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rebelbelle13's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The last 50 pages or so are the best of this particular DW installment, but I have a feeling that most readers won't make it to that point. The first 3/4 of this book feels chaotic and yet familiar in classic Doctor Who fashion. The planet is ruled by a religious police state (think Judge Dredd meets Priest) and there is the inevitable rebellion faction that opposes it. They are constantly fighting and attempting to strike at the heart of and destroy the other. When Six and Peri arrive, the former is taken prisoner by the adjudicators, and Peri is recruited by the rebellion. Nothing really happens until the very end, when the Doctor finally steps in to save the day. It's a fine, if forgettable story, cobbling together plot beats of other episodes and novels that have come before it. Six is his TV self, self-important, condescending and rude. Peri does her very best to get away from him as soon as possible, and then doesn't even consider his existence again until the very end.
When it comes down to it, the book focused way more on fighting then it did on politics, exposition, motive, or anything else of value. The reader gets no history of the planet, no rules or tenets of the church, no side characters to care about, and nothing to really sink their teeth into. There are simply humans, non-humans and the adjudicators fighting amongst themselves, and we are watching it play out from behind a window. There is a random woman who gets possessed by something at some point, but that isn't really explained either. Burning Heart truly feels like we got part of a story, and the rest was left on the cutting room floor. As it stands, it is ok, but it could definitely be better.
When it comes down to it, the book focused way more on fighting then it did on politics, exposition, motive, or anything else of value. The reader gets no history of the planet, no rules or tenets of the church, no side characters to care about, and nothing to really sink their teeth into. There are simply humans, non-humans and the adjudicators fighting amongst themselves, and we are watching it play out from behind a window. There is a random woman who gets possessed by something at some point, but that isn't really explained either. Burning Heart truly feels like we got part of a story, and the rest was left on the cutting room floor. As it stands, it is ok, but it could definitely be better.
olegx's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Ключевая особенность этой книги — присутствие тонко завуалированного мира судьи Дредда (имя местного «Дредда», Краатор — самая завуалированная часть… вуалирования). Но от такого кроссовера хочется контраста, конфликта, чтобы у сталкивания этих двух миров была цель, а тут просто Шестой Доктор, Пери и брутальный коп с подбородком решают проблему в как бы Мега-Сити Один. Это же два фундаметально разных франчайза, обидно за потенциал.
Другим ярким впечатлением является игра в «Как долго Пери сможет не замечать, что прибилась к группе нацистов?». Учитывая название организации «Humans First» — дольше чем возможно терпеть. Автор пытается здесь сказать, что во всех нас есть зерно ненависти к Другому, которое можно разжечь в определенных обстоятельствах, но это не эмоции, которые Пери испытывает в тот период. Она повелась на демагога (что тоже вполне заслуживающая исследования тема) без контекста, и затем был длинный побег от опасности с этими людьми.
Справедливости ради эта линия скорее всего длится только несколько часов (все еще слишком долго), но сюжет движется *очень* медленно, прыгая от персонажа к персонажу. Типичная склонность этих книги разделять Доктора и спутников в таких случаях выглядит огромным недостатком всей линейки.
Последней каплей оказалось открытие, что почти сверхъестественно харизматичный лидер этих нацистов — неудачливый художник. Пфффт, здесь моя способность давать книге шанс спаковала чемоданы и уехала в более теплый климат (а я остался здесь, в холоде 😥).
В попытке сказать что-нибудь хорошее про книгу отмечу, что Шестой Доктор у автора получается отлично. Нахальный, заносчивый, пафосный, переменчивый — его поведение очень развлекательно читается. Отдельно весело, что большую часть текста он проводит с инопланетянином, чем переводчик разговаривает только самыми изощренными и многосложными формулировками.
Другим ярким впечатлением является игра в «Как долго Пери сможет не замечать, что прибилась к группе нацистов?». Учитывая название организации «Humans First» — дольше чем возможно терпеть. Автор пытается здесь сказать, что во всех нас есть зерно ненависти к Другому, которое можно разжечь в определенных обстоятельствах, но это не эмоции, которые Пери испытывает в тот период. Она повелась на демагога (что тоже вполне заслуживающая исследования тема) без контекста, и затем был длинный побег от опасности с этими людьми.
