Mike Tucker (1)Rezensionen

An overly generous three stars. Authentically ft like a trite, preachy episode from the era, which is kind of fun. Some Bill and Ted-style time antics at the end, but nothing too severe.

3,5

3

Se não fosse parte de um arco chamado "Império Dalek", até que a história seria melhor. Mas para mostrar a ascensão de um Império, a trama aqui não foi assim tão... precisa.

Perhaps it's because I'm not keen on spiders, but I found this a taut, thrilling, horror novel for teens - or at least most of it was. It tapers off in the last third, once the mystery is solved, and there's an oddly anticlimactic ending that I think is meant to feel a little spooky and doesn't quite get there. Still, it's such a distinct step up from Justin Richards' Silhouette, which came out at the same time, I can't help but applaud it.

My vague memory of Mike Tucker books in the '90s - I'm thinking of Illegal Alien in particular - is that they are quite technically and militaristically oriented, with specific weapons, planes, tanks, etc. That is certainly present here, and it's not really my thing, but it didn't get in my way. I did feel that Tucker was slightly hamstrung by a limited vocabulary, which may have been imposed upon him by the publisher to fit an intended audience. As good as the horror sequences were, much of the rest of the prose felt just a touch underdeveloped.

As for the depiction of the Twelfth Doctor, it's obvious that again, Tucker hasn't seen much (or possibly anything) of Capaldi's performance, likely relying on scripts. He certainly pegs the character's moodiness and his occasional callousness, which is especially prevalent in early series 8. Seeing as there's a deliberate reference to "Into the Dalek" in Silhouette, I'm guessing all three writers of this set were provided with that teleplay - and that fits, frankly, the aspects of the character Tucker has managed to nail.

Just as Silhouette might entertain an 11-year-old, this feels like a 14-year-old Who to me: crisp and straightforward, with some good scares and slightly cardboard secondary characters. It's not the best of the best but it's good popcorn fare.

I thought this was a good tale, with some very interesting twists and plot developments. I have not had the pleasure of watching any of McCoy's portrayal of the Doctor or his companion Ace. But I feel that after reading this book I have a good understanding of them both.

I love it when the Doctor goes back into Earth history. It’s like having a very interesting and enjoyable history lesson. Even if it’s not all fact. I love how the start of the story is like a diary entry by the Private Eye Colby McBridge and it’s the same for the end. It’s nice to find out what happens to McBridge and Mullen. A great plot twist also which what they discover under the pumping station.

The epilogue suggests the possibility of a sequel. It is easy to see why this story was included in the monster specials to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

Mike Tucker did a really good job writing this book. He portrayed Peter Capaldi’s Doctor Who really well! Loved that he kept referring to his unruly hair and angry eyebrows haha. Pearl Mackie’s Bill Potts was also portrayed really well.

I loved the idea that on Saturn

Great story! Love how Mike Tucker mixed Earth history, present day and an alien planet into one story! The Doctor and Clara were portrayed brilliantly exactly as I remember them off the tv show.

I like how Mike gives a back story about Robin Sanford and Clearfield. When Clara gets transferred to the body of the Wyrrester on their home planet of Typholchaktas I could picture the planet and like Clara said it was like looking at hell. I really enjoyed this story!

Great story of Earths future and how global warming may affect the planet. Good storyline with the prehistoric creatures frozen in the ice! Another great portrayal of The Doctor and Martha.

This story kept me captivated and was a good little read

This didn't feel like the 10th doctor. It would have worked better as a 9th doctor book, really. Overall, just fair.

Not a total disappointment but a rather lackluster remix of the Silurian two parter from series five. Doctor did not feel Doctor-y enough, and at one point acts so OOC it completely jarred me. A short, merely all right read.

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3585682.html

This is a set of twelve Doctor Who short stories for YA readers, themed around Halloween, each of them featuring a different Doctor, usually with an old enemy (the Celestial Toymaker appears twice). The six authors are all well established - Jacqueline Rayner, Mike Tucker, Paul Magrs, Richard Dungworth, Scott Handcock and Craig Donaghy (was not sure of the last, but he has a long track record scripting comics for DWM). Rayner's Sixth Story, "Trick or Treat", is the standout of the collection, though Magrs' Third Doctor story, "The Monster in the Woods", is good too and none of them is actively bad.

