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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
The War Doctor.
A previously unknown incarnation of the Time Lord known only as The Doctor, as portrayed by John Hurt in the Dr Who 50th anniversary special 'the Day of the Doctor' in 2013 during Matt Smith's tenure as The Doctor (and with David Tennant also reprising his role as the same character).
The War Doctor refers to the fact that *this* incarnation participated in the Time War, a fundamental part of the backstory of Nu-Who, between the Daleks and the Time Lords.
Its also open to interpretation whether the Engines of War of the title here are those Daleks, or the various TARDIS's used by the Time Lords during this story, which itself is largely split into 3 segments: part 1 on the planet Moldox (which the Daleks have conquered, and where the Doctor meets his new companion for this story), part 2 on Gallifrey (the home of the Time Lords), and part 3 in the space above Moldox, in the Tantalus Eye.
The result is something that is generally light-weight enough: solid if not spectacular. But, then again, that could probably apply to just about every extended universe tie in there is!
A previously unknown incarnation of the Time Lord known only as The Doctor, as portrayed by John Hurt in the Dr Who 50th anniversary special 'the Day of the Doctor' in 2013 during Matt Smith's tenure as The Doctor (and with David Tennant also reprising his role as the same character).
The War Doctor refers to the fact that *this* incarnation participated in the Time War, a fundamental part of the backstory of Nu-Who, between the Daleks and the Time Lords.
Its also open to interpretation whether the Engines of War of the title here are those Daleks, or the various TARDIS's used by the Time Lords during this story, which itself is largely split into 3 segments: part 1 on the planet Moldox (which the Daleks have conquered, and where the Doctor meets his new companion for this story), part 2 on Gallifrey (the home of the Time Lords), and part 3 in the space above Moldox, in the Tantalus Eye.
The result is something that is generally light-weight enough: solid if not spectacular. But, then again, that could probably apply to just about every extended universe tie in there is!
This first official Doctor Who novel to feature John Hurt's War Doctor has some interesting Time War backstory stuff, especially regarding what Rassilon was doing beyond what was seen in the David Tennant special The End of Time. There's also some fun Classic Who references during the part of the narrative spent on Gallifrey. The story itself, however, is kind of a snooze, and doesn't do much to distinguish this Doctor's characterization from any other version of the Time Lord we've seen on TV.
It was very interesting to learn more about The War Doctor. There were lots of moments of forshawding of where his story goes as we learned the 50th anniversary.
Just to get it out of the way, anyone wondering how Mann and BBC Books deal with the fact that John Hurt's incarnation of the Doctor is quite specifically not called "the Doctor" can stop wondering. I'm here to answer the question. They ignore it. They just call him the Doctor, both in the narration and in the dialogue.
That fact, combined with a first act so generic you could replace the War Doctor with any other incarnation with only a few minor changes, left me wondering if BBC had any daring in them at all. Fortunately, with the second act the story kicks into gear, with the intrigue, politics, and universe scale threat you could reasonably expect from the first Time War novel. Mann's Time War is not the galaxy splitting psychedelic freak show of Russell T. Davies imaginings. It's a lot closer to the more conventional glimpses in Stephen Moffat's "Day of the Doctor." Still Mann presents an intriguing take on the war. His take on the War Doctor, here in his first wack outside of DOTD, is fairly safe. I finished the book without a sense of what makes War different from the rest.
If all of this sound very fannish and inaccessible, well, it is. The Engines of War serves as a prequel to both "the End of Time" and "The Day of the Doctor" and a knowledge of those will come in pretty handy. It's also, surprisingly, very much a continuation 1983's "The Five Doctors." Add to that a few important reference to "Genesis of the Daleks" and you've got a steep curve for a reader new to Doctor Who to climb. I can't decide if I'd like to see more War Doctor novels or not. Part of the appeal of the Time War is imagining it for yourself. I'm open to the idea, especially if the War Doctor is giving a bit more of his own personality.
That fact, combined with a first act so generic you could replace the War Doctor with any other incarnation with only a few minor changes, left me wondering if BBC had any daring in them at all. Fortunately, with the second act the story kicks into gear, with the intrigue, politics, and universe scale threat you could reasonably expect from the first Time War novel. Mann's Time War is not the galaxy splitting psychedelic freak show of Russell T. Davies imaginings. It's a lot closer to the more conventional glimpses in Stephen Moffat's "Day of the Doctor." Still Mann presents an intriguing take on the war. His take on the War Doctor, here in his first wack outside of DOTD, is fairly safe. I finished the book without a sense of what makes War different from the rest.
If all of this sound very fannish and inaccessible, well, it is. The Engines of War serves as a prequel to both "the End of Time" and "The Day of the Doctor" and a knowledge of those will come in pretty handy. It's also, surprisingly, very much a continuation 1983's "The Five Doctors." Add to that a few important reference to "Genesis of the Daleks" and you've got a steep curve for a reader new to Doctor Who to climb. I can't decide if I'd like to see more War Doctor novels or not. Part of the appeal of the Time War is imagining it for yourself. I'm open to the idea, especially if the War Doctor is giving a bit more of his own personality.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
If you're a Doctor Who fan, you will enjoy this book. It's not simply a telling of one of the many adventures of the Doctor, but it recounts the last days of the Time War, the days leading up to The Day of the Doctor episode, and the dreadful burden the War Doctor must bear. There are even hints at the episode itself (because timey wimey).
