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mitziatratum's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
urbaer's review against another edition
4.0
A good read, but this may just be nostalgia for an episode that firmly was stuck in my memory.
Fun to see how the story is every so slightly different in places compared to the aired version. On the whole they don't dramatically change the story, but they do give some insight into some of the characters motivations (except Duggan, he just likes hitting things).
Fun to see how the story is every so slightly different in places compared to the aired version. On the whole they don't dramatically change the story, but they do give some insight into some of the characters motivations (except Duggan, he just likes hitting things).
trashconno's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
erin_reads_boooks's review against another edition
4.0
This started out a little confusing, but I really enjoyed it.
The author;s note is particularly interesting at the end. I didn't realize what had gone into writing this. Now if only I can find the episodes to watch somewhere.
The author;s note is particularly interesting at the end. I didn't realize what had gone into writing this. Now if only I can find the episodes to watch somewhere.
ederwin's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not one to go around reading novelizations of tv shows, and I can't quite say why I decided to do this one. But I found it delightful.
I remember, and quite like, the episodes this is based on. The book stays pretty true to the story as originally aired, but with small additions. The personalities of the Doctor and Romana come through clearly, but the supporting characters are the ones who benefit the most from the novelization. The novel allows access to the inner thoughts of the characters, which you can only guess about in a tv show.
Tom Baker's doctor was always charming and funny, but the episodes of this particular story were not any more funny than ones not written by Douglas Adams. But in the novel, the humor is evident everywhere, not only when the Doctor is speaking.
The story, is in many ways nonsense, and that can be commented on in a book version:
I remember, and quite like, the episodes this is based on. The book stays pretty true to the story as originally aired, but with small additions. The personalities of the Doctor and Romana come through clearly, but the supporting characters are the ones who benefit the most from the novelization. The novel allows access to the inner thoughts of the characters, which you can only guess about in a tv show.
Tom Baker's doctor was always charming and funny, but the episodes of this particular story were not any more funny than ones not written by Douglas Adams. But in the novel, the humor is evident everywhere, not only when the Doctor is speaking.
The story, is in many ways nonsense, and that can be commented on in a book version:
"The audacity and stupidity of the entire plan made Romana giddy. Working across history partly in order to pay a power bill that would never be sent because even the accounting department of Électricité de France would no longer exist to send it. Some people, sighed Romana, just didn't understand time travel. Well, it was tricky."
kribu's review against another edition
3.0
This is a pretty tricky book to rate, really.
On the one hand it's .. well, it's a novelisation, and a very good one - of a story what is widely considered to be one of Doctor Who's all time best (and is certainly among my own favourites). One that expands a bit on the televised story, especially in character backgrounds; that blends the scripts and the actual televised bits nicely, and has a decent amount of humour in it.
On the other hand ... well, good as it is, it's a novelisation, and as such, it didn't really offer me an awful lot of surprises or twists or turns. Even if I've only seen the story once, and that was years ago.
Anyway, I liked it. It's a good novelisation. It took me forever to actually make my way through it, granted (although it was the beginning that was excruciatingly slow; once I got going, I managed to finish it off on two separate days), but I shouldn't really blame the book for my own current inability to focus on, well, books.
On the one hand it's .. well, it's a novelisation, and a very good one - of a story what is widely considered to be one of Doctor Who's all time best (and is certainly among my own favourites). One that expands a bit on the televised story, especially in character backgrounds; that blends the scripts and the actual televised bits nicely, and has a decent amount of humour in it.
On the other hand ... well, good as it is, it's a novelisation, and as such, it didn't really offer me an awful lot of surprises or twists or turns. Even if I've only seen the story once, and that was years ago.
Anyway, I liked it. It's a good novelisation. It took me forever to actually make my way through it, granted (although it was the beginning that was excruciatingly slow; once I got going, I managed to finish it off on two separate days), but I shouldn't really blame the book for my own current inability to focus on, well, books.
squidbag's review against another edition
4.0
Completely delightful - this story was born in a convoluted way, first as a Doctor Who four-part story script by David Fisher, then picked up and finished off by Douglas Adams (with whom you may be familiar) and then produced and made into the serial City of Death with the 4th Doctor, and then made into this book by James Goss working from Douglas' script notes and directions from 1979. The result is like reading vintage Adams, and indeed, story elements from this got made into parts of the first Dirk Gently book. Goss is Adams' heir apparent in many ways, and while this story is lark, it's a properly made, quality sort of lark.
thiagodevecque's review against another edition
5.0
Scaroth, o último dos Jagaroth, teria uma surpresa. Para começo de conversa, ele não fazia ideia de que estava prestes a se tornar o último dos Jagaroth.
O script de Douglas Adams novelizado por James Goss ficou incrível. Até procurei o episódio nos confins da internet para assistir.
As caracterizações típicas de Adams tornam o Doutor, Romana, Dugann e o Conde personagens fascinantes. E, claro, a caraterização de Paris é hilária.
Em certos momentos o ponto de vista troca muito rápido de um personagem para o outro, o que confunde. Ás vezes, tem a minha dinâmica favorita -- comentários oniscientes entre a troca de pontos de vista, que Adams e Pratchett fazem com frequência, quase que exclusivamente para explicações cômicas.
Muito humor, diálogos incríveis, viagens no tempo, aliens e Mona Lisas.
bookwyrmknits's review against another edition
4.0
I wish Goodreads had half-star ratings, because this is actually a 3.5 star rating. (The reason I rounded up is because of Goss' skill in the actual writing of the text. Had there been typos or other errors I would have rounded down.)
This is not my favorite Doctor Who episode. Not by a LONG shot. The Fourth Doctor (who is featured in this book) is My Doctor, as Whovians reckon things, but this episode has never been a highlight for me. It seems that The Doctor isn't the star of this episode - and the star isn't even his companion, Romana. (Yes, I realize she's also a Time Lord. She's still his companion.) The star of this episode is Paris. And that's not what I enjoy most from Doctor Who episodes.
I have read (well, listened to) another of James Goss' Doctor Who stories, but this is the only one which was a TV episode first. I liked the other one a lot more, because I was able to enjoy it for itself and not with the episode constantly running in my head as background to the story. (Granted, I also liked it because it was narrated by David Tenant.) This one was well written, but had the same issues that the TV episode did. I don't read Doctor Who to read about Paris any more than I watch the show for that reason.
I did enjoy the additional background we see into the other characters, and the humor was lovely. My chief complaint is with the plot, and not the execution.
This is not my favorite Doctor Who episode. Not by a LONG shot. The Fourth Doctor (who is featured in this book) is My Doctor, as Whovians reckon things, but this episode has never been a highlight for me. It seems that The Doctor isn't the star of this episode - and the star isn't even his companion, Romana. (Yes, I realize she's also a Time Lord. She's still his companion.) The star of this episode is Paris. And that's not what I enjoy most from Doctor Who episodes.
I have read (well, listened to) another of James Goss' Doctor Who stories, but this is the only one which was a TV episode first. I liked the other one a lot more, because I was able to enjoy it for itself and not with the episode constantly running in my head as background to the story. (Granted, I also liked it because it was narrated by David Tenant.) This one was well written, but had the same issues that the TV episode did. I don't read Doctor Who to read about Paris any more than I watch the show for that reason.
I did enjoy the additional background we see into the other characters, and the humor was lovely. My chief complaint is with the plot, and not the execution.
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