I wasn't expecting anything fantastic, but now I wonder if the books are made from scripts that, while great, didn't make the cut for one reason or another. There are only so many episodes per series after all, and the majority of them link together in some way to form an overall story line. So why not take the ones that didn't fit and put them in another format for fans to enjoy during that excruciatingly long time between series?

Regardless of the reason, Snowglobe 7 felt like watching an episode, and that's exactly what I was hoping for when I bought this. This wasn't my first Doctor Who story outside of watching the show, but my first was an audiobook narrated by David Tennant, so I couldn't be 100% sure if it's awesomeness was due to the format or the writer. It was probably both, but it was also a different writer than Mike Tucker, so the only things I was truly certain of was that this book was about the 10th Doctor and Martha and the story involved some kind of giant bugs and a wintry environment.

If you're specifically looking for a Doctor Who story but you want something new or don't feel like re-watching the show, look no further than Snowglobe 7.

This is a deliciously creepy Doctor Who audiobook adventure. The Doctor and Rose Tyler arrive at a village on the Welsh coast just after a fisherman is killed by a creature from the sea. Children in the village are plagued by nightmares, and monsters roam at night. It isn't safe to go out after dark. The villagers blame a local old man for the goings on, but the Doctor wants to know how the old lighthouse, the monsters that roam around after dark and strange figures seen in the priory figure in to the problem. When he uncovers a plan to resurrect an alien being, the Doctor knows everyone involved is in serious danger, especially the children.

This was an exciting and seriously creepy story! Anthony Head narrates. He reads at an even pace and did an excellent job. Just over 2 hours long, this audiobook is an easy listening length and, as with all BBC Audio presentations, the production value is top notch.

I listened to this story while reorganizing my bookshelves, dusting and moving furniture. It was great company and made the time pass quickly. :)

I'm really enjoying these Doctor Who audiobooks from BBC Audio. I will definitely be listening to more! I'm hooked!! It's a great way to fill in time until the TV series starts up again. :)

Sophie Aldred and Mike Tucker’s Ace!: The Inside Story of the End of an Era traces the story of Aldred’s casting as Ace on Doctor Who as well as Tucker’s work designing effects for the last three seasons of the show. The book further includes an examination of how novels and comic books created new stories featuring Ace in the years before the 1996 television movie and 2005 Doctor Who revival. Aldred and Tucker pack the book with behind-the-scenes photographs, script notes, handwritten letters and memos from people involved in the show as well as fans, and more. Aldred's accounts brilliantly depict the heart of a show that, at the time of publication, faced an uncertain future. Tucker's portions provide useful insight for those curious about how the production staff came together to create something magical. Further, producer John Nathan-Turner’s comments about the show being best when it put heart and story first rather than relying on effects seems to have been the mantra that made the revived Doctor Who succeed beginning in 2005 (pg. 54). This is a great time-capsule of the franchise for fans, in particular those who loved Ace’s adventures with the Seventh Doctor!

This was a great Doctor Who novella. This is the first Doctor Who story I have read and it was amazing. I could really picture Matt Smith as The Doctor and delivering those lines. Some of them were spot on.

A couple of excellent stories, one unbearable narrator.½

The Doctor and Martha land in a giant snowglobe, one created to preserve vast sections of the Arctic and Antarctic, which would otherwise be melting. However, with the ice, something else, quite menacing has also been preserved and both the Doctor and Martha have to chip in to defeat the mysterious threat. Good example of the series and its characters. The stakes are high and both the Doctor and Martha act the way they "should."

The Doctor Who character is supposed to have certain feel to it, an electrostatic broadcast of maniac, spring-heeled energy, bursts of enthusiasm and wide-eyed wonder at the stars, yet a hidden sadness too which needs frequent distraction (and attention) to stop him (soon to be her) going mad under the weight of eternity and outliving all his friends. This should be played as a quite brilliant and still child-like soul that sees the Universe as a shiny new train set to play with, rewire the physical laws of and look for beings and principles to protect in other races’ messes. He also becomes the things he hates the most (life-takers, haters), so has an existential struggle to know himself and that’s why he needs an audience of companions in his travelling circus to root him in a frame of reference that reminds him what’s normal and balanced. He also gets all the best lines because, in common with bi-polar euphoric/depressives, he has a speedy wit and instant surreal and witty sense of banter. He isn’t Spock. This book should have fulfilled that remit, so that’s what I wanted to assess it against.

