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ondrykselecky's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
faiazalam's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This story is a standard run of the mill, monster of the week style adventure, the first half being a variant of Tooth and Claw, the second half being a variant of The Brain of Morbius. Unfortunately, the novel tends to take the weaker aspects of the two. The plot itself is structured with a very uneven pace, slow and contemplative (or at least it attempts to be) until suddenly, out of the blue, we're going at breakneck speeds, before it crashes to a halt again. The characterisation of The Doctor is well handled, and many of the side characters are well developed, but Sarah Jane simply doesn't feel like Sarah Jane. This isn't a book I'd go back to, unless I were to read the entire range from start to finish again. The scope seems muted, when considering the stories are no longer constrained by 70s budgetary requirements, and it simply doesn't leave much of an impression. Pretty fun in the moment, completely forgettable afterwards.
deranged_pegasus's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved reading this. This is the first Doctor Who book I have been able to read and it was so much fun to read. The voice of the Doctor came through so well and I enjoyed how the book showed how much of life is intertwined through the way that the Doctor and Sarah encountered both Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Rudyard Kipling. The way the author fluidly inserted the Doctor's adventure into a 'true' timeline was masterful and I look forward to reading more of his books.
saoki's review against another edition
4.0
This feels like a good book to hand to someone that has only ever watched the new Doctor Who series, as it is a the-Doctor-plays-Sherlock-Holmes adventure, filled with fun, weirdness and Nice Hats (it is, after all, a period piece).
It doesn't spoils anything to say that the story is a play on The Hound of the Baskervilles, since anyone familiar with the Conan Doyle story will realize that within the first few pages and someone unfamiliar with it won't have anything about The Hound actually spoiled (that's Doctor Who magic for you), but it is done in such a careful and loving way that I can only assume the writer researched carefully not only the 4th Doctor's character, but also Conan Doyle's stories and their historical setting. Everything is perfectly placed. Also, Sarah Jane is specially magnificent, but I might just be biased.
It doesn't spoils anything to say that the story is a play on The Hound of the Baskervilles, since anyone familiar with the Conan Doyle story will realize that within the first few pages and someone unfamiliar with it won't have anything about The Hound actually spoiled (that's Doctor Who magic for you), but it is done in such a careful and loving way that I can only assume the writer researched carefully not only the 4th Doctor's character, but also Conan Doyle's stories and their historical setting. Everything is perfectly placed. Also, Sarah Jane is specially magnificent, but I might just be biased.
joebardsley's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
scottishvix's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
scampr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Taking place between the events of The Brain of Morbius and The Seeds of Doom, Evolution is a story that feels right at home with the concepts and atmosphere of season 13 and its gothic horror vision.
The setting of 1880s Dartmoor and a monstrous dog-like creature makes it apparent fairly quickly that this novel is riffing on The Hound of the Baskervilles. The presence of the author Arthur Conan Doyle makes this even clearer, implying that the events of this story influenced that particular novel and that the Doctor himself inspired the character of Sherlock Holmes. This is an idea I quite liked, particularly because of the low-key way it was handled as merely a result of the plot, and not the aim/focus of the whole novel.
In giving a Doctor Who explanation for the hound, the story expands upon it's inspiration to explore the principle of evolution and how people may try to interfere with it. The Victorian setting facilitates this concept perfectly because of the industrial revolution, socioeconomic changes and advancements in science at the time.
Although there is an alien element to the plot (which I won't spoil because it's a cool reference) it is more of a tool/power that the humans in their greed choose to exploit - and the result is something that feels supernatural, which altogether creates this really interesting balance.
In execution, this makes for a very strong story. A great historical setting that is full of atmosphere and and appropriately gothic imagery. The Doctor and Sarah are written particularly well, and on the whole the characters and dialogue are good. There are some nice moments of humour and adventure to balance against the overall darkness and brutality of the story. The mystery at play has a clever and grounded basis to it all but is intertwined with the grander adventure and fantastical elements that Doctor Who brings in.
If you can get past the couple of issues I point out in the content warnings section, there is a rather good story here if you like this particular tardis team and the vibe of that era.
The setting of 1880s Dartmoor and a monstrous dog-like creature makes it apparent fairly quickly that this novel is riffing on The Hound of the Baskervilles. The presence of the author Arthur Conan Doyle makes this even clearer, implying that the events of this story influenced that particular novel and that the Doctor himself inspired the character of Sherlock Holmes. This is an idea I quite liked, particularly because of the low-key way it was handled as merely a result of the plot, and not the aim/focus of the whole novel.
