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kimlynn77's review against another edition
3.0
This the slowest paced DW story I have read yet! Story was good but could have been more condensed.
h3dakota's review against another edition
4.0
Vikings, a land destined to be Scotland, the 11th Doctor minus Amy & Rory? Quite awesome. He is back to being clever in this one as well, YAY.
pantsreads's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5. I wish this had been an actual episode!
Read my review (and enter to win a copy of the book!) here.
Read my review (and enter to win a copy of the book!) here.
christajls's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
There has been this mini-trend lately of Norse mythology. I don’t know if it’s because of Thor, or simply because it’s long overdue. But whatever the reason I like it. Stories which adapt or incorporate Norse mythology and Viking culture, introduce the reader to adventurous and terrifying new worlds. Other settings have grown stale and boring from over use, but not these. They make the reader want to jump right in and fight the Viking invaders, sail the high seas and take on the wild, free world. And Doctor Who: Dark Horizons is no exception.
On a quest to find a good chess partner, the Doctor finds himself in a small village, on the eve of a Viking raid. But upon closer inspection it appears the Vikings are not invading but instead are being attacked themselves, by a mysterious fire that burns on top of the water. In true Doctor fashion he jumps in, ready to face all sorts of danger and madness on behalf of people he has never met. The Doctor’s love for the people of Earth is always astounding and humbling.
Because that love for humanity is such a core part of who the Doctor is, a good Doctor Who story will have a stellar cast of supporting characters. Sometimes so good, they steal the spotlight from the man himself. And this is exactly the case with Doctor Who: Dark Horizons. His main two temporary companions in this story are Henrik and Freydis. Henrik, a brave farm boy turned Viking, who believes in the impossible. He’s one of those pure hearted, honourable people who you’re immediately drawn to. The opposite of Freydis – a spoiled princess who is being shipped off to marry a neighbouring king. In the beginning she really grated on my nerves but she really grows throughout the book and she ended up one of my favourite characters. Oh and then there’s Luag. An adorable and bright child who brings out the best in the Doctor – as children so often do.
Doctor Who: Dark Horizons has everything that we’ve come to expect and love from a Doctor Who story but with some new twists. The alien monster is scary, the stakes are high and the Doctor is fabulous but there are new characters to get to know and a fresh setting.
Recommendation: Jenny T Colgan did a fantastic job bringing the Doctor to life in the pages of Dark Horizon. New and old fans alike will enjoy this glimpse into what the Doctor gets up to when he’s travelling alone.
There has been this mini-trend lately of Norse mythology. I don’t know if it’s because of Thor, or simply because it’s long overdue. But whatever the reason I like it. Stories which adapt or incorporate Norse mythology and Viking culture, introduce the reader to adventurous and terrifying new worlds. Other settings have grown stale and boring from over use, but not these. They make the reader want to jump right in and fight the Viking invaders, sail the high seas and take on the wild, free world. And Doctor Who: Dark Horizons is no exception.
On a quest to find a good chess partner, the Doctor finds himself in a small village, on the eve of a Viking raid. But upon closer inspection it appears the Vikings are not invading but instead are being attacked themselves, by a mysterious fire that burns on top of the water. In true Doctor fashion he jumps in, ready to face all sorts of danger and madness on behalf of people he has never met. The Doctor’s love for the people of Earth is always astounding and humbling.
Because that love for humanity is such a core part of who the Doctor is, a good Doctor Who story will have a stellar cast of supporting characters. Sometimes so good, they steal the spotlight from the man himself. And this is exactly the case with Doctor Who: Dark Horizons. His main two temporary companions in this story are Henrik and Freydis. Henrik, a brave farm boy turned Viking, who believes in the impossible. He’s one of those pure hearted, honourable people who you’re immediately drawn to. The opposite of Freydis – a spoiled princess who is being shipped off to marry a neighbouring king. In the beginning she really grated on my nerves but she really grows throughout the book and she ended up one of my favourite characters. Oh and then there’s Luag. An adorable and bright child who brings out the best in the Doctor – as children so often do.
