for people who love Doctor Who and want a very quick read. (I read this before work one morning.) I gave it an okay rating because it was entertaining for what it was and contained a couple of cool elements, like the interdimensional aspect of the Star Man, a tie-in with Rose, and a type of companion we aren't used to seeing, either physically or mentally, in the character of Ali. I don't know that non-Whovians would like this at all. I would be interested to read a review by someone who has never been exposed to the series.
But what is also true about this series is that not a lot of time is needed for character development; we know the Doctor very well and can jump right in. I will just add that sometimes not a lot of time is needed for character development in longer formats either, at least not for minor characters or characters who don't appear for long. All that is really needed is a couple of well-chosen details (Stephen King is a master of this). So, in this novella we see short-hand for the Doctor and Rose and a couple details for Ali, the new companion for this adventure.
I like that Ali is visited by the Doctor more than once during her lifetime and that she challenges him. She also possesses certain "character traits" that his other companions don't have. We also get to see a new villain, a Star Man. I also like that we get to glimpse one of the blank spots in the storyline for the show when the Doctor leaves Rose and goes off on his own. We also get to meet Hammurabi, which adds a comical element to everything.
What I don't like is that we don't have time to learn too much about the villain. What we got was the promise of a good villain but with a built-in solution. I would say that it's like a so-so episode of the series but the author did not really have the advantage of an ongoing storyline; he couldn't leave anything undone.
I would recommend this book for people who love Doctor Who and want a very quick read. (I read this before work one morning.) I gave it an okay rating because it was entertaining for what it was and contained a couple of cool elements, like the interdimensional aspect of the Star Man, a tie-in with Rose, and a type of companion we aren't used to seeing, either physically or mentally, in the character of Ali. I don't know that non-Whovians would like this at all. I would be interested to read a review by someone who has never been exposed to the series.