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Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #1-11
Doctor Who: Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories
The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Anthology is the perfect collection of adventures for Doctor Who fans.This print edition is the culmination of a year-long series of ebooks to celebrate fifty years of Doctor Who. Eleven Doctors, eleven stories, eleven unique interpretations of the Doctor, his terrifying alien enemies and his time-travelling adventures.
516 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
About the author
Eoin Colfer
126 books11.4k followersEoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) was born in Wexford on the South-East coast of Ireland in 1965, where he and his four brothers were brought up by his father and mother, who were both educators.
He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the Artemis Fowl novels, Eoin retired from teaching and now writes full time. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.
He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the Artemis Fowl novels, Eoin retired from teaching and now writes full time. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 289 reviews
January 6, 2016
Since I read the eleven stories on their individual e-book early presentations, I think that the best way to make a review of the collected anthology book will be to add links for my reviews of each story. The rating of the anthology was basically an average number based on the individual ratings of the eleven stories resulting in a general rating for the book.
This anthology is part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the franchise of Doctor Who, and it's a great choice for any kind of fan, not matter if you are a hardcore fan or somekind newbie, you will enjoy a lot this anthology. Also, the selected authors are big names in the contemporary literature.
As in almost any anthology, not all the stories were great, well, at least to my opinion, but honestly were only two stories that I didn't like them, but the other nine stories were really good and in some cases even absolutely awesome.
Links to my individual rating of each of the eleven stories:
First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer
Rating: 2 of 5
Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott
Rating: 4 of 5
Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick
Rating: 5 of 5
Fourth Doctor: Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve
Rating: 5 of 5
Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness
Rating: 1 of 5
Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
Rating: 5 of 5
Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 5 of 5
Eighth Doctor: Spore by Alex Scarrow
Rating: 4 of 5
Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson
Rating: 4 of 5
Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy
Rating: 5 of 5 (and easily the best story in the anthology!)
Eleventh Doctor: Nothing Hour by Neil Gaiman
Rating: 5 of 5
This anthology is part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the franchise of Doctor Who, and it's a great choice for any kind of fan, not matter if you are a hardcore fan or somekind newbie, you will enjoy a lot this anthology. Also, the selected authors are big names in the contemporary literature.
As in almost any anthology, not all the stories were great, well, at least to my opinion, but honestly were only two stories that I didn't like them, but the other nine stories were really good and in some cases even absolutely awesome.
Links to my individual rating of each of the eleven stories:
First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer
Rating: 2 of 5
Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott
Rating: 4 of 5
Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick
Rating: 5 of 5
Fourth Doctor: Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve
Rating: 5 of 5
Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness
Rating: 1 of 5
Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
Rating: 5 of 5
Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 5 of 5
Eighth Doctor: Spore by Alex Scarrow
Rating: 4 of 5
Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson
Rating: 4 of 5
Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy
Rating: 5 of 5 (and easily the best story in the anthology!)
Eleventh Doctor: Nothing Hour by Neil Gaiman
Rating: 5 of 5
November 11, 2014
This book is a collection of short stories each focusing on one of the Doctor's incarnations. Sometimes thought-provoking and serious, sometimes silly and laugh-out-loud humorous, all of these stories have the one thing that really sets the standard for Doctor Who fiction; heart. :) Any Whovian would enjoy this collection, in my opinion.
*A Big Hand for the Doctor (1st Doctor): I liked this story a lot, it was set up with the Doctor's only companion being his granddaughter, Susan, so it was interesting to see a story take place before the actual television series started. I liked the story itself and how it came full circle in the end.
*The Nameless City (2nd Doctor): The best part of this story was the fact that Jamie was the Doctor's sole companion in it. Usually the 2nd Doctor was traveling with Jamie and Victoria or Jamie and Zoe, so it was fun to see the two men share an adventure together! The story itself started out pretty good, but sort of rushed the ending a bit in my opinion.
* The Spear of Destiny (3rd Doctor): I may be a bit biased when it comes to this story, because the 3rd Doctor is one of my favorite incarnations and I am apt to enjoy anything that features him! :P But to be honest, the story was fantastic. Really set up and executed well, and I thought his was portrayed perfectly.
*The Roots of Evil (4th Doctor): This story was awesome! I am not the hugest fan of the 4th Doctor, but the originality and creativity of this story helped to carry me past that! I loved it!
*Tip of the Tongue (5th Doctor): This was, unfortunately, my least favorite story out of the book. While I enjoyed seeing the Doctor traveling alone with Nyssa (Tegan and Adric literally drive me batshit crazy with annoyance) the story itself was strange and hard to follow, in my opinion. Plus it really didn't seem as if he did anything throughout the story except show up in the very end.
*Something Borrowed (6th Doctor): This. Was. Bloody. Brilliant! I loved this story, definitely my second favorite of the book. The 6th Doctor's somewhat cantankerous and arrogant personality were captured perfectly as was his delightfully spirited companion, Peri.
*The Ripple Effect (7th Doctor): This was a great story featuring the 7th Doctor and Ace! The story was absolutely so profound and thought provoking and it was one I would definitely like to see featured in an episode someday!
*Spore (8th Doctor): Loved this one too! Very intense, very creepy, and I love the portrayal of the 8th Doctor. Only wish he could have had a companion with him. Charley Pollard, anyone? :(
*The Beast of Babylon (9th Doctor): A rip-roaring adventure featuring the 9th Doctor! What I loved about this was that it was an adventure that took place literally minutes before he asked Rose to come travel with him! It was fantastic! ;)
*The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage (10th Doctor): By far, the ABSOLUTE BEST story in the whole book.
*Nothing O'clock (11th Doctor): Whew! This one was absolutely terrifying and completely engaging! Loved it!
*A Big Hand for the Doctor (1st Doctor): I liked this story a lot, it was set up with the Doctor's only companion being his granddaughter, Susan, so it was interesting to see a story take place before the actual television series started. I liked the story itself and how it came full circle in the end.
*The Nameless City (2nd Doctor): The best part of this story was the fact that Jamie was the Doctor's sole companion in it. Usually the 2nd Doctor was traveling with Jamie and Victoria or Jamie and Zoe, so it was fun to see the two men share an adventure together! The story itself started out pretty good, but sort of rushed the ending a bit in my opinion.
* The Spear of Destiny (3rd Doctor): I may be a bit biased when it comes to this story, because the 3rd Doctor is one of my favorite incarnations and I am apt to enjoy anything that features him! :P But to be honest, the story was fantastic. Really set up and executed well, and I thought his was portrayed perfectly.
*The Roots of Evil (4th Doctor): This story was awesome! I am not the hugest fan of the 4th Doctor, but the originality and creativity of this story helped to carry me past that! I loved it!
*Tip of the Tongue (5th Doctor): This was, unfortunately, my least favorite story out of the book. While I enjoyed seeing the Doctor traveling alone with Nyssa (Tegan and Adric literally drive me batshit crazy with annoyance) the story itself was strange and hard to follow, in my opinion. Plus it really didn't seem as if he did anything throughout the story except show up in the very end.
*Something Borrowed (6th Doctor): This. Was. Bloody. Brilliant! I loved this story, definitely my second favorite of the book. The 6th Doctor's somewhat cantankerous and arrogant personality were captured perfectly as was his delightfully spirited companion, Peri.
*The Ripple Effect (7th Doctor): This was a great story featuring the 7th Doctor and Ace! The story was absolutely so profound and thought provoking and it was one I would definitely like to see featured in an episode someday!
*Spore (8th Doctor): Loved this one too! Very intense, very creepy, and I love the portrayal of the 8th Doctor. Only wish he could have had a companion with him. Charley Pollard, anyone? :(
*The Beast of Babylon (9th Doctor): A rip-roaring adventure featuring the 9th Doctor! What I loved about this was that it was an adventure that took place literally minutes before he asked Rose to come travel with him! It was fantastic! ;)
*The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage (10th Doctor): By far, the ABSOLUTE BEST story in the whole book.
*Nothing O'clock (11th Doctor): Whew! This one was absolutely terrifying and completely engaging! Loved it!
November 20, 2017
Essentially, this is a collection of short stories for every Doctor,
which is a refreshing thing, if you're into reading Doctor Who novels. It's not set in any one particular era of the show.
