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hidekisohma's review against another edition
3.0
Well, once again here we are, the final of the three doctor who short story compilations from the BBC. and just like before, i'll review them individually as it's impossible to review as a whole.
The longest story in the world: The doc and susan's story is told through like a weird 1001 arabian nights style. it was pointless and i had no idea why it was even necessary. it was like somebody was telling doctor who as a long story. it's sad too because this was paul magrs, and i like paul. ah well. can't win em all 2/5.
A town called eternity parts 1 and 2 (yes i'm mixing parts together) : the 5th doctor and peri travel to the wild west and have to fight the master and velociraptors. if that sentence sounds interesting to you, you're going to enjoy it because that's exactly what it is. they broke it into 2 but it's really one story broken in half. the full story is about 45 pages and it was fine. i didn't really feel like it went on for too long and it was nice to see 5 being proactive for once instead of his normal non-reactive self. 4 out of 5.
Special occasions 1: The sinister sponge. the doc and romana need to get k9 a birthday cake and end up on a planet of sentient desserts. it's adorable, short, and fun. i liked it. 4/5.
Nothing at the end of the lane parts 1,2,3: well, it's daniel o'mahoney. what do you think? it was awful. basically Barbara has weird episodes where she sees visions or something and it takes place before the first episode. O'mahoney's being his weird, confusing self where nothing makes sense and i don't know what he was trying to convey. it seems like maybe this was an alternate timeline where the doctor isn't the doctor, he's just a crazy old man? i don't know and the tardis wiki didn't help. Pointless, confusing, and I don't even know what the author wanted 1.5/5
countdown to tv action: This was 100% absolute garbage. it read like a 5th grade fanfic. i'm sure the author was trying to do this on purpose, but the tardis wiki, nor anything in the story itself said it was meant to be this way. the doctor is actually called "Doctor who" and there are lines like "Time to die doctor who!" and "you're so smart!" "That's because i'm a scientist." I swear to god i could have written a better story when i was IN fifth grade. And considering this is the only 3rd doctor story in the compilation it's even that much more insulting. i felt stupider for reading this one. 1.25/5.
The queen of eros: The 8th doctor's only story in this. he and sam go to a planet where there's an evil queen who falls in love with the doctor. he tries to make her less evil. It's not bad. It's not the greatest, but the doctor was in character and sam wasn't HORRIBLY annoying (which is a blessing unto itself). the evil queen became a pretty decent character by the end and overall was fine. 3.5/5
The android maker: 4 pager. guy makes an android that looks and talks just like the doctor. very tongue in cheek but funny for what it was. literally a 4 page setup for a "wah wahhhhhhh" moment. i liked it fine enough. 3.5/5.
Revenants: This one was interesting as it was the "Future doctor" instead of any doctor we already know. he had a new companion we obviously hadn't met and had to deal with a time loop. Although we have no idea who this doctor is he definitely still had the feeling of the doctor. for what it was, it was fine. 3/5
Please Shut the Gate: the 2nd doctor and his comps clean up his old picnic garbage on mars and mess up the mars probe accidentally. if it were ANYONE other than the 2nd doctor i wouldn't believe this was a plot. but it is and so it was. meh. it was fine. if not stupid. 2.5/5
Turnabout is fair play: the 6th doc and peri switch bodies. had some funny moments but i wish we could have seen 6th in peri's body instead of just the reverse. Seeing peri trying to act like 6 was funny at times and i didn't dislike it despite not really liking 6. 3/5
Special 2: Do you love anyone enough?: romana and 4 watch the end of the universe together for 4 pages. boring. 2/5
The house on odark manor: This was weird as it was the peter cushing Doctor who movie doctor. The story was interesting if not confusing with a guy and his crazy twin brother. Short, and i kinda wish it was a bit longer, but all in all, the ending was weird and i didn't really understand what they were going for, but i saw the 1st peter cushing movie and from what i saw, it was pretty in character. not bad though surprisingly. 3/5
Gone too soon: 6 complains about knowing he's going to regenerate soon and not wanting to ala 10th doctor for 5 pages. Once again, pointless. 2.5/5
Reunion: 2nd doc (no companions) helps a guy who gets basically kidnapped on a train and an alien dude is trying to pass along a parasitic infection through generations and....didn't i just read about this in "The taint"? I feel like i just read this in the taint. all in all, the 2nd doc isn't TOTALLY useless in this one, and did some stuff i have NO belief in him actually doing this in tv format. But, from what i remember about this one, not bad. 3/5
Planet of the bunnoids: 1st doc, vicki, and steven go to a planet with aliens that have robot bunnies that get their energy through strong emotions so the doctor has to make steven and vicki think they're in a fairy tale and hartnell has to dress up like a fairy godmother. it made me laugh quite a bit. i liked this one. 4/5.