I can imagine whoever commissioned this thought it was a commercially realistic idea because it fills the niche of Doctor, in a variety of coats and faces, against Halloween monsters and also picks an alternative event in the seasonal calendar, having over-exploited Christmas Specials. It's a project then, a commercial writing job rather than a labour of love. They've briefed a bunch of pro writers, set a deadline in time for Halloween 2017 and invested in a flashy cover which actually glints. I see they've also got another title in this series called The Twelve Doctors of Christmas, so didn't break with the silvery jingling noises for long (small bells or money spinning opportunism?).

The idea in this is for twelve different doctors (consecutive - but why, given the temporally non-linear character?) and their respective companions to have twelve different adventures with the usual array of naughty adversaries. There is some crossover of characters, but those points are mostly touches that only obsessive Whovians will spot, be delighted by and earn themselves another pot noodle.

The bug-eyed monsters are all the Time Lord's regular playmates: daleks, cybermen, weeping angels, the Family of Blood, the Celestial Toymaker, the three witches, living plastic and a sort of gorgon in an orbiting museum that I didn't quite understand (in terms of motivation anyway) and a disguised squid on a cruise ship (Cold War failed experiment) that's getting jiggy with the octogenarians for reasons known only unto itself. A final fling of the slimy tentacle?

The story of the broken dalek that lives in the woods and persuades children to fetch replacement parts until it gets bored and incinerates them for being annoying was quite a funny idea, with its little tin belly popping-full of toy soldiers. It might as well have been a robot man with a belly full of little toy daleks, as they both counterpoint their dangerous and toy-like qualities.

The weeping angels story was in the style of a camping trip goes wrong but the wolves in the mist that hunt the lost souls turn out to be alien. It was a welcome change to an outdoor style anyway. However, in this story the angels never go beyond being a kind of pack, a faceless group of thugs. In contrast, each weeping angel in the television shows has a certain individual and personal predatory sense to it, scaring you in a polite and elegant way, when played by the hauntingly beautiful siren Sarah Louise Madison. Ethereal, definition: extremely delicate, light and elfin in a way that seems to be not of this world.

The Toymaker Halloween party story was the most gruesome, as passing around body parts is tastelessly diseased, especially when followed up later in the book by the creepy "you've been inside this false reality for years" angle. The murderous stalker cyberman on the flying trapeze was too far out of character for me, like Stephen King going all Monty Python. Then there was a giant animated wicker man made from possessed plastic dollies that was a spiritual cousin to the marshmallow man in Ghostbusters.

The book is slightly too “slasher fic” in my opinion but it fills the Halloween fiction niche adequately, also managing to differentiate the voices of all those doctor and assistant actors so you click that they are still in character. I would have liked to see K9 and Nardol somewhere in this though. Ideally, Nardol caught riding K9 in the bath and Martha Jones walking in and just staring at him.

Is it any good? Not especially, apart from the dickie dalek in the woods who's worried about property developers exposing him. It's a commercial read that doesn't really add anything inspired to the Doctor Who cannon, instead just getting on the bandwagon and tapping into the children's pocket money stream. That's perhaps undeserved and too cynical because this collection of stories represents a hell of a lot of work, although if you were to experiment by asking anyone who's read this if they are likely to keep it and read it again, the answer is surely a predictable No. It's okay if you read it once and have the actors' pictures in your mind's eye, but no, it’s not for reading again - and, I guess, thanks all the same though for stirring the television memories.

These stories are standing on the shoulders of giants, obviously, so it is appropriate nostalgia but I think only a reminder of what people liked about the originals. When a school friend recites a funny sketch from television, you smile at the memory of the show, not your friend’s effort, unless they find a way to improve upon the material. This book tried to run at the same standard as the sharp screenplay and script writing in the rebooted series (Ecclestone onward) but it didn't achieve full equivalence or show any identifiable moments of improvement. There weren't any imaginative new monsters either – and the angelic Sarah’s poise and Tom Baker's charming wit were also something this spin-off project couldn't capture.

This set of twelve Doctor Who Christmas tales, a worthy successor to the old Big Finish Christmas Short Trips collections, was my Doctor Who Christmas read for the season, though it slipped in a little late (I think I finished it up December 30th). With twelve Doctor and twelve days of Christmas, things lined up quite nicely.