The first story tells us about how Peter Pan originated as a story. The second one is about fixing the TARDIS at the home of certain surely very Lovecraftian beings. The third story lets us glimpse the making of Norse mythology, the fourth introduces us to a stranded society living in a giant floating tree and having a culture based around... hating the Doctor. Further stories feature truth telling aliens, the Rani and even kindly Daleks! We also get a peek into what the Doctor was up to before he came back to give Rose the punchline about the TARDIS (it also traveling time), also him fighting off your typical sentient microbes and ghosts or getting trapped in a very bad kids mystery book.
3 Reasons To Read This Collection
Reason #1. Are You Between Seasons?
This is a reason pretty much on its own. That's what the novels are essentially for! However, I liked this one particularly because of its diversity in.. well, the Doctors and the companions. And even the villains! You will read about every single one of the Doctors up to the 11th, and there will be many enemies as well. It's the best way to cure your 'missing my Doctor Who' hangups.
Reason #2. It's Written By Different Authors
And that basically means it will probably suit almost any taste. If you didn't like one story, you will probably like another. And if all else fails, the last story is written by Neil Gaiman (If you don't like that, I don't know if anything will save you!)
Reason #3. It's Quite Fun, Actually. And It's Accurate!
Considering I read it in a day during Dewey's... I didn't feel like putting it down. It was fun, as any Doctor Who novel really should be, with enough banter. I was happy about the way the authors dealt with the voice – everything was pretty genuine. Most Doctors were incredibly believable and close to who they were in the show. The book reads fast and won't disappoint. What more is there to ask?
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
The first story tells us about how Peter Pan originated as a story. The second one is about fixing the TARDIS at the home of certain surely very Lovecraftian beings. The third story lets us glimpse the making of Norse mythology, the fourth introduces us to a stranded society living in a giant floating tree and having a culture based around... hating the Doctor. Further stories feature truth telling aliens, the Rani and even kindly Daleks! We also get a peek into what the Doctor was up to before he came back to give Rose the punchline about the TARDIS (it also traveling time), also him fighting off your typical sentient microbes and ghosts or getting trapped in a very bad kids mystery book.
3 Reasons To Read This Collection
Reason #1. Are You Between Seasons?
This is a reason pretty much on its own. That's what the novels are essentially for! However, I liked this one particularly because of its diversity in.. well, the Doctors and the companions. And even the villains! You will read about every single one of the Doctors up to the 11th, and there will be many enemies as well. It's the best way to cure your 'missing my Doctor Who' hangups.
Reason #2. It's Written By Different Authors
And that basically means it will probably suit almost any taste. If you didn't like one story, you will probably like another. And if all else fails, the last story is written by Neil Gaiman (If you don't like that, I don't know if anything will save you!)
Reason #3. It's Quite Fun, Actually. And It's Accurate!
Considering I read it in a day during Dewey's... I didn't feel like putting it down. It was fun, as any Doctor Who novel really should be, with enough banter. I was happy about the way the authors dealt with the voice – everything was pretty genuine. Most Doctors were incredibly believable and close to who they were in the show. The book reads fast and won't disappoint. What more is there to ask?
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
January 19, 2014
The librarians at my school alerted me to this book. I knew Neil Gaiman had written a special short story, “Nothing O’Clock”, for the 50th anniversary, but I hadn’t been particularly bothered about finding it. Aside from the fact that I tend not to read fan fiction, the state of ebooks these days is still deplorable enough that finding a non-DRM copy would probably have been tricky.
Luckily, I was clever and made sure I’m on the good side of the librarians, and this is the payoff! Eleven Doctor Who stories by celebrated authors. Given the names on the cover, it’s possible to assume these stories are pitched towards a younger audience. I think that assumption would be a mistake, a mistake similar to assuming that Doctor Who is a children’s show. We’re all children compared to the Doctor.
I’m not going to go through every story and give a play-by-play of what I think worked and didn’t work. Suffice it to say that some of these stories were excellent and some were … not so much. Some authors captured the voice of their Doctor, and some seemed to have trouble recreating the magic of the silver screen through the written word. (Another reason I tend not to read fan fiction of TV shows.)
The first story that really jumped out at me was the Third Doctor’s story, “The Spear of Destiny”, by Marcus Sedgwick. I’m glad I enjoyed it, since I was not fond of the only other work I’ve read by Sedgwick, Midwinterblood . My roommate and I have been watching many of Jon Pertwee’s adventures, and Sedgwick captures the Third Doctor’s voice and mannerisms extremely well. He carries off that stern and slightly smug tone that Jon Pertwee likes to don in the face of danger. Like most of the stories in this book, the plot suffers for being slightly rushed—but let’s be honest, one Doctor Who fan to another: we’re seldom in this for the plot, right? We come for the Doctor …
… and stay for the companion. Most of these stories tend to follow the companion more closely than they do the Doctor. (Notably, the Sixth Doctor’s story is told from the first-person perspective of Peri.) Only the First and Eighth Doctors’ stories follow them in a limited, third-person perspective, and I don’t think this is a coincidence. The former’s is an adventure with … Susan … so the choice of perspective was limited. Likewise, the Eighth Doctor did not have a constant companion in his single television appearance (I know this is not the case in the audio adventures), so again, not much choice.
This focus on the companion’s perspective makes the Ninth Doctor’s story all the more interesting. I like it mainly because of when it’s set, between the split second when Rose refuses the Doctor’s first invitation to travel and he rematerializes and says, “Did I mention it also travels through time?” The Doctor visits the planet Karkinos (that is a hint) to stop a Starman. He impresses a local girl, and she inveigles her way into the TARDIS for his trip to ancient Babylon, where another Starman threatens to destroy Earth. Charlie Higson plays on our humanoid prejudices to create a very interesting companion who eventually persuades the Doctor to try to recruit Rose again.
Just because some of the other stories didn’t work as well for me doesn’t mean that they are unappealing across the board. It’s worth noting that my experience of some of the Doctors is negligible or virtually nil, so that can colour how I enjoyed their stories. And this is a collection for Doctor Who fans; this is not a good place for newcomers to suddenly dive in and say, “Wow, I guess I should probably try Doctor Who, what with it being so popular and all!” Fans will appreciate these stories, even if they don’t enjoy all of them. Every one of these stories is united simply by being a crazy, somewhat nonsensical adventure through time and space.
Luckily, I was clever and made sure I’m on the good side of the librarians, and this is the payoff! Eleven Doctor Who stories by celebrated authors. Given the names on the cover, it’s possible to assume these stories are pitched towards a younger audience. I think that assumption would be a mistake, a mistake similar to assuming that Doctor Who is a children’s show. We’re all children compared to the Doctor.
I’m not going to go through every story and give a play-by-play of what I think worked and didn’t work. Suffice it to say that some of these stories were excellent and some were … not so much. Some authors captured the voice of their Doctor, and some seemed to have trouble recreating the magic of the silver screen through the written word. (Another reason I tend not to read fan fiction of TV shows.)
The first story that really jumped out at me was the Third Doctor’s story, “The Spear of Destiny”, by Marcus Sedgwick. I’m glad I enjoyed it, since I was not fond of the only other work I’ve read by Sedgwick, Midwinterblood . My roommate and I have been watching many of Jon Pertwee’s adventures, and Sedgwick captures the Third Doctor’s voice and mannerisms extremely well. He carries off that stern and slightly smug tone that Jon Pertwee likes to don in the face of danger. Like most of the stories in this book, the plot suffers for being slightly rushed—but let’s be honest, one Doctor Who fan to another: we’re seldom in this for the plot, right? We come for the Doctor …
… and stay for the companion. Most of these stories tend to follow the companion more closely than they do the Doctor. (Notably, the Sixth Doctor’s story is told from the first-person perspective of Peri.) Only the First and Eighth Doctors’ stories follow them in a limited, third-person perspective, and I don’t think this is a coincidence. The former’s is an adventure with … Susan … so the choice of perspective was limited. Likewise, the Eighth Doctor did not have a constant companion in his single television appearance (I know this is not the case in the audio adventures), so again, not much choice.
This focus on the companion’s perspective makes the Ninth Doctor’s story all the more interesting. I like it mainly because of when it’s set, between the split second when Rose refuses the Doctor’s first invitation to travel and he rematerializes and says, “Did I mention it also travels through time?” The Doctor visits the planet Karkinos (that is a hint) to stop a Starman. He impresses a local girl, and she inveigles her way into the TARDIS for his trip to ancient Babylon, where another Starman threatens to destroy Earth. Charlie Higson plays on our humanoid prejudices to create a very interesting companion who eventually persuades the Doctor to try to recruit Rose again.
