Scan barcode
dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
The Doctor, Amy, and Rory wind up in London in 2789, just in time to see an android dredged from teh Thames. But how could a model of android that's just been created be almost a thousand years old? And what does its warning to the Doctor mean?
I'm not sure why I originally picked this up since I pretty much swore off reading George Mann after so-so experiences with [b:The Affinity Bridge|3472342|The Affinity Bridge (Newbury and Hobbes, #1)|George Mann|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348421888s/3472342.jpg|3513645], [b:The Osiris Ritual|6066181|The Osiris Ritual (Newbury and Hobbes, #2)|George Mann|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1285692392s/6066181.jpg|4833958], and [b:Ghosts of Manhattan|6058062|Ghosts of Manhattan (The Ghost, #1)|George Mann|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1332245517s/6058062.jpg|6234174]. I think what sold me is that the plot description reminded me of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where they found Data's severed head in a cave beneath San Francisco.
This Doctor Who novel was actually the best Eleventh Doctor novel I've read so far. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory were portrayed with more accuracy than I've encountered in the past. The supporting characters, Arven the Android and Archibald Angelchrist, an old man with a past of adventuring, did their part more than adequately.
The plot is a pretty good one and could easily have been an Doctor Who episode. While the Doctor goes back to 1910 to investigate, Rory and Amy stay put in 2789 to check on Professor Gradius, a scientist conducting time travel experiments, only to run into trouble on their own. There's some timey-whimey and the two plotlines converge, complete with running away and the Doctor saving the day.
The threat, the Squall, are a batlike species of hive-minded aliens who invade the two points in time via a rift created by Gradius' experiments. Even though I knew all the main characters would survive, things got pretty tense a few times. The Doctor wrapped things up nicely and the epilogue was pretty fitting.
For once, everything is fish fingers and custard. This is probably as close to a 4 that I'll ever give a Doctor Who novel.
I'm not sure why I originally picked this up since I pretty much swore off reading George Mann after so-so experiences with [b:The Affinity Bridge|3472342|The Affinity Bridge (Newbury and Hobbes, #1)|George Mann|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348421888s/3472342.jpg|3513645], [b:The Osiris Ritual|6066181|The Osiris Ritual (Newbury and Hobbes, #2)|George Mann|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1285692392s/6066181.jpg|4833958], and [b:Ghosts of Manhattan|6058062|Ghosts of Manhattan (The Ghost, #1)|George Mann|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1332245517s/6058062.jpg|6234174]. I think what sold me is that the plot description reminded me of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where they found Data's severed head in a cave beneath San Francisco.
This Doctor Who novel was actually the best Eleventh Doctor novel I've read so far. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory were portrayed with more accuracy than I've encountered in the past. The supporting characters, Arven the Android and Archibald Angelchrist, an old man with a past of adventuring, did their part more than adequately.
The plot is a pretty good one and could easily have been an Doctor Who episode. While the Doctor goes back to 1910 to investigate, Rory and Amy stay put in 2789 to check on Professor Gradius, a scientist conducting time travel experiments, only to run into trouble on their own. There's some timey-whimey and the two plotlines converge, complete with running away and the Doctor saving the day.
The threat, the Squall, are a batlike species of hive-minded aliens who invade the two points in time via a rift created by Gradius' experiments. Even though I knew all the main characters would survive, things got pretty tense a few times. The Doctor wrapped things up nicely and the epilogue was pretty fitting.
For once, everything is fish fingers and custard. This is probably as close to a 4 that I'll ever give a Doctor Who novel.
rebelbelle13's review against another edition
4.0
This was a wonderfully surprising 11th Doctor installment of the continuing series. The story takes place simultaneously in the the early 20th century and the late 28th century, centering on a psychic feeding race called the Squall that live outside of time. Amy and Rory are in character and capable as always, assisting the Doctor from across time. The Doctor gets help from an unlikely source- a ex-cop from London who has a history of dealing with creatures and other questionable cases named Professor Angelchrist. The situation and character are reminiscent of The Talons of Weng Chiang from Tom Baker's era. Amy and Rory are helped by an AI robot she names Arvin. As most of these future-past stories go, everything is connected and has been always as it will be. It's comforting to see narratives wrapped up this way, and I love how the Doctor was able to include the Professor and Arvin in the conclusion.
This is an interesting, fun timey-wimey little story, and a good place for anyone to enter the world of Doctor Who novels.
This is an interesting, fun timey-wimey little story, and a good place for anyone to enter the world of Doctor Who novels.
beth_books_123's review against another edition
4.0
Ranked #6 (out of 18) of my holiday reads
A seriously clever paradox - 4.5*
This book is ridiculous confusing; if you're looking for a simple plot then this book is definitely not it. This book is full of 'timey wimey' goodness and the plot perfectly matches the craziness of the 11th Doctor. The 11th Doctor is quirky and so is this plot.
Amy and Rory enhance this story; they don't deter it, which has become quite a common occurrence in the series of the New Doctor Who Adventures. Amy and Rory's dynamics aid the story and add humour to sad moments of the adventure.
The brilliant thing about this story is that it's set both in 1910 and the 28th century. So we have extreme contrasts, which highlight the brilliance of Mann's writing as he is able to create two clear worlds, which are meddled in by the Doctor and his companions.
I really liked the morality and quirkiness of the story. It was so nice to be surprised by Doctor Who - I've missed that magic!
A seriously clever paradox - 4.5*
This book is ridiculous confusing; if you're looking for a simple plot then this book is definitely not it. This book is full of 'timey wimey' goodness and the plot perfectly matches the craziness of the 11th Doctor. The 11th Doctor is quirky and so is this plot.