In giving a Doctor Who explanation for the hound, the story expands upon it's inspiration to explore the principle of evolution and how people may try to interfere with it. The Victorian setting facilitates this concept perfectly because of the industrial revolution, socioeconomic changes and advancements in science at the time.
Although there is an alien element to the plot (which I won't spoil because it's a cool reference) it is more of a tool/power that the humans in their greed choose to exploit - and the result is something that feels supernatural, which altogether creates this really interesting balance.
In execution, this makes for a very strong story. A great historical setting that is full of atmosphere and and appropriately gothic imagery. The Doctor and Sarah are written particularly well, and on the whole the characters and dialogue are good. There are some nice moments of humour and adventure to balance against the overall darkness and brutality of the story. The mystery at play has a clever and grounded basis to it all but is intertwined with the grander adventure and fantastical elements that Doctor Who brings in.
If you can get past the couple of issues I point out in the content warnings section, there is a rather good story here if you like this particular tardis team and the vibe of that era.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Child abuse, and Sexism
The writer, John Peel, is the same who wrote Timewyrm: Genesys, which is notorious for being a bit misogynistic, creepy toward women and having some confused attitudes about sexual assault. I wouldn't say this is as bad and there's nothing intrinsic to the story I have faults with, but there are a handful of pervy and/or sexist moments with the female characters. The worst part was the story going out of it's way to mention that an orphaned girl of around 11 years old was not only controlled/abused by her guardian, but sexually assaulted. This story occasionally feels the need to affirm the bleakness and depravity the time period could be guilty of, but this felt unnecessary.khourianya's review against another edition
5.0
Yep - another Doctor Who Missing Adventures book. Bet you are SHOCKED!
This time Sarah Jane Smith innocently requests that she would like to meet Rudyard Kipling and the Fourth Doctor agrees to take her. Unfortunately, the TARDIS lands 10 years too early while Kipling is still a young man and before his writing career. But the TARDIS always knows where the Doctor is needed. Shortly after they step out, Sarah Jane is knocked off her feet by a monstrous dog and the adventure begins.
In Devon, there are a whole bunch of mysterious happenings - children are going missing, there are strange lights in the water, and old fisherman dies when half of his face is bitten off and a new factory has sprung up on the edge of town. When young ship surgeon Doyle is brought into the mystery to perform an autopsy on the fisherman, he is drawn into the adventure. He is an aspiring writer on the hunt for new material and the Doctor provides just that - right down to the deerstalker cap and caped jacket that his most famous character ends up wearing...oh yeah - that young ship surgeon? That'd be a certain Arthur Conan Doyle.
I just loved the pace of this book. The way the famous characters were seamlessly woven into the tale and the way the adventure unfolded was just brilliant. For a little bit of pulp fiction, this one made me want to keep coming back. It also made me love Sara Jane even more. I mean she is among my favourite companions anyway - to see her kicking ass at the turn of the century and helping to shape future events as she went - it was thrilling.
So - if you;re a Whovian missing your fix - this is a good choice to fill the gap.
This time Sarah Jane Smith innocently requests that she would like to meet Rudyard Kipling and the Fourth Doctor agrees to take her. Unfortunately, the TARDIS lands 10 years too early while Kipling is still a young man and before his writing career. But the TARDIS always knows where the Doctor is needed. Shortly after they step out, Sarah Jane is knocked off her feet by a monstrous dog and the adventure begins.
In Devon, there are a whole bunch of mysterious happenings - children are going missing, there are strange lights in the water, and old fisherman dies when half of his face is bitten off and a new factory has sprung up on the edge of town. When young ship surgeon Doyle is brought into the mystery to perform an autopsy on the fisherman, he is drawn into the adventure. He is an aspiring writer on the hunt for new material and the Doctor provides just that - right down to the deerstalker cap and caped jacket that his most famous character ends up wearing...oh yeah - that young ship surgeon? That'd be a certain Arthur Conan Doyle.
I just loved the pace of this book. The way the famous characters were seamlessly woven into the tale and the way the adventure unfolded was just brilliant. For a little bit of pulp fiction, this one made me want to keep coming back. It also made me love Sara Jane even more. I mean she is among my favourite companions anyway - to see her kicking ass at the turn of the century and helping to shape future events as she went - it was thrilling.
So - if you;re a Whovian missing your fix - this is a good choice to fill the gap.
andystehr's review against another edition
4.0
Good stuff. The voices of the 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith were very well captured. I enjoyed the celebrity cameos as well.
iphigenie72's review
3.0
I enjoyed this. It was fun to meet Arthur Conan Doyle and Rudyard Kipling and see how the author of this DW book imagined them to be. I really liked the idea of mixing human and animal together that reminded me of The Island of Doctor Moreau. Good happy ending.