Just because some of the other stories didn’t work as well for me doesn’t mean that they are unappealing across the board. It’s worth noting that my experience of some of the Doctors is negligible or virtually nil, so that can colour how I enjoyed their stories. And this is a collection for Doctor Who fans; this is not a good place for newcomers to suddenly dive in and say, “Wow, I guess I should probably try Doctor Who, what with it being so popular and all!” Fans will appreciate these stories, even if they don’t enjoy all of them. Every one of these stories is united simply by being a crazy, somewhat nonsensical adventure through time and space.
August 10, 2015
Hardcover cildiyle oldukça lüks bir kitap. Tahmin edileceği üzere içeriği sadece Dr. Who severlerin ilgisini çekecek çizgide. Dolayısıyla ben pek tat alamadım.
Çeviri konusunda bir sıkıntı var. Bazı öykülerin çevirisi iyi, bazılarında ufak ama olmaması gereken hatalar ve gariplikler var. Örneğin Euphrates'i Fırat diye çeviren çevirmen, aynı cümlede niye Dicle demek yerine Tigris diye bırakmış. "Biyohazard giysisi" gibi garip üretimler, Türkçe cümlelerin içinde sırıtan "orb" gibi kelimeler. Büyük kısmı iyi olan çevirinin böyle ufak detaylarla zedelenmesi hoş olmamış. Kitapta tek bir çevirmenin adı olmasına rağmen aslında birden çok kişi çevirmiş gibi bir izlenim bıraktı bende.
Türkçe okuyacak Dr. Who arayanlara önerebilirim.
Çeviri konusunda bir sıkıntı var. Bazı öykülerin çevirisi iyi, bazılarında ufak ama olmaması gereken hatalar ve gariplikler var. Örneğin Euphrates'i Fırat diye çeviren çevirmen, aynı cümlede niye Dicle demek yerine Tigris diye bırakmış. "Biyohazard giysisi" gibi garip üretimler, Türkçe cümlelerin içinde sırıtan "orb" gibi kelimeler. Büyük kısmı iyi olan çevirinin böyle ufak detaylarla zedelenmesi hoş olmamış. Kitapta tek bir çevirmenin adı olmasına rağmen aslında birden çok kişi çevirmiş gibi bir izlenim bıraktı bende.
Türkçe okuyacak Dr. Who arayanlara önerebilirim.
January 21, 2016
doctor who izliyorsanız okuyun yani bir şey kaybetmezsiniz pewwww
November 19, 2015
Sanki 11 oykuden olusan bir kitap okumadim da 11 bolum ust uste Doctor Who izledim gibi hissediyorum su an kendimi. Cok cok cok keyifliydi ve son derece "gorseldi". Cogu yerde betimlemeler o denli iyiydi ki kendimi ekran karsisinda sandim.
Bahsetmeden gecemeyecegim bir mevzu daha var ki o da ayni cevirmenin elinden cikmis olmasina ragmen on bir farkli tarza sahip on bir yazarin on bir hikayesinde uslup farkini kolaylikla hissedebiliyorsunuz. Bu basaridir efendim.
Neil Gaiman manyagi oldugumu bilmeyen kalmadi. Bu kitap bana benzer sekilde takintili bir bicimde sevebilecegim 10 yazar daha kazandirdi. Sabah ilk is kimin hangi kitabi cevrilmis diye kitap satis sitelerini altust edecegim.
Kitaptaki 4 hikayede biraz fazla yazim hatasi vardi. Bunlarin can sikici olmadigini soyleyemeyecegim. Ama en kisa zamanda ortadan kaldirilacaklarindan da eminim:)
1inci, 4uncu, 10uncu ve 11inci doktorlarin hikayeleriyle de evlenmek mumkun olmali!
Bahsetmeden gecemeyecegim bir mevzu daha var ki o da ayni cevirmenin elinden cikmis olmasina ragmen on bir farkli tarza sahip on bir yazarin on bir hikayesinde uslup farkini kolaylikla hissedebiliyorsunuz. Bu basaridir efendim.
Neil Gaiman manyagi oldugumu bilmeyen kalmadi. Bu kitap bana benzer sekilde takintili bir bicimde sevebilecegim 10 yazar daha kazandirdi. Sabah ilk is kimin hangi kitabi cevrilmis diye kitap satis sitelerini altust edecegim.
Kitaptaki 4 hikayede biraz fazla yazim hatasi vardi. Bunlarin can sikici olmadigini soyleyemeyecegim. Ama en kisa zamanda ortadan kaldirilacaklarindan da eminim:)
1inci, 4uncu, 10uncu ve 11inci doktorlarin hikayeleriyle de evlenmek mumkun olmali!
December 16, 2015
Beklentimi çok yüksek tuttuğumdan mı bilmiyorum ama bazı hikayelere hiç ısınamadım. Bazı hikayeler çok basit geldi, okuduğum ilk satırlardan itibaren sonu öyle belliydi ki... Daleklerin olduğu bölümde keyif aldım sadece.
Rose ve Doctor'dan bahsedilen kısımlarda gülümsedim. Onlar benim favori ikilimdiler... David Tennant'tan sonra kafamdaki Doctor kurgusun ihanet etmiş gibi hissedeceğimi düşündüğümden izlemeyi bırakmıştım. Bir ara yeniden başlamalı diye düşünüyorum.
Neil Gaiman'ın yazdığı son hikaye için ayrıca bir iki satır yazmak da isterim. Hayal kırıklığına uğradım...
Zaman geçirmek için okunur. Ama fazlasını beklemeyin...
Rose ve Doctor'dan bahsedilen kısımlarda gülümsedim. Onlar benim favori ikilimdiler... David Tennant'tan sonra kafamdaki Doctor kurgusun ihanet etmiş gibi hissedeceğimi düşündüğümden izlemeyi bırakmıştım. Bir ara yeniden başlamalı diye düşünüyorum.
Neil Gaiman'ın yazdığı son hikaye için ayrıca bir iki satır yazmak da isterim. Hayal kırıklığına uğradım...
Zaman geçirmek için okunur. Ama fazlasını beklemeyin...
March 18, 2016
Tohle byla parádní jízda! I když jsem Classica neviděla, i tak jsem si to moc užila, protože u některých Doktorů alespoň tuším, co byli zač (i společníci). Povídky se mi líbily jak která... ale nenudila jsem se ani u jedné. Mým favoritem je nejspíš Pátý doktor od Patricka Nesse, potom Desítka s Marthou... a jsem neuvěřitelně ráda, že jsem konečně potkala Rani!
4/5*
4/5*
November 26, 2013
Some of them I loved, others were meeeh
February 3, 2016
A Big Hand For The Doctor by Eoin Colfer
London, 1900. The First Doctor is missing both his hand and his granddaughter, Susan. Faced with the search for Susan, a strange beam of soporific light, and a host of marauding Soul Pirates intent on harvesting human limbs, the Doctor is promised a dangerous journey into a land he may never forget...
ONE star
The Nameless City by Michael Scott
When Jamie McCrimmon brings the Second Doctor a mysterious book, little does he realise the danger contained within its pages. The book transports the TARDIS to a terrifying glass city on a distant world, where the Archons are intent on getting revenge on the Time Lord for an ancient grudge.
FOUR stars
The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick
The Third Doctor and Jo Grant are trying to track down the magical spear of Odin when they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle between two Viking tribes. But one of the Vikings is even more dangerous than he appears to be. Can the Doctor stop the spear getting into the wrong hands before it’s too late?
THREE stars
The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve
When the Fourth Doctor takes Leela to visit an immense tree space station known as the Heligan Structure, little do they know that the tree has been asleep for centuries, dreaming of vengeance against a man in a blue box… As the tree awakes, the Time Lord and his companion soon discover why they are such unwelcome guests.
FOUR stars
Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness
In 1945, a strange new craze for Truth Tellers is sweeping the kids of small-town America. The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa soon arrive to investigate the phenomenon, only to discover that the actual truth behind the Truth Tellers is far more sinister than anyone could have imagined ...
TWO stars
Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
A wedding on the planet Koturia turns out to be a far more dangerous proposition than the Sixth Doctor and Peri ever expected. It marks the return of a formidable old foe whose genius matches the Doctor’s. Can the Doctor outwit this villain, save Peri and stop the wedding in time?
THREE stars
The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
When the TARDIS lands on Skaro, the Seventh Doctor and Ace are shocked to discover the planet has become the universal centre of learning, populated by a race of peace-loving Daleks. Ever suspicious of his archenemies' motives, the Doctor learns of a threat that could literally tear the universe apart...