Amy and Rory enhance this story; they don't deter it, which has become quite a common occurrence in the series of the New Doctor Who Adventures. Amy and Rory's dynamics aid the story and add humour to sad moments of the adventure.
The brilliant thing about this story is that it's set both in 1910 and the 28th century. So we have extreme contrasts, which highlight the brilliance of Mann's writing as he is able to create two clear worlds, which are meddled in by the Doctor and his companions.
I really liked the morality and quirkiness of the story. It was so nice to be surprised by Doctor Who - I've missed that magic!
starryworlds's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 90 pages.
The writing style in this book just wasn't for me and it failed to get me interested in the story. It got to the point with this book that I either forced myself to read it or I made excuses to not read it so I just gave up on it.
There are, in my opinion, better Doctor Who books out there than this one.
Also the one thing that bothers me about the blurb to this book is that 1910 and 2789 is not over a thousand years.
The writing style in this book just wasn't for me and it failed to get me interested in the story. It got to the point with this book that I either forced myself to read it or I made excuses to not read it so I just gave up on it.
There are, in my opinion, better Doctor Who books out there than this one.
Also the one thing that bothers me about the blurb to this book is that 1910 and 2789 is not over a thousand years.
sabregirl's review against another edition
3.0
I really like that these more recent books involving Eleven have a lot more references to his previous incarnations. I loved the mentions of Three, Four, Nine and Six in this book. Especially the Bessie mention as the Doctor was driving around in a 1910 car. But other than that, the plot and the story was kinda dull and predictable. I did like the monsters even though they reminded me a lot of the monsters from Father's Day, except you know erasing you from existence hey just sucked out your energy, which is still kinda lame. Yeah the only reason it got high marks is because of the Three references.
raemelle's review against another edition
4.0
One of the better Doctor Who books I’ve read in a while. Love reading about future Earths.
It’s funny, I listened to the audiobook, and this is the second time I’ve heard a reader give the 11th Doctor a 10th Doctor voice. It was sometimes a bit anachronistic, but not bad, necessarily. Just kind of funny. He’d emphasize syllables and words the way 10 does.
It’s funny, I listened to the audiobook, and this is the second time I’ve heard a reader give the 11th Doctor a 10th Doctor voice. It was sometimes a bit anachronistic, but not bad, necessarily. Just kind of funny. He’d emphasize syllables and words the way 10 does.
evervalley's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
☆☆☆¾
The thing I love about these books is it gives you the thing you wish you had more of, time. Getting to see more of your favourite Doctor and Companion(s) in new adventures - even if they aren’t on screen.
When reading these books it’s like watching an episode, I read what the characters say in their voice and I can imagine the Doctor marvelling over a top hat, they truly do come to life even if it’s just your imagination, it feels like they were truly episodes.
I absolutely loved how we saw a lot of Rory and his thoughts throughout Paradox Lost, normally it’s more focused on the Doctor and Amy but it felt nice to have an adventure that was more Rory centric which is something I wished we saw in a TV episode.
One thing I thought the book done well was remind us of how dangerous the Doctor can be, quite a few times with Angelchrist’s chapters I found myself being reminded of Vampires in Venice when Rory told the Doctor he was dangerous and made people dangerous. We see the Doctor through a new pair of eyes and how easy it is for someone to just follow the Doctor despite all the danger and how easy it is to get caught up with him and to follow him.
I’m glad I picked this one up.
The thing I love about these books is it gives you the thing you wish you had more of, time. Getting to see more of your favourite Doctor and Companion(s) in new adventures - even if they aren’t on screen.
When reading these books it’s like watching an episode, I read what the characters say in their voice and I can imagine the Doctor marvelling over a top hat, they truly do come to life even if it’s just your imagination, it feels like they were truly episodes.
I absolutely loved how we saw a lot of Rory and his thoughts throughout Paradox Lost, normally it’s more focused on the Doctor and Amy but it felt nice to have an adventure that was more Rory centric which is something I wished we saw in a TV episode.
One thing I thought the book done well was remind us of how dangerous the Doctor can be, quite a few times with Angelchrist’s chapters I found myself being reminded of Vampires in Venice when Rory told the Doctor he was dangerous and made people dangerous. We see the Doctor through a new pair of eyes and how easy it is for someone to just follow the Doctor despite all the danger and how easy it is to get caught up with him and to follow him.
I’m glad I picked this one up.
katierem277's review against another edition
4.0
While I often find Doctor Who novels to be a bit lackluster compared to the show (mainly, I think, because nothing of real, lasting significance can happen in them), this was a very enjoyable story and one of the best DW novels I have read. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory were well-characterized and accurately portrayed, the new characters were likable and interesting, and the plot was the perfect amount of timey-wimey without being too convoluted. In fact, the plot was very good and I could easy see it as an actual episode. It had unique villains that were appropriately menacing, plenty of time travel, and a great paradoxical conclusion. My only major criticism is that the point of view, primarily switching between Rory and Angelchrist, felt a bit awkward at times, like it was from their POV but only when convenient, sometimes switching to a more third-person POV. Overall, an enjoyable, albeit casual, read.
nwhyte's review against another edition
2.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1922657.html[return][return]Apart from the poor prose style, my only other objection is that it doesn't really deliver on the Miltonian reference of the title other than by having a major character called Angelchrist. The story is a workmanlike time travel tale with alien incursions, split between a rather vague future London and a more precise 1910 setting. In the audio version, Nicholas Briggs does a fantastic job of injecting life into Mann's prose (though I find his Eleventh Doctor too demotic).