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A review by aigra
Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles by Michael Moorcock
1.0
I quite like Doctor Who, I quite liked the Moorcock books I read ... so, a Doctor Who book written by Michael Moorcock, what could possibly go wrong? Well, quite a lot actually.
For quite a while, the Doctor and Amy are treated like secondary characters, while the story is all about the actual secondary characters. It wouldn't be so bad, if these were characters I actually liked, but I didn't.
However, my biggest problem is the generic Doctor and companion. If it wasn't for the physical descriptions and the name (in Amy's case) it could have been pretty much any Doctor and any female companion. I know some people complain about generic writing on the series, but it has never bothered me there, since you still have the actors who bring their interpretation of the role with them ... with a book however, you are out of luck.
Then there's the story. Nut cracking contests and the thefts of a hideous hat? I just couldn't care less. Douglas Adams might have been able to make this work. Maybe. But we will never know. And talking about Douglas Adams - I have never really enjoyed a science fiction story that tries to sound like Hitch Hiker's anyway. That kind of humour works for Terry Pratchett because he's writing a different genre ... but whenever someone tries to insert it in their science fiction story I can't help but think of it as a cheap copy.
For quite a while, the Doctor and Amy are treated like secondary characters, while the story is all about the actual secondary characters. It wouldn't be so bad, if these were characters I actually liked, but I didn't.
However, my biggest problem is the generic Doctor and companion. If it wasn't for the physical descriptions and the name (in Amy's case) it could have been pretty much any Doctor and any female companion. I know some people complain about generic writing on the series, but it has never bothered me there, since you still have the actors who bring their interpretation of the role with them ... with a book however, you are out of luck.
Then there's the story. Nut cracking contests and the thefts of a hideous hat? I just couldn't care less. Douglas Adams might have been able to make this work. Maybe. But we will never know. And talking about Douglas Adams - I have never really enjoyed a science fiction story that tries to sound like Hitch Hiker's anyway. That kind of humour works for Terry Pratchett because he's writing a different genre ... but whenever someone tries to insert it in their science fiction story I can't help but think of it as a cheap copy.