FOUR stars
Spore by Alex Scarrow
In a small town in the Nevada desert, an alien pathogen has reduced the entire population to a seething mass of black slime. When the Eighth Doctor arrives, he realises this latest threat to humanity is horrifyingly familiar - it is a virus which almost annihilated his entire race, the Time Lords...
TWO stars
The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson
When a girl called Ali pockets a silver orb that falls from the sky, little does she realize it's her ticket to seeing the universe! Desperate to retrieve the mysterious object, the Ninth Doctor agrees to let her join him on a dangerous trip to ancient Babylon. Together they must join forces to stop a giant Starman from destroying Earth before it's too late!
FOUR stars
The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy
When the TARDIS lands on a planet that looks identical to Earth, the Tenth Doctor and Martha are amazed to find it packed with fictional characters from her childhood. But who has the power to create an entire world out of books and why? The Doctor and Martha must solve the mystery before their story ends!
FIVE stars
Nothing O'Clock by Neil Gaiman
Thousands of years ago, Time Lords built a Prison for the Kin. They made it utterly impregnable and unreachable. As long as Time Lords existed, the Kin would be trapped forever and the universe would be safe. They had planned for everything… everything, that is, other than the Time War and the fall of Gallifrey. Now the Kin are free again and there’s only one Time Lord left in the universe who can stop them!
FIVE stars
Read
March 10, 2014A collection of the 11 ebooks by children's/YA writers which were released each month leading up to the November 2013 anniversary. The best story, inevitably, is the last - because it's by Neil Gaiman, who has written for the series before this gig, and knows what he's doing. The worst, conversely, is the first. Eoin Colfer, a writer I've always thought overrated, doesn't win me back with his dreadful effort here. I'm not sure I've ever read a Who story which so completely fails to evoke its Doctor's period or personality as this one does the First, bandying about references to Gallifrey all over the place and with the Doctor fully in control of the TARDIS. The tone is all out, too - write some livelier dialogue and it might just have passed muster as a mediocre Sixth Doctor story. This would also make what passes for the twist work slightly better.
That's followed by Michael Scott's Second Doctor tale, which has an opening that made me grin like a loon with its deft interweaving of a few familiar elements. It doesn't live up to that, but gets the Doctor and Jamie dead right. Likewise Marcus Sedgwick with Pertwee, and Philip Reeve on Tom Baker - neither is a memorable tale, both have sound characterisation. Patrick Ness' Fifth Doctor story barely features him, alas; Richelle Mead gets the Sixth down perfectly, and also his era. Which is to say that the setting is as gaudy as his terrible coat, and the plot doesn't ultimately make a lick of sense.
Malorie Blackman has always struck me as a Good Thing, but her Seventh Doctor effort is the first thing I've read by her. She gets his speech patterns down but his character all wrong, as the most devious and underhand of the lot is here constantly explaining his plans to all and sundry. She also appears to have written a morality tale whose moral doesn't quite gel, then unwoven it with a pseudoscientific deus ex machina that would have been no less infuriating on screen. The Eighth and Ninth both do better, even if neither story is exactly staggering; the latter is by my frequent pub quiz conqueror Charlie Higson, and I think may be the first story to use old jug-ears since 2005. Strange when you consider all the outings the others get. The chap behind Skulduggery Pleasant then takes the Tenth on a Land of Fiction-style romp, which is exactly as trying as all Land of Fiction stories bar the first have been.
Many of these authors come across more as people who quite like the show than fans per se, meaning they often make silly little errors - Colfer aside, mostly minor ones which could easily and painlessly have been fixed. This is the sort of thing an editor should really have been able to remedy, and it irks me that these high-profile but mainly mediocre efforts might have been anyone's first encounter with the Doctor in prose when so much that's so much better is out there.
That's followed by Michael Scott's Second Doctor tale, which has an opening that made me grin like a loon with its deft interweaving of a few familiar elements. It doesn't live up to that, but gets the Doctor and Jamie dead right. Likewise Marcus Sedgwick with Pertwee, and Philip Reeve on Tom Baker - neither is a memorable tale, both have sound characterisation. Patrick Ness' Fifth Doctor story barely features him, alas; Richelle Mead gets the Sixth down perfectly, and also his era. Which is to say that the setting is as gaudy as his terrible coat, and the plot doesn't ultimately make a lick of sense.
Malorie Blackman has always struck me as a Good Thing, but her Seventh Doctor effort is the first thing I've read by her. She gets his speech patterns down but his character all wrong, as the most devious and underhand of the lot is here constantly explaining his plans to all and sundry. She also appears to have written a morality tale whose moral doesn't quite gel, then unwoven it with a pseudoscientific deus ex machina that would have been no less infuriating on screen. The Eighth and Ninth both do better, even if neither story is exactly staggering; the latter is by my frequent pub quiz conqueror Charlie Higson, and I think may be the first story to use old jug-ears since 2005. Strange when you consider all the outings the others get. The chap behind Skulduggery Pleasant then takes the Tenth on a Land of Fiction-style romp, which is exactly as trying as all Land of Fiction stories bar the first have been.
Many of these authors come across more as people who quite like the show than fans per se, meaning they often make silly little errors - Colfer aside, mostly minor ones which could easily and painlessly have been fixed. This is the sort of thing an editor should really have been able to remedy, and it irks me that these high-profile but mainly mediocre efforts might have been anyone's first encounter with the Doctor in prose when so much that's so much better is out there.
January 20, 2015
My very enthusiastic 12-year-old Whovian cousin rather forcefully lent me this book and it sat on my shelf for several months before I really got around to looking at it.
I only read the stories for Nine and Ten cause I do what I want.
Nine's-I forgot how great Nine is; I wish he had gotten another season or two. This story was set after his first encounter with Rose. I really liked how he had a crab-like non-human companion from a planet other than Earth and the bad guys and setting (including a visit to ancient Babylon) were great. I wish this had actually been an episode because I thought it was a lot more creative than most of Nine's adventures were.
Ten's-Oh Ten, I love you so much. I was a little bummed that it was Martha not Donna or Rose because I always want more time with them. But Martha was particularly great in this adventure so I got over it. Once again---I would've loved to see this as an episode. Martha and the Doctor find themselves in the world of a 1950's book about a group of children who solve mysteries. Martha recognizes it from a series she read as a kid. It was equal parts Nancy Drew, the Boxcar Children, Encyclopedia Brown and Trixie Belden---so basically a mix of my favorite childhood mysteries. The Doctor pokes fun at the trope-y characters and solves the mystery in just a few pages. But of course, things are not as they seem and they end up in danger and encounter several other books along the way. I loved the being-inside-books concept and this was exactly the kind of adventure I want out of Doctor Who.
I liked these two so much I'm tempted to try some of the others.
I only read the stories for Nine and Ten cause I do what I want.
Nine's-I forgot how great Nine is; I wish he had gotten another season or two. This story was set after his first encounter with Rose. I really liked how he had a crab-like non-human companion from a planet other than Earth and the bad guys and setting (including a visit to ancient Babylon) were great. I wish this had actually been an episode because I thought it was a lot more creative than most of Nine's adventures were.
Ten's-Oh Ten, I love you so much. I was a little bummed that it was Martha not Donna or Rose because I always want more time with them. But Martha was particularly great in this adventure so I got over it. Once again---I would've loved to see this as an episode. Martha and the Doctor find themselves in the world of a 1950's book about a group of children who solve mysteries. Martha recognizes it from a series she read as a kid. It was equal parts Nancy Drew, the Boxcar Children, Encyclopedia Brown and Trixie Belden---so basically a mix of my favorite childhood mysteries. The Doctor pokes fun at the trope-y characters and solves the mystery in just a few pages. But of course, things are not as they seem and they end up in danger and encounter several other books along the way. I loved the being-inside-books concept and this was exactly the kind of adventure I want out of Doctor Who.
I liked these two so much I'm tempted to try some of the others.
February 24, 2016
Nejlepší Doctor Who, co zatím vyšel česky!
