“Because you’re not all the same. And because I know you’ve lost just about everything.” The Doctor looked towards Martha and the others, back in the valley, and sighed. “I hope none of them ever find out what that feels like.”
Excerpt from Sting of the Zygons

The Doctor and Martha find themselves in 1909 in the Lake District, and find that a local village has been trashed by a monster found dead on the shore that the doctor quickly recognizes as a Skarasen, a creature of the Zygons. The Doctor goes on the hunt for them without realizing that they are all around him. Many of the townspeople (and then some) are actually Zygons in disguise. The rest of the book operates on a sort of ‘The Thing’ angle, where characters don’t know who to trust, etc.

The book starts off fairly solid by getting to the point quickly. They are Zygons about, and one of their creatures has a giant hole in its head, which is apparently a difficult feat to achieve. The plot thickens when The Doctor realizes that the Zygons could be masking themselves as the townspeople. That’s about where the good ends, and he meh begins. Any supporting characters – anyone other than Martha and The Doctor – are exceptionally 2-dimensional. typical do-gooder 1910 male, The French Guy, The Hunting Lord, The Mischievous Child, The Nanny, The Innkeep. None of these characters (or others) stand out as even remotely memorable, and only serve to be a means to an end. As a result, much of the dialog is very stereo-typical (why do french characters always end statements with “, no?”) and lacks the personality to make it engaging.

I will give credit where it’s due, as Stephen Cole did manage to through a couple unexpected quirks into the story that caught me off guard, though I figured most of them out before they were really brought to light. The Doctors dialog is exceptionally David Tennant-y as well, which I’m sure is no easy task.

I’m really starting to wonder why I keep reading the new novels. I mean I can read through one in an afternoon if i dedicate myself, because they’re about half of the size (in word count) of the originals. On top of that, the language is toned down for a younger reader population. I’m not saying that these are bad traits, they’re fine attributes to have when appealing to younger readers. The problem I have is that I am not a young reader, and if they’re going to produce new Doctor Who books, why are there none that slot into the ‘adult’ category? Kill some people, swear a little, let The Doctor lose something in order to save the day. Show me the struggle that the older books were so great at.

An alright story, nothing to write home about, but I’m not upset that I spent my time on it. Very typical and straight-forward.

5.5/10

“This is the President of the Righteous Fist of Rassilon,” he barked. And then he gave the order that he had prayed he would never have to issue. “Break open the Slaughterhouse.”
Excerpt from The Quantum Archangel

I wish I could summarize this book properly, but it seems to be many stories unfolding in one. There are even stories within stories that are nothing less than vivid and unnerving. The Doctor goes to investigate temporal disturbances going on in modern-day Earth only to find The Master trying to exact revenge upon the Chronovores as well as become a God by taking control of the same power that sustains those same Chronovores. The plan goes to hell and a new creature is born: The Quantum Archangel. Que the epic end-of-everything multi-verse-cluster-fuck that is the second half of this book.

To be honest, I thought that the book was going to be over when there were still about 150 pages left. I honestly couldn’t see how they could drag it out any further then it had already been dragged. Mr. Hinton did a damned fine job of throwing me through a loop and creating a story so epic, that to render it on TV would require technology not currently in production, and a budget to match. The alternate realities provided throughout portions of the book really help to complete the mind-blowing that starts at that 150 page mark. It’s one of the few Doctor Who books that provide a view of the Doctor as totally at the mercy of something far greater than himself.

The writing is sold from start to finish, and Craig Hinton does a superb job of nailing the Doctors third and sixth incarnations, as well as The Masters. The supporting characters are strong, three-dimensional people who (in some cases) are good recreations of their former corporeal selves. There’s a strong sense of wit and direction in regards to the back and forth between the differing characters and I found myself smirking more than once

This book is the reason that I read and love Doctor Who. The ridiculous epicness that the Doctor generates is worth it all. The depth of character that is displayed in these books is what the new series lacks, and which is why time and time again I am brought back to the older series. To hell with the youth that they are trying to capture with the new series; give me the depth I crave!

Worth reading, especially if you like epic stories and even more so if you’ve seen The Time Monster and enjoyed it.

8/10

Now They’re all gone. There’s only me left. I’m free, now.
I’m the last of my kind, and I miss Them. You’d think I’d forgive Them for what they did, so long ago. But I can’t. Somethings are unforgivable.
I was a Time Lord in exile.
Or was I an animal in a zoo?
Excerpt from Doctor Who: The Last Dodo

The Last Dodo takes place a bit in the future, where the Doctor and Martha show up on an artificial planet that features the rarest creatures in the universe. Literally, the last of (almost) every creature is kept in this massive Museum of the Last Ones. The Doctor is horror struck when he sees what’s going on, but before he can get into his tirade he is told that some of the creatures are going missing. Let the mystery begin.

Though still fairly typical as far as Doctor Who new adventures are going, this one was entertaining for a couple of reasons. One: it’s actually 3 adventures in one, though I cannot explain that without giving away too much of the book. Two: Half of the story is actually told from Martha’s point of view in a fourth-wall-breaking sort of way. Three: it contains one of the creepiest internal thoughts of the Doctors that I have ever read. And lastly, four: never have I been so impressed with someone writing from a creatures point of view then I have with this book. The author really makes you feel for the Dodo species.

As far as the new series go, this is the best one I’ve read.

7/10

I finished the book with the same feeling that I’ve felt after reading every other new adventure story so far (Winner Takes All, The Clockwise Man, The Stone Rose, The Art of Destruction, and The Nightmare of Black Island): Typical. The Clockwise is a possible exception, but not by much. All these stories, though good, seem like they were rejects for the show for simply not exhibiting enough strength. They’re not bad by any means and I enjoyed each of them in differing ways. What I am saying is that I have yet to read a new adventures that can compare to the old series.

Maybe it’s unfair to compare these novels to the likes of “The Shadows of Avalon,” “Blue Angel” and the “Interference” duet. The problem is that it’s generally hard when you’ve read so many of them. I figure that they are toning these first ones down to help appeal to the younger audience, and I can respect that. What I would like is just something with a bit more soul. I’ve read books that have permanently changed the way I view the Doctor. None of the new ones have come close to that. They all seem like we’re watching the surface façade of his character. The Price of Paradise is no exception to the rule, which disappointed me somewhat.

It is a well-written story, and I would totally suggest it for teaching literary practice, for a class to read, or to introduce Doctor Who novels to someone. That’s about it though. There is no foreshadowing, no deep secrets brought to light that we didn’t already know about.

6/10.