A review by art_cart_ron
Doctor Who: Goth Opera by Paul Cornell, Peter Darvill-Evans
4.0
The timing for this read follows my having seen Peter Davidson, Janet Fielding, and Sarah Sutton live at ReGeneration Who Con (3/2018). It couldn't have been a better pick - as the novel features these three actor's characters in a story that breaks the bounds of the show limitations in dramatic and fulfilling ways on all fronts. Tegan and Nyssa are fully-realized characters, and The Doctor is well characterized for his fifth incarnation (although, this may be one of the more generic points - his companions were much more character-driven). Some truly messed-up and surprising elements, baby vampires forcefully following a primal nature, the interconnectivity of Gallifreyan origins with those of their vampire rivals (under-utilized in the series... but it's also easy to see how show-runners would want to carefully steer away from vampire trendiness and preconceptions). I also very much liked the awkward shoe-horning in of Romana's role (this is apparently a companion book to another story one need not have read - the VNA, Blood Harvest). I'm interested in the Doctor's Theta (Sigma) designation, and in the stories of his earliest compatriots. Ruath features prominently.
These characters are my old friends. That's just how it goes. They're part of my DNA, and that's probably not going to change. I'm thankful for the amazing fans that keep them alive and well - the largest of whom are the authors, range editors. These books are timeless.
These characters are my old friends. That's just how it goes. They're part of my DNA, and that's probably not going to change. I'm thankful for the amazing fans that keep them alive and well - the largest of whom are the authors, range editors. These books are timeless.