Je osvěžující, když je každá povídka o jiném Doktorovi a od jiného autora. Díky krátkému formátu mají příběhy spád a myšlenku. Mít víc času na čtení, rozhodně by mi přečíst tuhle 500 stránkovou knihu trvalo o dost kratší dobu. Můžu doporučit i těm, kdo Doktora nesledují. Já sama jsem viděla jen pár dílů a zdaleka neznala všechny Doktory, takže nedokážu úplně posoudit souvislosti s dějem seriálu, ale zároveň jsem se neztrácela. Jsou to prostě dobré povídky. Tečka. Přečtěte si to. Konec ;)
Je osvěžující, když je každá povídka o jiném Doktorovi a od jiného autora. Díky krátkému formátu mají příběhy spád a myšlenku. Mít víc času na čtení, rozhodně by mi přečíst tuhle 500 stránkovou knihu trvalo o dost kratší dobu. Můžu doporučit i těm, kdo Doktora nesledují. Já sama jsem viděla jen pár dílů a zdaleka neznala všechny Doktory, takže nedokážu úplně posoudit souvislosti s dějem seriálu, ale zároveň jsem se neztrácela. Jsou to prostě dobré povídky. Tečka. Přečtěte si to. Konec ;)
July 6, 2021
4 stars. I reviewed all eleven stories individually so this is going to be really long.
The First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer - ★★
This was fine. I liked the adventure but the character didn’t feel right and the pop culture references didn’t work as this is about the First Doctor but there was a mention of Hogwarts? It took me completely out of the story. Nothing special but I didn’t hate it. This definitely should’ve been a lot stronger to kick off the collection though.
The Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott - ★★★
Very fun. I enjoyed this one a lot more. The Doctor and his companion, Jamie were charming and the adventure was fun. I wouldn’t have minded if this had been a little bit longer just to get more of it.
The Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick ★★★★
Really good story. Follows the Doctor and his companion, Jo, as they try to steal an artifact from a museum. It’s got some really cool action and the characters were great. My favorite one so far.
The Fourth Doctor: The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve ★★★
Felt way too rushed. It was a fun read but I wanted more of it because the adventure that the Doctor and Leela go on is really interesting but it wraps up really quickly and felt kind of incomplete.
The Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness ★★★★★
Loved this one a lot. The characters were great and though the Doctor doesn’t show up until late in the story I didn’t even mind that because the plot was so cool and the characters of Jonny, Nettie, and Nyssa were able to carry the story themselves. The writing was also really good.
The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead ★★★★
So great to read something by Richelle Mead. I adore her writing so much. This was fun but not enough of the Doctor’s personality got to shine here and the companion, Peri wasn’t the most interesting. Still a really fun adventure. I was just expecting more but it’s good for what it is.
The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman ★★★★★
This one might have been a bit too on the nose with the message but damn was it a good read. The Doctor and Ace were both great characters and I absolutely loved the plot. They have to go back and right the time paradox they go through where the Daleks are good and nice and loved. The Doctor faces his prejudices against them and it was all very well done. Loved the writing and I wish this had been a full length novel. So good.
The Eighth Doctor: Spore by Alex Scarrow ★★★★
Very action packed from beginning to end. Really good and I liked the writing. Felt a teeny bit rushed though and would’ve benefited greatly if it had been just a few pages longer. The plot was really cool though and I liked how it wrapped up.
The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson ★★★★
Very good and I absolutely adored the ending and how it sets up the introduction to Rose. The writing was good and the plot was fun. I will say that Ali was kind of annoying at times but not enough so for me to knock a star off of my rating. I have such a special place in my heart for the Ninth Doctor (played by the underrated Christopher Eccleston) as it was this revival series that got me into the show. This was just a good time all around.
The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy ★★★★
Really enjoyed this one. Was surprised to see that the companion was Martha instead of Rose (because honestly who is more iconic than Tenth Doctor & Rose? That’s right, nobody) but I wasn’t mad about it at all. Martha was great. This was fun and had such a fairytale vibe to it which I really liked. This one also had some witty banter between the Doctor and Martha wich was great. Fun read.
The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman ★★★★★
I’m always blown away by Gaiman’s writing and this short story was no different. I love Amy and Rory and thought the plot was really unique. I think he really nailed the dynamics of all of the characters which I always appreciate. The ending was great as well. Just a really well done story but that might just be me being biased because Neil Gaiman is my favorite author but whatever.
Overall, this was a really entertaining collection of short stories. Not all of them worked but majority of them were awesome. My favorites were definitely the stories by Patrick Ness, Malorie Blackman, and Neil Gaiman.
The First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer - ★★
This was fine. I liked the adventure but the character didn’t feel right and the pop culture references didn’t work as this is about the First Doctor but there was a mention of Hogwarts? It took me completely out of the story. Nothing special but I didn’t hate it. This definitely should’ve been a lot stronger to kick off the collection though.
The Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott - ★★★
Very fun. I enjoyed this one a lot more. The Doctor and his companion, Jamie were charming and the adventure was fun. I wouldn’t have minded if this had been a little bit longer just to get more of it.
The Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick ★★★★
Really good story. Follows the Doctor and his companion, Jo, as they try to steal an artifact from a museum. It’s got some really cool action and the characters were great. My favorite one so far.
The Fourth Doctor: The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve ★★★
Felt way too rushed. It was a fun read but I wanted more of it because the adventure that the Doctor and Leela go on is really interesting but it wraps up really quickly and felt kind of incomplete.
The Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness ★★★★★
Loved this one a lot. The characters were great and though the Doctor doesn’t show up until late in the story I didn’t even mind that because the plot was so cool and the characters of Jonny, Nettie, and Nyssa were able to carry the story themselves. The writing was also really good.
The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead ★★★★
So great to read something by Richelle Mead. I adore her writing so much. This was fun but not enough of the Doctor’s personality got to shine here and the companion, Peri wasn’t the most interesting. Still a really fun adventure. I was just expecting more but it’s good for what it is.
The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman ★★★★★
This one might have been a bit too on the nose with the message but damn was it a good read. The Doctor and Ace were both great characters and I absolutely loved the plot. They have to go back and right the time paradox they go through where the Daleks are good and nice and loved. The Doctor faces his prejudices against them and it was all very well done. Loved the writing and I wish this had been a full length novel. So good.
The Eighth Doctor: Spore by Alex Scarrow ★★★★
Very action packed from beginning to end. Really good and I liked the writing. Felt a teeny bit rushed though and would’ve benefited greatly if it had been just a few pages longer. The plot was really cool though and I liked how it wrapped up.
The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson ★★★★
Very good and I absolutely adored the ending and how it sets up the introduction to Rose. The writing was good and the plot was fun. I will say that Ali was kind of annoying at times but not enough so for me to knock a star off of my rating. I have such a special place in my heart for the Ninth Doctor (played by the underrated Christopher Eccleston) as it was this revival series that got me into the show. This was just a good time all around.
The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy ★★★★
Really enjoyed this one. Was surprised to see that the companion was Martha instead of Rose (because honestly who is more iconic than Tenth Doctor & Rose? That’s right, nobody) but I wasn’t mad about it at all. Martha was great. This was fun and had such a fairytale vibe to it which I really liked. This one also had some witty banter between the Doctor and Martha wich was great. Fun read.
The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman ★★★★★
I’m always blown away by Gaiman’s writing and this short story was no different. I love Amy and Rory and thought the plot was really unique. I think he really nailed the dynamics of all of the characters which I always appreciate. The ending was great as well. Just a really well done story but that might just be me being biased because Neil Gaiman is my favorite author but whatever.
Overall, this was a really entertaining collection of short stories. Not all of them worked but majority of them were awesome. My favorites were definitely the stories by Patrick Ness, Malorie Blackman, and Neil Gaiman.
August 4, 2024
Özellikle ilk kısımlarda ilk okuduğum zamanki keyfi alamadım, tadım kaçtı. Acaba dedim artık doctor who sevmiyor muyum? Allah korusun tövbe haşa büyümüş olabilir miyim ve artık doctor who bana çocuk işi gibi geliyor olabilir mi?
Yanılmışım. Özellikle sonlara doğru delirerek okudum. Hâlâ çok güzel, hâlâ çok seviyorum, canım doktor.
Yanılmışım. Özellikle sonlara doğru delirerek okudum. Hâlâ çok güzel, hâlâ çok seviyorum, canım doktor.
May 21, 2019
Kurzgeschichten sind ja nicht so meins, aber eine Folge Doctor Who geht immer. Und genauso fühlt sich das Buch auch an, wie 11 Folgen mit unterschiedlichen Doktoren. Eine gute Möglichkeit die älteren Doktoren und neue Autoren kennenzulernen :)
November 21, 2015
I said I wasn't going to read any more Doctor Who books; I lied.
These short stories were even worse than the novels I've read, though, and I'm not entirely sure why. It's possible the writers felt that because this is a Puffin book, they needed to dumb all the way down. Since Doctor Who is already a children's show, though, I don't find that a very good reason.