Справедливости ради эта линия скорее всего длится только несколько часов (все еще слишком долго), но сюжет движется *очень* медленно, прыгая от персонажа к персонажу. Типичная склонность этих книги разделять Доктора и спутников в таких случаях выглядит огромным недостатком всей линейки.
Последней каплей оказалось открытие, что почти сверхъестественно харизматичный лидер этих нацистов — неудачливый художник. Пфффт, здесь моя способность давать книге шанс спаковала чемоданы и уехала в более теплый климат (а я остался здесь, в холоде 😥).
В попытке сказать что-нибудь хорошее про книгу отмечу, что Шестой Доктор у автора получается отлично. Нахальный, заносчивый, пафосный, переменчивый — его поведение очень развлекательно читается. Отдельно весело, что большую часть текста он проводит с инопланетянином, чем переводчик разговаривает только самыми изощренными и многосложными формулировками.
iggymcmuffin's review against another edition
1.0
This book had a lot of problems, even though at times it managed to capture this particular version of The Doctor perfectly. There were a number of plot holes. The author spends an inordinate amount of time setting the futuristic scene, throwing in so much techno-jargon and future-slang at times that it becomes near impossible to follow the narrative. At other times he jumps from point of view to point of view, which normally would be fine but this case is combined with protagonists not knowing which each other leading to much confusion about whether the character being described is a new character or one that was on the first page. Worse these point of view shifts also frequently are written from the future and come with a flash back to the present tense with extra details thrown in (not to mention the real flash backs from the present to the past which usually added nothing at all to the story). Add it all up and you have a story that's exceptionally difficult to follow.
And I haven't even mentioned that this is a thinly veiled Doctor Who & Judge Dredd cross-over. It's as if someone used a word processor to find and replace 'Judge' with 'Adjudicator'/'Adjudicate' and 'Dredd' with 'Craator'. There's even a sentence in the book where on character is judging another and the word 'adjudgement' is used, even though it makes no sense in the sentence. Ugh.
In my professional adjudgement this Missing Adventure should have stayed missing.
And I haven't even mentioned that this is a thinly veiled Doctor Who & Judge Dredd cross-over. It's as if someone used a word processor to find and replace 'Judge' with 'Adjudicator'/'Adjudicate' and 'Dredd' with 'Craator'. There's even a sentence in the book where on character is judging another and the word 'adjudgement' is used, even though it makes no sense in the sentence. Ugh.
In my professional adjudgement this Missing Adventure should have stayed missing.
iggymcmuffin's review
1.0
This book had a lot of problems, even though at times it managed to capture this particular version of The Doctor perfectly. There were a number of plot holes. The author spends an inordinate amount of time setting the futuristic scene, throwing in so much techno-jargon and future-slang at times that it becomes near impossible to follow the narrative. At other times he jumps from point of view to point of view, which normally would be fine but this case is combined with protagonists not knowing which each other leading to much confusion about whether the character being described is a new character or one that was on the first page. Worse these point of view shifts also frequently are written from the future and come with a flash back to the present tense with extra details thrown in (not to mention the real flash backs from the present to the past which usually added nothing at all to the story). Add it all up and you have a story that's exceptionally difficult to follow.
And I haven't even mentioned that this is a thinly veiled Doctor Who & Judge Dredd cross-over. It's as if someone used a word processor to find and replace 'Judge' with 'Adjudicator'/'Adjudicate' and 'Dredd' with 'Craator'. There's even a sentence in the book where on character is judging another and the word 'adjudgement' is used, even though it makes no sense in the sentence. Ugh.
In my professional adjudgement this Missing Adventure should have stayed missing.
And I haven't even mentioned that this is a thinly veiled Doctor Who & Judge Dredd cross-over. It's as if someone used a word processor to find and replace 'Judge' with 'Adjudicator'/'Adjudicate' and 'Dredd' with 'Craator'. There's even a sentence in the book where on character is judging another and the word 'adjudgement' is used, even though it makes no sense in the sentence. Ugh.
In my professional adjudgement this Missing Adventure should have stayed missing.
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