Doctor Who: Dark Horizons has everything that we’ve come to expect and love from a Doctor Who story but with some new twists. The alien monster is scary, the stakes are high and the Doctor is fabulous but there are new characters to get to know and a fresh setting.
Recommendation: Jenny T Colgan did a fantastic job bringing the Doctor to life in the pages of Dark Horizon. New and old fans alike will enjoy this glimpse into what the Doctor gets up to when he’s travelling alone.
chocolatequeen's review against another edition
5.0
Of all the novels I've read with the Eleventh Doctor, this is the best. The Doctor is traveling alone and lands somewhere in the North Sea... in the Middle Ages. There are Vikings and Scots and an alien that lives on electricity and even true love.
The story itself was top notch. The new monster fit right into the Who pantheon. The Arill live on electricity, and in pre-Industrial Earth, the only source is the brain. They're consuming people, and of course, the Doctor can't have that.
But it was the original characters that really made this novel shine. Henrick and Freydis, the Viking princess on her way to her new husband and the sailor in charge of getting her there, were fantastic. I particularly enjoyed the interactions between Henrick and the Doctor.
Corc, Braan, Brogan, and Luag, the Scots we got to know the best, were all unique individuals. Corc was a fantastic stoic chief trying to hold things together as his village and family fell apart.
In short, I highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for an adventure with Eleven, or just a great science fiction story in general.
The story itself was top notch. The new monster fit right into the Who pantheon. The Arill live on electricity, and in pre-Industrial Earth, the only source is the brain. They're consuming people, and of course, the Doctor can't have that.
But it was the original characters that really made this novel shine. Henrick and Freydis, the Viking princess on her way to her new husband and the sailor in charge of getting her there, were fantastic. I particularly enjoyed the interactions between Henrick and the Doctor.
Corc, Braan, Brogan, and Luag, the Scots we got to know the best, were all unique individuals. Corc was a fantastic stoic chief trying to hold things together as his village and family fell apart.
In short, I highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for an adventure with Eleven, or just a great science fiction story in general.
weweresotired's review against another edition
3.0
See more reviews at The Best Books Ever!
Dark Horizons is an Eleventh Doctor story where the Doctor is traveling on his own, and winds up in Viking times, where I'm sure he didn't mean to wind up but did anyway. That's how every good Doctor Who story starts out, isn't it? Once there, he realizes there's a bigger problem than just the fact that he's in the wrong time and place and, as always, has to put his plans aside to help out the residents of the island of Lowith against a very powerful, deadly alien life force.
It was entertaining to see the Doctor struggle to effectively communicate with the islanders and the Vikings -- here's a man who's been to countless time periods and galaxies and planets and who interacts with all types of alien life forms, but give him a people who have no word to describe the color of the TARDIS, and he's honestly a bit lost. I really enjoyed the supporting cast in this book, especially since we didn't have a familiar companion to accompany the Doctor on this journey. The characters, especially the displaced princess Freydis and her reluctant guard Henrik, all have developed personalities and experience growth over the course of the book. Freydis and Henrik made excellent stand-in companions, and something tells me they'd get along well enough with Amy and Rory, were their paths to ever cross.
Some of my favorite moments in the book were when the Doctor was talking with Luag, a small, seven-year old boy. The Doctor has empathy for all people and all situations but he is often at his best with children, and that really showed through here. His scenes with Luag were often very poignant, this 900+ year old man patiently sharing knowledge and frolicking on a beach with a small child. They made me smile, which was nice levity from some of the surprisingly sad scenes that take place later in the book.
I don't think you need to be a Who fan to enjoy or understand this book -- all you need to know is that he's a time-traveling 900+ year old alien, really -- but as always, I think it's a story that is most appreciated by fans. As an aside, it's a little vague as to where this story fits in to the timeline, but I assume it's some time after season 6, due to one passing reference to an astronaut suit that would make more sense had that season already happened. Ultimately it doesn't matter much where the story fits in the timeline, it's just that this Doctor seems almost melancholy at times and not quite as all-out wacky as Eleven at his most carefree heights can be.
There is some Viking and alien-related violence, but nothing worse than you'd see on the TV show, so I'd say that this is a fine book for teens and up.