I don't usually review short stories in collections individually, but because there are some big-name authors here, I guess I will this time. In order:
The First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor Eoin Colfer
An inauspicious start. It's hard to communicate just how awful this one is. Colfer completely misjudges the atmosphere of Doctor Who in general and the first Doctor in particular, to the point where I wouldn't be surprised to learn he has only ever watched Moffat episodes, if that; it certainly seems like he would rather be writing an Eleven story.
I didn't think it could get any worse than And Another Thing... , but if this story had been novel-length it would have blown that clean out of the water. I don't know what his Artemis Fowl books are like, but Colfer should not be allowed to write for other people's franchises ever again.
The Second Doctor: The Nameless City Michael Scott
A Lovecraft cross-over that just throws the Necronomicon at the Doctor and sees what happens. I don't mind this sort of thing for explicit, non-canon cross-overs—for a general short story, it's lazy.
Scott's Jamie is the blandest Jamie yet.
The Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny Marcus Sedgwick
Offensively ahistorical. I don't mind the idea of myths being based on historical figures (euhemerism, if you like fancy words) and the Doctor going to meet them, but if you're going to do the Norse pantheon, you need to set your story earlier than their earliest real-world attestation. Sedgwick didn't, apparently entirely because he wanted to get some Jesus in.
The Fourth Doctor: The Roots of Evil Philip Reeve
People need to stop getting their ``bow ties are cool'' bullshit all over my Fourth Doctor.
The Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Tongue Patrick Ness
Unremarkable, which sadly probably makes this the best story in the lot. Though most of the Doctor's actions still take place behind the scenes, at least it feels like a proper short story rather than an attempted novel with most of the detail cut out.
The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed Richelle Mead
Big multi-arc villains like the Rani (or, for that matter, the Master earlier) aren't a great fit for short stories; it doesn't do them justice. Could have been worse, I guess.
The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect Malorie Blackman
Probably captures the atmosphere of the relevant Doctor better than any of the other stories. Considering that that Doctor is the Seventh and by that time the writing was so bad the whole show was cancelled, that's maybe not ideal, but it honestly works better than most of his actual television serials.
The Eighth Doctor: Spore Alex Scarrow
Actually not bad. The Doctor didn't really feel like Eight most of the time, but he's a hard Doctor to capture.
The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon Charlie Higson
TV's Charlie Higson has written his Doctor with a comically atypical disregard for human life. I feel like the last time a companion slaughtered a bunch of innocent bystanders the Doctor wasn't nearly so carefree about it.
I also wish people wouldn't waste historical characters as significant as Hammurabi on a throw-away short story.
The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage Derek Landy
I think Rings of Akhaten was actually the first Doctor Who episode I watched. I didn't care for the ending then, and I don't care for it now. Also ``four things and a lizard'' needs to go away.
(Derek Landy also wrote Skulduggery Pleasant. I didn't hate the first book of that when I read it—my review was lost in the move between websites—but I may not have been sober at the time.)
The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O'Clock Neil Gaiman
Ugh.
Never again. This time I'm serious.
These short stories were even worse than the novels I've read, though, and I'm not entirely sure why. It's possible the writers felt that because this is a Puffin book, they needed to dumb all the way down. Since Doctor Who is already a children's show, though, I don't find that a very good reason.
I don't usually review short stories in collections individually, but because there are some big-name authors here, I guess I will this time. In order:
The First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor Eoin Colfer
An inauspicious start. It's hard to communicate just how awful this one is. Colfer completely misjudges the atmosphere of Doctor Who in general and the first Doctor in particular, to the point where I wouldn't be surprised to learn he has only ever watched Moffat episodes, if that; it certainly seems like he would rather be writing an Eleven story.
I didn't think it could get any worse than And Another Thing... , but if this story had been novel-length it would have blown that clean out of the water. I don't know what his Artemis Fowl books are like, but Colfer should not be allowed to write for other people's franchises ever again.
The Second Doctor: The Nameless City Michael Scott
A Lovecraft cross-over that just throws the Necronomicon at the Doctor and sees what happens. I don't mind this sort of thing for explicit, non-canon cross-overs—for a general short story, it's lazy.
Scott's Jamie is the blandest Jamie yet.
The Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny Marcus Sedgwick
Offensively ahistorical. I don't mind the idea of myths being based on historical figures (euhemerism, if you like fancy words) and the Doctor going to meet them, but if you're going to do the Norse pantheon, you need to set your story earlier than their earliest real-world attestation. Sedgwick didn't, apparently entirely because he wanted to get some Jesus in.
The Fourth Doctor: The Roots of Evil Philip Reeve
People need to stop getting their ``bow ties are cool'' bullshit all over my Fourth Doctor.
The Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Tongue Patrick Ness
Unremarkable, which sadly probably makes this the best story in the lot. Though most of the Doctor's actions still take place behind the scenes, at least it feels like a proper short story rather than an attempted novel with most of the detail cut out.
The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed Richelle Mead
Big multi-arc villains like the Rani (or, for that matter, the Master earlier) aren't a great fit for short stories; it doesn't do them justice. Could have been worse, I guess.
The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect Malorie Blackman
Probably captures the atmosphere of the relevant Doctor better than any of the other stories. Considering that that Doctor is the Seventh and by that time the writing was so bad the whole show was cancelled, that's maybe not ideal, but it honestly works better than most of his actual television serials.
The Eighth Doctor: Spore Alex Scarrow
Actually not bad. The Doctor didn't really feel like Eight most of the time, but he's a hard Doctor to capture.
The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon Charlie Higson
TV's Charlie Higson has written his Doctor with a comically atypical disregard for human life. I feel like the last time a companion slaughtered a bunch of innocent bystanders the Doctor wasn't nearly so carefree about it.
I also wish people wouldn't waste historical characters as significant as Hammurabi on a throw-away short story.
The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage Derek Landy
I think Rings of Akhaten was actually the first Doctor Who episode I watched. I didn't care for the ending then, and I don't care for it now. Also ``four things and a lizard'' needs to go away.
(Derek Landy also wrote Skulduggery Pleasant. I didn't hate the first book of that when I read it—my review was lost in the move between websites—but I may not have been sober at the time.)
The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O'Clock Neil Gaiman
Ugh.
Never again. This time I'm serious.
October 1, 2015
Yorumun aslı ve devamı Yorum Cadısı'nda.
11 Doktor 11 Öykü, belki de en başarılı Doctor Who kitaplarından biri. 11 farklı yazarın yazdığı DW hikayelerinin tek bir yerde toplandığı bu kitap, biz whovianlar için eşi benzeri bulunmaz bir nimet. Dizisinin yerini tutmaz ama, kitabı da Doctor Who kadar seveceğinizi düşünüyorum.
11 Doktor 11 Öykü, belki de en başarılı Doctor Who kitaplarından biri. 11 farklı yazarın yazdığı DW hikayelerinin tek bir yerde toplandığı bu kitap, biz whovianlar için eşi benzeri bulunmaz bir nimet. Dizisinin yerini tutmaz ama, kitabı da Doctor Who kadar seveceğinizi düşünüyorum.
January 26, 2015
Some stories are definite better than others, but overall I really enjoyed listening to the entire collection.
August 18, 2024
This is a short story book. There's some really decent stories in here, along with a few dud ones. I liked the 7th Doctor one, the 9th one was slotted into the timeline interestingly, and obviously Neil Gaiman wrote a good one.
A very good read.
A very good read.
September 24, 2019
A collection of short stories for Doctor Who fans. It probably wouldn't make much sense to non-fans, as the stories cover eleven different doctors, and don't have a lot of backstory in them. I enjoyed some stories more than others, as usual, but there are some excellent contributors in here, and overall I liked more than I didn't.
July 8, 2021
Brilliant! I am fascinated! I always admire short stories and reading some about my favorite doctor made me so happy. Go on, grab this book and start to read. You will love it
February 10, 2024
Durchweg gut lesbare Geschichten
March 3, 2023
A good range of short stories, some good some not so good; if you're a fan of the show it's worth a read either way. It's doctor who, why not!
1. 6/10
2. 9/10
3. 10/10
4. 1/10
5. 5/10
6. 7/10
7. 7/10
8. 7/10
9. 6/10
10. 1/10
11. 8/10
1. 6/10
2. 9/10
3. 10/10
4. 1/10
5. 5/10
6. 7/10
7. 7/10
8. 7/10
9. 6/10
10. 1/10
11. 8/10
Want to read
December 18, 2013I will attempt to review each story as I go through...
