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ondrykselecky's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
andrew_j_r's review against another edition
4.0
This is the final book in the four book Timewyrm sequence. It is also, clearly, the best.
The story is very different to anything that has gone before in the series, very original, and there are some great ideas, for example Saul the Sentient Church, and indeed the scene that takes us to the cover of the book (it shows the Doctor dancing with Death on he surface of the moon whilst a Spacesuited figure looks on, with a church in the background.). Quite how it gets there is for you to find out if you choose to read it.
The Timewyrm seems like a much more threatening entity in this book, and there are a couple of moments where it seems almost impossible that the Doctor will win. Initially the book seems to have a lack of structure, but once you get into it, it does all make sense.
Not going to say much more, but if the series has hit this level on the fourth book, the remaining fifty seven should (largely) be a joy!
The story is very different to anything that has gone before in the series, very original, and there are some great ideas, for example Saul the Sentient Church, and indeed the scene that takes us to the cover of the book (it shows the Doctor dancing with Death on he surface of the moon whilst a Spacesuited figure looks on, with a church in the background.). Quite how it gets there is for you to find out if you choose to read it.
The Timewyrm seems like a much more threatening entity in this book, and there are a couple of moments where it seems almost impossible that the Doctor will win. Initially the book seems to have a lack of structure, but once you get into it, it does all make sense.
Not going to say much more, but if the series has hit this level on the fourth book, the remaining fifty seven should (largely) be a joy!
paddyh's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i think that it’s fair to say that i don’t hold doctor who books to the same standard as the other books i read, but can’t pretend i didn’t have a blast here
rowan5215's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
brnineworms's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
2.5
So concludes the Timewyrm arc.
I don’t actually have much to say because so much of Timewyrm: Revelation is inconsequential, seemingly designed to be clever or interesting then discarded as soon as the point has been made, rendering it pointless. Saul is an interesting idea: a disembodied consciousness appropriated by the Christians who couldn’t exorcise him. Cool. But once that backstory is explained, Saul’s kind of just there. He isn’t given much to do, and he isn’t given much characterisation. Cornell simply presents the reader with a sentient church then moves on to the next thing.
Like Apocalypse, Revelation is a big pile of ideas. Yes, the ideas here are more innovative, but in a way that makes the lack of development even more frustrating. Apocalypse’s tropes were well-worn and familiar. Contrast that with Revelation, whose concepts require more explaining, and are intriguing enough to make me wonder what happens next. But there’s nothing. It’s just stuff, bouncing between half a dozen POVs like a DVD logo.
Like Apocalypse, Revelation is a big pile of ideas. Yes, the ideas here are more innovative, but in a way that makes the lack of development even more frustrating. Apocalypse’s tropes were well-worn and familiar. Contrast that with Revelation, whose concepts require more explaining, and are intriguing enough to make me wonder what happens next. But there’s nothing. It’s just stuff, bouncing between half a dozen POVs like a DVD logo.
How does this arc end? Specifically, what is the Timewyrm’s fate at the end of this story? Well, after two hundred pages of surreal mindscape nonsense, the Doctor is able to implant the Timewyrm into a human baby, which he names Ishtar. Except it isn’t really the Timewyrm any more since he removed all memory and personality and left only “bare life.” Okay. I get that this rebirth, as it were, is symbolically the opposite of the death she fled from and the destruction she wrought. Is this supposed to be a second chance for Ishtar, parallel to Boyle’s chance at a normal life? That worked well in the Ninth Doctor episode “Boom Town,” where Blon/Margaret was shown to be capable of kindness and mercy, but couldn’t undo the harm she’d done or let go of her killer instincts – the Doctor gave her a fresh start and a chance to “live her life from scratch.” But in the Timewyrm’s case the return to infancy seems to be purely symbolic, not representing any real opportunity for redemption. If her entire self has been erased, is she not functionally dead? Why not just kill her off? That would follow on from Apocalypse’s message that death is inevitable and ought to be accepted.
At least the Timewyrm actually does something in this novel, even if she mostly acts through Boyle. Though that blue dragon form with steel claws just makes me think of Dragoon from Beyblade lmao
I do want to shout out the queerness baked into Ace’s characterisation in this book. It resonated with me quite a bit. Her caginess when asked about crushes, the awkwardness of her stereotypically feminine persona as a teen, the emphasis on her chosen name representing her true self and the way she’d become “used to fighting for her name.” I liked these quotes: “She could suffer pain and rejection and guilt as Ace, or she could slip away into the crowd of words and become nothing, floating loved in nowhere.” and “There were words you couldn’t say. There were films you couldn’t see, there were people you couldn’t know, there were ideas you couldn’t think. Not if you wanted to fit in, not if you wanted to be part of the world.”
I really wanted to like this book because there are some great elements. Until now, the Timewyrm books have more or matched their reputations; Genesys was bad, Exodus was fairly good, and Apocalypse was forgettable. Timewyrm: Revelation is well liked in the fandom, but I don’t think it lives up to the hype at all.
CONTENT WARNINGS: dereality/surreality, existentialism, death, murder, violence, lots of blood, some body horror, child abuse, racism
scheu's review against another edition
5.0
In terms of DW novels, pretty great! I could see reflections of older and newer stories in it.
hidekisohma's review against another edition
2.0
So, maybe i'm just crazy, but after looking at all the positive reviews from this book, i can honestly say....i don't get it. i don't get the love for this book.
Having read the previous 3 of the timewyrm quadrilogy in a pretty quick succession, i can say that this one was easily the worst one. Why? Because it was nonsense cerebral ridiculousness.