Dark Horizons is an Eleventh Doctor story where the Doctor is traveling on his own, and winds up in Viking times, where I'm sure he didn't mean to wind up but did anyway. That's how every good Doctor Who story starts out, isn't it? Once there, he realizes there's a bigger problem than just the fact that he's in the wrong time and place and, as always, has to put his plans aside to help out the residents of the island of Lowith against a very powerful, deadly alien life force.
It was entertaining to see the Doctor struggle to effectively communicate with the islanders and the Vikings -- here's a man who's been to countless time periods and galaxies and planets and who interacts with all types of alien life forms, but give him a people who have no word to describe the color of the TARDIS, and he's honestly a bit lost. I really enjoyed the supporting cast in this book, especially since we didn't have a familiar companion to accompany the Doctor on this journey. The characters, especially the displaced princess Freydis and her reluctant guard Henrik, all have developed personalities and experience growth over the course of the book. Freydis and Henrik made excellent stand-in companions, and something tells me they'd get along well enough with Amy and Rory, were their paths to ever cross.
Some of my favorite moments in the book were when the Doctor was talking with Luag, a small, seven-year old boy. The Doctor has empathy for all people and all situations but he is often at his best with children, and that really showed through here. His scenes with Luag were often very poignant, this 900+ year old man patiently sharing knowledge and frolicking on a beach with a small child. They made me smile, which was nice levity from some of the surprisingly sad scenes that take place later in the book.
I don't think you need to be a Who fan to enjoy or understand this book -- all you need to know is that he's a time-traveling 900+ year old alien, really -- but as always, I think it's a story that is most appreciated by fans. As an aside, it's a little vague as to where this story fits in to the timeline, but I assume it's some time after season 6, due to one passing reference to an astronaut suit that would make more sense had that season already happened. Ultimately it doesn't matter much where the story fits in the timeline, it's just that this Doctor seems almost melancholy at times and not quite as all-out wacky as Eleven at his most carefree heights can be.
There is some Viking and alien-related violence, but nothing worse than you'd see on the TV show, so I'd say that this is a fine book for teens and up.
rebelbelle13's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I could rate this book higher, since it is my favorite incarnation of The Doctor, but sadly, this book just lacked... something. It was boring. It dragged on in many parts, and I was seriously considering skimming or skipping to the end. There was way too much filler and repetition toward the middle, to the point where The Doctor even comments something to the effect of "I usually solve problems in under an hour, and this is just taking days." (hardy-har) The Doctor just gives the Arill way too many chances and lets far too many people die before taking action. That's the bad stuff. Now, the good stuff, of which there are a few things: The Doctor's character. Colgan hit the nail on the head, and he's spot on. I could see him in my head speaking the lines and acting out the scenes. Well done. I really enjoyed the historical setting, and the Viking culture. I also loved the tie-in with the Aurora Borealis, and Henrik and Freydis piloting the TARDIS. The Doctor was by himself here, with no companions (most likely between Amy and Rory and Clara), which is rare. Honestly, there's a lot of good here, but it's lost in between filler and it's a hundred pages longer than it really needed to be. All in all, it's serviceable, and enjoyable, but a little long.
beth_books_123's review against another edition
2.0
What a disappointment - 2*
To say this is in the same collection as The Dalek Generation and The Plague of the Cyberman, HUGELY disappointing.
The monster was ridiculous and bored me completely.
The characters and their plot weren't that exciting.
WHY WEREN'T THE VIKINGS MORE EXCITING?
I've read 39 of these now so I know not to have the highest expectations but even some of the Martha adventures were more interesting than this one.
To say this is in the same collection as The Dalek Generation and The Plague of the Cyberman, HUGELY disappointing.
The monster was ridiculous and bored me completely.
The characters and their plot weren't that exciting.
WHY WEREN'T THE VIKINGS MORE EXCITING?
I've read 39 of these now so I know not to have the highest expectations but even some of the Martha adventures were more interesting than this one.
saoki's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure what happened with this book. It's well written, has a cool creature, the Doctor is pretty doctorish and the historical bits are mostly correct, but it came out pretty boring. There is a strong start and a nice ending, but the middle is more of a muddle, like it was supposed to be a lot shorter.