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riverstills's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kilgoretroutsky's review against another edition
4.0
Wherein the Universe is doomed, tea is served almost too frequently even by British standards, and the Doctor brings a spaceship to multiple orgasms...
I picked this book up for no reason other than Douglas Adams' name emblazoned on the cover. It's one of his Dr Who stories that, due to the strike, never made it to air. And at this point in my life, I was glad to see his name again. I read the Hitchhiker books straight through years ago, same with the Dirk Gently ones, and I was missing his humor something terrible. So, when I was idly browsing in a bookstore months ago, I picked it up without a second thought. Even though not exactly a Douglas Adams novel, it was enough for me.
Gareth Roberts did a commendable job here. He had a lot of material going in, what with the original scripts and Adams' notes, but it has to be said that connecting the dots left behind and the fact he was able to piece it all together to turn it into something that read like Adams was a hell of thing to pull off. It was all there: the humor, the improbability, and the way you were left wishing you could spend just a few more pages with these characters once the story ended. And that was what Douglas Adams was always good at. That's what all enjoyable stories are good at.
Was it the greatest science fiction novel ever written? Well, no, but it was damn fun. And sometimes, that's enough.
I picked this book up for no reason other than Douglas Adams' name emblazoned on the cover. It's one of his Dr Who stories that, due to the strike, never made it to air. And at this point in my life, I was glad to see his name again. I read the Hitchhiker books straight through years ago, same with the Dirk Gently ones, and I was missing his humor something terrible. So, when I was idly browsing in a bookstore months ago, I picked it up without a second thought. Even though not exactly a Douglas Adams novel, it was enough for me.
Gareth Roberts did a commendable job here. He had a lot of material going in, what with the original scripts and Adams' notes, but it has to be said that connecting the dots left behind and the fact he was able to piece it all together to turn it into something that read like Adams was a hell of thing to pull off. It was all there: the humor, the improbability, and the way you were left wishing you could spend just a few more pages with these characters once the story ended. And that was what Douglas Adams was always good at. That's what all enjoyable stories are good at.
Was it the greatest science fiction novel ever written? Well, no, but it was damn fun. And sometimes, that's enough.
jadziadax's review against another edition
5.0
always wary of tv tie-in novels, but this was so FUN! Just fun and a bit like a hot of tea - comforting and cozy. Thanks to Brierly for buddy reading!
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
The Doctor and Romana receive a mysterious distress signal, leading them to Cambridge University, home of The Doctor's old friend and fellow Time Lord, Professor Chronotis. Chronotis inadvertantly lets a Time Lord artifact, a book entitled The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey, pass into the hands of a clueless young student. Unfortunately, an egomanic called Skagra also has designs on the book and will do anything to get it. Can The Doctor find the book, stop Skagra's nefarious scheme, and unearth the secrets of Shada?
I have a confession to make. Before getting hooked on the adventures of the eleventh Doctor and began backtracking, my only exposure to Doctor Who was on Sunday nights, waiting through Pertwee and Baker episodes for Red Dwarf to come on. I've since mended my ways.
I recently read [b:Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles|8454751|Doctor Who The Coming of the Terraphiles|Michael Moorcock|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327112317s/8454751.jpg|13318865] and was disappointed with it despite it having been written by Michael Moorcock. I'm happy to say that this one was loads better.
Crafted from mostly unfilmed [a:Douglas Adams|4|Douglas Adams|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1189120061p2/4.jpg]'s scripts, Shada is the tale of three Time Lords against a man with a sphere capable of absorbing people's minds. Skagra, the villain, manages to be simultaneously menacing and somewhat ridiculous. From his first appearance at the Think Tank, Skagra presents a capable threat to the Doctor. The subplots involing the unspoken feeling between the grad students, Clare and Chris, as well as Professor Chronotis and his place in the secret history of the Time Lords, kept things from being The Doctor running from enemies on every other page.
The meaning of the title, Shada, is only revealed about 75% of the way through. I don't want to spoil anything but I would love to see Shada depicted in a future Doctor Who episode. I guess I'll have to settle for watching Tom Baker's run as the fourth Doctor.
The writing was very engaging. There were tastes of Adams' style throughout but without as much absurdity as the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Guide was even mentioned once in the text. References to past and future Doctor Who episodes were littered throughout, even mentioning edible ballbearings. I loved when Roberts had the Doctor poke fun at his supposed reliance on the Sonic Screwdriver. "I'm about to not rely on it for everything again in a moment" or something to that effect.
In conclusion, Shada is everything Coming of the Terraphiles wasn't. There's plenty of the Doctor and the Sonic Screwdriver gets a fair amount of use. While there is a lot of the Doctor and companions running from enemies, there's a good amount of humor and dramatic tension as well. I wouldn't say it's a must read for Doctor Who fans but it's a lot of fun.
I have a confession to make. Before getting hooked on the adventures of the eleventh Doctor and began backtracking, my only exposure to Doctor Who was on Sunday nights, waiting through Pertwee and Baker episodes for Red Dwarf to come on. I've since mended my ways.