The First Doctor ("A Big Hand for the Doctor" by Eoin Colfer):
This story really wasn't very good. It reads like it has been written through the lens of a writer who is only really familiar with the recent Doctors (in particular Matt Smith). The First Doctor we meet here is basically just Matt Smith's Eleven, but with the writer constantly reminding the reader that he is a grouchy old grandfather with old-fashioned (and terribly stilted) dialogue. There are bizarre links made to the late 20th Century that really don't work and completely stand out for the wrong reasons. The plot is an afterthought, with villains that seem potentially interesting, until you meet one and realise they're a poorly thought-out antagonist that would never pose a challenge to The Doctor.
The one saving grace is Colfer's style. The prose is quick, not too subtle and in places reads very nicely. I think the biggest issue (besides the fact that Eoin Colfer clearly doesn't know his First from his Eleventh) is that he chose to write this from the POV of The Doctor himself, and it just doesn't work. I imagine getting into the head of any of the Doctors to be a challenge, and Colfer proves here that it seems to be the case. The inscrutable First Doctor is poorly served here.
Overall, a very disappointing story and a poor effort from Eoin Colfer.
The Second Doctor ("The Nameless City" by Michael Scott):
This is a bit more like it. Scott has a far better handle on Two than Colfer did on One. He reads pretty close to the way I imagine the Second Doctor. Jamie makes for a great POV, and actually not massively cheesy - even speaking as a Scot myself! The story is fun, quite dark in some of its ideas and works fairly well in the limited space there is to establish the plot/villains within these short stories. (I suspect this may be a problem running through the collection, though it will be interesting to see how some writers get on with more familiar villains.)
The Archons make for some fairly nice Lovecraftian influences on this story; something that really worked with this incarnation of the Doctor. The only issues I had with this story was again trying to make little references to the future (almost as though these authors were given this in their brief in a way to somehow make these older Doctors relatable to young, modern readers - but it doesn't work.) Still though, a lot of fun and much better than the previous story.
The Third Doctor ("The Spear of Destiny" by Marcus Sedgwick):
Well for starters, this story was much longer than the first two, which made for a much better pace; it felt well considered, the plot was absolutely classic Doctor Who and this really felt like the Third Doctor. Jon Pertwee's slightly caustic charm lives in each bit of dialogue and his interactions with Jo and the villains (no spoilers for this one, but it's pretty cool) ring true.
The story is a bit like what we may get if Jon Pertwee's Doctor had existed now, with the budget and technology on offer for our modern Doctors. UNIT are here, Bessie makes an appearance, there is Time Travel, garbled Doctor Who science and plenty of the TARDIS. The villains are fantastic and ultimately it was just a really great story of Doctor Who; one perhaps better suited to Ten or Eleven, but a lot of fun nonetheless.
The Fourth Doctor ("The Roots of Evil" by Philip Reeve)
This is the story that takes the elements the first three really wanted to include and absolutely nails them. This is the Fourth Doctor. It's easy to hear Tom Baker's voice behind the words, and Leela makes for not only a faithful interpretation of her character, but also the perfect companion for this particular story.
The Doctor and Leela find themselves on a planet that is literally an enormous tree, inhabited by people who believe it their cause to one day meet the Doctor and have revenge on him for an atrocity he was involved in centuries previous. Philip Reeve manages to do what the previous three failed at - he combines elements of our modern Doctors with Tom Baker's Fourth, and absolutely succeeds. The plot tears along, and yet doesn't feel over done. It's like a classic episode of Doctor Who from any era, with The Fourth as the star.
Jelly babies and all.
The First Doctor ("A Big Hand for the Doctor" by Eoin Colfer):
This story really wasn't very good. It reads like it has been written through the lens of a writer who is only really familiar with the recent Doctors (in particular Matt Smith). The First Doctor we meet here is basically just Matt Smith's Eleven, but with the writer constantly reminding the reader that he is a grouchy old grandfather with old-fashioned (and terribly stilted) dialogue. There are bizarre links made to the late 20th Century that really don't work and completely stand out for the wrong reasons. The plot is an afterthought, with villains that seem potentially interesting, until you meet one and realise they're a poorly thought-out antagonist that would never pose a challenge to The Doctor.
The one saving grace is Colfer's style. The prose is quick, not too subtle and in places reads very nicely. I think the biggest issue (besides the fact that Eoin Colfer clearly doesn't know his First from his Eleventh) is that he chose to write this from the POV of The Doctor himself, and it just doesn't work. I imagine getting into the head of any of the Doctors to be a challenge, and Colfer proves here that it seems to be the case. The inscrutable First Doctor is poorly served here.
Overall, a very disappointing story and a poor effort from Eoin Colfer.
The Second Doctor ("The Nameless City" by Michael Scott):
This is a bit more like it. Scott has a far better handle on Two than Colfer did on One. He reads pretty close to the way I imagine the Second Doctor. Jamie makes for a great POV, and actually not massively cheesy - even speaking as a Scot myself! The story is fun, quite dark in some of its ideas and works fairly well in the limited space there is to establish the plot/villains within these short stories. (I suspect this may be a problem running through the collection, though it will be interesting to see how some writers get on with more familiar villains.)
The Archons make for some fairly nice Lovecraftian influences on this story; something that really worked with this incarnation of the Doctor. The only issues I had with this story was again trying to make little references to the future (almost as though these authors were given this in their brief in a way to somehow make these older Doctors relatable to young, modern readers - but it doesn't work.) Still though, a lot of fun and much better than the previous story.
The Third Doctor ("The Spear of Destiny" by Marcus Sedgwick):
Well for starters, this story was much longer than the first two, which made for a much better pace; it felt well considered, the plot was absolutely classic Doctor Who and this really felt like the Third Doctor. Jon Pertwee's slightly caustic charm lives in each bit of dialogue and his interactions with Jo and the villains (no spoilers for this one, but it's pretty cool) ring true.
The story is a bit like what we may get if Jon Pertwee's Doctor had existed now, with the budget and technology on offer for our modern Doctors. UNIT are here, Bessie makes an appearance, there is Time Travel, garbled Doctor Who science and plenty of the TARDIS. The villains are fantastic and ultimately it was just a really great story of Doctor Who; one perhaps better suited to Ten or Eleven, but a lot of fun nonetheless.
The Fourth Doctor ("The Roots of Evil" by Philip Reeve)
This is the story that takes the elements the first three really wanted to include and absolutely nails them. This is the Fourth Doctor. It's easy to hear Tom Baker's voice behind the words, and Leela makes for not only a faithful interpretation of her character, but also the perfect companion for this particular story.
The Doctor and Leela find themselves on a planet that is literally an enormous tree, inhabited by people who believe it their cause to one day meet the Doctor and have revenge on him for an atrocity he was involved in centuries previous. Philip Reeve manages to do what the previous three failed at - he combines elements of our modern Doctors with Tom Baker's Fourth, and absolutely succeeds. The plot tears along, and yet doesn't feel over done. It's like a classic episode of Doctor Who from any era, with The Fourth as the star.
Jelly babies and all.
August 27, 2014
This is a delightful collection. Not because every contribution is delightful; for example, I would be surprised to hear, based on his contribution, that Eoin Colfer had ever seen an episode of Doctor Who, or had ever written for anyone over the age of three and in possession of a human brain. No, it is a delightful collection because the other stories collected are so delightful in so many ways.
Where to begin?
Two, Ten, and Eleven are my favorites here - though having Neil Gaiman write a story for a collection like this is really cheating, because Neil Gaiman is so brilliantly Neil Gaiman, and references Kurt Vonnegut so very subtly and cleverly, and almost made me cry with the simplest of statements about the potential of a species, and the potential of a single child. Cheating, I tell you. It's more fair to discuss what each of the other writers has to offer.
Derek Landy: I was reluctant to start this one, because while I love the Tenth Doctor, I have some difficulties with Martha Jones, namely Mr. Otherwise-Brilliant Davies' lame smart-woman-gets-stupid-over-a-man storyline. To my delight, Landy ignored that storyline, and instead gave Martha the rich literary background that any intelligent, well-educated person must have. Including the turkeys. He also captured Ten's ridiculous voice perfectly. I laughed out loud more than once.
Charlie Higson: Nine is my Doctor. This is not Nine. Close, but no cigar. He's got the ears and the grin, but the depth of character that captured me, the darkness, the ill-concealed grief and rage, even the childlike fascination with the universe, all are missing. However, the one-off companion Higson creates is completely, brilliantly unique. Hats off to Higson.
