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eleanorflovver's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
okay i am a slut for vampire dw media (bring them back for nuwho please!! like russell wdym doctor who only just now has the freedom to do fantasy, what was state of decay to you???) and this book had me genuinely laughing in places. also obsessed with how carlolyn just gives eight one look across the bar and is like "yes, that is a homosexual if i ever saw one" absolutely iconic. while this is certainly not one of the most masterfully written pieces of literature ever created, it was good fun and i got some laughs out of it, a nice break from the darker bf adventures
cecesloth's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliantly tense character study about people and monsters who are forever changed by The Doctor. 8 is beautifully defined by his optimism, perfectly contrasting 7's scheming. Sam is cool so far!
Includes the phrase "vampire crack squirrels."
Includes the phrase "vampire crack squirrels."
ashs_library's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.75
Review on my other acount @ashs_doctorwho_library
ashs_doctorwho_library's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.75
I enjoyed this so much! I loved seeing the doctor through the eyes of outsiders, the opening chapter with Carolyn, Kramer's view on the doctor, James thinking the doctor was a vampire at first, I liked all of that a lot. Something that makes Eight very interesting is that he will run into any situation with no plan in mind, without considering the consequences and of course this is a major point in this book. I really enjoyed the butterfly room scene, I want to draw it! Also the scene with all the cats! I quite like Sam and am interested to see where her story l goes. Overall this was a really good read. Also, there were vampire crack squirrels. What an experience
cicadacryptid's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A brilliant character piece for the Eighth Doctor and now my favourite Doctor Who book I’ve ever read.
nenya_kanadka's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not generally into vampires, but this first adventure with Eight and Sam was pretty good. I liked Brigadier Bambera (who I have yet to meet in her adventures with Seven) and adored the scene with the kittens. Should have twigged to the identity of the leader of the vampires much sooner than I did! Enjoyed the final confrontation but am sad about the lone final vampire left. :(
qualiareedauthor's review against another edition
4.0
This has to be one of my fave doctor who books I've read
boatymcfloaty's review
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hidekisohma's review against another edition
4.0
Finally got around to reading the 2nd book in the EDA, and all in all, i DID have a fun time with this book.
I'm going to start off with the elephant in the room that is this cover. No, i have no idea why the presidential seal is on this cover. it has nothing to do with the president, nor does it even take place in Washington DC. it takes place in California. About as far away as you can from DC while still being in America. I think the golden gate bridge with a vampire bat would have been a much better image.
Anyway, onto the actual story. I like the way these two authors write. Jonathan and Kate work well together and it's not one of those double author books where it feels disjointed and it FEELS like there's two separate authors. There was enough description to know what was going on, but not enough to be annoying.
As for the actual plot, while i'm not the biggest fan of vampires, but for what it was, i actually had a bit of fun. Sam is quite bloodthirsty in this one which caught me a bit by surprise and the doctor has to pull her back quite a few times.
The general, Carolyn, and Harris are all fine characters and they all work well. However, if i DID have to make a criticism, it would be on the male characters. There are two characters that if you just removed them from the story you literally wouldn't lose anything.
James was a plank of wood who for 3/4 of the book was like "durr this stuff is fake. vampires don't exist!" until they almost quite literally shove them in his face.
Doctor Shackle on the other hand is COMPLETELY and UTTERLY pointless. like, i don't even know why he was in this book. he doesn't DO anything other than whine about being alive. that's literally his entire character. He 100% needed to be removed. he didn't add a single thing to this story.
Carolyn's "Wah i hope james is okay" got quite annoying in the first half and james' being a loser 9/10 of the book didn't help either.
I think this book would have been MUCH stronger if James and Shackle were both removed as their parts were by far the worst.
If you're hoping for a book with a lot of action, i would say this probably ISN'T it. there's SOME to be sure, but the majority is them all discussing the philosophy and morality of being a vampire and yeah, the middle does drag for a bit.
All in all, i give this book a 3.5/5 but round it up to a 4, if not just barely. Good ideas, a little schloggy in the middle, and some useless characters, but still a good 8th doctor story.
I'm going to start off with the elephant in the room that is this cover. No, i have no idea why the presidential seal is on this cover. it has nothing to do with the president, nor does it even take place in Washington DC. it takes place in California. About as far away as you can from DC while still being in America. I think the golden gate bridge with a vampire bat would have been a much better image.
Anyway, onto the actual story. I like the way these two authors write. Jonathan and Kate work well together and it's not one of those double author books where it feels disjointed and it FEELS like there's two separate authors. There was enough description to know what was going on, but not enough to be annoying.
As for the actual plot, while i'm not the biggest fan of vampires, but for what it was, i actually had a bit of fun. Sam is quite bloodthirsty in this one which caught me a bit by surprise and the doctor has to pull her back quite a few times.
The general, Carolyn, and Harris are all fine characters and they all work well. However, if i DID have to make a criticism, it would be on the male characters. There are two characters that if you just removed them from the story you literally wouldn't lose anything.
James was a plank of wood who for 3/4 of the book was like "durr this stuff is fake. vampires don't exist!" until they almost quite literally shove them in his face.
Doctor Shackle on the other hand is COMPLETELY and UTTERLY pointless. like, i don't even know why he was in this book. he doesn't DO anything other than whine about being alive. that's literally his entire character. He 100% needed to be removed. he didn't add a single thing to this story.
Carolyn's "Wah i hope james is okay" got quite annoying in the first half and james' being a loser 9/10 of the book didn't help either.
I think this book would have been MUCH stronger if James and Shackle were both removed as their parts were by far the worst.
If you're hoping for a book with a lot of action, i would say this probably ISN'T it. there's SOME to be sure, but the majority is them all discussing the philosophy and morality of being a vampire and yeah, the middle does drag for a bit.
All in all, i give this book a 3.5/5 but round it up to a 4, if not just barely. Good ideas, a little schloggy in the middle, and some useless characters, but still a good 8th doctor story.
rebelbelle13's review against another edition
4.0
Vampire Science is definitely one of the better Eighth Doctor stories I have read. This is the first time Sam joins the Doctor for an entire story, and it shows. She's ready to jump in and prove herself, but gets hurt in the process and must determine whether she wants to continue travelling, or go back home. The side characters in this story actually provide some value, as opposed to some installments in the series where we get dozens of pages of characters who really add nothing to the plot. Carolyn, Kramer, Harris, Shackle, and even James provide perspectives and knowledge of value to the story. The plot itself is nothing new- a vampire coven divided- those who wish to kill and rule the human world indiscriminately, and those who wish to live in secret alongside humans and cause them as little trouble as possible. The latter group, run by Harris, is working to find a way to feed the vampires without killing humans, researching and experimenting in her laboratory- hence the title. She is the one that the Doctor finds himself working with, and as always, uses his charismatic diplomacy to try to talk the other side out of killing people. Doctor 8 is very well characterized here by the dual authors, which, as always, is very much appreciated.
The story moves along well enough, but hits a slog somewhere around 1/3 of the way through, and doesn't really pick up until the last quarter or so. This and the fact that I don't really care for vampires (at all, really) lends to the final score. Well done, well written, well characterized, but, in the end, not entirely my jam.
The story moves along well enough, but hits a slog somewhere around 1/3 of the way through, and doesn't really pick up until the last quarter or so. This and the fact that I don't really care for vampires (at all, really) lends to the final score. Well done, well written, well characterized, but, in the end, not entirely my jam.