4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rococo Science, Fun Read, July 20, 2010
This review is from: Doctor Who: Apollo 23 (Doctor Who (BBC Hardcover)) (Hardcover)
First the good news: this story is much more complex, sweeping, and ambitious than the back-cover synopsis would lead you to believe. It thrusts the Doctor and Amy into a contemporary conspiracy that seems remarkably realistic, minus the rococo science, of course. It uses the characters fairly, in the way we've gotten used to. And it's rollicking, high-speed science fiction fun.
When the Doctor and Amy stop by a mall for lunch, they don't expect to find a NASA astronaut stumbling around the food court. Since he's tracking very real moon dust around, they decide to investigate. But they don't expect to find a massive base on the far side of the moon. They even less expect to find scientists experimenting on prisoners. And who gains from these bizarre psychological treatments?
Justin Richards manages to seamlessly integrate impossible technology, globe-spanning secrets, and a creepy invasion of Earth by the most disgusting aliens since the Sontarans. He captures the smart, rapid banter between the Doctor and Amy that has become a hallmark of the series. And while a few secrets and surprises are eye-rollingly obvious, none of them stand in the way of readers' enjoyment.
Now the bad news: not much original happens in this story. Hypercritical readers will spot how much is stolen from stories we already know. I spotted elements cribbed from DW TV episodes, and not just recent ones: though I saw many David Tennant stories, some reached as far back as Tom Baker and Peter Davison. And not just DW, either. I saw Star Trek, Farscape, and even crumbs from Joss Whedon's leftovers.
You have to decide how much this matters to you. I managed to enjoy this novel just fine, but to do so, I had to suspend a little judgment. Jaded DW hipsters may resent this blatant recycling. But if you can just sit back, not demand more than the book is prepared to give, and treasure it as it is, this is a fun weekend read.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read!, September 9, 2011
This review is from: Doctor Who: Apollo 23 (Doctor Who (BBC Hardcover)) (Hardcover)
This was my first book with the new Doctor, but it is as good as any of the previous ones. In fact the only thing I thought was wrong with this book is the size. They increased the size from the older books, but they look better on the shelf...just harder to fit in my pockets.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
An easy read, August 10, 2011
This review is from: Doctor Who: Apollo 23 (Doctor Who (BBC Hardcover)) (Hardcover)
This was my first Doctor Who read. I found it to be rather mediocre. I'll list some pros and cons.
Pros:
-The plot is more complex than the summary leads on to be. I found myself more intrigued by the foundation of the plot rather than the actual "goings ons". The story flowed nice and never lagged.
-The prose, despite being a young adult book, was not dumbed down.
-There was plenty of action and mini cliffhangers.
Cons:
-The Doctor, I found, was a bit out of character at times. He repeatedly calls Amy "pretty" and while some may argue that it's no big deal, I'm a stickler. The one thing I always liked about the Doctor was that he didn't dwell too much on the appearance of his rather beautiful (Amy) companions. It's sort of bittersweet. Anyway, there were other instances during his dialogue where I just couldn't imagine him saying things and he almost became more 10 like over time.
-The writer has obviously never been to Texas. Texas is not a sandy desert. It would have only taken him minutes to research this and made his story geographically accurate.
-The depiction of the aliens was SO CLICHE. I found myself rolling my eyes. I'll leave it at that.
Finished it in about a day. I wouldn't call it a "page turner" but it was still mildly entertaining. There were times when I was amused enough to keep reading on my own accord but mostly, I kept reading to just see if things would get better. And then before I knew it, I was done.
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