George Mann

Unlike the old New Adventures series novels I used to read, this book is written in a young-adult style. It's also not particularly imaginative in either its ideas of what the Time War is like or its characterization of the War Doctor. As other reviewers note, the War Doctor is not particularly different from other versions of the Doctor. The Eleventh Doctor could have been him. This is a mistake, because he's not supposed to be like other Doctors--he's a warrior. He's generally uninteresting.

To boot, this author can't quite resist injecting his sociopolitical views into the story at least once.

Not recommended.
… (mehr)

The full cast was really enjoyable, though at times (especially at the beginning) it was difficult to track who was who and what exactly was going on. It was more like listening to a stage play than an audiobook because there was virtually no narration aside from the periodic Dr. Watson insert.

The story itself was only so-so. Very predictable and kind of dull, and also extremely heavy-handed with the theme of British people being racist against Indian people. The character of Sherlock was aggressively obsessed with capturing Professor Moriarty. Moriarty was more like a stereotypical bad guy at the end; almost Scooby-Do bad guy with "I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids" vibes. Not the way I imagined these two characters.

Not a terrible story. An okay way to fill quiet time if you're spending the day doing chores. But I also think there are better stories out there.… (mehr)

Interesting steampunk setting and cool criminal conspiracy, if a bit cliched. Unfortunately, beyond that there are few good things to say about this one. The writing is not good. The characterization is bland and as a mystery it fails utterly. The investigators do not do any investigating, and information just falls in their hands for no good reasons. The villains are utterly stupid and seemed intent on making it clear to the investigators what was going on and on failing to escape. So, some good ideas spoiled by the inability to see them through. At least it is a fast read, if you can ignore the flaws, which gets easier to do towards the end when the pace quickens.… (mehr)

I was hooked on Newbury & Hobbes after consuming this book. A definite page turner with lots of intrigue. I love how the occult is such an important part in Newbury's role as an agent for the queen. The characters are all very well developed and easy to get attached to. I always try to recommend this series of books to folks who are into Sherlock Holmes style mysteries and seem to have an appreciation for fantasy as well (or are at least willing to explore that genre a bit). A must read for any steampunk!… (mehr)