The stories are an odd assortment, which is kind of always true of these Doctor Who Christmas anthologies. Some are genuinely Christmassy; others just happen to be set on Christmas, but are pretty much standard Doctor Who runarounds. The most Christmassy is definitely the first, Jacqueline Rayner's "All I Want for Christmas," where the first Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki end up in a perfect 1963 Christmas: it beautifully captures the wistfulness and nostalgia of Christmas, of a yearning for a time that's slipped away. Rayner has always demonstrated a sympathy for the first Doctor era, and Ian and Barbara are exceptionally written here. I also really enjoyed Rayner's other story, "The Christmas Inversion," where the third Doctor, Jo Grant, and Mike Yates pick up a distress call from the future and end up in the middle of the events of "The Christmas Invasion"; it's as hilarious as "All I Want" is touching. Jackie Tyler meets the third Doctor! Brilliant.

Many of the others are fine, but not particularly noteworthy, and sometimes the Christmas links are tenuous at best. I didn't really get the point of Richard Dungworth's "Three Wise Men," where the fourth Doctor meets the Apollo astronauts (nothing happens), and Gary Russell's "Fairy Tale of New New York," where the sixth Doctor and Mel meet the Catkind, seemed to have potential, but there's no plot. I did enjoy "Ghost of Christmas Past" by Scott Handcock, where a Time War-era eighth Doctor is trapped in the minute before Christmas and ends up finding a mysterious message in the TARDIS. (It is a little weird from a continuity standpoint, though; it's consistent with the Big Finish stories in giving the Doctor a great-grandson named Alex, but given what happened to Alex in To the Death, it's hard to believe the Doctor would find comfort in thinking about him!)

Sort of weirdly, the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth Doctor tales all feature the Doctor teaming up with kids. I wonder why that approach was taken up for three of the four new series Doctors? Each would probably work on its own, or even in a different sequence, but since the stories come back-to-back-to-back, it's a bit repetitive. ("Loose Wire" by Richard Dungworth, the story for the tenth, was the best of them, because Dungworth captures the Doctor exceptionally well here.)

There are a lot of unexpected continuity nuggets, with the Catkind of New Earth, the Master, the Meddling Monk, Rose's red bicycle, the Slitheen, Jackie Tyler, and the Wire (from "The Idiot's Lantern") all popping up-- plus one really unexpected but fun reference in the last story. Even in the weaker stories, the Doctor's voice(s) is well captured, and the whole package is great looking; the cover looks gorgeous in person, and there's a full-page color illustration for each story. This is one of those anthologies whose theme makes it greater than the sum of its parts. Read it on a cold winter night under thick blankets and time travel to your own Christmases past and future.

I could not put this one down. Great Science Fiction.

Warning: this review contains spoilers.

****

Twelve Doctors of Christmas is, as you might expect, a collection of 12 short stories with a Christmas theme, each featuring a different Doctor (the War Doctor does not get a story, and this was published before Jodie was announced as the 13th Doctor). Some of the stories experiment with mashing up Doctors and companions and monsters, while others stick to the companions and monsters that that particular Doctor would normally encounter.

Overall, this is a short, light collection. Superfans of all ages may find some stories better than others; I predicted a key plot point in one story, for example. And I found the New Who Doctor stories (9, 10, 11, 12) seemed to have a better handle on the voice and characteristics of their Doctor than the older ones did.

Each story is illustrated by a full-page illustration on colour plates, with an explanation of the scene being depicted on the back. My favourite illustrations were those for the Fourth and Twelfth Doctors’ stories, illustrated by Rob Biddulph and Tom Duxbury, respectively.

Briefly, here are my impressions of each story. The Doctors are presented in chronological order, so the first story features the First Doctor, and so on. Overall this was a light collection to read when you want a quick break from reality.

All I Want for Christmas — The Christmas atmosphere was done right, and the story itself wasn’t bad. I found Vicki a bit confusing, but that’s because I’m not as familiar with First Doctor companions. Once you know who she is, the story makes more sense.

A Comedy of Terrors — This is the story where I predicted the baddie, and I imagine many fans would do likewise. Nevertheless, it was a fun story, mainly because it involves a Christmas panto.

The Christmas Inversion — I enjoyed the idea of the Third Doctor being inserted into Ten’s first full episode as Doctor Who (The Christmas Invasion), and I approve of Jo thinking that Ten is cute ;) But somehow Jackie didn’t sound quite right here, and I’m really not sure what Three would have made of her.

Three Wise Men — I really enjoyed this one. It is SO Four. The illustration for this one is great, too.

