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faiazalam's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
This one is a thoroughly unremarkable tale. There's not much going for it other than the fact that The Sontarans are in it. There's an interesting attempt at incorporating a culture that isn't often seen in Dr Who into the story, but it's not done particularly effectively and the idea that an Indian society would still be inundated with the caste system and arranged marriages when they were by and large eradicated by the 90s, when this book was written, doesn't quite sit well with me. It's not really touched upon at any point either, with The Doctor and Turlough quite easily accepting these darker parts of the society in which they find themselves in.
The story is very basic, and drawn out far longer than it needs to be. The Sontarans try to trick the Rutans into thinking that they're on Indra and when the Rutans (no I will not be using Rutan as a plural) arrive, the Sontarans blow them and the Earth colony up. More than half of the book is dedicated to a painfully slow build up before the story rockets into an action sequence going at a million miles per hour. The pacing of the story is all over the place and is incredibly inconsistent throughout, leading to really uneven storytelling.
The characterisation of the principle characters are fine, The Doctor and Turlough are represented well enough but the other human characters seem deeply at odds with the society in which they come from. They're from a society rife in inequality, prejudice and subjugation and yet they're largely portrayed as heroic and sympathetic? Very poorly conceptualised.
The scope is grand, and the visuals that the story strikes are quite thrilling, but really this is the only thing that this novel has going for it, and it isn't enough to save the story.
The story is very basic, and drawn out far longer than it needs to be. The Sontarans try to trick the Rutans into thinking that they're on Indra and when the Rutans (no I will not be using Rutan as a plural) arrive, the Sontarans blow them and the Earth colony up. More than half of the book is dedicated to a painfully slow build up before the story rockets into an action sequence going at a million miles per hour. The pacing of the story is all over the place and is incredibly inconsistent throughout, leading to really uneven storytelling.
The characterisation of the principle characters are fine, The Doctor and Turlough are represented well enough but the other human characters seem deeply at odds with the society in which they come from. They're from a society rife in inequality, prejudice and subjugation and yet they're largely portrayed as heroic and sympathetic? Very poorly conceptualised.
The scope is grand, and the visuals that the story strikes are quite thrilling, but really this is the only thing that this novel has going for it, and it isn't enough to save the story.
saoki's review against another edition
2.0
This book isn't badly written, but the story is told in a such a meticulous manner that the result is actually soporific. I honestly slept 4 times while reading this book, only waking up when it hit my head. Yet, it's not a bad story. The science and the action are well executed, the setting is very interesting, the solution is marvelously non-violent for something so steeped in war, there is a nice thematic correspondence between the Sontarans and the hindi-like human colony and the Doctor feels like the 5th Doctor.
But I still don't really like it.
So, nope, sorry, no coherent review for this one. This author made the a 5th Doctor adventure boring, and that is a crime in my book.
Also, you could possibly switch Turlough with a fancy lamp and it would have the same impact on the plot.
But I still don't really like it.
So, nope, sorry, no coherent review for this one. This author made the a 5th Doctor adventure boring, and that is a crime in my book.
Also, you could possibly switch Turlough with a fancy lamp and it would have the same impact on the plot.
gingerreader99's review against another edition
4.0
It's more of a 3.5 stars I want to give it 4 but it's not quite there. Though I loved visiting the Sontarans and Rutan again so soon after The Infinity Doctors and while this comes near the end of the 5th doctors era it is my first 5th doctor story and so my appreciation for this incarnation has grown considerably. I enjoyed the Space Opera/Star Wars aesthetic of this entire story and found it quite fun and a little more gritty than some adventures.
nwhyte's review
3.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1795619.html
Fifth Doctor, Turlough and Sontarans, on a human colony with an Indian cultural background, and the Rutans make an appearance as well. Lots of good continuity for both Turlough and the Sontarans, and lots of good world-building, combined with a decent plot; one to look out for.
Fifth Doctor, Turlough and Sontarans, on a human colony with an Indian cultural background, and the Rutans make an appearance as well. Lots of good continuity for both Turlough and the Sontarans, and lots of good world-building, combined with a decent plot; one to look out for.
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