When daring criminal, Jack Chance masterminds the heist of a precious national treasure from the planet Veltroch, it is the first step in a chain of events that could lead to the destruction of two civilizations. This is a Doctor Who novel featuring the sixth Doctor and Frobisher.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Continuity Ladden. Fun Romp,
By Reuben Herfindahl (River Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Mission: Impractical (Dr. Who Series) (Paperback)
Continuity ladden is a nessesary qualifier for this book. Not only does it draw from the series, but his other books as well. The Veltrochni make a strong presence here and we learn more about their culture. They are starting to become my favorite book aliens. Glitz and Dibber also make a welcome re-appearance in this book, and it is explained to us where Glitz obtained the Nosforatu (sp?) and what happened to Dibber between Trial and Dragonfire (he's dead folks). The book starts out with Frobisher and the Doctor going to see the original showing of Star Wars at Frobisher's insistance, although it doesn't really have much of a point in the later plot, it's a nice point and it ties in nicely with the Season 22 "getting to know the crew better before the story starts" idea. The Doctor and Frobisher are quickly roped into a mission with Glitz to resteal a Vetrochi artifact that they stole in the first place so it can be returned. They help Glitz round up his old gang and resteal the artifact. In the corse of things we discover that the artifact is not truly of Vetrochi origin and that their is definatley a higher technology at work here. Although McIntee intended the book to be a bit comical, it doesn't completely come of that way. McIntee is very good with action and that's more of what this book is about. Sure there are some laughs, but this isn't Sky Pirates! Dibber dies, and so do most of the baddies in the books The Doctor is very much in charecter. He doesn't argue as much with frobisher as he did with Peri and Mel, but it works. Frobisher is a stronger charecter and is tougher to argue with. Frobisher is also very much fleshed out here. I haven't read all of his DWM stories, nor does it make much of a difference. It's perfectly plausable that frobisher traveled with the Doctor after Peri left and before the Doctor picked up Mel. All in all, it's a fun read. It's not quite up to par with face of the Enemy or The Dark Path, but it's still quite fun.
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's a big fluffy cake full of criminal mayham and aliens,
This review is from: Mission: Impractical (Dr. Who Series) (Paperback)
When the most notable thing you can say about the book is that it's the one that has the shape-shifting penguin, that's both good and bad. Wait, let me explain.McIntee's plan, as I've gathered from other places, was to write a lighter novel, something that was a bit more of a lark. In that sense it is like a big piece of candy, with all kinds of action going on all the time, but there's no real meat to any of it. It's like eating a big diet of air, you might get filled up but you didn't really have anything. No, wait, let me explain! Featuring the Sixth Doctor and never before seen outside the comics companion Frobisher (a Whifferdill, which is a shapeshifting race), the two lads get involved in a plot to help a crew of criminals who stole an object some time ago and who now have to find a way to steal it back. This has to be done in order to avoid war breaking out. Unfortunately, double and triple crossings and people just being plain mean to each other start getting in the way, as well as a pair of assassins who are trying to kill the Doctor (apparently sent by the Valeyard, which I didn't even catch, showing you how much I pay attention). The big problem is that there's just too much and the lightness of the book can't handle everyone going about their business. It all feels glossy and shiny but about an inch deep and any attempt made at depth feels like blowing into a hurricane, its swept away before it can even make an impact. Frobisher doesn't do too badly for his first non-graphic appearance, and the shapeshifting is handled well (you lose the visual impact but it's not as bad as trying to impart villains like the Cybermen and the Daleks into the written word, where the visual and auditory impacts are lost). Old friend Sabalom Glitz shows up, as well as an entire cadre of criminals. But wait, there's more! You have the race of aliens who own the artifact in question and would like it back and just to sweeten the pot, a whole ship full of Ogrons who seem to be around for no other reason than the plot requires it. Don't get me wrong, this book is highly readable. I finished it in a few hours. But nothing sticks and even if that was McIntee's intent, that doesn't mean I can't fault him for not trying to write something a little more substantial. If you're going to do a shallow heist caper, there needs to be a bit more swing and swagger to it, and while there's a sense of style at play, the book is almost too straightforward, throwing dozens of characters at you in a need to look complex, when things are more or less point A to point B all the way through. It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it's all surface and having read it once, I have no reason or desire to even go back to it again. Not completely my thing but who knows, it might be yours.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Penguins, Ogrons and the surprise villain... Oh my!,
This review is from: Mission: Impractical (Dr. Who Series) (Paperback)
The Doctor is travelling in the TARDIS with his companion Frobisher (a shape-changing Whifferdill who normally chooses to look like a penguin) when the TARDIS is invaded by a couple of assassins intent on the Time Lord's death. Tracing the assassins' trail to the Gamma Delphinus system, where they become involved in complex political and financial intrigue, as well as a couple of rogues of the Doctor's acquaintance: Sabalom Glitz and Dibber. But the identity of the person behind the whole thing is a large surprise...This is the first non-comic strip appearance of Frobisher who, unfortunately, doesn't come across terribly well here. In the comic strips or Big Finish's audio adventure with the Whifferdill, the wonderful 'The Holy Terror', the visual or voice content help make Frobisher more than he is here. The return of Glitz and Dibber is welcome, as they were a great double act in 'The Mysterious Planet', but writer David McIntee makes one very foolish decision in this book, which I shan't relate as it is a significant event in the story. Glitz certainly works better when he has a more-or-less reliable henchman with him. The story is OK, expanding some of what we know about a couple of the alien races introduced in the books (the Doctor's would-be assassins are a Tzun and a Veltrochni), and featuring the Ogrons as general muscle, but for my money I would have rather had something that seems less of a runaround than this. A good try, but not a successful one.
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