Alex Scarrow: Great Eight. Great story, great companion, nice and creepy and cleverly done.
Malorie Blackman: Daleks as you have never ever seen them, and likely never will - though Gaiman, all unknowing, gives her a nice hat-tip. A lovely if occasionally uneven Seven & Ace story with lovely, tragic original characters.
Richelle Mead: First person Peri POV. I got a better feel for who Six and Peri are than I ever did from watching an episode of theirs. Points for bringing back a classic and tragically underused villain.
Patrick Ness: Bit of a mess, but decent enough. Five and Nyssa, mostly from the POV of a young Jew in wartime New Jersey. Points off for inappropriate use of 'fortnight' - an American character would never even THINK that word.
Philip Reeve: Four and Leela at their goofy best. A bit too much like Face of Evil, with rather unnecessary inclusion of the Eleventh Doctor.
Marcus Sedgewick: Classic Three and Jo Grant, with just a touch of UNIT. And Odin. Good Viking fun.
Michael Scott: A delight. Two and Jamie, the Master, and a pantheon of Lovecraftian evil. Bagpipes save the day. I'm a sucker for stories with music in them, especially serving a critical function. This one is very well done.
Recommended for fans of the whole Who, or at least numbers two through eleven, and Gaiman's story is a must-read. Highly enjoyable.
Where to begin?
Two, Ten, and Eleven are my favorites here - though having Neil Gaiman write a story for a collection like this is really cheating, because Neil Gaiman is so brilliantly Neil Gaiman, and references Kurt Vonnegut so very subtly and cleverly, and almost made me cry with the simplest of statements about the potential of a species, and the potential of a single child. Cheating, I tell you. It's more fair to discuss what each of the other writers has to offer.
Derek Landy: I was reluctant to start this one, because while I love the Tenth Doctor, I have some difficulties with Martha Jones, namely Mr. Otherwise-Brilliant Davies' lame smart-woman-gets-stupid-over-a-man storyline. To my delight, Landy ignored that storyline, and instead gave Martha the rich literary background that any intelligent, well-educated person must have. Including the turkeys. He also captured Ten's ridiculous voice perfectly. I laughed out loud more than once.
Charlie Higson: Nine is my Doctor. This is not Nine. Close, but no cigar. He's got the ears and the grin, but the depth of character that captured me, the darkness, the ill-concealed grief and rage, even the childlike fascination with the universe, all are missing. However, the one-off companion Higson creates is completely, brilliantly unique. Hats off to Higson.
Alex Scarrow: Great Eight. Great story, great companion, nice and creepy and cleverly done.
Malorie Blackman: Daleks as you have never ever seen them, and likely never will - though Gaiman, all unknowing, gives her a nice hat-tip. A lovely if occasionally uneven Seven & Ace story with lovely, tragic original characters.
Richelle Mead: First person Peri POV. I got a better feel for who Six and Peri are than I ever did from watching an episode of theirs. Points for bringing back a classic and tragically underused villain.
Patrick Ness: Bit of a mess, but decent enough. Five and Nyssa, mostly from the POV of a young Jew in wartime New Jersey. Points off for inappropriate use of 'fortnight' - an American character would never even THINK that word.
Philip Reeve: Four and Leela at their goofy best. A bit too much like Face of Evil, with rather unnecessary inclusion of the Eleventh Doctor.
Marcus Sedgewick: Classic Three and Jo Grant, with just a touch of UNIT. And Odin. Good Viking fun.
Michael Scott: A delight. Two and Jamie, the Master, and a pantheon of Lovecraftian evil. Bagpipes save the day. I'm a sucker for stories with music in them, especially serving a critical function. This one is very well done.
Recommended for fans of the whole Who, or at least numbers two through eleven, and Gaiman's story is a must-read. Highly enjoyable.
April 22, 2018
I figured since I'd already listened to Big Finish's 50th Anniversary Doctor Who episode and watched the show's one, that I may as well try one of the 50th book collections. I have no idea if there's more than one of these, I was just assuming that this wasn't the only one. This is a collection of novelettes written by various young adult writers. Hiring young adult writers to write for Doctor Who makes perfect sense to me since it is a family show, but the problem is that either the writers are mostly awful or they are really not trying because these range from decent to terrible. Also there is a strange focus on New Doctor Who in some of the classic Doctor stories. In case the title didn't give it away, this collection has one story for each of the eleven Doctors each written by a different writer.
I was going to review these story by story but it just turned into me saying that each one was bland and dull and I realized that now I was being bland and dull. My favourites were the stories about the 5th and 11th Doctors which is to say that they were fairly enjoyable and well written but hardly that special. My least favourite were the stories about the 1st and 10th Doctors, mostly because they both got the characters so wrong. The first Doctor story felt to me like Eoin Colfer was fairly unaware of the first Doctor (He even references Harry Potter at one point. The first Doctor references pop culture. That's just wrong.), and the tenth Doctor story felt like a parody of Tennant's Doctor. The rest of the stories were fairly unmemorable and full of fanservicey references. The Eighth Doctor story had a strange reference to the infamous half human line, I say it's strange because I don't understand why someone would reference that. It would be like making the 6th Doctor say he likes to strangle companions (he doesn't do that; I'm just saying it would be bizarre if he did).
It is possible to write a good story based on a TV show, but unfortunately the people who try here are clearly just doing it as an easy job. It becomes very clear very quickly that no one writing here (except possibly Gaiman) really cared much about the project.
I was going to review these story by story but it just turned into me saying that each one was bland and dull and I realized that now I was being bland and dull. My favourites were the stories about the 5th and 11th Doctors which is to say that they were fairly enjoyable and well written but hardly that special. My least favourite were the stories about the 1st and 10th Doctors, mostly because they both got the characters so wrong. The first Doctor story felt to me like Eoin Colfer was fairly unaware of the first Doctor (He even references Harry Potter at one point. The first Doctor references pop culture. That's just wrong.), and the tenth Doctor story felt like a parody of Tennant's Doctor. The rest of the stories were fairly unmemorable and full of fanservicey references. The Eighth Doctor story had a strange reference to the infamous half human line, I say it's strange because I don't understand why someone would reference that. It would be like making the 6th Doctor say he likes to strangle companions (he doesn't do that; I'm just saying it would be bizarre if he did).
It is possible to write a good story based on a TV show, but unfortunately the people who try here are clearly just doing it as an easy job. It becomes very clear very quickly that no one writing here (except possibly Gaiman) really cared much about the project.
March 28, 2014
This is a risky read for me since most of the writers are recognised for young adult fiction and I have long-since abandoned reading fiction tied into franchises such as the good Doctor or Star Wars. I couldn't even finish the 2 Doctor Who novels by Michael Moorcock and Stephen Baxter for example. Anyway, a story by story rating seems the way to go.
The first Doctor - A Big Hand for the Doctor- Eoin Colfer- Did the first Doctor actually lose half a hand in the series? I'm afraid the victorian setting and Pirates telegraphed the ending a mile off, and it just didn't feel like the First Doctor. Really dumbed down and not my cup of tea so 1/5
The Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott. Ok, that was better and I like the concept of mashing Doctor Who with the Cthulhu mythos 3/5
The Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick. Not the most original of premises but overall it felt like a third doctor story in execution. Whilst I'm not the greatest fan of this era of Who the effect was that I got what Sedgewick was tryoing with the story, so this ends up a solid 4/5.
The Fourth Doctor: The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve - No sorry, could NOT get into this at all 2/5
The Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness.
The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman.
The Eighth Doctor: Spore by Alex Scarrow.
The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson.
The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy.
The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing o'Clock by Neil Gaiman.
The first Doctor - A Big Hand for the Doctor- Eoin Colfer- Did the first Doctor actually lose half a hand in the series? I'm afraid the victorian setting and Pirates telegraphed the ending a mile off, and it just didn't feel like the First Doctor. Really dumbed down and not my cup of tea so 1/5
The Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott. Ok, that was better and I like the concept of mashing Doctor Who with the Cthulhu mythos 3/5
The Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick. Not the most original of premises but overall it felt like a third doctor story in execution. Whilst I'm not the greatest fan of this era of Who the effect was that I got what Sedgewick was tryoing with the story, so this ends up a solid 4/5.
The Fourth Doctor: The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve - No sorry, could NOT get into this at all 2/5
The Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness.
The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman.
The Eighth Doctor: Spore by Alex Scarrow.
The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson.
The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy.
The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing o'Clock by Neil Gaiman.
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