Monsters: An evil alien guy is hiding while running a convenience store and 7 and ace try to stop him as 2 children characters (brother and sister) have their own story. the brother is trying to not seem weak to his friends and the sister is being kept perpetually sick by her mother for attention. The ending was weird and i didn't really care for it as nothing really got resolved with the two kids. not sure why they didn't wrap that up. very unfulfilling. 2.5/5
Special 3 : Better watch out: romana and 4 sneak into the brigadier's house as santa and leave him a present. Cute, inoffensive, and just fluff. 3.5/5
Face Value: 6 and some weird companions from the stage play (yeah don't ask) deal with a resort inside of a dome on a terrible planet (yes just like orphan 55.) people are stealing the people who go there's faces. 6 needs to put a stop to that. it's weird seeing these companions i've literally NEVER heard of before. it wasn't BAD by any means but the villains were very silly and i didn't really jive with a lot of it and the evil plants/planet. 3/5
Storm in a tikka: 7 and ace have to fight and defeat Shiva inside of a restaurant. It's more fun than it sounds and involves cultists. because of course it does. 2.5/5
Special 4: playing with toys: 4 and romana go to sleep after the first 3 stories and i think 4 becomes a puppet or toy or something? i don't know. for 4 pages it's very confusing. 2/5
Vrs: it's literally a single sentence. i refuse to say anymore about it. N/A out of 5
average 2.81/5
I think this MIGHT be the highest average of the 3 i read. All in all, there were some really good ones here and really only a FEW stinkers. however when they were bad, they were really bad.
Best and worst 3 are
Best: 1. A town called eternity 2. planet of the bunnoids 3. the sinister sponge
Worst: 1. Countdown to TV action 2. Nothing at the end of the lane 3. playing with toys
with a 2.81/5 definitely rounding up to a 3. since it's a short story i can definitely recommend you read some and skip the others. all in all, not a bad time. now onto the big finish short stories.
2.81 rounded up to a 3.
The longest story in the world: The doc and susan's story is told through like a weird 1001 arabian nights style. it was pointless and i had no idea why it was even necessary. it was like somebody was telling doctor who as a long story. it's sad too because this was paul magrs, and i like paul. ah well. can't win em all 2/5.
A town called eternity parts 1 and 2 (yes i'm mixing parts together) : the 5th doctor and peri travel to the wild west and have to fight the master and velociraptors. if that sentence sounds interesting to you, you're going to enjoy it because that's exactly what it is. they broke it into 2 but it's really one story broken in half. the full story is about 45 pages and it was fine. i didn't really feel like it went on for too long and it was nice to see 5 being proactive for once instead of his normal non-reactive self. 4 out of 5.
Special occasions 1: The sinister sponge. the doc and romana need to get k9 a birthday cake and end up on a planet of sentient desserts. it's adorable, short, and fun. i liked it. 4/5.
Nothing at the end of the lane parts 1,2,3: well, it's daniel o'mahoney. what do you think? it was awful. basically Barbara has weird episodes where she sees visions or something and it takes place before the first episode. O'mahoney's being his weird, confusing self where nothing makes sense and i don't know what he was trying to convey. it seems like maybe this was an alternate timeline where the doctor isn't the doctor, he's just a crazy old man? i don't know and the tardis wiki didn't help. Pointless, confusing, and I don't even know what the author wanted 1.5/5
countdown to tv action: This was 100% absolute garbage. it read like a 5th grade fanfic. i'm sure the author was trying to do this on purpose, but the tardis wiki, nor anything in the story itself said it was meant to be this way. the doctor is actually called "Doctor who" and there are lines like "Time to die doctor who!" and "you're so smart!" "That's because i'm a scientist." I swear to god i could have written a better story when i was IN fifth grade. And considering this is the only 3rd doctor story in the compilation it's even that much more insulting. i felt stupider for reading this one. 1.25/5.
The queen of eros: The 8th doctor's only story in this. he and sam go to a planet where there's an evil queen who falls in love with the doctor. he tries to make her less evil. It's not bad. It's not the greatest, but the doctor was in character and sam wasn't HORRIBLY annoying (which is a blessing unto itself). the evil queen became a pretty decent character by the end and overall was fine. 3.5/5
The android maker: 4 pager. guy makes an android that looks and talks just like the doctor. very tongue in cheek but funny for what it was. literally a 4 page setup for a "wah wahhhhhhh" moment. i liked it fine enough. 3.5/5.