While the first three books, while having their varying degrees of how good they were, i can at least say, that all three stories made sense. They had a plot, stuff happened, they resolved the plot, the end. This book was trying to have 15 thousand kinds of fanservice but at the same time making your head hurt from all the nonsensicalness they threw your way.
The weird thing about this book, is that it's broken up into mainly 5 points of view.
Doc, Ace, Hemming (bad guy from 2nd book), doyle (some annoying kid the timewyrm took over) and a gathering of random ass people at a church named Emily and Peter. And maybe this is just me being stupid, but there was a character named Saul, and i thought he was a dude in the church. However after a while, i realized that Saul WAS the church. like, a talking church.
(tardis wiki: Saul or Saul Church was an "intelligence" within St Christopher's Church "
I mean....sure? not really sure...WHY the church could talk. i read his article in tardis wiki and it didn't help.
I hated every part that took place in the church. i didn't care about Emily, or peter, or whatever, whenever we cut back to their parts talking to each other watching over the doc and Ace's unconscious body. it was annoying filler at its finest.
Without giving away spoilers, i'll say that the novelist tries to justify their existence by having them do something in the last 40 pages of the book, but for the rest of the time it's them going "duhhh what do we do?" "i don't know, what do we do?" for about 160 pages.
On the doctor's side there was a lot of the timewyrm going "the doctor's not who he seems" and ace going "nuuuuuuuu" which got old extremely fast. as the timewyrm traps their minds, so basically everything that happens in this novel happens to their minds, and not their bodies specifically.
There's a lot of callbacks to previous incarnations (except for 6 who gets left out. no love for 6 in this one) and previous companions who died. It was...interesting to see them, (especially seeing Adric on fire. I can always get behind seeing Adric on fire) but they added little to the story other than "make the doctor feel guilty."
I get this was supposed to be a novel that dug deep into 7's psyche, but it was too cerebral and out there for me.
All in all, i'm glad the book is done as it got to be quite the schlog towards the middle.
this book, i would give a 2.5 out of 5 rounded down to a 2. It had a few cool moments, but not near enough to save this one and i REALLY don't understand the love for this one.
Ranking the Quadrilogy i would go best to worst
Exodus, Genesys, Apocalypse, Revelation (aka 2,1,3,4)
Sadly, yeah this is the worst one. Just tell a fun story. Don't try to mindscrew your readers. Terrance Dicks proved you can make a fun story without the complications. Calm down there Cornell.
2.5 out of 5 rounded down to a 2.
Having read the previous 3 of the timewyrm quadrilogy in a pretty quick succession, i can say that this one was easily the worst one. Why? Because it was nonsense cerebral ridiculousness.
While the first three books, while having their varying degrees of how good they were, i can at least say, that all three stories made sense. They had a plot, stuff happened, they resolved the plot, the end. This book was trying to have 15 thousand kinds of fanservice but at the same time making your head hurt from all the nonsensicalness they threw your way.
The weird thing about this book, is that it's broken up into mainly 5 points of view.
Doc, Ace, Hemming (bad guy from 2nd book), doyle (some annoying kid the timewyrm took over) and a gathering of random ass people at a church named Emily and Peter. And maybe this is just me being stupid, but there was a character named Saul, and i thought he was a dude in the church. However after a while, i realized that Saul WAS the church. like, a talking church.
(tardis wiki: Saul or Saul Church was an "intelligence" within St Christopher's Church "
I mean....sure? not really sure...WHY the church could talk. i read his article in tardis wiki and it didn't help.
I hated every part that took place in the church. i didn't care about Emily, or peter, or whatever, whenever we cut back to their parts talking to each other watching over the doc and Ace's unconscious body. it was annoying filler at its finest.
Without giving away spoilers, i'll say that the novelist tries to justify their existence by having them do something in the last 40 pages of the book, but for the rest of the time it's them going "duhhh what do we do?" "i don't know, what do we do?" for about 160 pages.
On the doctor's side there was a lot of the timewyrm going "the doctor's not who he seems" and ace going "nuuuuuuuu" which got old extremely fast. as the timewyrm traps their minds, so basically everything that happens in this novel happens to their minds, and not their bodies specifically.
There's a lot of callbacks to previous incarnations (except for 6 who gets left out. no love for 6 in this one) and previous companions who died. It was...interesting to see them, (especially seeing Adric on fire. I can always get behind seeing Adric on fire) but they added little to the story other than "make the doctor feel guilty."
I get this was supposed to be a novel that dug deep into 7's psyche, but it was too cerebral and out there for me.
All in all, i'm glad the book is done as it got to be quite the schlog towards the middle.
this book, i would give a 2.5 out of 5 rounded down to a 2. It had a few cool moments, but not near enough to save this one and i REALLY don't understand the love for this one.
Ranking the Quadrilogy i would go best to worst
Exodus, Genesys, Apocalypse, Revelation (aka 2,1,3,4)
Sadly, yeah this is the worst one. Just tell a fun story. Don't try to mindscrew your readers. Terrance Dicks proved you can make a fun story without the complications. Calm down there Cornell.
2.5 out of 5 rounded down to a 2.
arthurbdd's review
5.0
Outright saved the New Adventures series and was very influential on the revived series too. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2024/01/04/the-virgin-new-adventures-timewyrm-from-genesys-to-revelation/
secretlyadoombot's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dp112's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Sags in the middle slightly but quite excellent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Gore
Moderate: Xenophobia