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arthurbdd's review
4.0
Bold exercise in doing cyberpunk in a Doctor Who context. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2024/02/01/the-virgin-new-adventures-cats-cradle-prophets-seers-and-sages/
scheu's review
4.0
Far more entertaining than a DW novel has any right to be. It's nice to abandon the standard template sometimes, you know?
hidekisohma's review
2.0
Well that certainly was a chore to get through. My god. This one was just plain bad. I actually feel bad marking this with the "Doctor Who" Tag. Why? Because this wasn't a doctor who book. This was a book about some kinda dystopian thing that Andrew Cartmel wanted to write about and then haphazardly slapped the Doc's name on it so it could get published.
Ace doesn't show up until 1/3 ish ito the book and the doctor's barely even in it. he kind of pops up every now and then, strokes his chin and goes "I see...." but doesn't do anything. It's the BARE minimum to be called a doctor who book.
You may have seen this in other reviews, but yes. the fact that this book is the 2nd in the "Cat's Cradle" Trilogy means nothing. it has nothing to do with the previous book and i think the only thing connecting it is that a cat shows up in it for a few pages. Other than that, they barely even mention the first of the trilogy if they even do at all.
The story has 3000 side character to the point that i don't even know who's who. The side character took over the story and barely let the doctor even be in it. They try to build up this world about how it's a dystopian future with terrible pollution and how this guy O'hara wants to like, put people's brains in computers so the pollution won't matter.
However that's only a small part as we spend a LARGE portion of the book following randos around as they talk about how the current situation they live in is bad and then flashback to their childhoods for 20 pages. and i know it's shocking, but i don't care.
The book is wrapped up STUPIDLY fast. like the last 12 pages is the climax, the resolution, and the epilogue all in one shot and MAN does it feel rushed. And of course, the doctor doesn't DO anything. he kind of just stands there and goes "yep, i'm going to let this play out."
I CALL him the doctor, but for the short time he's in it, he doesn't even FEEL like the doctor. he feels like a random guy who just happens to be walking around.
The side characters were are terrible and boring, Ace acted really weird in this one too. Like the fun Ace from the TV series is gone and replaced with this hardened, boring no-nonsense person that i don't know WHO this was supposed to be, but it wasn't Ace.
I'm sticking by my theory that Andrew wrote this as a separate dystopian novel about pollution but couldn't sell it so when he got commissioned to write a doctor who book he just pulled it out of the closet and slapped the Who logo on it.
This book was not fun, not entertaining, and doesn't even qualify as a who book. The only POSITIVE thing about it was that the writing wasn't as convoluted as "Time's Crucible". That's seriously the only thing good i can say about it. I'm hoping Witch Mark is better because WHEW this wasn't good.
Even 2 out of 5.
Ace doesn't show up until 1/3 ish ito the book and the doctor's barely even in it. he kind of pops up every now and then, strokes his chin and goes "I see...." but doesn't do anything. It's the BARE minimum to be called a doctor who book.
You may have seen this in other reviews, but yes. the fact that this book is the 2nd in the "Cat's Cradle" Trilogy means nothing. it has nothing to do with the previous book and i think the only thing connecting it is that a cat shows up in it for a few pages. Other than that, they barely even mention the first of the trilogy if they even do at all.
The story has 3000 side character to the point that i don't even know who's who. The side character took over the story and barely let the doctor even be in it. They try to build up this world about how it's a dystopian future with terrible pollution and how this guy O'hara wants to like, put people's brains in computers so the pollution won't matter.
However that's only a small part as we spend a LARGE portion of the book following randos around as they talk about how the current situation they live in is bad and then flashback to their childhoods for 20 pages. and i know it's shocking, but i don't care.
The book is wrapped up STUPIDLY fast. like the last 12 pages is the climax, the resolution, and the epilogue all in one shot and MAN does it feel rushed. And of course, the doctor doesn't DO anything. he kind of just stands there and goes "yep, i'm going to let this play out."
I CALL him the doctor, but for the short time he's in it, he doesn't even FEEL like the doctor. he feels like a random guy who just happens to be walking around.
The side characters were are terrible and boring, Ace acted really weird in this one too. Like the fun Ace from the TV series is gone and replaced with this hardened, boring no-nonsense person that i don't know WHO this was supposed to be, but it wasn't Ace.
I'm sticking by my theory that Andrew wrote this as a separate dystopian novel about pollution but couldn't sell it so when he got commissioned to write a doctor who book he just pulled it out of the closet and slapped the Who logo on it.
This book was not fun, not entertaining, and doesn't even qualify as a who book. The only POSITIVE thing about it was that the writing wasn't as convoluted as "Time's Crucible". That's seriously the only thing good i can say about it. I'm hoping Witch Mark is better because WHEW this wasn't good.
Even 2 out of 5.
spacephilosopher's review
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
isayhourwrong's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Cartmel you are on thin ice babyyy
cwsawyer's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Neat stuff. I am enjoying going back into Doctor Who history and reading the stories of this era, this version of Seven is interesting, if slightly off putting really
nwhyte's review
3.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1391423.html
I was rather impressed by this Doctor Who novel in the New Adventures series. The Seventh Doctor and Ace get caught up in the nasty machinations of a near-future biotech firm, variously in the US, London and a small island near Istanbul. Cartmel is a very good descriptive writer, both in terms of establishing the physical setting and in terms of getting inside the heads of Ace and the other characters. The Istanbul chapters in particular had some memorable set-pieces. As often happens, it wasn't clear that the bad guys' conspiracy made sense (and even less clear how the Doctor had got involved in stopping it; or for that matter where the cat's cradle of the title comes into it) but I very much enjoyed the ride. Possibly the first really adult Doctor Who novel.
I was rather impressed by this Doctor Who novel in the New Adventures series. The Seventh Doctor and Ace get caught up in the nasty machinations of a near-future biotech firm, variously in the US, London and a small island near Istanbul. Cartmel is a very good descriptive writer, both in terms of establishing the physical setting and in terms of getting inside the heads of Ace and the other characters. The Istanbul chapters in particular had some memorable set-pieces. As often happens, it wasn't clear that the bad guys' conspiracy made sense (and even less clear how the Doctor had got involved in stopping it; or for that matter where the cat's cradle of the title comes into it) but I very much enjoyed the ride. Possibly the first really adult Doctor Who novel.
fullfledgedegg's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gun violence
Moderate: Blood, Xenophobia, Medical content, Drug use, and Death
Minor: Child abuse, Car accident, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, and Pedophilia
nukirisame's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
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