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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Got this as a birthday present since I am a Doctor Who fan. The story is decent enough, a little bit overblown at times and the new characters are a bit Mary Sue-esque. It’s very difficult to read a DW story in German having watched the series in English, though. Not the most pleasant experience to be honest.
Great story and gives way more meaning to "no more" without stealing anything from the 50th special
This book really gave perspective on the 8.5 doctor and the Time War. Particularly since it gave meat to the reactions the later Doctors have to the return of the Daleks.
And I enjoyed picturing John Hurt. It's just so hard to picture the one-off companions. Wish they'd include pictures on the cover so my visual would be more complete. Cinder was particularly compelling, and works as the War Doctor's companion - not sure he would have hooked up with her in later incarnations.
And I enjoyed picturing John Hurt. It's just so hard to picture the one-off companions. Wish they'd include pictures on the cover so my visual would be more complete. Cinder was particularly compelling, and works as the War Doctor's companion - not sure he would have hooked up with her in later incarnations.
Engines of War’ by George Mann is the fourth in the ‘Doctor Who: New Series Adventures’ run. Perhaps. Doctor Who books always confuse me slightly and I tend to read them out of order - thankfully, as it’s all time travel, it doesn’t really matter!
This one features John Hurt - the War Doctor, also known as The Renegade. Considered by some as the Ninth Doctor, considered by others as simply the War Doctor/the Renegade (you can tell which side I’m on), we have here the Doctor that the other Doctors shun. This is the man Eighth Doctor became. (Eighth Doctor as in, Paul McGann - if you haven’t listened to the Big Finish audio series that starts with ‘Blood of the Daleks’ and ends with ‘To the Death’, then get right on that this instant.)
Aside from my ramblings, this is the man Eighth Doctor became as he decided to put his romantic side aside, and join the war. This novel leads up to what we see in ‘The Day of the Doctor’, where he has decided to detonate ‘The Moment’ exactly where he stayed when he was very young. As always, something threatens to erase Gallifrey from history. Here we get to see the Doctor in a way that others may view him and all Timelords - arrogant and self involved. The Doctor collects a companion (kind of) who knows all about Daleks and Timelords, which is always fun when we can skip all the natural human responses of ‘You’re an alien!’
A lot of things tie into one in this novel, and that is what Mann has managed to pull off exceptionally well - how this novel ties into what we’ve already seen in the show. Characterisation is a little tricky thanks to how little we’ve seen of the War Doctor, but the daleks fell a little flat. Cinder (the ‘companion’) fell a little flat for me also, but it takes a lot for a companion to win my heart these days after so much Big Finish, who capture companions so damn well.
All in all, this is quite a decent book tie-in - one of the better ones out there. (I’ve also quite enjoyed Apollo 23 by Justin Richards and The Forgotten Army by Brian Minchin. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for other things Mann does in the future.
To read this review on my blog, or read other reviews like it, please click here.
This one features John Hurt - the War Doctor, also known as The Renegade. Considered by some as the Ninth Doctor, considered by others as simply the War Doctor/the Renegade (you can tell which side I’m on), we have here the Doctor that the other Doctors shun. This is the man Eighth Doctor became. (Eighth Doctor as in, Paul McGann - if you haven’t listened to the Big Finish audio series that starts with ‘Blood of the Daleks’ and ends with ‘To the Death’, then get right on that this instant.)
Aside from my ramblings, this is the man Eighth Doctor became as he decided to put his romantic side aside, and join the war. This novel leads up to what we see in ‘The Day of the Doctor’, where he has decided to detonate ‘The Moment’ exactly where he stayed when he was very young. As always, something threatens to erase Gallifrey from history. Here we get to see the Doctor in a way that others may view him and all Timelords - arrogant and self involved. The Doctor collects a companion (kind of) who knows all about Daleks and Timelords, which is always fun when we can skip all the natural human responses of ‘You’re an alien!’
A lot of things tie into one in this novel, and that is what Mann has managed to pull off exceptionally well - how this novel ties into what we’ve already seen in the show. Characterisation is a little tricky thanks to how little we’ve seen of the War Doctor, but the daleks fell a little flat. Cinder (the ‘companion’) fell a little flat for me also, but it takes a lot for a companion to win my heart these days after so much Big Finish, who capture companions so damn well.
All in all, this is quite a decent book tie-in - one of the better ones out there. (I’ve also quite enjoyed Apollo 23 by Justin Richards and The Forgotten Army by Brian Minchin. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for other things Mann does in the future.
To read this review on my blog, or read other reviews like it, please click here.
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The War Doctor tries to stop both the Dalek and the Time Lords from using terrible weapons that would destroy the lives of many innocent humans.
Geluisterd via Audible. Als je fan bent van de tv-serie, dan is het zeker de moeite om eens naar zo'n audioboek te luisteren. De Dalek-stemmen worden gemachineerd en er worden geluidseffecten en achtergrondjes gebruikt, wat het wel stemmig maakt. Ik ga er alvast nog luisteren!
Another one I finished in one sitting! Engines of War attempts the biggest Doctor Who story of all, the Time War, and gets it mostly right -- better than any other attempt in any medium has so far. The War Doctor is well depicted (though the narration can't help but call him The Doctor, even though he objects to that name; it is addressed well in dialogue between him and temporary companion Cinder, though, at least), the scale is appropriate, the stakes appropriately high, and some of the action is incredible!
The book bogs down a bit when our heroes get to Gallifrey, but then, what Doctor Who story doesn't bog down on Gallifrey? I would much rather the Time Lords had never been directly depicted, personally, but must bow to the desires of the greater populace. I didn't tap my foot *quite* as much through the Gallifrey scenes, but I still did, and that harmed my overall impression of the book, but everything else? Everything else is great!
The book bogs down a bit when our heroes get to Gallifrey, but then, what Doctor Who story doesn't bog down on Gallifrey? I would much rather the Time Lords had never been directly depicted, personally, but must bow to the desires of the greater populace. I didn't tap my foot *quite* as much through the Gallifrey scenes, but I still did, and that harmed my overall impression of the book, but everything else? Everything else is great!
adventurous
fast-paced