A review by haunted_air
Doctor Who and the Ice Warriors, by Brian Hayles
5.0
I'm giving this 5 stars, as I enjoyed it a lot. Novelizations are at their best when they add something to the original story, while retelling them in a accurate and interesting way at the same time. In my opinion, Doctor Who and the Ice Warriors did both. I was more invested in the story this time, compared to watching it (well, most of it, with episodes 2 and 3 falling prey to the junking policy of the BBC). I always thought this was a good serial and it worked well as a book. The format of a novel allows for more information and it made a big difference with the side characters, who are actually quite central to the plot and had more complex characterization compared to the TV version.
The relationship of this Tardis Team was nicely portrayed, with some lovely moments at the beginning of the adventure.
I really liked how Victoria and Jamie weren't patronized for not being able to keep up with the all science discussed by the Doctor and the staff of the base. Obviously, as companions from past centuries, they would have no way of knowing any of it, but that doesn't make them useless or stupid. They both try to be helpful and ask good questions and make important observations. I liked how they distrusted and questioned the practice of a computer telling people what to do. This is a more Victoria heavy story and she comes off quite well. Yes, she is afraid, as anyone should be when facing the formidable and ruthless Ice Warriors but she tries to overcome it and holds her own. She is definitely one of the companions who is often dismissed by fans as damsel in distress which simply isn't true. Victoria is intelligent, observant, curious and kind, she can think quickly on her feet if she needs to and does it while being frightened and out of her depth. I think that is quite admirable, and she deserves more than being written of as a useless screamer.
The introduction was a good start to the reading experience, which surprised me because most of the time introductions either bore me or annoy me, especially in biographical works (letter collections etc) and classics, when the person writing the introduction tries to push their interpretation of the text onto the readers. The republished Doctor Who Target novels have more personal introductions, describing the importance and the influence of these books on the author and their appreciation of the story, and Doctor Who in general. This one, written by Mark Gatiss, is really nice.
The relationship of this Tardis Team was nicely portrayed, with some lovely moments at the beginning of the adventure.
I really liked how Victoria and Jamie weren't patronized for not being able to keep up with the all science discussed by the Doctor and the staff of the base. Obviously, as companions from past centuries, they would have no way of knowing any of it, but that doesn't make them useless or stupid. They both try to be helpful and ask good questions and make important observations. I liked how they distrusted and questioned the practice of a computer telling people what to do. This is a more Victoria heavy story and she comes off quite well. Yes, she is afraid, as anyone should be when facing the formidable and ruthless Ice Warriors but she tries to overcome it and holds her own. She is definitely one of the companions who is often dismissed by fans as damsel in distress which simply isn't true. Victoria is intelligent, observant, curious and kind, she can think quickly on her feet if she needs to and does it while being frightened and out of her depth. I think that is quite admirable, and she deserves more than being written of as a useless screamer.
The introduction was a good start to the reading experience, which surprised me because most of the time introductions either bore me or annoy me, especially in biographical works (letter collections etc) and classics, when the person writing the introduction tries to push their interpretation of the text onto the readers. The republished Doctor Who Target novels have more personal introductions, describing the importance and the influence of these books on the author and their appreciation of the story, and Doctor Who in general. This one, written by Mark Gatiss, is really nice.