I recently read [b:Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles|8454751|Doctor Who The Coming of the Terraphiles|Michael Moorcock|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327112317s/8454751.jpg|13318865] and was disappointed with it despite it having been written by Michael Moorcock. I'm happy to say that this one was loads better.
Crafted from mostly unfilmed [a:Douglas Adams|4|Douglas Adams|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1189120061p2/4.jpg]'s scripts, Shada is the tale of three Time Lords against a man with a sphere capable of absorbing people's minds. Skagra, the villain, manages to be simultaneously menacing and somewhat ridiculous. From his first appearance at the Think Tank, Skagra presents a capable threat to the Doctor. The subplots involing the unspoken feeling between the grad students, Clare and Chris, as well as Professor Chronotis and his place in the secret history of the Time Lords, kept things from being The Doctor running from enemies on every other page.
The meaning of the title, Shada, is only revealed about 75% of the way through. I don't want to spoil anything but I would love to see Shada depicted in a future Doctor Who episode. I guess I'll have to settle for watching Tom Baker's run as the fourth Doctor.
The writing was very engaging. There were tastes of Adams' style throughout but without as much absurdity as the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Guide was even mentioned once in the text. References to past and future Doctor Who episodes were littered throughout, even mentioning edible ballbearings. I loved when Roberts had the Doctor poke fun at his supposed reliance on the Sonic Screwdriver. "I'm about to not rely on it for everything again in a moment" or something to that effect.
In conclusion, Shada is everything Coming of the Terraphiles wasn't. There's plenty of the Doctor and the Sonic Screwdriver gets a fair amount of use. While there is a lot of the Doctor and companions running from enemies, there's a good amount of humor and dramatic tension as well. I wouldn't say it's a must read for Doctor Who fans but it's a lot of fun.
bkoser's review against another edition
3.0
I like Doctor Who, but just the new series, and not enough to read any books. I imagine compared to other Doctor Who books this is pretty good.
I actually read Shada because I'm a big Douglas Adams fan, and this book is based on one of his TV scripts. Compared to Adams's books, Shada doesn't impress.
The plot has some interesting moments but is pretty standard classic Who. Many of the characters are precursors to characters in later Adams works, and the author throws in some fun references to H2G2.
If you're into classic Who, I'm sure you'll love this book. If you're just a completist Adams fan, you can save yourself the time and read the Wikipedia summary.
I actually read Shada because I'm a big Douglas Adams fan, and this book is based on one of his TV scripts. Compared to Adams's books, Shada doesn't impress.
The plot has some interesting moments but is pretty standard classic Who. Many of the characters are precursors to characters in later Adams works, and the author throws in some fun references to H2G2.
If you're into classic Who, I'm sure you'll love this book. If you're just a completist Adams fan, you can save yourself the time and read the Wikipedia summary.
affyfe's review against another edition
2.0
I got this book in a book exchange and I'll admit I wasn't super excited about it to start off with since I'm not a doctor who fan. But I do like Douglass Adams so I figured I give it a try. This was an easy to read book but I do feel like I missed some of the inside jokes about Doctor Who. While there were times I laughed, this book didn't bring much to the table as far as plot. You could see glimpses of Adams, but it did't feel like his best work. Not recommended unless you're a fan of Doctor Who.
nowwearealltom's review against another edition
5.0
To call this the definitive Shada is probably an oxymoron, but it comes damn close. At any rate it's the most cohesive and polished version. I was worried after Eoin Colfer's fake Douglas Adams book that another fake Douglas Adams book was the last thing we needed, but Gareth Roberts has delivered a take on Douglas Adams that sounds neither like the man himself nor like an inferior copy but rather a well-executed, loving tribute. Any fan of Doctor Who or Douglas Adams ought to check this out.
reallyrob's review against another edition
5.0
I loved it. Roberts did justice to the unfinished Douglas Adams scripts (this book was a novelization of those scripts). In many ways it reads like the modern Doctor Who TV series, but with callbacks to the older series that existed when the original scripts were written.
lisa_pizza's review against another edition
4.0
Such a fun book. As far as cannon goes, the Doctor may have been a bit too silly at times, but it matched Adams' humor so I forgive it. The last Doctor Who book I read was rather convoluted in how much it jumped through time and along the Doctor and Romana's timelines, and I'm happy that this book did not do the same. The villain was just the right balance of menacing, insane, and pitiful. The human characters were evenly brilliant and clumsy. My only complaint is that perhaps it dragged on a bit too long towards the end and all the twists were blatantly obvious. A little less hinting during the dialogue would've hidden the twists better. Overall a really really fun read.
huntercamp's review against another edition
5.0
It wasn't the quickest read, but I also haven't had the most free time. It is, however, a lot of fun, and as I've not seen the episodes, I really enjoyed it. It's fun, adventurous, and funny. Quite honestly, Skagra's ship is one of the funniest characters I've encountered.