Structurally speaking, it flowed very much like an episode of Doctor Who: the introduction of the companion, the beauty of humanity, the inevitable guilt and fury of the Doctor. I did find a number of typos, but I'm not sure if these were British turns of phrase (completely foreign to a Yank like me) or if they were actual oversights. Either way, they didn't detract from the story and I easily absorbed this book in the span of 4 days.
This was the first time I've read any accompanying lore to a beloved universe (be it Star Trek, WoW, Halo, Star Wars, etc.). I thoroughly enjoyed it and am willing to seek out other Doctor Who novels in the near future.
Structurally speaking, it flowed very much like an episode of Doctor Who: the introduction of the companion, the beauty of humanity, the inevitable guilt and fury of the Doctor. I did find a number of typos, but I'm not sure if these were British turns of phrase (completely foreign to a Yank like me) or if they were actual oversights. Either way, they didn't detract from the story and I easily absorbed this book in the span of 4 days.
This was the first time I've read any accompanying lore to a beloved universe (be it Star Trek, WoW, Halo, Star Wars, etc.). I thoroughly enjoyed it and am willing to seek out other Doctor Who novels in the near future.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I loved this Doctor Who story so much! We need more stories with the War Doctor. Cinder was wonderful, the Time Lords and the Daleks were scary. It was a great read that I couldn't put down. I give it 5/5 stars, I loved this adventure!
For my full review with spoilers check out my blog vickyposts.wordpress.com
For my full review with spoilers check out my blog vickyposts.wordpress.com
A good Doctor Who war doctor story giving some background to this period of the doctors many lives.
While leading a flotilla of Battle TARDISes against a Dalek fleet, the Doctor is shot down on the planet Moldox and befriends a human girl named Cinder. The Doctor and Cinder find their way back to Gallifrey and must defy the Time Lords, who plan on using a doomsday weapon to destroy twelve inhabited worlds in order to stop the Daleks. But the Daleks have a super weapon of their own and mean to erase the Time Lords from history. Can The Doctor thwart the Daleks and the Time Lords? Of course he can! He's the Doctor...
I got this from Netgalley.
The Engines of War is the first Doctor Who novel featuring the War Doctor, aka the Doctor played by John Hurt in Name of the Doctor and Day of the Doctor. That may be the reason for the problems I'll be pointing out a little later.
George Mann did a pretty good job with what little information we've been given about the War Doctor during the Time War. The Time Lords and Daleks have been committing untold atrocities upon one another for years, escalating to unbelievable degrees at this point in the Time War. The Doctor is caught between a rock and a hard place and does some good Doctoring with Cinder in tow.
There is a lot of action and a lot of cool concepts, like mutant Time Lords powering the possibility engine, the Dalek's new magic eraser weapon that wipes people from existence completely, to the Time Lords and their super weapon. Mann dips into Who history, touching upon adventures from the fourth and eighth doctors, as well has seeing hints of his own future. While he's wearing a different skin, he's still The Doctor we all know and love...
... And therein lies the rub. There isn't enough in the story to distinguish the War Doctor from any other Doctor. I get a sense of world weariness from him, much like the Eleventh Doctor, but apart from not wanting to be called The Doctor, he's pretty much still The Doctor. When the War Doctor first appeared, I got the feeling that he did a lot more than use The Moment to end the Time War. Apart from punching someone in the jaw in this one, there's nothing particularly edgy about him.
Like I said, Mann did the best he could with what little background he had to work with. I'll be reading future novels featuring the War Doctor. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I got this from Netgalley.
The Engines of War is the first Doctor Who novel featuring the War Doctor, aka the Doctor played by John Hurt in Name of the Doctor and Day of the Doctor. That may be the reason for the problems I'll be pointing out a little later.
George Mann did a pretty good job with what little information we've been given about the War Doctor during the Time War. The Time Lords and Daleks have been committing untold atrocities upon one another for years, escalating to unbelievable degrees at this point in the Time War. The Doctor is caught between a rock and a hard place and does some good Doctoring with Cinder in tow.
There is a lot of action and a lot of cool concepts, like mutant Time Lords powering the possibility engine, the Dalek's new magic eraser weapon that wipes people from existence completely, to the Time Lords and their super weapon. Mann dips into Who history, touching upon adventures from the fourth and eighth doctors, as well has seeing hints of his own future. While he's wearing a different skin, he's still The Doctor we all know and love...
... And therein lies the rub. There isn't enough in the story to distinguish the War Doctor from any other Doctor. I get a sense of world weariness from him, much like the Eleventh Doctor, but apart from not wanting to be called The Doctor, he's pretty much still The Doctor. When the War Doctor first appeared, I got the feeling that he did a lot more than use The Moment to end the Time War. Apart from punching someone in the jaw in this one, there's nothing particularly edgy about him.
Like I said, Mann did the best he could with what little background he had to work with. I'll be reading future novels featuring the War Doctor. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I liked this one a lot. Short, fun, featuring a doctor I wanted more stories from. Grab it if you're a Whovian
