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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.
decembera's review
adventurous
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
4.0
eighth doctor cat person!!! there's good in this world after all
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Death, Gore, Animal death, and Blood
Minor: Self harm, Infidelity, Confinement, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Genocide
morgiei's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Stalking, War, Blood, Death, Genocide, Murder, Slavery, and Confinement
jennasvape's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
#THE best eda ever im crying and i don’t know why i’m rereading it immediately
1outside's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely much more adult-oriented than the other (New) Who books I've read so far.
Found it refreshing.
I'm not into vampires very much but thought the "topic" was handled well enough to fit into the Who world.
Big bonus points for all the cool, different and complex female characters here. Proof, that if you have enough female characters, you can make them more than your standard plucky Who companion.
I only wish Carolyn's bisexuality didn't vanish after the 1st chapter. But hey, a detail.
I adore Eight and I think the characterisation of him was spot on, had McGann in my head whenever the Doc said something - it's amazing how much the writers were able to squeeze out of the pilot in this pre-audio adventures period - and I suppose it's a testament to McG's wonderful performance in the otherwise flawed affair.
Very very good. Looking forward to reading more from this range.
P.S. Nearly gave it a full rating bc. of the kittens. Just saying. Eight and kittens. sigh
Found it refreshing.
I'm not into vampires very much but thought the "topic" was handled well enough to fit into the Who world.
Big bonus points for all the cool, different and complex female characters here. Proof, that if you have enough female characters, you can make them more than your standard plucky Who companion.
I only wish Carolyn's bisexuality didn't vanish after the 1st chapter. But hey, a detail.
I adore Eight and I think the characterisation of him was spot on, had McGann in my head whenever the Doc said something - it's amazing how much the writers were able to squeeze out of the pilot in this pre-audio adventures period - and I suppose it's a testament to McG's wonderful performance in the otherwise flawed affair.
Very very good. Looking forward to reading more from this range.
P.S. Nearly gave it a full rating bc. of the kittens. Just saying. Eight and kittens. sigh
kilcannon's review against another edition
3.0
Blum and Orman get a lot of flak from the fan community, but they're usually fairly fun and only occasionally completely obnoxious.
Plus they angst the Doctor up a bit and do their part to make the Eight Doctor more interesting than a few of the others.
Plus they angst the Doctor up a bit and do their part to make the Eight Doctor more interesting than a few of the others.
gingerreader99's review against another edition
4.0
After this novel I think the 8th Doctor is quickly becoming one of my favorites! Or maybe this 8th doctor adventure was just very well written. This 4 star rating is more of a 4.5 stars. It just didn't amaze me enough to quite get 5 but it was a great read. With a thrilling conclusion and episodic like ending as the climax occurs and then the book is literally 4 pages from being finished. This almost makes me want to go looking for more Vampire/Doctor Who stories.
wynnifer's review
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
lordroose's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25