Sontar’s Little Helpers — This has the best title in the collection, I think. I liked seeing Turlough get a bit of screen time and to learn a bit about his backstory. However, I thought it strange that the Sontaran in this story could immediately realize that Tegan was a Terran *female*. The running joke with Strax in the modern series is that he keeps thinking Clara is a boy. So is Strax just a particularly dim Sontaran, or is this story not canon?

Fairy Tale of New New York — I like the title of this one too. Clever riff. The story was a bit short, though, and I somehow found it preachy. Not awful but not the best either.

The Grotto — This is a good story for fans of Christmas movies set in NYC. A good outing for Seven and Ace—she is the best! I love how she goes into dangerous situations with gusto.

Ghost of Christmas Past — Not going to lie, I totally cried a bit at this one, because I am a mushy softie. And I could picture Paul McGann so well in this one.

The Red Bicycle — A sweet story featuring Nine, Rose, and Jackie. The characterization was good.

Loose Wire — Good capturing of Ten, and a clever link to The Idiot’s Lantern.

The Gift — Not bad. For some strange reason I pictured the Lengoes as shrews. Not sure I was supposed to.

The Persistence of Memory — It was highly appropriate to use this as a title for the P-Cap story, given that Peter has an art background and also did a video on surrealism for the Guardian. I loved the Loch Ness setting and the call-back/call-forward to Rose’s time.½

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2879932.html

Set in a future where humans and their alien allies are mining the rains of pure diamonds that occur amidst the clouds of Saturn. Tucker when on form is one of the best Who novelists writing at the moment, and here he is on form - great characterisation of the Doctor and Bill, a nice mystery saboteur plot which ends in a decent twist, loads of fan service for previous Who stories both Old and New, and tight writing. This was the first of the three Doctor-and-Bill novels this year (I accidentally read the second one already) and it's a good start.

This is a beautifully presented clothbound book containing twelve stories of twelve doctors. Starting from the first one we move through each regeneration until we are right up to date. It's a festive collection so we have stories like The Grotto, where the Seventh Doctor meets an alien in Santa's Grotto in Macy's department store in New York. Or The Ghost of Christmas Past where the Eighth Doctor receives a message from the past.

What was really nice was that each incarnation of the doctor was very recognisable so if you enjoy the television series then this will appeal to you. As a more recent viewer I liked the later stories featuring doctors I know, but I also particularly enjoyed the first story in which a Christmas wish for the doctor's companion is granted.

There is a stunning high-gloss illustration to accompany each tale showing a scene from the story and this is an all-round lovely book to behold.

This is definitely not just for children. It's ideal for any Doctor Who fan and each story is just as strong and interesting as the previous one.½

A collection of twelve Christmas-themed Doctor Who stories, each featuring one of the twelve Doctors. (The poor War Doctor, apparently, does not get a Christmas. Well, I suppose he wouldn't, really.)

I like the concept of this, and it's a very nice-looking book, complete with some cute full-color illustrations. Unfortunately, the stories just aren't very good. They're not awful, I guess. If nothing else, the character voices are mostly pretty good, which certainly counts for something. But, generally speaking, they're uninspired, not very interesting, and not very well-written, even taking into account the fact that, like most recent Who tie-in stuff, they seemed to be aimed largely at younger readers. (Which, by the way, is certainly appropriate, but always takes me aback slightly. Partly because Who has never really been thought of as a kids' show in the States, but mostly because I still remember the Who novels of the 90s, which were often filled with surprising levels of sex, drugs, and violence.)

So, yeah, it's pretty disappointing. I did kind of like Scott Handcock's "Ghost of Christmas Past," in which the Eighth Doctor gets a message from his past, just because it didn't even bother with the lame attempt at a plot the others had, but instead just gave us a rather poignant little character moment. But even that one wasn't great, and it left me feeling unsatisfied, if only because, doggone it, I really wanted to see him responding to the invitation in the message.

Also worth noting, perhaps, is Jacqueline Rayner's "The Christmas Inversion", which I found simultaneously the most fun and the most frustrating entry. It has a brilliantly hilarious premise: the Third Doctor picks up Harriet Jones' plea for the Doctor's help in "The Christmas Invasion," goes to see what it's about, and ends up in Jackie Tyler's flat while his future self lies unconscious in the next room. Unfortunately, Rayner pushes the humor entirely too far, meaning that it's constantly crossing the line between being funny and just being irritating.

Everything else, I'd say, is 100% forgettable.½