Revenants: This one was interesting as it was the "Future doctor" instead of any doctor we already know. he had a new companion we obviously hadn't met and had to deal with a time loop. Although we have no idea who this doctor is he definitely still had the feeling of the doctor. for what it was, it was fine. 3/5
Please Shut the Gate: the 2nd doctor and his comps clean up his old picnic garbage on mars and mess up the mars probe accidentally. if it were ANYONE other than the 2nd doctor i wouldn't believe this was a plot. but it is and so it was. meh. it was fine. if not stupid. 2.5/5
Turnabout is fair play: the 6th doc and peri switch bodies. had some funny moments but i wish we could have seen 6th in peri's body instead of just the reverse. Seeing peri trying to act like 6 was funny at times and i didn't dislike it despite not really liking 6. 3/5
Special 2: Do you love anyone enough?: romana and 4 watch the end of the universe together for 4 pages. boring. 2/5
The house on odark manor: This was weird as it was the peter cushing Doctor who movie doctor. The story was interesting if not confusing with a guy and his crazy twin brother. Short, and i kinda wish it was a bit longer, but all in all, the ending was weird and i didn't really understand what they were going for, but i saw the 1st peter cushing movie and from what i saw, it was pretty in character. not bad though surprisingly. 3/5
Gone too soon: 6 complains about knowing he's going to regenerate soon and not wanting to ala 10th doctor for 5 pages. Once again, pointless. 2.5/5
Reunion: 2nd doc (no companions) helps a guy who gets basically kidnapped on a train and an alien dude is trying to pass along a parasitic infection through generations and....didn't i just read about this in "The taint"? I feel like i just read this in the taint. all in all, the 2nd doc isn't TOTALLY useless in this one, and did some stuff i have NO belief in him actually doing this in tv format. But, from what i remember about this one, not bad. 3/5
Planet of the bunnoids: 1st doc, vicki, and steven go to a planet with aliens that have robot bunnies that get their energy through strong emotions so the doctor has to make steven and vicki think they're in a fairy tale and hartnell has to dress up like a fairy godmother. it made me laugh quite a bit. i liked this one. 4/5.
Monsters: An evil alien guy is hiding while running a convenience store and 7 and ace try to stop him as 2 children characters (brother and sister) have their own story. the brother is trying to not seem weak to his friends and the sister is being kept perpetually sick by her mother for attention. The ending was weird and i didn't really care for it as nothing really got resolved with the two kids. not sure why they didn't wrap that up. very unfulfilling. 2.5/5
Special 3 : Better watch out: romana and 4 sneak into the brigadier's house as santa and leave him a present. Cute, inoffensive, and just fluff. 3.5/5
Face Value: 6 and some weird companions from the stage play (yeah don't ask) deal with a resort inside of a dome on a terrible planet (yes just like orphan 55.) people are stealing the people who go there's faces. 6 needs to put a stop to that. it's weird seeing these companions i've literally NEVER heard of before. it wasn't BAD by any means but the villains were very silly and i didn't really jive with a lot of it and the evil plants/planet. 3/5
Storm in a tikka: 7 and ace have to fight and defeat Shiva inside of a restaurant. It's more fun than it sounds and involves cultists. because of course it does. 2.5/5
Special 4: playing with toys: 4 and romana go to sleep after the first 3 stories and i think 4 becomes a puppet or toy or something? i don't know. for 4 pages it's very confusing. 2/5
Vrs: it's literally a single sentence. i refuse to say anymore about it. N/A out of 5
average 2.81/5
I think this MIGHT be the highest average of the 3 i read. All in all, there were some really good ones here and really only a FEW stinkers. however when they were bad, they were really bad.
Best and worst 3 are
Best: 1. A town called eternity 2. planet of the bunnoids 3. the sinister sponge
Worst: 1. Countdown to TV action 2. Nothing at the end of the lane 3. playing with toys
with a 2.81/5 definitely rounding up to a 3. since it's a short story i can definitely recommend you read some and skip the others. all in all, not a bad time. now onto the big finish short stories.
2.81 rounded up to a 3.
nwhyte's review
3.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1756923.html
The third and last of the BBC anthologies of stories featuring the pre-New Who Doctors, published in 2000. I choose my words carefully, as the collection includes several side steps into non-standard continuity - a brief sequel to the Sixth Doctor stage play, The Ultimate Adventure; a story from the Third Doctor's timeline in TV Action magazine; a rather poor effort with the Seventh Doctor, Ace and K9 (as in Dimensions in Time); and most memorably a piece by Justin Richards set between the two Doctor Who movies, featuring a villainous aristocrat called Tarkin who may or may not have an evil twin. There is also an exploration of what might have been happening behind the scenes at Coal Hill School by Daniel O'Mahony. Nice to see this brief series of books ending on such an adventurous note.
The third and last of the BBC anthologies of stories featuring the pre-New Who Doctors, published in 2000. I choose my words carefully, as the collection includes several side steps into non-standard continuity - a brief sequel to the Sixth Doctor stage play, The Ultimate Adventure; a story from the Third Doctor's timeline in TV Action magazine; a rather poor effort with the Seventh Doctor, Ace and K9 (as in Dimensions in Time); and most memorably a piece by Justin Richards set between the two Doctor Who movies, featuring a villainous aristocrat called Tarkin who may or may not have an evil twin. There is also an exploration of what might have been happening behind the scenes at Coal Hill School by Daniel O'Mahony. Nice to see this brief series of books ending on such an adventurous note.
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